Episode

The Walkman, The Startup, and Cocodona 250

Podcast
Free Outside
Published
Jun 19, 2026
Duration seconds
4155
Processing state
not_requested
Canonical source
https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/freeoutside/episodes/The-Walkman--The-Startup--and-Cocodona-250-e3k8302
Audio
https://anchor.fm/s/eaf7016c/podcast/play/120900034/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2026-5-2%2F425370167-44100-2-d4deddf9665de.mp3
JSON
/v1/public/podcasts/free-outside-6909507/episodes/the-walkman-the-startup-and-cocodona-250
Markdown
/podcast/free-outside-6909507/the-walkman-the-startup-and-cocodona-250.md

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Summary

Zach Hauer went from collegiate track athlete to entrepreneur, Open Fuel co-founder, Javelina 100 runner, and now Cocodona 250 finisher. In this conversation, we dive into Zach's first experience at the 250-mile distance, the highs and lows of Cocodona, sleep deprivation, aid station mistakes, and why he immediately wanted to come back after finishing. We also discuss building Open Fuel, modern endurance sports marketing, trail running culture, the balance between optimization and fun, and why Zach carried a Walkman during one of the biggest races in ultrarunning. Topics include: -Cocodona 250 -Javelina 100 -Open Fuel -Building a nutrition company -Sleep deprivation and racing -Trail running culture -Social media and marketing -The future of ultrarunning -Why people become obsessed with 200-mile races -Walkmans, unicycles, and bad business ideas Support our Sponsors: Sawyer: https://sawyerdirect.net/ Janji (code: Freeoutside): https://snp.link/a0bfb726 CS Coffee: CSinstant.coffee Garage Grown Gear: https://snp.link/db1ba8ab Subscribe to Substack: http://freeoutside.substack.com Support this content on patreon: HTTP://patreon.com/freeoutside Buy my book "Free Outside" on Amazon: https://amzn.to/39LpoSF Email me to buy a signed copy of my book, "Free Outside" at [email protected] Watch the movie about setting the record on the Colorado Trail: https://tubitv.com/movies/100019916/free-outside Website: www.Freeoutside.com Instagram: thefreeoutside facebook: www.facebook.com/freeoutside #Trailrunning #Runningnews #Outdoors #Outdooradventure