I Prepared Like a World Champion and Still Lost

Alex ran 38 hours at the Melbourne Front Yard Ultra and still walked away feeling like he never got to race. This is the raw, honest debrief of what went right, what went wrong, and why world-class preparation doesn't guarantee the result you wanted.

In this episode:
- The full breakdown of Alex's 38-yard backyard ultra debut and the knee injury that ended it
- Why boring is beautiful in a backyard ultra and how Alex paced his laps
- The crewing experience from Troy's perspective and what he'd do differently next time
- How a wheelbarrow became the MVP of the entire event setup
- The old duck with the slut dog who tried to shut down the race
- Alex screaming at himself at 3am on a bridge in front of a crowd of spectators
- Why Alex remembers every loss from his sporting career but forgets all the wins
- The overachiever trap and why endless preparation still doesn't guarantee satisfaction
- Harry's community showing up in force and the podcast listeners who surprised Alex
- What's next for Alex, Harry's, and King of the Hill in 2025

Timestamps:
(04:51) Welcome back and post-race depression
(08:06) The full race breakdown and how the knee injury happened
(16:20) Why feeling great for 35 hours doesn't matter if you're out at 38
(21:14) Backyard ultra strategy and the problem with being too rigid
(27:08) Would Alex do another backyard ultra after this result
(32:49) Troy's first crewing experience and event review
(37:12) Screaming at himself on the bridge at 3am
(42:54) The wheelbarrow hack and tradey setup that impressed everyone
(46:40) Harry's street cred and the reputation growing in the community
(51:55) The old duck with the slut dog who tried to shut the event down
(55:05) Slut dog rankings and the French Bulldog breathing debate
(01:02:51) Crewing debrief and the noodle cooking disaster
(01:15:03) The overachiever who remembers every loss but forgets the wins
(01:21:14) Backyard ultras as the ultimate problem solving event for tradies
(01:37:19) Why Alex feels like he's stuck in a loop of preparing like a champion and still losing

Full episode out now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Follow the pod on Instagram: @pullingthreads