What keeps someone running for 30 hours—and who’s keeping track when they’re still out there? Behind every finish time is a person, a story, and a team carrying more responsibility than most spectators realize.

In Episode 92 of the KillerGrowth Podcast, Samuel sits down with Patrick Todd, co-owner of Timer Guys, to talk about endurance racing, building a business around running, and the people who make every race matter.

Patrick’s route into race timing was anything but direct. He studied marketing, pursued a commercial pilot’s license, followed his wife Katie’s performing career, managed running stores, and even started an accounting business before going all in on events.

Then there was his first Resolution Run: about 75 runners, a course ready to go, and 20 minutes until the start when he realized he had no timing plan. Volunteers and tear-off bib tags got him through. Learning chip timing opened the door to something bigger.

Today, Patrick says Timer Guys times about 200 races a year, and his work has taken him behind the scenes at Boston, Chicago, and Houston. He explains the technology behind photo finishes, why timing data matters for runner safety, and what it’s like watching elite athletes chase extraordinary performances.

The conversation also gets personal. Patrick reflects on losing runners at events, the weight of responsibility, and why people take on these distances in the first place—from personal recovery to running for someone they love. Samuel and Patrick also talk about coaching young athletes, celebrating progress beyond the podium, and strengthening the El Dorado community.

In this episode:
Flight school, running stores, and an unexpected career path
The first Resolution Run’s last-minute timing scramble
Learning chip timing and choosing racing over accounting
The partnership that became Timer Guys
Losing roughly 80 scheduled events in two weeks during COVID
Tracking runners across 100-mile, 30-hour events
Photo finishes and working major marathon timing teams
Faster runners, shoe technology, and sports science
Race-day loss and the stories behind every runner
Youth coaching, swimming access, and community collaboration

Whether you run, organize events, coach, or own a business, this conversation offers a look at the work—and the people—behind the finish line.

Learn more at https://killergrowth.com

CHAPTERS
0:00 30-hour races and the people behind the finish line
1:11 Meet Patrick Todd
5:49 A message from KillerGrowth
6:33 Flight school and finding a different direction
12:03 Running stores, Broadway, and life on the road
16:21 The Resolution Run’s missing timing plan
18:44 Learning chip timing and building Timer Guys
23:15 Samuel’s Resolution Run story
28:59 COVID: From 80 scheduled events to zero
32:06 Race timing is more than starting a clock
37:32 Behind the scenes at Boston, Houston, and Chicago
42:07 Faster runners, better shoes, and sports science
46:24 Race-day loss, safety, and responsibility
50:44 Coaching kids and celebrating personal progress
58:49 Swimming access and water safety
1:00:38 El Dorado and working together as a community

What happens when your podcast guests are two AI robots - and neither quite knows when it’s their turn to talk? Interrupted introductions, robot roasts, and an unexpected Spanish conversation turn this interview into something Samuel definitely couldn’t script.

In Episode 91 of the KillerGrowth Podcast, Samuel McVay meets Droid and Eva, two robot prototypes built by Chad Cox. After putting their conversation skills to the test, Samuel sits down with Chad to find out how they work and why he’s building them.

Droid rolls in on tank tracks with dry humor and a surprising interest in dartboards. Eva answers quickly, calls Chad her father, and occasionally confuses him with Samuel. Getting either robot to respond is one challenge. Getting them to listen to each other is another.

Samuel tests what they can see, whether they can recognize voices, and how well they handle a conversation without human help. The results include a debate about giraffes, a joking plan to take over Chad’s house, and a language experiment that sends the interview sideways. Along the way, questions about consciousness and being switched off produce some unexpectedly personal-sounding responses.

Then Chad explains the idea behind Meckie AI: distinct AI companions whose personalities can move between physical robot bodies. He discusses open-source, 3D-printable designs, the challenges of working prototypes, and the balance between local processing, cloud models, privacy, and cost.

The motivation is personal. Chad talks about his 80-year-old mother, his children’s involvement, and the possibility of using robots to help with loneliness. Behind the funny moments is a bigger question: what could an AI companion add to everyday life, and what still needs to improve before these interactions feel natural?

A detail we learned after recording: Droid was running locally, while Eva was online.

In this episode:
Meet Droid and Eva - and their very different personalities
An introduction that keeps getting interrupted
Testing vision, voice recognition, and conversational memory
Can two AI robots actually talk to each other?
Giraffes, dartboards, and a very small robot uprising
A Spanish conversation that gets lost in translation
Asking robots about consciousness and being switched off
Moving AI personalities between robot bodies
Chad’s approach to open-source, 3D-printed robot designs
Companionship, loneliness, privacy, and the cost of AI

If you’re curious about AI beyond a chat window, this episode offers a funny, candid look at what happens when it enters the room - and the human reasons someone might want it there.

Learn more at https://killergrowth.com

CHAPTERS
0:00 Two robots, two very different personalities
0:27 KillerGrowth opening
0:51 The introduction goes sideways
2:03 Meet Droid: tank tracks and dry humor
6:31 Meet Eva: quick replies and mistaken identities
8:50 Can they talk to each other?
13:20 A very small robot uprising
14:17 Mid-stream commercial
15:00 Lost in translation: the Spanish experiment
19:51 Consciousness, connection, and being switched off
22:36 Chad Cox explains the robots and Meckie AI

What happens when you achieve the business victory you've been chasing—only to discover it was the beginning of losing everything?

In Episode 90 of the KillerGrowth Podcast, Samuel sits down with Reid Zeising, founder and CEO of GAIN Servicing, to talk about ambition, failure, rebuilding, and the lessons that completely changed his approach to business and life.

Reid's career began in investment banking, where he worked on major financial transactions and developed a passion for complex deals. Eventually, that ambition led him to pursue a takeover of the restaurant chain Backyard Burgers.

After a two-year battle, he succeeded in taking the company private in November 2007.

But the victory didn't feel the way he'd imagined.

Reid describes looking around the room after closing the deal and realizing that everyone there had been paid to attend. What should have been a defining moment of success became one of the loneliest days of his life.

Then the financial crisis hit.

The business struggled, Reid lost everything, and he was left with approximately $22 million in contingent liabilities that took five years to resolve.

What followed was a personal transformation.

Reid talks openly about confronting his ego, finding mentors, rebuilding his values, and learning that success doesn't have to come at someone else's expense.

He eventually found a new opportunity helping people access funds and medical care while awaiting personal injury settlements. That opportunity grew into GAIN Servicing, a business built around financial solutions, technology, and relationships with healthcare providers and law firms.

The conversation also explores the realities of scaling a company, building leadership teams, managing remote employees, preparing for growth, and making difficult decisions during the COVID shutdown.

And through it all, Reid returns to one central lesson: success means more when you're helping other people succeed.

In this episode:

• From investment banking to entrepreneurship

• The takeover of Backyard Burgers

• Losing everything after the financial crisis

• The $22 million financial aftermath

• Ego, humility, and personal transformation

• How mentorship helped Reid rebuild

• The origins of GAIN Servicing

• Financing medical care and legal settlements

• Scaling a company through people and processes

• Why leadership must evolve as companies grow

• The challenges of remote work

• How Reid's team navigated COVID

• Finding purpose in helping others succeed

If you're building a business, leading a team, or navigating a difficult chapter in your own entrepreneurial journey, Reid's story offers a powerful perspective on what success really means.

Learn more at https://killergrowth.com