David Kilgore has been a lifelong runner who found his stride in the world of ultra marathons in his 20s. Rather than pursue running as his sole profession, he charted a unique course— joining the early team at On Running while continuing to compete at an elite level. From setting records to winning the Great World Race twice, David's journey has made him a standout in the global running community.
David Kilgore has been a lifelong runner who found his stride in the world of ultra marathons in his 20s. Rather than pursue running as his sole profession, he charted a unique course— joining the early team at On Running while continuing to compete at an elite level. From setting records to winning the Great World Race twice, David's journey has made him a standout in the global running community.
Connect with David:
Thank you to our sponsors:
Shelby Stanger:
Ultrarunner, David Kilgore is no stranger to turning wild ideas into reality. In 2024, David ran 26.2 miles across the ice of Antarctica.
David Kilgore:
It was actually funny, at the aid stations, they put out cups of water. And they were like in Dixie cups like at a lot of proper marathons, but you went by and they're all frozen solid. Hilarious.
Shelby Stanger:
Antarctica was his first stop on a tour of marathons across all seven continents. The next day, he flew to Cape Town South Africa and ran another marathon. Then he went on to run races in Australia, Europe, Asia, South America, and the U.S. This event is called the Great World Race and David has won it twice.
I'm Shelby Stanger and this is Wild Ideas Worth Living, an REI Co-Op Studios production presented by Capital One and the REI Co-Op MasterCard.
David has been a lifelong runner and in his 20s, he started competing in ultra marathons. Instead of trying to make a living as an athlete full-time, David carved out a unique path for himself. He started working at On Running in the early days of the brand while continuing to compete at the highest level. David's talents have put him on the map in the running community and he set records at some of the most grueling ultras around the world. David Kilgore, welcome to Wild Ideas Worth Living. You've had a lot of wild ideas.
David Kilgore:
What's up, Shelby? Yeah, thanks for having me on. Yeah, I've had a few in my day, I feel like.
Shelby Stanger:
I love how casual you are. So, I want to go back to the beginning. How did you get into running and what's your twist on it?
David Kilgore:
I originally got into running at an early age. I feel like a lot of people have this transition, but I played a plethora of different sports. Soccer was kind of like my main sport. And then, yeah, actually my dad got really into fitness, was going to the gym a lot, and he got really bulked up, swole city, as some would say. And he then was just like, "Oh, I'm getting too much muscle mass. I want to trim down. I want to do a lot more cardio." And so, he started doing a mile or two every other day.
And I was just so enthralled. I was super stoked on my dad. I was like, "I want to do what this guy's doing." And yeah, I finally convinced him to take me for a run. And at first, he was just kind of worried. He's like, "I don't think little kids should be doing a mile or two. This seems way too far." But honestly, I was running circles around him.
Shelby Stanger:
How old were you?
David Kilgore:
I was, at the time, I think I was nine or 10 years old.
Shelby Stanger:
Awesome. Such a good age for a young boy to get into running.
David Kilgore:
Oh, yeah. And honestly, it was the best. I was always a really outdoorsy kid, playing in the woods, playing in the swamps, going fishing with my friends. And this love for running just led me to so many really cool adventures, like fishing spots that I would always hike out to. I was like, "Hey guys, why don't we just run out there now? This is freaking awesome."
Shelby Stanger:
By the time he graduated from high school, David was a four-time state champion in track and cross-country, and an All-American who had trained for the Junior Olympics. His skills earned him scholarships for both high school and college. While he started with shorter distances, David eventually began testing his limits. He competed in 5Ks and 10Ks on the track, which means he'd sometimes run 25 laps in a single race. There was no shade and no change in scenery, just his feet pounding the ground, the heat, and the lane lines of the track. These events were grueling, but they laid the foundation for longer endurance races. So, how did you then transition from running the 400, 800, the mile to all of a sudden doing ultra-marathons? What year was that?
David Kilgore:
Yeah. So yeah, I had a lot of success in high school and then luckily enough, I got to go to some pretty awesome colleges for distance running. So I went to University of Colorado, University of Florida. And then went to grad school for a year at Oklahoma State University.
And during my time at these schools, one of my teammates, Cameron Clayton, he came back one weekend, he had graduated and was like, "Hey, I ran this 50 mile race out in California." It used to be the North Face 50 near the Marin Headlands. And he was telling me all about it and I was like, "Dude, this is the bee's knees. This is the coolest thing I think I've ever heard of in my life." And after that, I just felt really enthralled. I was like, "Whenever I graduate, I really want to try this out to see if I'm actually into it, because 50 miles still seems really far."
Shelby Stanger:
So, what was your first time running a trail outside distance wise?
David Kilgore:
So the first trail race that I actually did, I did a stage race in Chattanooga, in Tennessee. And it was right when I got to University of Florida and I was running such high mileage at the time, so I was running 140 miles a week. And so the stage race was 60 miles over three days, so I was like, "Honestly, this is kind of my normal training, but I'm definitely putting in a harder effort racing." So I was like, "Oh, this is a great thing to do, just in between some of my training. It'll be super fun and I'll try it out."
And I just had an absolute blast. It was all the things that I absolutely loved. I was outside, I was getting to explore these amazing trails. And also just a ton of people were just like dirtbagging it camping out for three days. And you got to hang out with just an amazing community of outdoor people. But then each day, got to get up and push yourself to your own limits and then come back and hang out with everybody and kind of chill, party, have the good vibes. So, it was absolutely awesome.
Shelby Stanger:
Did you win?
David Kilgore:
I did win.
Shelby Stanger:
Of course you did.
David Kilgore:
I did win. And again, I feel like that was a great sign because I truly do love being competitive. And I was like, "This is great. This is something I absolutely love." And I'm able to make the transition into this new field. And I'm kind of pretty competitive right away. But that definitely slightly changed when I started taking on the proper ultra distances, and definitely got slapped in the face pretty hard.
Shelby Stanger:
Can you tell me about the first time you got slapped in the face running?
David Kilgore:
Oh, yeah.
Shelby Stanger:
what that looked like?
David Kilgore:
Yeah. So, where was it? So, I ran a 50K. That was my first proper ultra in Savannah at Tybee Island. It was a Rails to Trails race. And it went pretty well. So I got through the marathon and then the last five miles I really started kind of hurting. But overall, really great. I was like check the box, ran my first proper ultra.
Then I signed up for this race called Rocky Raccoon in Texas. It's a hundred-mile race. I get out there and I run the first 20-mile lap, come through, and all these runner publications are like, or trail runner publications are blowing up. They're like, "This guy just came through the lap course record pace. This is bananas. He's going to set a trail like a hundred-mile world record.", yada yada yada.
And I come through the next lap at 40 miles and I was just suffering. I was like, "Oh my God, this is absolutely terrible. I'm not going to be able to make it through another lap." And I ended up walking 10 more miles to make it to about 50 miles. And I just feel like I really became almost delirious. I was laying down on a bench in the woods and I was just absolutely destroyed. And I was out there kind of trying to get my way back for at least three or four hours until I was able to get picked up and kind of brought back in. But it was absolutely like suffer fest. And I had a whole new respect, I feel like, for what these people were doing in these incredibly far races and mountain races. And yeah, I just had a whole new respect for it.
Shelby Stanger:
Those first couple of races taught David a lot about ultra running, but he wasn't sure what came next professionally or athletically. As he began placing in trail races and even secured a small sponsorship, it seemed like a promising start. Still, it wasn't quite enough to build a full-time career around running.
He decided to change course and spend a couple of years working as a cameraman in the TV industry. The work was creative and fast-paced, but something about it felt incomplete. David missed racing. More than that, he wondered if there was a way to combine his passion for running with his experience in media. David had heard of the company On Running, which at the time, was an up and coming shoe brand. He pitched them a unique proposal. He would be a sponsored athlete and also work on their marketing team.
David Kilgore:
Luckily On was, I mean it's a very entrepreneurial company and also it was really young at the time, so they took me up on the offer. And I've been able to grow in a big way professionally with them. And also, I've been able to grow as an athlete, which has been absolutely remarkable. And now I guess being in the position that I'm in, and as things have evolved over the last seven years, I've been able to put a lot of things that I've learned in my career while I'm now negotiating for contracts with other companies that I'm being sponsored by. Because I actually understand the full industry and the business behind it. So, I know it's more or less important for companies when I'm pitching for sponsorship.
Shelby Stanger:
David's initiative paid off and he's seen On grow a lot during his seven years with the brand. He started in PR and social media and he's now the Global Head of Athlete Strategy for On Running's Outdoor Division. David continues to be a sponsored athlete for On, and he represents other brands too, like Red Bull and Pit Viper. He's also a member of the U.S. World Trail and Ultra Team and has become well known for winning the Great World Race in 2023 and 2024.
Ultrarunner David Kilgore has taken on some of the most demanding endurance races in the world, including the Great World Race in both 2023 and 2024. The event challenges athletes to run seven marathons on seven continents in just seven days. Last year's course included stops in the White Desert of Antarctica, Cape Town in South Africa, and Perth in Australia. The group also ran two races in Istanbul, one on the European side, the other on the Asian side. Then they went to Cartagena Columbia and wrapped up in David's hometown of Miami, Florida. So, when did you hear about the Great World Race?
David Kilgore:
The first time I heard about it was in 2017, I believe. And yeah, I was like, "Wow, that sounds like the most amazing adventure I've ever seen in my life." And I just absolutely wanted to do it. And so, I feel like it was kind of always a bucket list item. And then yeah, luckily enough in 2023 was the first time that I got to go and do it. Yeah, I absolutely had a blast.
And again, I think favorite thing about these types of races are more of the stage racing. It's just so incredibly fun when you get to go out, push your own limits, go after these big challenges, and push yourself physically. But then you get to come back, you get to rest, you get to hang out, and you get to be a part of the full group. And I feel like the type of relationships and the bonds you form over just like a week span just are lifelong friendships. I love the community piece of it, and so these types of stage races are the most meaningful and the coolest to me.
Shelby Stanger:
I like that you train for the running, but you live for the party.
David Kilgore:
Oh, hands down. Always.
Shelby Stanger:
What does the logistics of this look like? Do you all fly together? Does someone plan it and you just show up and it's done for you? Or do you have to figure out how to get to these places?
David Kilgore:
Yeah, so huge shouts to Dave Kelly and the whole staff of the Great World Race because I do not envy those guys, especially the week of the Great World Race. Because they handle all of the logistics and we all fly together. And basically we get to be just athletes on the trip, which is absolutely fantastic. This year was the best year yet, we took a beautiful plane down to Antarctica. The timing was spot on through the whole thing, which absolutely is... When I got to the finish line in Miami, I was just stunned that we were fully on time, the entire trip around the world.
Shelby Stanger:
So, what does that look like? You start and you get on a flight from where to Antarctica?
David Kilgore:
We all, the whole group flies over to Cape Town, South Africa a few days in advance. And so basically, I think it was two days, two or three days before the first run in Antarctica, we do some race briefing. And basically they give a two or three-day window before we fly off to Antarctica because the weather is so volatile there. And so if the weather gets crazy, they're like, "Hey, this is a better weather window. Let's fly a day after. Let's fly a day sooner."
So basically we fly to Antarctica. Actually, it's not a bad trip from South Africa. Funny enough, it's like five and a half hours. Get there, and I think this year we had about 30 minutes, 45 minutes before the start. Got ready, changed up, and then it took off on the ice.
Shelby Stanger:
And they give you food, water.
David Kilgore:
Yeah. Funny enough, all the aid stations were manned by penguins and polar bears. And actually all joking aside, it was actually funny at the aid stations, they put out cups of water and they were in Dixie cups, like at a lot of proper marathons. But you went by and they're all frozen solid. Hilarious.
Shelby Stanger:
So, did you just not drink water for the marathon?
David Kilgore:
Pretty much. Luckily, half of them were frozen over because they were still refilling them. And I got a couple cups that were kind of almost slushy, so I had a little bit of water in there. But yeah, so a couple sips of water during that marathon. But luckily it was pretty chilly, so not too bad.
Shelby Stanger:
And then how soon do you leave for the next country?
David Kilgore:
So around, I would say it's eight or nine hours each place we're actually on course. So some of the people that were more upfront, like myself, we were finishing between two and a half to three hours for most of the marathons. So you actually have a little bit of time in each place. So it's pretty nice, honestly, to go out and explore a little bit.
And crazy enough, the area that we went to this year in Antarctica, it was awesome because there was a little space that had wifi. So, for 30 minutes I was able to go over there and call my wife, call some friends, and be like, "What's up? I'm in Antarctica. How you doing?"
Shelby Stanger:
Then you get on a plane and you go to the next place. And you're sore, but you're just going for it.
David Kilgore:
Yeah. So this year, there was 80 or so people. And everyone gets back on the plane, everybody has a plethora of recovery boots, massage guns, so it's great. You just kind of get back on, eat some food that they have on the plane. The food this year on the plane was excellently catered. But everybody just kind of gets on, gets into recovery mode. I feel like everybody's sharing stories for 90 minutes, and then just ends up slowly fading to sleep as you're in the middle of telling a story.
Shelby Stanger:
Although David had run the Great World Race in 2023, his previous experience didn't make his 2024 attempt any easier. The travel was intense and the constant shifts in climate gave his body little time to recover. Heading into the 2024 race, David knew it wouldn't be easy, but he ultimately ended up winning. What was one of the most memorable places you ran through?
David Kilgore:
So honestly, I think the most memorable was, I have to give it to Antarctica. I had been there one other time, and the first time that I went there, it was absolutely terrible. It was just a complete whiteout, like 50 mile an hour headwinds, it was negative 35. Just terrible running conditions. But this year being out there, we were a different part of Antarctica, beautiful mountains. And it was a pretty clear day and I think it was 18 degrees Fahrenheit with a 10 mile an hour wind or something like that. Just being in such an untouched landscape, I don't know, it always blows my mind that somewhere like that in the world exists. And I was just like, "Wow."
But I would say the other one, big love to Miami. I'm in Miami right now. I'm a Florida guy through and through. And that being the finale with such a big crowd, so much love from the community. And also so much love from all the different friends and families that show up for all the different participants because it's the final one, it's just so cool and so electrifying. Getting off the plane, showing up to the start line on the beach, and just having this wave of energy and people and love, it's awesome. It's the coolest and I am so glad that it ended there, selfishly, honestly.
Shelby Stanger:
Did you even have to run that one fast, knowing that you were probably going to win the whole thing? Or did you just have to run it and finish?
David Kilgore:
I actually did. I actually had to move and groove on the one in Miami, because this year it was actually only one of my only, I would say two or three running injuries of my career. But on the fifth one in Istanbul on the European side, my knee was absolutely killing me. And so the fifth marathon, I pretty much walked the entirety of the fifth marathon because I was in so much pain.
And luckily enough, I was able to get rubbed down, worked on a bunch on the plane before the sixth one. And went out a little bit slower in the sixth one and was able to pick it up. And then was able to get through the one in Miami and just grit my teeth and be in a decent amount of pain again. So this year, I would say that the Great World Race was pretty difficult for me. And it was pretty painful, pretty much from the third marathon on.
Shelby Stanger:
When David crossed the finish line in Miami, he clinched first place in the Great World Race again, averaging a marathon time of three hours and 23 minutes. Since then, he's been focused on building strength, staying injury free, and dreaming up his next big adventures.
This year David's not running the Great World Race, but he's also not slowing down. He's currently deep in the Amazon running a seven-day stage race through Peru and Brazil. In September, David will head to Sub-Saharan Kenya to take on the Four Rangers Ultra, a race that raises money for anti-poaching efforts. Running has been such a thread throughout your life, but what has ultra running and competing taught you about yourself?
David Kilgore:
Honestly, I think it just taught me to kind of relax in a lot of different situations. What I love about ultra running and trail running so much is that it really breaks everything down, and it makes every person so raw because you're so exhausted. I always joke before I was going to go do a huge adventure I was like, "It's going to be a lot more relaxing than my normal life." And I think that's the case for most people, where you're just doing... you have a million responsibilities in life. And you're running around and you're so connected all the time.
And when you get in these moments, you just get fully stripped raw, and you just want the things that you need in life. So it's like, "Oh, I want to be close to somebody. I want to hug from my wife because I feel so terrible. I need food, I need water." And so, I feel like it just strips away all the different worries and thoughts in your head on a day-to-day basis. And you're just kind of, I guess, really putting the priorities of the things that matter in your life first. So, I feel like it just gives you such a great perspective on life.
Shelby Stanger:
People are pretty authentic when they're exhausted after doing an adventure.
David Kilgore:
Oh, without a doubt. And kind of as I've thought about this over the years, I think such a big piece of what I found that I love about running, and I know I've touched on this a bunch, but just the people, the community, the atmosphere. Because I don't think I've had more intimate experiences with people than when I've been running. Because again, you're going out for maybe is now that I'm older, maybe it's a couple of times a week, I'm going out for an hour run with some people. But especially when I was younger and on teams, I'm running for hours a day with the same people. Nobody has phones, nobody has anything else to distract them. And you're just fully talking or suffering in silence together. And it's such an intimate way to get to know somebody without distractions. And it's a really cool, enjoyable process. I really love it.
Shelby Stanger:
If you want to follow along with David and learn more about his runs and adventures, check him out on Instagram at David Kilgore. That's D-A-V-I-D K-I-L-G-O-R-E. Wild Ideas Worth Living is part of the REI Podcast Network. It's hosted by me, Shelby Stanger, produced by Annie Fassler, Sylvia Thomas, and Sam Peers Nitzberg of Puddle Creative. Our senior producers are Jenny Barber and Hanna Boyd. Our executive producers are Paolo Motala and Joe Crosby. As always, we love it when you follow the show, take time to rate it, and write a review wherever you listen. And remember, some of the best adventures happen when you follow your wildest ideas.