329: Is Steven Tursi Largest Known Person to Run a Sub 24 Hour 100 Miler?
Release Date: 06/23/2025
342: Golden Tips on Coaching High School XC and Ultra Running
Cultra Trail Running
Ian Golden from The Trails Collective, Finger Lakes Running Co., Red Newt Racing joins Evil Becky Burke to talk about the challenges of coaching runners of all ages and abilities. Get your official at our store! Outro music by Become a basic licker. If you lick us, we will most likely lick you right back Go here to talk shit and complain and give us advice that we wont follow Don't watch this with your kids Sign up for a race at and feel better Buy Fred's Book More Information on the
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341: Jared Beasley on The Endurance Artist and Life with Laz
Cultra Trail Running
Author Jared Beasley can tell a great story! Including his encounters with Lazarus Lake, where he earned access to cover the Barkley and Backyard World Championship. Jared shares what he learned: Laz isn’t testing fitness—he’s testing willpower. Jared’s new book covers all this and more. The Beauty of Breaking Down Whether dropping at mile 75 or missing a story deadline, Jared finds the same lesson; failure fuels growth. He also recalls witnessing raw humanity at the Backyard, when a Japanese runner and his crew shared a powerful moment of empathy and exhaustion. The Birth of...
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340: AFB and Phred Trash Patreon, Honor Jack LaLane, The Corn Palace and the Spam Museum
Cultra Trail Running
AFB and Phred cover highlights from the Cat’s Tail Marathon, NotchView Invitational, SRT and Barclay Fall Classic, and Shan Riggs’s run across Connecticut (114 of 169 towns done!). AFB shares a knee-busting White Mountains hiking story, his adventures at the Glastonbury Senior Center gym, where he scores a gift basket, and a Woodstock RV trip featuring The Black Crowes. Phred recalls a cross-country road trip full of quirky running stops — from the Corn Palace to the Spam Museum. They rant about Patreon frustrations, pay tribute to Dr. Jack Daniels, and compare Jack...
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339: Andrew Drummond White Mountains 100 Community Builder
Cultra Trail Running
Andrew Drummond is the heartbeat of the White Mountain trail running community -ultrarunner, ski mountaineer, and race director who set the FKT on the Direttissima, summiting all 48 NH 4,000-footers in under five days. We dive into his adventures in ultramarathons, backcountry skiing, and community building in Jackson, NH, including the White Mountain 100, Bubba’s Backyard Ultra, and guiding Scott Jurek through the toughest terrain in the East. As our conversation with Andrew unfolds, what emerges isn’t just a tale of mountains or miles, but a love story-of place, of lifestyle, of...
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338 New England Races and Patreon Love
Cultra Trail Running
AFB and Evil Becky are back with a full plate of races, mountain lore, and more than a few tangents. If you like your trail chatter served awkwardly with Swedish Fish, this one’s for you. Shan Riggs is at it again!! Race Recaps: We dive into the Cross Connecticut Run for Mental Health Awareness and Macedonia Trailways in Kent, breaking down the 50K, 25K, and 12K finishers like we were there (spoiler: we weren’t). Cats Tail Drama: Evil Becky drops the bomb that she’s skipping Cat’s Tail on her birthday (Sept 27th). Send your condolences in Swedish Fish. Mountain Madness: We talk Notch...
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337: Dick Vincent: Founder of the Escarpment Trail Run & Longest-Serving Trail Race Director
Cultra Trail Running
Phast Phred, Evil Becky, and AFB host Dick Vincent—the man who’s been directing the Escarpment Trail Run in the Catskills for 48 years straight. That makes him the longest-serving trail race director in North America. Laddie Lawrence can have the road scene locked down with Westport’s summer series, but when it comes to gnarly trails, Escarpment is Dick’s kingdom. He’s also a guy who kept a 34-year run streak, ran Boston back in ’74, and even left seven toenails out on the course at Western States Endurance Run 100 WSER in ’86 If you love trail running history, and great...
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336: Are the Adirondacks Tougher Than the Whites? Trail Legends Weigh In
Cultra Trail Running
Krista Petrie and Debbie Clouthier might just be the fastest “slow hikers” you’ll ever meet. Joining forces with West Rock Ramblers Anna G(arsten), Josh Gaetjen, and AFB, these Canadian adventurers bring stories that range from the White Mountains to the Arctic and everywhere in between. We first crossed paths with Krista and Debbie during our Owl’s Head adventure in the Whites, and immediately knew we had to get them on Cultra. We expected good stuff, but at times we were flat-out speechless. The conversation covers it all: Trail running and peak bagging in the Whites and...
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335: The Shenipsit Striders Running Club at 50 Years
Cultra Trail Running
If we could dream up the perfect trail running club, it would look a whole lot like the Shenipsit Striders. For 50 years, this crew has been building trails, hosting races, and creating a community where everyone: fast, slow, new, or seasoned; feels like family. In this episode, AFB sits down at the Striders’ 50th Anniversary 8 Hour Fatass Run and chats with five runners who embody the heart of the club: Tony Bonanno Cherie Bilbie Jillian Ellefson Jake Gaeta Jim Henderson (longtime Strider and keeper of the history books) You may know some of these names already, but if you...
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334: Judy Proteau and the Race for the Refuge
Cultra Trail Running
Episode 334: Judy Proteau and the Race for the Refuge This week we’re joined by the one and only Judy Proteau—ultrarunner, race director, Highland City Strider, kicker for the NFL, and all-around trail badass. Judy’s here to talk about her first year directing the Race for the Refuge, happening September 28th at the Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge in Sudbury, MA. (You bet your ass...abet!)We get into the behind-the-scenes of putting on a race, tribal land permissions, course marking, volunteer wrangling, post-race beer logistics (yes, that’s a thing), and why...
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333 Overcoming Escarpment Yips & The Bug-Net Hat
Cultra Trail Running
AFB and Evil Becky Burke are back at it, serving up a full platter of ultra goodness from Vermont to Rhode Island, with detours through the Catskills, Soapstone, Notchview, and the Squatchy Surprise in NJ. We’re breaking down the highs, lows, and bug bites from recent races, plus dishing on who crushed it, who gutted it out, and who set new course records. Art wrestles with “The Yips” on technical trails, Evil Becky relives her sandy Ocean State Ultra dropout at mile 50, and we both agree-some courses need to rethink their “short loop at the end” strategy. We tip our trucker...
info_outlinePhred is Back, BIGTIME and he finally reels in his “white whale” guest longtime friend and ultrarunning enigma Steven Tursi. Steven and Phred blab about running streaks, hashing adventures, body image, and a lifelong evolution of what it means to be a runner and a friend. Was Steve the original Johnny Appleseed for Cultra? Enjoy this fabulous Bootleg Cultra (Think Grateful Dead Barton Hall, Cornell University, May 8, 1977)
Episode Highlights:
Running Streaks and Ultramarathons
- Steven shares insights into his nearly 15-year daily running streak (over 5,200 days!)—and the debates surrounding the “continuous mile” rule.
- Fred and Steven unpack the motivations, sunk cost psychology, and mental games behind long streaks.
- Recap of Steven’s recent race at altitude in the Great Divide 100, and how Colorado elevation humbled him despite living at 5,300 feet.
Hashing Culture 101
- What exactly is hashing? Steven breaks down the beer-fueled, trail-marked tradition of this global, irreverent running subculture.
- Stories about hash names (spoiler: “Hot Schweddy Balls”), flour trail controversies, beer stops, and inclusivity in the hashing world.
On Body Image and Identity
- Steven gets candid about his weight, body perception, and running while heavier than most—highlighting his incredible feat of running a sub-24-hour 100-miler at ~275 lbs.
Friendship in Adulthood
- A heartfelt and humorous discussion about how men form (and define) friendships as adults.
- Fred and Steven reflect on their 15+ year bond, running together at events like Ancient Oaks, TGNY, and Umstead, and how group chats now serve as lifelines for long-distance friendships.
The Shift to Journey Runs
- Steven talks about moving away from racing for results and leaning into slower, more meaningful runs—including a planned 50-mile adventure on the Colorado Trail for his 50th birthday.
- Memories of the Four Pass Loop, the Manitou Incline “stunt hike,” and past multi-day efforts like Milwaukee to Chicago.
Bonus Nuggets
- Why Steven ran a 24-hour race just to bail at 20 miles and watch football.
- How rocket launches, mistaken finishes, and sandbagging for friendship make ultra memories.
- Reflections on The Fair, Starbucks runs after Rocky’s, and the joy of repeat traditions.
Tune In If You Like:
- Not listening to AFB!
- The human side of ultra running
- Thoughtful conversations on consistency, identity, and connection
- A couple of old friends talking about life, beer, streaks, and everything in between
Referenced Events & Topics:
Palmer Lake Ultra • Ancient Oaks • Umstead 100 • TGNY • Great Divide 100K • Manitou Incline • Colorado Trail • Hash House Harriers • Running Streaks • Journey Runs • Four Pass Loop • Sub-24 100-milers • Group chats & friendship
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