Sunday Dinner

This Week on Sunday Dinner
The whole family’s gathering in Albuquerque — including the matriarch herself, Grandma Hacker! She shares stories about growing up without the opportunity to play organized sports, yet still finding creative ways to stay active and challenge herself physically. We dive into how her determination influenced generations of Hackers — from her kids to her grandkids — shaping their own relationships with sports and movement. My mom and siblings jump in to share their athletic beginnings, inspirations, and a few fun family memories along the way.

It’s a true Hacker family Sunday dinner, and with a...

This week on Sunday Dinner, my dad and I dive into the science and potential of tart cherry juice as an ergogenic aid.

Tart cherry juice has been getting attention for its possible benefits in muscle recovery, reducing inflammation and oxidative stress, and even improving sleep quality. With a deep body of research behind it, we explore how it might fit into your training and recovery—especially during intense blocks or in the lead up to or between races.

I learned a lot making this episode, and I hope you do too.

This week on Sunday Dinner, we’re joined by another of my dad’s pro training partners, Rod DeHaven, and his son Addison. Both are accomplished runners turned coaches, and they bring valuable insight into the sport—from their own careers and from working with athletes. At one point, Addison takes the reins and grills us on our thoughts about bicarbonate and double threshold training. We also trade college running stories and revisit some epic showdowns between Rod and Tim—and even Rod and Addison. It’s a fun, wide-ranging episode that we had a blast recording. Hope you enjoy it a...

This week on Sunday Dinner we are joined by Mark, Katrina, and Will Coogan, a talented family of runners and engaging house guests. They dive into a heartfelt conversation about the world of running, coaching, and family. Olympian and renowned coach Mark Coogan shares his journey through elite athletics and how he instilled a lifelong love for the sport in his children. Together, the Coogans reflect on their paths to professional and college running, the emotional highs and lows of competition, and the powerful role of support and collaboration in both coaching and family life. With a strong focus...

This week, we dive into the world of ketone supplementation.

While ketones are already known to be beneficial in certain disease states and are commonly used by cyclists, we explore their potential to enhance running endurance performance, recovery, and cognitive function.

Taken either acutely or chronically, ketone bodies act as an alternative fuel source — allowing the body to spare glucose during endurance exercise and potentially reduce protein breakdown during recovery. While the mechanisms are promising, the research so far is mixed.

We discuss where ketone supplementation might be most effective, and which applications an...

In this episode, Olin and Tim Hacker sit down to reflect on how they got their start in running, the role their family played in shaping that journey, and their first cross country races on the grass in Wisconsin. They dive into what it was like learning how to race, how to gauge effort, and those early breakthrough moments that opened their eyes to what they were capable of. It’s a conversation rooted in hometown memories, where the love of the sport—and the values that came with it—were passed down one stride at a time.

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This week on Sunday Dinner, we’re joined by teammates Matt Wilkinson and Isaac Updike to talk about their rollercoaster 2025 season. Both started the year strong — hitting personal bests and the world standard — but finished 4th and 5th at the U.S. Championships, just outside of qualifying for the World Championships in Tokyo. Or at least, not yet.

With one spot on the U.S. team still up in the air — and Matt recovering from a broken foot — the guys are left to navigate a difficult decision: who will run in Tokyo?

We talk through Matt’s dec...

In this episode, we dive into several scientific articles exploring how athletes perceive pain — and what factors shape that experience. We discuss the influence of fear, mindset, and training volume, and how these elements can either amplify or dull pain during performance.

Together, we distill what we’ve learned from both science and lived experience and explore how runners can apply these insights to better understand and manage discomfort during competition.

Hope you enjoy this one! If you have any questions, email us at hackersundaydinner@gmail.com

Music written and reco...

In our very first episode, we introduce the podcast, share our vision, and talk about what listeners can expect in future episodes. Then we begin the storytelling by reminiscing on our NCAA Championship experiences.

Thanks for listening! If you have any questions, email us at hackersundaydinner@gmail.com

Music written and recorded by Tim Gibson