Arizona Monster Victory and How Pete Mortimer still slept 8 hours

I sit down with Peter Mortimer, the champion of the inaugural Arizona Monster 300-miler. Just hours after finishing, Pete was back at work—because ultrarunning is expensive and PTO is a myth. We talk about his strategy for managing sleep, how he trains for 200+ mile races, and what it’s like to hallucinate a jaguar that turns out to be an actual cow.

Follow Pete Mortimer on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pjmortimer/

We also dive into Pete’s “finish it once” race mentality, his plans to take on the Triple Crown of 200s, and his alter ego as a culinary legend known as Pete’s Meats, feeding hallucinating runners brisket on mountain summits. Plus, the ridiculous story of how we first met—at the Barkley Marathons, where Pete forgot his bib number and everything went sideways from there.

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If you like stories of long-distance suffering, sleep deprivation, racing horses at Man Against Horse, and the sheer absurdity of ultra culture, this episode is for you.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to the Arizona Monster

03:06 Experiencing the Arizona Trail

06:01 Race Strategy and Pacing

08:51 Training for the 300-Mile Challenge

12:03 Mental Challenges During the Race

15:02 Post-Race Reflections and Future Plans

24:41 The Barkley Marathons Experience

29:04 Cocadona Training and Connections

31:30 Pete's Meats and Community Engagement

36:11 Philosophy of Racing and Travel

38:57 Unique Racing Experiences: Man Against Horse

42:54 Eight More Miles Coaching Philosophy

Keywords

Arizona Monster, ultra running, endurance races, race strategy, training, mental challenges, Peter Mortimer, Jeff Garmire, 300-mile race, pacing, Barkley Marathons, Cocadona, ultra running, Pete's Meats, community, racing philosophy, Man Against Horse, coaching, endurance sports, running experiences