How Mitch Ammons Qualified for His Second Olympic Marathon Trials While Drinking Coca-Cola Daily & Sleeping 5 Hours A Night: Why “Less Dedication” Sometimes Works
THE RUNNING EFFECT PODCAST
Dominic Schlueter
4.9 • 822 Ratings
🗓️ 6 February 2026
⏱️ 58 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
The Mitch Ammons story is no longer just a comeback story. He’s now a living case study of what happens when discipline compounds.
Last time Mitch was here he had run a 2:16 marathon, which was fast enough to qualify for the 2024 US Olympic Marathon trials. But he had bigger dreams.
And the quiet workhorse has since improved upon that impressive time with a new marathon PR of 2:14:48 at the California International Marathon in December of 2025. (This qualifies him for the 2028 US Olympic Marathon trials.)
He also won the 2025 Austin Half Marathon with a time of 1:08:34, winning in a big way on his home course. Mitch continues to train as a member of the Bat City Track Club in Austin. He is also an athlete for BPN (Bare Performance Nutrition) and Altra Running.
In the ultra-running realm, Mitch has expressed that he wants to run the 2026 Go One More Last Man Standing Ultramarathon again, an event he competed in last year (he finished third with 126 miles). Outside of running, he continues to work as a full-time realtor in Austin for the Landy Frost Group.
Mitch Ammons didn’t come back to retell the same story. He came back to show what sustained belief looks like in real time.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Today on the podcast, back on the podcast actually is a legend from Austin, Texas, Mitch Ammons. |
| 0:05.1 | Mitch is a 214 twice, I believe, Olympic marathon trials qualifier, and he recently PR'd in the |
| 0:11.5 | marathon running 214. He's an absolute stud across multiple distances, and he's got one of the most |
| 0:16.9 | insane stories in the sport of running. I highly recommend checking out my first conversation |
| 0:20.9 | with him if you're more curious on his background. But today's conversation centers a lot around |
| 0:26.0 | that breakthrough performance in the marathon, what led into it as well as, as you can assume |
| 0:30.7 | based off the title of this video, some of his, you could say, unorthodox training methods, |
| 0:35.6 | more specifically in regards to like sleep and nutrition, |
| 0:38.4 | but why he thinks those things actually allow him to perform at his best in the sport. I love this |
| 0:43.9 | conversation. Mitch has an energy about him that always makes our conversations extra special. |
| 0:48.2 | And the wisdom he brings and the energy he brings always makes me walk away from our conversations |
| 0:53.1 | a better version than I found myself before. And I'm confident that will be the same for you. You guys are going to enjoy this one a ton. If you do, please give us a follow so you don't miss more conversations like this in the future. Give us a five-star view. It takes next to no time and make sure you are following the podcast so that you never miss another episode. And then my last request for you, share the podcast with a friend that is the easiest way in which we can grow. |
| 1:14.6 | And with all these notes aside, and join my conversation with the man the myth, the legend, Mitch Ammons. |
| 1:25.4 | Ladies and gentlemen, back on the podcast, this time not in Nick Bear's fancy studio. |
| 1:30.2 | He's probably somewhere with icy roads outside of his window, and I'm here with 19 inches of snow outside of mine. |
| 1:36.0 | So less glamorous on round two, but nonetheless, an honor and a privilege to speak with a man who I've looked up to for quite some time and I loved my conversation with him |
| 1:46.2 | last year. I remember Mitch after our conversation, I was like, man, I could do five more of these |
| 1:50.6 | right here right now. So we're doing a second one, honor and privilege to speak with you again. |
| 1:55.0 | And yeah, congrats on a couple minutes faster in the marathon. That's why we do it. That's right. |
| 2:00.3 | A couple minutes faster. Thanks for having me. Got to do it. That's right. A couple minutes faster. |
| 2:01.6 | Thanks for having me. |
| 2:03.2 | Got to ask you, how many Coca-Cola are we in on the day? |
... |
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