In this episode, we sit down with Pascal Rüeger, the Swiss ultra runner who ran 100km in 6:18:27 earlier this year, beating a record held since 1985 by almost 9 minutes and winning the race by over 30 minutes.

Pascal only started running competitively in 2018, in his late thirties. Today he holds the Swiss national records at 100km, 6 hours (91.6km), and 12 hours (161.2km), plus the M45 world record for 100km. He is self-coached, science-based, and trains twice a day, every day.

We talk through his race-day execution in Italy, his pacing strategy at 3:40/km, and how he uses heart rate zones to manage a sub-7-hour 100km.

Pascal also walks us through his weekly training (160-200km, with "Crazy Thursdays" of double 50K sessions), his low-carb daily diet paired with carb-targeted race fueling, and the entrepreneurial mindset that lets him fail repeatedly and come back stronger.

For anyone curious about ultra running, late-starter performance, or what consistency at the limit actually looks like, this conversation delivers.

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Follow Pascal: @swissultrarunner

Follow Bruna: @justbrunathings

Follow Fabi: @endurance_fabi

Bruna & Fabi are the co-founders of augo: www.augotraining.com

Bruna & Fabi coach runners & triathletes: www.jornadaendurance.com

More about Human Endurance: www.humanendurancepodcast.com

What separates an age-grouper who keeps improving from one who plateaus? It often isn't the next training method or the latest gadget. It's how they think about their training as a whole.

In this episode, we sit down with Mikael Eriksson, founder of Scientific Triathlon and host of That Triathlon Show. With nearly nine years of full-time coaching experience and an engineering background, Mikael takes a systematic, pragmatic approach to triathlon training that has helped athletes go from beginners to professional level.

We talk about how to profile athletes by their physiological strengths, why specificity is overrated for long-course racing, and the three metrics every coach should master: external load, internal load, and RPE.

Mikael also shares his philosophy on hard work in an era obsessed with recovery optimization: "You can become a pretty good athlete with very bad recovery if you're putting in the work. You cannot fully optimize your recovery and become a good athlete if you're not putting in the work."

If you're a competitive age-grouper looking for the right levers to pull, or a coach refining how you work with experienced athletes, this conversation offers a grounded, practical framework rather than a list of hacks.

Connect with Mikael on:

• Instagram
• Youtube
• Linkedin
• https://scientifictriathlon.com/

Connect with Bruna & Fabi:

• @justbrunathings
• @endurance_fabi
• https://jornadaendurance.com/
• https://www.humanendurancepodcast.com/

What happens when you stop thinking of yourself as "just a runner" or "just a cyclist" and start training like a complete athlete?

Peter Glassford and Molly Hurford from The Consummate Athlete join us to break down why cross-training might be the most underrated tool in endurance sports.

Peter is a Registered Kinesiologist and endurance coach with 20+ years of experience, and Molly is an ultra runner, author, and founder of Strong Girl Publishing.

Together, they've spent a decade helping busy athletes build sustainable performance through their 4 Cs framework: Cross-training, Consistency, Confidence, and Community.

In this episode, we get into practical strategies for fitting training around a busy life, why strength training matters more than most endurance athletes think, the real problem with ERG mode on the trainer, how to start cross-training without risking injury, and Molly's journey from crying in the shower after her first Ironman to setting the course record at her first 100-miler.

Whether you're a coach looking for fresh programming ideas or an athlete stuck in a single-sport rut, this one is packed with actionable takeaways.

Connect with Molly & Peter:

• https://consummateathlete.com/
• https://stronggirlpublishing.com/
• https://www.instagram.com/peterglassford/
• https://www.instagram.com/mollyjhurford/

Connect with Bruna & Fabi:

• https://www.instagram.com/endurance_fabi
• ⁠https://www.instagram.com/justbrunathings
• https://jornadaendurance.com/
• https://augotraining.com/

Join augo's launch event on March 26th in Zurich

• https://luma.com/8l4kbup7

What happens when the sport you've dedicated your life to suddenly gets taken away from you?

At 17, Nina Derron was a Swiss Junior Champion in triathlon, duathlon, and the 10km. And then chronic back pain stopped everything...

What followed was nearly 3 years away from competition, a PhD in Clinical Science from ETH Zurich, and one of the most remarkable comeback stories in triathlon.

In this episode, Nina walks us through the injury that derailed her junior career, how she rebuilt her relationship with the sport, and the deliberate decision, at 32, to finally go all-in as a full-time professional triathlete.

We also dive into Brett Sutton's RPE-based training philosophy, why Nina barely looks at her data, what it's like training alongside the Chinese national team, and the importance of bone density screening for young endurance athletes.

A story about patience, resilience, and trusting the process: for athletes and coaches at every level.

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Connect with Nina: @nina_derron

Connect with Bruna: @justbrunathings

Connect with Fabi: @endurance_fabi

Sign-up for augo's launch event: https://luma.com/8l4kbup7

What does it take to start triathlon at 28, coach yourself to a pro license within a year, and then break a cycling world record?

Meet Jonathan Guisolan, whose unconventional path is rewriting the rules of what's possible in endurance sports. Jonathan didn't grow up as a competitive athlete. He started cycling at 22 while studying Exercise Physiology, turned pro in cycling, then transitioned to triathlon at 28.

In 2025 (just his second year as a professional triathlete) he won his first pro race at Challenge Sir Bani Yas and then broke the 6-hour velodrome cycling world record, covering 276.795 km at an average speed of 46.1 km/h.

Whether you're a late starter questioning your potential, a self-coached athlete seeking validation, or simply someone fascinated by the intersection of science, resilience, and performance, Jonathan's journey will inspire you.

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Follow Jonathan: @jonathanguisolan

Follow Fabi: @endurance_fabi

Follow Bruna: @justbrunathings

Swiss pro triathlete Leana Bissig joins the Human Endurance Podcast straight from her season high finishing top 20 in T100. Inspired by Nicola Spirig's Olympic gold, Leana worked her way up from junior swimming to racing on triathlon's biggest stages, all while completing a master's in health sciences at ETH Zurich.

In this episode, she opens up about balancing studies with 20-hour training weeks, the leap from short course to middle distance racing, what it's like competing in the T100 series, and the mental breakthroughs that took her to the next level. Additionally we share insights into her approach to nutrition, why she's never had a major injury, and her one piece of advice for every endurance athlete.

00:00 Welcome and Introduction00:46 Leana's Journey into Triathlon02:15 Transition to Professional Athlete03:54 Balancing Studies and Training08:35 Training Strategies and Adaptations13:17 Insights on Long-Distance Training20:56 Race Experiences and Successes22:44 Meet the Coach: Balancing Sports and Studies24:23 Choosing Races: From Middle Distance to WTCS26:38 The T100 Experience: Competing at the Highest Level27:46 Team Dynamics: Support and Sponsorship30:19 Nutrition Insights: Fueling for Performance34:45 Strength Training: Staying Injury-Free35:49 Planning the Upcoming Season: Training and Rest39:11 Favorite Training Sessions: Bike, Run, and Swim41:03 Final Thoughts and Where to Find More

What does it really take to coach elite triathletes to world-class performances? Reto Braendli, Swiss triathlon coach and former performance lab specialist, joins us to share the individualized approach behind some of pro triathlon's most remarkable recent results.

Reto coaches Sara Svensk (8th Kona 2024 with sub-3hr marathon), Anne Reischmann (back-to-back Ironman wins at Cozumel & South Africa), and Imogen Simmonds (9th overall T100 2024). In this Expert Series episode, he reveals how Sara ran one of the fastest marathons at Kona with only 4 hours of running per week (50% on a treadmill) due to injury.

We dive deep into body composition analysis, Reto's balanced fueling philosophy that rejects both extreme high-carb and low-carb trends, and the truth about how pro athletes' nutrition needs differ from weekend warriors. Plus, insights on indoor versus outdoor cycling, optimal cadence, Anne's decision to race Kona while pregnant, and why loving what you do matters more than any training protocol.

Whether you're a coach or athlete, this conversation offers practical wisdom for smarter, more sustainable training.

00:00 Welcome and Introduction

00:27 Reto's Background and Career

01:33 Coaching Philosophy and Approach

02:16 Case Studies: Coaching Elite Athletes

05:25 Training Strategies and Adaptations

11:39 Balancing Training and Life for Age Groupers

17:36 Body Composition in Endurance Sports

25:20 Nutrition and Fueling Strategies

35:06 Approximate Energy Demand in Athletes

36:23 Fueling Strategies for Endurance Athletes

37:46 Integrating Cycling into Triathlon Training

39:54 Indoor vs. Outdoor Cycling: Pros and Cons

43:37 Cadence and Bike Position: Optimizing Performance

49:02 Coaching Anne Reischmann Racing Kona Pregnant: A Unique Challenge

55:45 Handling Doping Allegations: A Coach's Perspective

01:02:04 Final Advice for Athletes and Coaches

What does it take to become a World Champion while balancing medical school? Meet Samuel Studer, the 2025 IRIONMAN 70.3 Age Group World Champion who's rewriting the rules on what's possible when you refuse to choose between your dreams.

In this inspiring Guest Series episode, Samuel takes us through his incredible journey from competitive swimming to finding his true calling in middle-distance triathlon. Fresh off his stunning victory at the 2025 IRONMAN World Championships in Marbella, he shares the raw reality of race day: from a nutrition mishap on the bike to stumbling through the final 2 kilometers, unsure if he'd even won until 30+ minutes after crossing the finish line.

Samuel reveals his unconventional training approach inspired by Brett Sutton methodology, including his game-changing double bike session strategy that helped him achieve breakthrough fitness gains. He opens up about the difficult conversations with his parents when switching sports, managing 20-24 hour training weeks alongside medical school rotations, and the courage it takes to speak up for what you truly need.

Whether you're a coach seeking fresh training perspectives or an athlete trying to balance big ambitions with life's demands, Samuel's story proves that with the right priorities and relentless commitment, you don't have to choose.

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Connect with Samuel: @samuel_studer

Hosts: Bruna (@justbrunathings) & Fabi (@endurance_fabi)