242. Cole Brecka: The Great World Race, 100-Mile Ultras & Why Hydrogen Water is the Ultimate Recovery Tool

The Ultimate Human with Gary Brecka

Gary Brecka

Health & Fitness

4.8 • 3.1K Ratings

🗓️ 5 February 2026

⏱️ 51 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Most people quit when their body screams stop, but what happens when you push 62 miles beyond that breaking point? My son, Cole, took us through his journeys in running 100 miles through Area 51’s brutal Nevada desert and the Great World Race, and what unfolded wasn’t just an endurance test. It was a live experiment in how far we can push human performance when recovery science meets mental fortitude. As both his father and the scientist monitoring his biometrics, I’ll show you why the vast majority of athletes aren’t overtrained, they’re catastrophically under-recovered. CLICK HERE TO BECOME GARYS VIP!: https://bit.ly/4ai0Xwg Connect with Cole Brecka Website: https://bit.ly/49YZGfn Instagram: https://bit.ly/4bsSBEW TikTok: https://bit.ly/4c1fj7c Facebook: https://bit.ly/4keZrAk X.com: https://bit.ly/45IRayu LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/4bp1NtX Thank you to our partners A-GAME: “ULTIMATE15” FOR 15% OFF: http://bit.ly/4kek1ij AION: “ULTIMATE10” FOR 10% OFF: https://bit.ly/4h6KHAD AIRES: "ULTIMATE20 " FOR 20% OFF: https://bit.ly/4a3Duze BAJA GOLD: "ULTIMATE10" FOR 10% OFF: https://bit.ly/3WSBqUa BODYHEALTH: “ULTIMATE20” FOR 20% OFF: http://bit.ly/4e5IjsV CARAWAY: “ULTIMATE” FOR 10% OFF: https://bit.ly/3Q1VmkC COLD LIFE: THE ULTIMATE HUMAN PLUNGE: https://bit.ly/4eULUKp GENETIC METHYLATION TEST (UK ONLY): https://bit.ly/48QJJrk GENETIC TEST (USA ONLY): ⁠https://bit.ly/3Yg1Uk9 GOPUFF: GET YOUR FAVORITE SNACK!: https://bit.ly/4obIFDC H2TABS: “ULTIMATE10” FOR 10% OFF: https://bit.ly/4hMNdgg HEALF: 10% OFF YOUR ORDER: https://bit.ly/41HJg6S PEPTUAL: “TUH10” FOR 10% OFF: https://bit.ly/4mKxgcn RHO NUTRITION: “ULTIMATE15” FOR 15% OFF: https://bit.ly/44fFza0 SNOOZE: LET’S GET TO SLEEP!: https://bit.ly/4pt1T6V WHOOP: JOIN & GET 1 FREE MONTH!: https://bit.ly/3VQ0nzW Watch the “Ultimate Human Podcast” every Tuesday & Thursday at 9AM EST: YouTube: https://bit.ly/3RPQYX8 Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3RQftU0 Connect with Gary Brecka Instagram: https://bit.ly/3RPpnFs TikTok: https://bit.ly/4coJ8foX: https://bit.ly/3Opc8tf Facebook: https://bit.ly/464VA1H LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/4hH7Ri2 Website: https://bit.ly/4eLDbdU Merch: https://bit.ly/4aBpOM1 Newsletter: https://bit.ly/47ejrws Ask Gary: https://bit.ly/3PEAJuG Timestamps 00:00 Intro of Show 03:36 Risks of Not Training Properly for Ultra Marathons 06:44 The Great World Race Experience 22:38 Human Capabilities in Extreme Recovery 28:45 100-Mile Race Journey 39:38 Hydrogen Water Benefits 42:10 Pushing the Limits of Human Performance 48:20 What does it mean to you to be an Ultimate Human? Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational purposes only and does not provide medical advice. It is not intended for diagnosing or treating any health condition. Always consult a licensed healthcare professional before making health or wellness decisions. Gary Brecka is the owner of Ultimate Human, LLC which operates The Ultimate Human podcast and promotes certain third-party products used by Gary Brecka in his personal health and wellness protocols and daily life and for which Ultimate Human LLC and / or Gary Brecka directly or indirectly holds an economic interest or receives compensation. Accordingly, statements made by Gary Brecka and others (including on The Ultimate Human podcast) may be considered promotional in nature. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	The Great World Race, it sounds like seven marathons in seven days.
0:03.0	Like you run a marathon, you get to sleep and you lay down on the plane. It's not that. You pack your shit, you get on the plane. You fly there, you run a marathon, and the race kicks off. I still to this day don't know where you went in that pain cave because you didn't quit. Everything that could go wrong just started going wrong. I'm running on broken ankles. I can't keep any food down. I can't keep up with the climate. I haven't slept. It was like the most raw and vulnerable and primal that I'd
0:26.5	ever felt ever. The more pain you're in, the easier it is for you to find something that you're
0:32.4	grateful for. Listen, if we take everything we know about human performance, optimization science,
0:37.0	in a hundred days time, is it possible to not only go out and attempt this race but complete it.
0:41.0	And so we did just that.
0:42.1	I wonder if you talk a little bit about the race rep.
0:44.4	At some point, you cross a threshold where you have to have... Ultimate Human Podcast.
1:00.9	Hey guys, welcome back to the Ultimate Human podcast.
1:03.5	I'm your host and father, human biologist Gary Brecker,
1:06.6	and today I'm sitting down with my son and actually one of my mentors, Colbreca.
1:11.9	Now, I've done over 200 episodes of this podcast.
1:15.2	I've interviewed Navy SEALs, UFC champions, world class athletes, PhDs, doctors, MDs, researchers,
1:21.8	and some of the most elite performers on the planet.
1:24.3	But I've never been as nervous and concerned and as proud as I was as a father
1:28.9	when I watched my son and five other of his buddies, including Kyle Forgard from the Nelk Boys,
1:34.2	run 100 miles straight through the Vegas desert. And what makes this even more insane is that
1:39.5	Cole has not ever run 100 miles before. In fact, just 10 months before this race, he'd never even run a marathon.
1:45.8	Last year, he went and did something absolutely psychotic. He ran seven marathons on seven continents
1:51.7	in seven days at the Great World Rice. Let me say that again, seven marathons on seven continents
1:58.1	in seven days. That was the first time he'd ever run a marathon. He started in
2:02.2	Antarctica at 28 degrees below zero, nearly died from frostbite and hypothermia, ran through a stomach
	...

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