Blake Wood on Hardrock, Lotteries, Longevity, Training, Nuclear Bombs, and Home Brewing

Blake Wood Interview Blake Wood has finished Nolan’s 14, competed in Barkley 8 times with one finish*, and has an incredible 20 finishes at Hardrock 100. He also just recently set the record for longest span between sub 3 hr marathons, a feat he started at 17 yo and just completed when he ran a 2:58 at Modesto Marathon at the age of 58. Sarah and I chatted with Blake about what prompted him to take on the marathon challenge and how he trained for it. In doing so, we learned that his daughter qualified for the Olympic trials and brought Dad along on many of her training runs.  You’ll have to hear what type of speedwork he does to maintain his fitness. We also talk about Hardrock and his self-described role as the “architect of the lottery.” We discuss whether it’s “fair” to have people with multiple finishes start each year, while first timers are faced with nearly impossible lottery odds. Blake explains the “bucket” system in depth and how it originated. Sarah and Blake also discuss why more women don’t start the race, and I ask who, if anyone, has the authority to allows hand-picked entrants into the iconic event. If you follow Hardrock, you’ll want to hear this discussion. Blake Wood Episode Sponsor       Blake Wood Episode Notes Check out Blake’s running bio from the early 00’s. Here’s more about Sarah’s book and potential tour dates. Here’s the site for the bluegrass band that provided the outro music, Colebrook Road. All pictures courtesy of Blake Wood. *Blake’s Barkley finish (alongside co-finisher David Horton) was DQed/contested for taking an alternate (though parallel) route for 200m.