Ross and Petar's Pod on the Run

About Ross and Petar's Pod on the Run

What happens when two buddies hit 42 and decide to celebrate with 42 kilometers? The Birth-K sparked something extraordinary, and now Ross and Petar are here to reflect on their journey—mud, memories, and all—while exploring the heartbeat of Chico’s running culture. Whether you’re here for the behind-the-scenes tales, the spirited banter (serious runners? not really...), or the chance to meet the incredible people pounding the trails and roads of Chico, this podcast is your go-to for all things running—and a lot of things not running. From the history of the running community to favorite routes, future challenges, and even the big existential question, “Why do we even run?”, Ross and Petar serve up insights, laughs, and plenty of moments where things didn’t go quite as planned. And speaking of incredible people: Chico’s running community is fueled by local legends, inspiring everyday athletes, and fantastic organizations like Fleet Feet Chico and the Bidwell Run Club. These groups offer camaraderie, unforgettable events, and shared experiences that embody the true heart and soul of Chico's running scene. Ross and Petar will spotlight these organizations, their impact, and the runners who keep the miles (and smiles) going strong. Birth-K may be where it started, but it’s far from where this journey ends. So, lace up, press play, and let’s run this thing—figuratively, of course. Because sometimes life is about more than just the miles…it’s about the memories.

Publisher

Ross Field and Petar Milardovich

Category

society & culture · sports

Language

en

Explicit

Yes

First episode

18 Apr 2025

Latest episode

7 Nov 2026

Latest episodes

29 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   7 Nov 2026

   The Invisible Race

   This week on Pod on the Run, Ross and Petar catch up on a busy stretch of Chico running, including the Almond Bowl, Fall Trail Classic, standout local performances, and the volunteers who make it all happen. Then we're joined by one of Chico's fastest runners, Tristan Rice. Today, Tristan has an impressive running résumé: a sub-3 marathon, a Boston Marathon qualification and finish, and a recent 1:22:58 half marathon PR and overall victory at the Turtle Bay Half Marathon. But his journey to becoming a competitive runner has a story most people don't know. At just 21 years old, while attending the University of Wisconsin, Tristan was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. Suddenly, something most runners take for granted became a constant part of his life. Every workout, long run, and race would require another layer of planning, monitoring, and decision-making. What followed was a journey of learning, adapting, trial and error, and figuring out how to pursue big athletic goals while managing a condition that never takes a day off. In this conversation, Tristan takes us inside that experience. We talk about managing glucose and insulin, dialing in nutrition and fueling, the role technology plays in competitive running, and the mental challenges of navigating both great races and difficult days. We also explore his involvement with the Diabetes Sports Project Elite Team, challenge common misconceptions about Type 1 diabetes, and discuss the message he hopes every young athlete and newly diagnosed kid hears: your diagnosis does not define your potential. Plus, we get into Chico's running scene, share race stories, tackle some rapid-fire questions, and let Tristan build his perfect Chico day. Everyone sees the miles. Few see what it takes to run them.

2. 

   6 Oct 2026

   Built for the Long Run

   If you run the trails around Chico, there’s a good chance you know Karen Weintraub’s name — or at least recognize it from a race result. But how well do you actually know Karen? In this episode of Pod on the Run, Ross and Petar sit down with one of Chico’s most accomplished ultrarunners to talk about the person behind the miles. Karen has quietly put together an incredible ultra résumé, with podium finishes at races like Pine to Palm, American River and the Crazy Mountain 100 — along with an outright win at the 2023 Loco 100 in Butte Meadows. We get into how running became such a huge part of her life, why she gravitates toward big mountain races and long days on the trail, how Chico and Bidwell Park have shaped her as a runner, and why so many of her miles are spent following her own rhythm. Karen takes us inside the reality of running 100 miles: training, fueling, crew, pacers, drop bags, doubt, suffering, and those late-race moments when the challenge becomes as much mental as physical. What does Karen tell herself when she wants to stop? Does 30 miles alone ever actually feel lonely? What happens inside your head at mile 70? And after you win a 100-mile race outright… do you wake up feeling accomplished, or start thinking about what you could have done better? We also build Karen’s perfect Chico day, construct the ultimate mile-70 drop bag, run through a rapid-fire round of ultrarunning choices, and ask the question at the heart of the episode: When you keep putting yourself into incredibly difficult situations, what are you looking for? We knew the race results. Now it’s time to get to know the person behind them. Karen Weintraub joins Pod on the Run. Thanks for running with us.

3. 

   30 Aug 2026

   Katie Runs for Chico

   Katie Hawley came to Chico to run. That was the plan, anyway. She arrived in 2018 as a Chico State middle-distance runner, chasing races, teammates, PRs and whatever came next. What she found was a place that slowly, almost quietly, became hers. A team became family. A park became home turf. A college town became home. And somewhere between workouts in Bidwell, long conversations, strange little adventures, hard seasons, good people and a whole lot of showing up, Katie became part of Chico in a way that feels almost impossible to separate now. She is one of those rare people who makes a place feel more alive simply by caring about it out loud. She’s smart enough to understand the complicated stuff, funny enough to make it human, awkward enough to make it charming, and sincere enough that none of it ever feels like an act. She can talk about roads, housing, parks and public policy — and then film herself lying on the pavement, standing in a creek, running through town or doing something just weird enough to make you actually pay attention. And, it works!! Because Katie Hawley doesn’t just represent Chico. She loves Chico. You can hear it when she talks about Bidwell Park. You can see it in the way she talks about people. You can feel it in the way she has chosen to spend her time, her energy and a very public part of her life trying to make this place a little better. In this episode of Pod on the Run, we talk about the runner she was, the person Chico helped her become, the strange road from collegiate athletics to City Council, the people who shaped her, the years that challenged her, and what it means to keep running when the finish line keeps changing. We also get appropriately ridiculous. There’s Good News Monday. There’s a Chico Draft. There are questionable civic-communication ideas involving potholes, snorkeling gear, waterfalls and beer miles. There are rapid-fire questions. There is almost certainly some wonderfully Katie-level awkwardness. But underneath all of it is something much bigger. It’s a story about finding your place. About arriving somewhere because of one thing and staying because it gave you a hundred others. About realizing that community isn’t just where you live. It’s something you participate in. Something you protect. Something you laugh with. Something you give yourself to. Katie came to Chico to run. Then Chico gave her people to run with, places to run through, reasons to stay, and eventually something worth running for. And Chico is better because she did. Katie Hawley is running for Chico.

Who has been a guest on Ross and Petar's Pod on the Run

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Dr Alan Hivale
• Morgan Camy
• Geoffrey Chiapella
• Sarah Batiste
• Mike O’Connell

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

14 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

11 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 13 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

13

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

32

Contact Ross and Petar's Pod on the Run

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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