The Sport That Refuses to Recognise Half Its Athletes

Blaine Burke dropped a carousel that put the entire backyard ultra world on notice. Women make up 5% of the field, the female world record holder gets recorded as a DNF, and the guy who invented the sport thinks splitting categories would ruin the whole point. Alex and Troy break down why that argument doesn't hold up anymore and what King of the Hill is doing differently.

In this episode:
- Blaine Burke's case for a women's category in backyard ultras and why the data backs him up
- Lazarus Lake's counter-culture philosophy and whether it still makes sense 15 years in
- How King of the Hill handled prize money with one woman on the start line in year one
- The FTTK podcast blowup over "getting chicked" and why context matters but wording matters more
- Trail running versus city running and why every runner eventually wants to move to the country
- A near-death encounter with a massive kangaroo at 3am on a bush run
- How tool companies scam you into buying full sets when you just need one socket
- Core childhood memories with mum and dad, from cane toad hunting to jousting on scooters

Timestamps:
(00:42) Trail running in the bush versus running through industrial Melbourne
(04:24) Getting charged by a massive grey kangaroo on a bush run
(05:25) Kangaroo culling, dog meat, and the sanctuary that makes zero sense
(12:14) Blaine Burke's carousel attacking the backyard ultra single-category format
(17:25) Equity versus equality in ultra running and what the words actually mean
(23:02) How King of the Hill approached gendered prize money over three years
(25:48) Lazarus Lake's philosophy and why he refuses to split categories
(35:38) Red Bull's playbook for turning niche sports into mainstream events
(39:58) How tool companies jack up single socket prices to force you into full sets
(47:10) The FTTK podcast controversy over "getting chicked" in elite running
(56:01) When is banter just banter and when is it tone deaf
(01:01:07) Core childhood memories. Cane toad hunting with dad in Northwest Queensland
(01:06:30) Navigating with a Refidex and mum pretending she didn't know the way
(01:09:11) Crashing your girlfriend's parents car doing clutch kicks at 16
(01:23:22) Dad making wooden swords and shields for front yard battles

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