He gave everything for his country, came home without his legs, and then completed 110 miles anyway.

Mike Egan is a Marine combat veteran who lost both legs to an IED in Afghanistan. In this conversation, he sits down with Dominic to talk about the G1M Go One More Backyard Ultra in Texas, where he completed 27 loops (110-plus miles in a wheelchair over 27 straight hours) finishing 27th in a field of able-bodied athletes. When heavy rain turned loop 27's course into thick mud and locked his wheels, Egan climbed out of the chair and crawled, dragging it behind him. He barely blinked.

But the race is almost a footnote. What Mike actually delivers in this hour is a masterclass in how to think about suffering. He talks about the year he didn't leave his house, the slow crawl back out of isolation, and the realization that endurance sport wasn't about fitness—it was the first thing that forced him to face what he'd been packing down for years. He talks about repurposing pain, the discipline of not breaking promises with yourself, and why he never asks "what if," he just does. He also pushes back hard on one thing: don't compare your hardships to his. Your suffering is your own. How you respond to it is all that matters.

This is one of the most direct, no-fluff conversations about identity and resilience TRE has ever produced.

Tap into the Mike Egan Special.

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S H O W N O T E S

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Jane Hedengren doesn't do freshman years quietly.

Coming off a breakout debut season at BYU, the Nike-sponsored phenom joins Dominic ahead of the Prefontaine Classic to reflect on a year that redefined her expectations of herself.

Hedengren opens up about the whirlwind of transitioning from decorated high schooler to collegiate standout, describing her freshman year as less about the records and wins and more about the growth, the team bonds, and the hard-earned lessons that came with it.

She talks through her simplified shoe rotation, what it's really like working alongside Nike's product teams, and how the "less is more" training philosophy from her Nike Elite days still affect how she approaches her buildup. She also opens up about periodizing a season that won't peak until November, the value of resting and reconnecting with family this summer, and how she's staying grounded as her siblings chase their own running success.

The conversation turns reflective as Jane considers her long-term legacy in the sport, weighing the pull between cross country's singular, winner-take-all drama and the technical precision of track. Asked to choose between breaking four minutes in the mile or fourteen minutes in the 5K as the sport's next historic barrier, she doesn't hesitate to share her pick, while acknowledging both feel closer than ever.

Through it all, Jane's answers land with a maturity beyond her years, a steady reminder that she's chasing greatness one present moment at a time.

Tap into the Jane Hedengren Special.

If you enjoy the podcast, please consider following us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts and giving us a five-star review! I would also appreciate it if you share it with your friend who you think will benefit from it.

S H O W N O T E S

-The Run Down By The Running Effect (our new newsletter!): https://tinyurl.com/mr36s9rs

-Our Website: https://therunningeffect.run

-THE PODCAST ON YOUTUBE:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClLcLIDAqmJBTHeyWJx_wFQ

-My Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/therunningeffect/?hl=en⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Behind the scenes of The Running Effect: https://youtube.com/@dominicschlueter?si=PM9FjPc92eFUFEZ

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Instagram: @janehedengren

Mike Scannell doesn't believe in mileage—he believes in how you run it.

Back on the show for another appearance, the architect of Grant Fisher's Olympic campaign sits down with Dominic to talk about something every serious runner faces and most get wrong: the summer training block.

Scannell makes the case that the six weeks in the dead heat of summer are the truest measure of who an athlete is going to become. When the training gets long, boring, and hot, most kids quit. The ones who don't are the ones worth coaching.

The conversation moves from training philosophy into the psychology of competition. Scannell breaks down how he handles disappointment with athletes and why he refuses to let any kid internalize a bad race as a reflection of who they are. He talks about goal-setting with the same directness: limit them to three or four; share them only with people qualified to help you reach them; and let your daily actions do the announcing.

He also goes after the mileage obsession head-on. Most kids are addicted to a number on Strava instead of the quality of the miles that produced it. Scannell has seen it at every level, and his prescription is simple: rest, hydration, and mild but honest training—in that order. The summer doesn't need to be heroic. It needs to be consistent.

Sharp, direct, and full of the practical coaching wisdom that's made him one of the most respected voices in American distance running.

Tap into the Coach Mike Scannell Special.

If you enjoy the podcast, please consider following us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts and giving us a five-star review! I would also appreciate it if you share it with your friend who you think will benefit from it.

S H O W N O T E S

-The Run Down By The Running Effect (our new newsletter!): https://tinyurl.com/mr36s9rs

-Our Website: https://therunningeffect.run

-THE PODCAST ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClLcLIDAqmJBTHeyWJx_wFQ

-My Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/therunningeffect/?hl=en⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

-Take our podcast survey: https://tinyurl.com/3ua62ffz

Behind the scenes of The Running Effect: https://youtube.com/@dominicschlueter?si=PM9FjPc92eFUFEZ

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