49. Caleb Olson, WSER winner: "How the worst race of my life changed my running forever"

“Podium would be way cooler than 5th.” Caleb wrote, after the fastest debut in history at Western States 2024. He made it to the podium this year, and then some.
Caleb generously sits down with us just 6 days out from his incredible victory at WSER, where he finished less than two minutes short of Jim Walmsley's legendary course record and beat a stacked field of competitors.
We discuss:

The worst race of his career that forever changed his running trajectory.

Changes made in training and fueling that support his incredible ultra racing winning streak.
Jim Walmsley doubting that the course record would've been broken and that "people have a disconnect to how fast that time is"
Being chased by Kilian Jornet and getting over the mental barrier that it's possible to beat him.
Being hard on yourself after races and focusing only on what went wrong.
The white long-sleeve shirt!!!
Making a living as a runner + a generous support from Nike
An Icelandic dude that refused to let him DNF at Worlds 2023.
The temptation of slowing down and giving up the first place at WSER when things felt bad.
Saying goodbye to the "underdog" days.