The Shakeout Podcast

Nickademus de la Rosa is no stranger to mountaintops, of both the literal and metaphorical variety. 

For much of the 2010s he was at the top of the ultrarunning world, rattling off podium appearances at some of the longest, toughest and most iconic events in the sport, and boasting a list of completions almost as long as the races themselves.

Of all the highs, perhaps none was greater than his finish at the 2013 Barkley Marathons, a race often deemed the toughest in the world, with only 26 finishes in its 30+ year history. 

Yet, while a victory on one of the sport’s greatest stages brought the promise of a legacy cemented, it also served to further deepen an identity rooted in performance, one perpetuated by a constant striving for the next win.

While de la Rosa's immense talent for the trails allowed him to dictate his own story for years, his performance-centric identity collapsed when an abrupt diagnosis and open-heart surgery forced him to retire from competition in 2017. What followed were years of soul-searching and grappling to rediscover a sense of self outside of sport. 

That journey ultimately led him to mental performance coaching, using his education in sport and performance psychology and the hard-earned lessons from his own career to help athletes separate their self-worth from performance and free themselves to compete at their best.

Today on The Shakeout Podcast, Nick shares from his own journey of mountaintops and valley bottoms, how’s he reshaped a relationship with the sport he loves that’s built for the long run, and how stepping away from the narrow constraints of the podium can help us all get the most out of the sport we love. 

Subscribe to The Shakeout Podcast feed on Apple, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you find your podcasts.

Checkout Nickademus on social media @ultrademus

[This collaboration is part of an advertising campaign led by the Podpass agency for Altitude Sports]

Shop now at Altitude Sports and enjoy up to 20% off your first order with the promo code “SHAKEOUT2026” Click here to order 👉 https://bit.ly/altitude-shakeout2026

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The 2026 Canadian track & field championships are underway from Ottawa and The Shakeout Podcast team brings you all the storylines you need to know heading into a full weekend of action on the track.

Host John Gay is joined by Canadian Running's Cameron Ormond and special guest Avery Pearson, fresh off her final collegiate season at The University of Colorado.

From a jam packed night of distance action on Thursday, June 18th right through the always-riveting 1500m finals set for Sunday, the team takes a deep dive into the head-to-head battles, superstar showdowns, and dark horse picks you need to keep an eye on this weekend.

Plus, Pearson shares from her experience competing in her final season as a collegiate athlete, from the demands of the NCAA racing schedule to making her first senior national team earlier this year and how she plans to carry the momentum from a breakout season into a stacked women's 800m competition this Friday and Saturday in Ottawa.

Follow Avery @averyypearson

Cover Photo: Lauren Cawley

Subscribe to The Shakeout Podcast feed on Apple, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you find your podcasts.

[This collaboration is part of an advertising campaign led by the Podpass agency for Altitude Sports]

Shop now at Altitude Sports and enjoy up to 20% off your first order with the promo code “SHAKEOUT2026” Click here to order 👉 https://bit.ly/altitude-shakeout2026

Create an account or sign in to access the discount. Valid on items at regular price only. Valid for a limited time only after sign up. Cannot be combined with any other discount code and/or promotion. Limited to one use per customer. Membership discount not applicable on this offer.

Time to plan your next Run-Cation! Spots remain for the 2026 Fiddler's Marathon, a BQ-eligible course in beautiful Sydney, Nova Scotia

Sign-Up today: https://fiddlersmarathon.com/

A quick scan of a pre-race warmup area and you’ll see a rainbow array of brightly coloured drink mixes filling the bottles, beakers, and hydration packs of endurance athletes. For many, these beverages are the bridge between the hydration needs of “normal” people and the performance necessities of athletes, with brands touting optimized mineral blends and special formulas aimed at keeping athletes running harder for longer.

But how much are these drinks really doing for performance and how much is clever marketing aimed at capitalizing on the most basic of human needs: thirst?

With the hottest months upon us and the racing season in full swing, we welcome back Registered Dietitian Sandra Frail to dive into the salty waters of endurance hydration. We’re taking a look at what our bodies really need to perform at their best, debunking some of the common misconceptions around electrolytes, sweat, and dehydration, and understanding the real-world strategies athletes can use to optimize their hydration and avoid pouring away extra money on pricey pee.

Subscribe to The Shakeout Podcast feed on Apple, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you find your podcasts.

Follow Sandra @nosweatnutrition

McCubbin Journal Article: Sodium intake for athletes before, during and after exercise: review and recommendations

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Weeks after retiring from one of the greatest professional running careers in a generation, Evan Jager found himself inside a Swedish lab testing a supplement made from broccoli sprouts.

The results of those lab tests caught his attention, and before the ink was dry on his retirement letter to the sport of distance running, the Olympic silver medallist and American record holder was right back in the world of high performance. 

But while he’d spent a pro career focused on running as fast as possible, this new chapter would be all about helping other athletes reach their full potential, as he became head of athlete relations for Nomio, the Swedish company behind the broccoli-powered super supplement.

Today on The Shakeout Podcast, Evan joins us to talk about how a move to Sweden set the stage for an improbable post-career pivot, what the transition to life after pro running has looked like and what it was about that first experience with a shot of broccoli juice that had him diving back into the heart of high performance sport just as quickly as he’d left.

Subscribe to The Shakeout Podcast feed on Apple, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you find your podcasts.

[This collaboration is part of an advertising campaign led by the Podpass agency for Altitude Sports]

Shop now at Altitude Sports and enjoy up to 20% off your first order with the promo code SHAKEOUT2026 Click here to order 👉 https://bit.ly/altitude-shakeout2026

Create an account or sign in to access the discount. Valid on items at regular price only. Valid for a limited time only after sign up. Cannot be combined with any other discount code and/or promotion. Limited to one use per customer. Membership discount not applicable on this offer.

This week on the Shakeout Podcast host John Gay is joined by his coach Jonathan Green of Verde Track Club to breakdown the 2026 Ottawa Marathon, John's debut at the distance.

48 hours post race John and Jon review the training block leading up to Ottawa, the key workouts along the way, and the final preparation before the gun went off. From race-day strategy to tapering, recovery, and setting up the next training block, Jon shares his insights as a coach and his impressions of John's first foray into the marathon.

Subscribe to The Shakeout Podcast feed on Apple, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you find your podcasts.

[This collaboration is part of an advertising campaign led by the Podpass agency for Altitude Sports]

Shop now at Altitude Sports and enjoy up to 20% off your first order with the promo code SHAKEOUT2026 Click here to order 👉 https://bit.ly/altitude-shakeout2026

Create an account or sign in to access the discount. Valid on items at regular price only. Valid for a limited time only after sign up. Cannot be combined with any other discount code and/or promotion. Limited to one use per customer. Membership discount not applicable on this offer.