BONUS: Jamie Laing Dropping Wednesday PLUS Ultra-Running Legend Aleksander Sorokin Loves Suffering

0:00So you're not worried about hosting the whole family for the holidays? Why would I be? Wayfair had everything I needed to get the house holiday ready. What if Mike brings his cheerful dogs? My tree has tons of five-star reviews telling me how sturdy it is. But what if everyone's plus one brings a plus one? We'll see how extendable this extendable table really is. And extra chairs are on the way. Okay. What if there's a blizzard and everyone has to sleep over? Ready to go with extra bedding and towels. From guest-ready essentials to holiday decor you can trust, Wayfair delivers. Hello, I'm Monica Reinagle, host of the Nutrition Diva podcast.

0:33Summer is here and with it, the hot and sticky weather. A morning working in the garden, or maybe on the golf course, can leave you more depleted than you realize. And plain water isn't always the most efficient way to restore the balance. That's where liquid IV comes in. Its science-backed formula is clinically proven to hydrate faster than water alone. Whether you're exercising, playing outside, or simply surviving a summer heat wave, it's an easy way to stay hydrated. Shop now at liquidiv.com. Liquid IV, hydration that goes wherever life takes you. Hi, this is Monica Reinagle of Nutrition Diva.

1:08Today's show is sponsored by Nature Raised Farms. Grocery shopping can be a little overwhelming, especially if you're reading labels. And in my opinion, chicken shouldn't be complicated, which is why I appreciate Nature Raised Farms, it's chicken that's just chicken. And their lightly breaded chicken nuggets are free from gluten, dairy, and soy. Look for Nature Raised Farms on your next grocery trip and feel more confident about your choices. I'm Spencer Matthews, and you're listening to Untapped, where elite athletes and inspirational people show us how we can all untap more of our potential.

1:45This week is slightly different. On Wednesday, we'll be dropping a special episode with Jamie Lang, where we talk about our 25-year long friendship, his ultramarathon, and much, much more. If you haven't already, please make sure you subscribe to the show so that you're guaranteed to get that episode when it drops on Wednesday. For now, though, here's a bonus with Alex Sorokin. He's one of the most incredible endurance athletes in the world who swapped a life of booze and cigarettes in his late 30s to break records and run 100 miles faster than anyone ever has on the planet. Let's get Untappd with Alex Sorokin.

2:20Alex Sorokin, thank you so much for joining us today on Untappd. Thank you, Spencer. And you invite me to your podcast. Listen, this is a bit of a moment for me. So I've followed your running journey for a while. I came across you on Strava a long time ago, and I assumed that I was kind of looking at some kind of mistake. I looked at when you ran for 24 hours in your local town and there's a loop that you run and you were running at an incredible pace. It was kind of low fours. I think it might have been 4.15 pace or 4.05 pace for 24 hours, something like that. And I thought it was a mistake. And I looked into your account and then noticed your incredible running data.

3:14Can you tell me firstly who you are and when you came to start running? So I'm from Lithuania. I began to run when I was 32 only. In the years I was a sportsman, but I was a different sport. I was a kayaker. You know kayaking? Yeah, yeah. It's quite popular, I think, in the US. Until 25, I was like a pro athlete. After that, I had about eight years without sport. From 25 until 32, I began to work. Bad habits, alcohol, cigarettes, unhealthy food. And my weight was growing, growing until 100 kilograms, I don't pounds. Sorry. £225. Yeah. And one day I decided to change my life again because I don't want to see myself in mirrors, on photos.

4:21So I decided to lose weight. It was my main thing to lose weight. So I began to run. After a few half marathons, I understood that just running is not interesting for me. I need to find a goal. So I found it. I found an invitation in my native city to run 100 kilometers, Lithuanian championship. So I decided it will be my goal. I tried to start and race it. So I began preparing. It was about two months before the race. so I start this race finished I finished 100 kilometers and of course one or two weeks I can walk normally everything have a pain everywhere but I was happy in my mind because I finished I did a huge job and I think that day I love the sport so I decided to try another another run faster so and my ultra running life began that day, I think.

5:33So little by little, my results in Greece, 2018. It was my first bronze medal from European Championship for 24 hours. And I understood that I can run something. I can run long and quite fast. And when pandemics begins, my job was over, closed. So I put everything on running. So results increased a little more. And in 2021, I break first time record on 12 hours and 100 miles. and understood that I can catch 24 hours world record. Before, it was 303 kilometers by Yanis Kouros in 1996, but I did 309. And after one year in European Championship, I did 319. So it's current world record. It's amazing stuff.

6:48I have to say, by the way, you were a big inspiration to me, even though this is the first time we've spoken. I went to a track and I ran for 24 hours around my local track just to see how far I could run. And I ran 171.3 kilometers. So to hear that you've done 309 in the same time is, I know what it feels like to try to push yourself as hard as you did. You said earlier that when you attempted your first 100k, you completed it, but you only trained for two months. How many kilometers are you running every week?

7:29Hey, y 'all. Kelly Clarkson here with Wayfair. You know my favorite compliment during the holidays? Your house feels so cozy. That's when I know everyone's comfortable enough to kick off their shoes, grab more dessert, and stay a little longer. Wayfair makes it easy with everything from dining furniture to festive guest room essentials all in one place. So whether you're hosting for an afternoon or all weekend, everyone feels right at home. Get holiday guests ready at wayfair.com or on the Wayfair app today. Wayfair, every style, every home. Hello, I'm Monica Reinagle, host of the Nutrition Diva podcast.

8:01Summer is here and with it, the hot and sticky weather. A morning working in the garden or maybe on the golf course can leave you more depleted than you realize. And plain water isn't always the most efficient way to restore the balance. That's where Liquid IV comes in. Its science-backed formula is clinically proven to hydrate faster than water alone. Whether you're exercising, playing outside, or simply surviving a summer heat wave, it's an easy way to stay hydrated. Shop now at liquidiv.com. Liquid IV, hydration that goes wherever life takes you. Hi, this is Monica Reinagle of Nutrition Diva.

8:36Today's show is sponsored by Nature Raised Farms. Grocery shopping can be a little overwhelming, especially if you're reading labels. And in my opinion, chicken shouldn't be complicated, which is why I appreciate Nature Raised Farms. It's chicken that's just chicken, and their lightly breaded chicken nuggets are free from gluten, dairy, and soy. Look for Nature Raised Farms on your next grocery trip and feel more confident about your choices.

9:07My average mileage when I'm preparing for world championship on 24 hours, it's 300, maximum 350 I did. So actually every day by 50 kilometers, but mileage is not a very important thing. Of course, it's important, but not main. It's not many things, but yes, you need to run long, be on the legs a long time before preparing for 24 hours, because suffering is quite big on 24 hours. After 12 hours, I every time say for myself, it's the very, very last time, never ever again I run this fucking shit 24 hours. But I did 10 times. Every time the same.

10:03That's so funny. I know what you mean. And it would be really interesting to try and understand what that is. Every time I've completed something that I felt was incredibly hard or outside of a normal comfort zone, you say to yourself, I'm glad that's over. I'm never going to do that again and then for me it's only like a couple of weeks go by and I'm like right I have to do that again you know what do you think that is why do you think you keep coming back to the pain I just just try to understand that it's my job I just go through it and that's it that's it nobody say you need to run It's your choice.

10:54You don't want, don't run. Easy way. But I know that I can't do anything in my life only running. So I have only one way. And the race won two times per year. So just suffering one day, two days. Okay, other days. So every time I said I hate races because it will be painful, suffering, other things. So I like this way. I like sports and life, but I hate races, yes. Every time I say it. Somebody says I enjoy the race. I don't understand that people. It's so crazy. Like you, Spencer. And recently you competed in Adidas' Chasing 100. I noticed you again all over social media as coming third in that race.

11:52How old are you now? You're in your 40s now. Yes, that race for first inspired me again. I did come back because last year I had all years without running because I had a stress factor. Stress factor, yeah. So I can't run. I thought that possibly my career is finished because I ran without running one year. That race gives me the chance I can do it again. So it was not a race, an official race. So Adidas put all technologies to put the human body to break six hours, sub six and 100 kilometers. So all the time I said that I'm not fast guy. 100 is too fast for me. Somebody can do it, not me, because I'm too slow.

13:01Because if you want to run 100k very well, you need to run marathon around 210k and faster. So, Subisu is very fast guy, so he did sub-6. For me, 6.04 is quite good. I'm back. I feel good. So, this was pointing to 24 hours. that race was like for first that I came back and second I felt that I can do it again I came back in my big form so we'll see so of course this race was not official because we have a drafting car before we run like after the car second shoes was not legal on races and we have a support team. Every runner had a support team. And we have pacers who changed every time, so not qualified for races.

14:11But we did that human can run. It's like, I think one, two years and somebody will run sub-6 on official race. So Sibu, if we invite it next year in Lithuania in our race, so possibly can do it. So we'll see. Where does your mind go? So in a 24-hour effort, when you are, you know, there'll be times of struggle in those later hours, where do you go to to try and grip in and allow time to pass freely? Do you listen to music? Do you listen to podcast or do you just go? Yes, it's quite a difficult question. I'm just suffering. I'm just suffering. I don't know. I can't change my mind for positive or other things.

15:08Of course, I try to understand that people cheering me, my wife cheering, my family cheering for me, go, go, go. But I'm just suffering. Like I said, I hate races because I need to suffer in 12 hours. And when time goes down slow, slow down, like every lap, like, I don't know, you're running, running, running, running, lap never ends. So it's quite difficult for me. I don't know. I hate races. I hate this time. But just I need to through it. That's all. So if you hate race day, why are you doing it? Obviously, it's your profession. Obviously, you're very good at it. But if you hate it, what's making you do it?

15:56Just like an alcoholic, you know, he wants to drink every time, I need to run every time and suffering sometimes. So it's a life. So that's actually not a bad analogy. So you're in a sense addicted to the road and you love doing it even though you know it causes you pain. Yeah, I don't like pain but I'm addicted from pain. Yes, possibly. I think people, human, is built like this, like that. He needs a little suffering, a little pain because sometimes you need to go down, after that you go up and be happy. All the time be happy, it's not normal because it would be like usual there. When you go down, you understand what is the pain, what is the suffering.

16:49After that, you feel happiness. That's cool. When you think back to how you used to be before you discovered running with the bad food and the smoking and the drinking, do you use that as fuel? so do you see your former self and want to run away from that person or did you like your former self yeah and i'm really afraid when i finish with my sport career i sometimes i i think that i can back on bad habits so it's quite difficult part in my life i think in the future i need to find something else, escape trying. So maybe coaching, maybe I need to try find something else. All humans need to have a goal to live.

17:42I would gladly have you coach me. So there we go.

17:49You already have somewhere to go. This is perfect. It's quite easy. Just run. Run as possible. it's quite easy just do it yeah well that's true isn't it yeah like if you don't want to do it just do it I think that's the best it is good advice thanks so much for joining us today it's very kind of you to offer your time and thank you for answering everything thank you Spencer cheers my friend thanks so much for listening we hope you enjoyed that episode and if you want to hear more incredible conversations with extraordinary people to help unlock the potential within all of us, then please subscribe, follow, and review the show wherever you're listening or watching.

18:32Thanks again, and we'll catch you next week right here on Untappd.

18:46Hey y 'all, Kelly Clarkson here with Wayfair. You know my favorite compliment during the holidays? Your house feels so cozy. That's when I know everyone's comfortable enough to kick off their shoes, grab more dessert, and stay a little longer. Wayfair makes it easy, with everything from dining furniture to festive guest room essentials all in one place. So whether you're hosting for an afternoon or all weekend, everyone feels right at home. Get holiday guests ready at Wayfair.com or on the Wayfair app today. Wayfair, every style, every home. Hi, this is Monica Reinagle of Nutrition Diva. Today's show is sponsored by Nature Raised Farms.

19:21Grocery shopping can be a little overwhelming, especially if you're reading labels. And in my opinion, chicken shouldn't be complicated, which is why I appreciate Nature Raised Farms. It's chicken that's just chicken, and their lightly breaded chicken nuggets are free from gluten, dairy, and soy. Look for Nature Raised Farms on your next grocery trip and feel more confident about your choices. Hello, I'm Monica Reinagle, host of the Nutrition Diva podcast. Summer is here, and with it, the hot and sticky weather. A morning working in the garden or maybe on the golf course can leave you more depleted than you realize.

19:58And plain water isn't always the most efficient way to restore the balance. That's where Liquid IV comes in. Its science-backed formula is clinically proven to hydrate faster than water alone. Whether you're exercising, playing outside, or simply surviving a summer heat wave, it's an easy way to stay hydrated. Shop now at liquidiv.com. Liquid IV, hydration that goes wherever life takes you.