The buzz is real when it comes to Des's trail plans for this year. She just announced her first trail race of the season - the Black Canyon 50K - on February 15th in prep for the epic stage race Marathon des Sables (MDS) in April.

MDS is a self-supported, multi-stage ultramarathon, primarily held in the Moroccan Sahara, where runners cover ~250 km (155 miles) in six days, carrying all their own food and gear while facing desert conditions, and sleeping in communal tents with other participants. We know Des likes a sufferfest, so it shouldn't be surprising that this race has captured her attention. She gives a little preview of her prep and opens the floor for some help for her team name. Drop your ideas in the YouTube or Spotify comments!

Then, Des and Kara talk about the impending choice for the host city of the 2028 Olympic Marathon Trials. Phoenix and St. Louis go head-to-head for the opportunity to choose our Olympic marathoners for LA. What factors should be considered and which city might have the edge?

Finally (before a Top 5), they preview the indoor track action coming up at the NB Indoor Games and at Millrose. There are some fun and exciting races to watch in the coming weekends, and they give you some tips on what and who to watch! Track is back!

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"The files are in the computer."

Guess that movie reference as we open the show!

Well, the runners were in the TV this weekend with live action at the Houston Marathon/Half Marathon and the World XC Champs in Florida. Des was on the call in Houston on Sunday, and both Des and Kara watched the coverage of the races in Tallahassee on Saturday.

What amazing races they were!

They cover all of the amazing chaos from World XC (from water to "mud" to obstacles and snakes), which made for some carnage on the course. Jacob Kiplimo from Uganda won the men's race, and Caroline Agnes Ngetich absolutely stole the show on the women's side. Des and Kara talk about it all and assess the US performances, with both men and women finishing in 4th place in the team results. Congrats to Tallahassee for putting on a great show!

Then in Houston, perfect weather brought some very fast times. You had 4 US men under 60 for the first time in a single race, with both the US men's and women's half records very nearly going down. And in the marathon, Zouhair Talbi won the men's marathon in 2:05:45 with the third fastest time ever by an American. Talbi is a recently naturalized citizen. He can't compete for the US yet but should be eligible by the 2028 Games, so watch that name. Great Britain's Calli Hauger-Thackery won the women's marathon in 2:24:17 after also winning Honolulu just a month ago.

Finally, they talk about a big doping bust in marathoning - Albert Korir - before ending on a more positive note with a top 5 for the week. We are only 13 days into January and already 3 episodes into this fourth season of podcasts for Des and Kara. It's going to be a good year!

Des and Kara are back in Houston for 2026 with another podcast, live from the Cullen Theater. We had another great turn-out, and the crowd brought their A game with great questions. The audio is clean for a live pod, and the content on this one is must-listen.

Des and Kara start with some preview thoughts on World XC and on Houston Marathon weekend. Then, they take a little trip down podcast memory lane as they enter their 4th year of podcasting together.

Finally, the crowd brings their A game with some fire questions. You get breaking news from Des on her 2026 racing calendar, and you might just learn something new about the two of them. There are some fun facts in here that not many know, plus plenty of inspiration to go around.

Thanks to everyone who joined us and good luck to everyone racing on Sunday!

Note: Unfortunately, this one is audio only as we had a video malfunction. We apologize to our YouTube loyalists!