The Unexpected Ultrarunning/Rock and Roll Connection, with Ben Gibbard

Outside Podcast

Sports, Wilderness

4.3 • 2.2K Ratings

🗓️ 20 May 2026

⏱️ 31 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

The Outside Days festival Denver is coming up fast, and you should come! If you need further convincing, check out one of our favorite episodes from the vault, which just so happens to feature the frontman for festival headliner Death Cab For Cutie: Ben Gibbard. The singer, songwriter, and guitarist applies the same approach to ultramarathons that he does to touring: just keep moving. Ben got into distance running almost by accident, randomly entering a trail race in Northern California without realizing the trail went uphill, then dowhill…and back uphill. Somehow, he instantly fell in love with the grind of long distance endurance running. Ben has since entered close to 50 races, training hard even when he’s on the road with Death Cab For Cutie. For Ben, running is a way to connect back to the playfulness of childhood and embrace the unknowns that come with pushing your body and soul to the limit. Enjoy the episode and check out Death Cab For Cutie and more at this year’s Outside Days.

Transcript

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0:00.0	This episode of The Outside Podcast is brought to you by Reno Tahoe.
0:05.6	Seated in the high eastern Sierra foothills and the idyllic Truckee River Valley is the biggest
0:11.2	little city in the world. You probably know Reno for its world famous casinos, electric art scene,
0:16.7	and delicious restaurants. But did you know that Reno has bonkers access to stellar outdoor adventures?
0:23.6	Yes, sir, Rob.
0:24.8	The drive from Reno to North Lake Tahoe is less than an hour.
0:28.2	So all sorts of fun in the Sierra Nevada is super duper close.
0:32.9	I'm talking skiing and snowboarding, paddleboarding, hiking, fishing.
0:36.9	You want to? They got it.
0:38.5	It's pretty easy to pull off any adventure du jour in Reno since it boasts a four-season climate
0:43.9	and 300 annual days of sunshine.
0:47.4	You want urban excitement plus outdoor fun?
0:50.1	Reno Tahoe's got you covered.
0:52.8	Discover no limits at visit renotahoe.com.
1:00.4	This is the outside podcast with Paddyo.
1:17.1	Howdy pals? Today we have an extra special treat for you. In the run-up to Outside Days in Denver at the end of May, we're revisiting one of our favorite episodes from the vault, which
1:21.9	just so happens to feature the frontman from one of Outside Days's headlining bands, Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for
1:29.4	Cutie. When we think of how rock stars spend their time, we often solely envision, well,
1:35.4	rock star stuff, you know, rubbing elbows with fancy and famous folks, throwing TVs, out of hotel
1:40.8	windows, smashing guitars, hanging out in recording studios creating their next big hit.
1:46.4	But in reality, rock stars are not who we think they are.
1:50.4	For instance, did you know Alice Cooper is an avid golfer?
	...

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