Western States is many trail and ultra runner’s dream race and big running goal. The qualifiers, lotteries, beautiful California trails and deep history all add to the allure of this storied 100 mile race. When good friend Lauren Pearch got her ticket drawn last December she had the opportunity to realize her dream from Squaw …

I lined up at the starting line of the 2018 Mohican 100 Trail Race. Things ended early for me around mile 88 but not before I recorded some interesting things out on the trail. If you put yourself out there enough and actually seek the limits of adversity you will discover what you are made …

Sabrina Stanley is strong, determined, stubborn, bold, and beautiful. She’s also got her mind set on winning Hardrock.Sabrina hasn’t been on the ultra scene for long but she didn’t waste time making her mark. Sabrina’s first ultra was the legendary Leadville 100 which she DNF’d but that only made her more determined to see just …

The Western States Endurance Run is many ultra runner’s pinnacle race. It’s the big show. The history, tradition, and community surrounding the 100 mile race is unlike any other. The people, places, and things surrounding the WS100 all play a huge roll in a runner’s overall experience at an event they very well may have …

Women are outnumbered by men in trail and ultra running. In a big way. When the distance in the race increases the number of women signing up for the racing goes way down. In 2016, of all people who started a 100 mile race only 21% of them were female. Those numbers are on the …

What are your big crazy goals? Many of us have that big goal race or big goal distance we want to achieve some day. Well some day just isn’t a plan. If you put a little strategy into how you spend your miles and what races you do sign up for you can make that …

Are you ready for 100 miles? If you have been wrestling with the idea of registering for your first one hundred mile race but just can’t seem to pull the trigger or just don’t know where to start then this episode is for you. Should you even be considering it? How do you pick your …

Ralph Protano is the Trail Development Manager for the Cleveland Metroparks. Ralph is the guy with the vision and the knowledge behind the amazing trails in the best park system in Ohio and beyond. Ralph’s “tread lightly” approach is intuitive to the environment he calls his canvas and his experience working with national historic trails …

One of my favorite things about running ultra marathons is the community and culture that surrounds these epic events, particularly the one hundred mile distance. There is something about the prolonged suffering and overcoming adversity that a runner faces in the course of the many hours it takes to complete an ultra that has a …

The dreaded DNF, or Did Not Finish, is a whole lot more than a blemish on your Ultrasignup score. It is a scar to be proudly shown. It means you attempted something epic. You went big. It also means it just wasn’t your day. All the great ultra runners have some kind of DNF story. …

  How do you balance family, work, and running? The secret is you don’t. If you are training for marathons or ultras then some part of that trifecta is going to fall apart. The trick is, just like running down steep hills, it’s controlled chaos. Something has got to give but you can choose what …

It’s been way too long since the last episode of the Sugarstride Podcast. We are back! The Sugarstride Podcast is all about trail and ultra marathon running! We are back after a few months off and ready to rumble if you will. Today we discuss just where the hell I was and what is coming …

Just what can you do in preparation to make sure race day is perfect? While running an ultra marathon there are bound to be all sorts of issues that will come up over the course of a 50k to 100 miles or more. This is no surprise. Anticipating these setbacks or obstacles and being prepared …

This is an extra special episode of the Sugarstride Podcast. Sugarstride has a running club called Eat Clean, Run Dirty and we meet up for some miles and a free beer on Monday nights in Cleveland for roads or Akron for trails. In this podcast we set up a portable recorder at the Craft Beer …

Warren and Erica Pole are ultra runners and triathletes that were sick of all of the poor choices endurance athletes had to fuel their performance. It didn’t make much sense to them that they ate whole, healthy, plant based foods everyday but when they competed in races they had no good choices at all. The …

Electrolytes can be a tricky proposition. How much salt do you need? Not enough will make you feel zapped early on in your ultra. Too much could leave you looking for a tree to throw up or squat behind. The point is, your body requires three things: water, calories, and electrolytes. If you’re not replacing …

Avery Collins and Sabrina Stanley join the podcast to talk about Western States, golden tickets, grit, and their favorite failures. Avery Collins is tearing up the ultra scene, setting course records and breaking paradigms. Avery earned his entry to the historic Western States Endurance Run after winning the Georgia Death Race and capturing a golden …

The Mohican 100 is one of the oldest and longest ran one hundred mile ultra marathons in the United States. The trails of Mohican in central Ohio offer a buffet of everything you could encounter on a great ultra: waterfalls, huge hills, luscious forests, technical single track, and the best damn aid stations in the …

The Cayuga Trail races are just as beautiful as they are brutal. Miles of single track leads runners through luscious northern New York forests on a tour of waterfalls. Beauty always comes at a cost and this fifty mile was no exception. Hundreds of stone steps and winding pathways conspired to add just over 9,000 …

Quest for a DNF A very unusual Quest for the Crest 50k race report. Certainly the most difficult 50k in the United States, Quest takes runner’s on an epic journey through North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains. Featuring breathtaking views, luscious forest, tunnels of mountain laurel, and nearly 12,000 feet of elevation gain this ultra marathon …

Nate Warner likes to run….fast. In this episode we ask Nate how the hell an average, mid-packer type, can get fast too. Nate lays it out easy enough for any trail newbie to understand but in a way that gives even old timers confidence to go run with the speedsters on speed night. Nate Warner …

Here are a few tips on fitting your marathon or ultra-marathon training into your hectic life. The trick is to make every moment count and to have a clear plan. It’s easy to fall into the mindset that you are too busy to run. Training for a marathon takes a lot of time. Training for …

Northeast Ohio’s own David Ryland made the trek to California this past December to run his very first 50 mile trail race. This wasn’t just any race though, it was The North Face Endurance Challenge 50 Mile Championship race, one of the most competitive trail races in the world. David didn’t just run the beautiful …

In today’s episode we reflect back on an outstanding 2016. Jessica reviews the top 5 downloaded Sugarstride Podcast episodes of the year. She also discusses the Burning River Film Festival and Eat Clean, Run Dirty. New for 2017 is the announcement of Trailsunite.com, a site with content submitted by the trail and ultra running community …

Dr. Matt Pisanelli is a Chiropractor that treats athletes at every level, from the couch to 5k runner to elite endurance athletes and Olympians. Dr. Matt is passionate about treating his patients so they can maintain health and improve their performance. In this episode Dr. Matt and I discuss who should go see a chiropractor, …