Meet Zach Bitter

Today we’d like to introduce you to Zach Bitter.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I first became interested in distance running during middle school. My PE teacher had my class participate in the Presidential Physical Fitness Challenge. I quickly realized my best chance for success in sports was endurance. I started taking running more seriously in High School when my cross country team and I had a chance to make the State XC meet. In college, I began to really learn and appreciate the methodology behind proper training and racing.

At the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point, I discovered my favorite workout of the week was the long run. After college, I basically went all-in on long runs, which eventually led me towards ultra-marathon training and racing.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome
Endurance sport is a patient persons game. Nothing gets accomplished from one good workout or race. It’s ultimately a compilation of years of work that manifests in successful races, which sometimes pop up unexpectedly, but when you remain consistent and put in the work they can be easier to predict. I have certainly had my fair share of bad races or failed workouts. Those are the ones I learn the most from, so the big picture is always to use what I have learned to do better in the future and continue to test what I am capable of in extreme endurance.

Please tell us more about what you do, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
I would describe myself as someone who doesn’t like to do any specific task full time. I love being busy and active, so this has led me to a path of dabbling in a few different areas of running. Peaking for a big race often takes upwards to 20 hours a week of training, so this takes up a big portion of my time. I also coach and consult other athletes ranging from folks just looking to get started to folks looking to find that last 1%. I work part-time for one of my primary sponsors, Altra Footwear. They allow me to do so many cool things from traveling around the world and putting on group runs with local specialty shops. When I am not doing these things, I love to record and publish a podcast with my co-host, Dr. Shawn Baker, called Human Performance Outliers.

I just recently (one week ago) broke two World Records. One for the fastest 100-mile run (11 hours 19 minutes 13 seconds – 6:47.5 minutes per mile pace), and one for distance covered in 12 Hours (104.88 miles).

What do you love about our city and what do you dislike?
I love the variety that Phoenix offers. You can get up into steep technical trail one day and be running along the flat canal path the next. As silly as it sounds, I actually like the brutally hot summers. They cut a toughness grove and make you appreciate how great the weather is in the winter. With that said, when I have a tough workout on the schedule in the middle of July, handling the logistics of executing can get tiresome. Flagstaff is just a short drive North, so its never that bad and having easy access to a mountain town from such a big city like Phoenix is great.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://zachbitter.com
• Email: zbittercoaching@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zachbitter/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/zach.bitter/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/zbitter

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