Jim Sweeney runs primary on the technical trails around upstate New York and New England, still loves a good old road marathon, and even ran the fastest hundred miler (13:09) in 2018.  He’s also the Lead Brewer at a brewery you’ve heard me talk a lot about…Athletic Brewing in Connecticut. It was high time I had Jim on the show to talk about his life (he’s got a degree in forensic psychology, whaaa?), his love of brewing beer, and what races he’s got on the horizon. Fun talk with a guy...

Trivia with Lydia Episode Notes: Intro/outro music used with permission from David Rosales. Here’s more on The Tunnel race. More on Yiannis Kouros’ incredible feats on Davy Crockett’s Ultrarunning History Podcast. More on The Spine Race in the UK. And more on The Dipsea Race in Northern California. Here’s the NATHAN pack Lydia has fallen in love with. And here’s the handheld she’s been using. Here’s the Drankful hydration pack I’ve been trying out.

I was DFL at #hr100 Not the result I was hoping for, but I think I learned even more this way. Been trying to get here for about 10 years. pic.twitter.com/DFWkR6zhdk — Terry Miller (@Terrysrunning) July 19, 2021 Intro/Outro music used with permission from David Rosales.

Alek Simpson was diagnosed with narcolepsy and cataplexy at 18 years old and has continued running ultramarathons and trail races. He’s on a combination of drugs to keep him “normal”, never gets hungry, has extreme light sensitivity, and has experienced sleep paralysis…but none of this is changing his love and passion for the trails and racing. In this interview, I ask Alek about the disorders and how they affect his personal and running life. We talk about where he grew up, his upcoming...

Torsten Heycke is an endurance athlete who’s participated and competed in a panoply of outdoor sports. From ultramarathons like UTMB-CCC and Western States to field hockey, surfing, MTB racing, tennis, XC ski racing and triathlon, today, Torsten and I drill down and discuss our joined passion for paddle sports. He and I both competed in a paddle race last month in Northern California, me in the 25 mile race on stand up paddleboard, he in the 100 mile race on a Surfski. (Torsten...

Noah Brautigam is a Salomon sponsored trail and ultra runner who started life as a xc skier and instructor in Vermont who bounced to the West Coast and has spent the last few years in Salt Lake City. Now he and his wife are living the van life as they prepare for a big move to her native Sweden later this summer. We talk about xc ski training, coaching, his recent 3rd plan at Canyons 100k, some drastic diet challenges, and the mindset Noah has going into races. This was a fun...

Annie Hughes is a 23 year old runner living in Leadville Colorado who hasn’t finished off the podium in nearly two years. She likes big vert, technical terrain, and long hauls that push her abilities. Haven’t heard of her? Listen to this interview and keep an eye on Annie…she’s got big plans and all the components to make them come true. Annie loves the mountains, she loves pushing herself, and we’ll really get to see what she’s got after a series of races this summer…Speedgoat,...

Lucas Simon Drake joins me to share his experience of running a 50 mile trail ultramarathon tripping on acid. Why did he do it? How did it go? Does he see it as a PED or did in hinder his performance? Please, listen to this interview with an open mind. It’s pretty damn interesting. If you’re going to try something like this, please do it on your own and don’t put the RDs at risk of liability and/or losing their permits. The look of pure bliss: 150 micrograms of LSD during...

Nicole Monette started running competitively in high school and moved to ultramarathons a few years ago. She won Yeti 100 in 2020 and then last month participated in the Hoka Carbon X2 event in Arizona. During that event, Nicole finished second. She doesn’t race a lot, but instead Nicole focuses on and enjoys the rigors and structure of training. In this chat, we talk about her childhood, kids, her fierce competitiveness, and how she got wound up racing 100k in Arizona last...

Austin Bogina is an Olympic Trials Qualifier in the Marathon, a member of the USA 50k team, and a Ph.D candidate in the field of sports management. In this interview, we talk about growing up in small town Kansas, finding his legs in Colorado, and working his butt off to get where he is now. (Austin is) just a farm boy from Kansas who made his dreams happen.Matt Daniels Austin and I could have spoken for hours about his academic focus and how small groups of...

Sarah Biehl ran track and XC in both high school and college, ran an Olympics Trials Qualifying marathon, then set her eyes on her first ultramarathon. With guidance from friends in the ultra world, she ran an impressive 5th place, but most importantly, had a great time and smiled the entire time. Sarah Biehl enjoying the cold water! In this interview we talk about the importance of collegiate running and friends, the MUT atmosphere and scene, dogs, IPAs, and why in the hell...

Clint Welch grew up playing football and riding bareback rodeo in California’s Central Valley and Texas. He also ran with his mom occasionally through childhood, but that bug ultimately caught up with him and now he’s an accomplished ultramarathon runner with numerous hundred milers under his belt. So how’d that transition happen? And what inspired him to start coaching a kids XC team? In this interview we talk about the vibe of the MUT scene, the importance of a supportive...

Sebastian Salsbury is only fourteen years old–he’s a freshman in high school–but has already run 20 ultramarathons and 30 trail races. He’s qualified for Western States, considers Max King and Luis Escobar his friends, and recently went on an epic run in the Grand Canyon. Sebastian Salsbury running trails in the Grand Canyon. There’s no doubt that I’d swallow my teeth on that terrain.All pics courtesy of Sebastian and Michael Salsbury I’ve been following Sebastian for awhile,...

Anna Frost joins URP again to talk about how life has changed over the past fifteen years. From a full time athlete driven by social media likes to an adventure mom taking clients on exotic running adventures, Anna Frost has special insight into what it takes to make a living as an MUT athlete and how athletes need to lead an authentic life outside of running. Anna Frost and her daughter Skyler. Anna Frost Episode Notes Here’s our interview with Anna from 2015...

Francesca Muccini has run—and won–Vol State before but her performance this year at the Lazarus Lake event has been called one of the greatest multi day performances of all time. Chart showing pace and distance between Francesca Muccini and 2nd place Bob Hearn. (Borrowed from Facebook) In this interview, Francesca–originally from Italy–describes her meticulous training on the roads and the gym and how she focused for a full year on breaking four days to complete the...

Pam Reed has run ninety six 100 milers and finished 50+ Ironman triathlons. She’s set the record for 24 hours on the track, and won–outright–Badwater two times. Most impressive to many was her 2015 Western/Hardrock/Badwater triple. All three of those events occur within one month. Woof! Pam Reed on the trails in Yellowstone National Park In this interview, we talk about everything from Courtney Dauwalter (and candy!) to what it’s like directing a large marathon in the age of...

Leah Yingling has been tearing up trail races in the Wasatch for a few years. From podiums at The Grand Traverse, North Face, Bear, Squaw Peak, and Telluride Mountain Run, she’s also reached out to put on a popular fatass that traverses 40 miles across some incredible terrain. Leah Lingying in the La Sal Mountains in Utah, 2018. Leah grew up in Pennsylvania, one of four girls in a very competitive family that saw all siblings on the same high school cross country team at...

Jason Hardrath has been raging FKTs on routes all over the West Coast, with a focus on the PNW. Recently he realized he was in striking distance of catching the King of FKTs Ben Nephew and is loving the challenge of chasing big solo routes in the mountains. In straight numbers, Jason is currently at 51 FKTs versus Ben’s 56. For reference, the third place guy has 27. Anton has 23, Kilian has 21. Jason Hardrath In this episode, we talk about how and why Jason transitioned...

If you heard our last episode with Meredith Edwards, you know that she lives for the mountains. Whether it’s running, scrambling or skiing, Meredith travels the world looking for the biggest peaks and races and takes them all hard. Meredith Edwards on the trails So naturally it was a surprise to many when she laid low from the competitive circuit last year while she was fighting an energy, iron, and GI issue that threatened to derail her career, livelihood, and main source of...

Ellie Pell has had success in trail ultras and recently ran in the Olympic Marathon Trials in Atlanta. How'd it go, and what's next for this native New Yorker?

For those who use Twitter to get their ultramarathon and trail news, you’re likely familiar with SteeltownRunner. He adds to conversations with civil, salient, and smart commentary about some of the obscure races, records, and athletes from our sport. Behind the online moniker is Paul, a guy originally from Pennsylvania …

Ryan Haebe went from top collegiate runner with an OTQ to someone fighting for his life. Then he won a 55k last year in Arizona and it got me thinking if we'll see his passion and fierce talent on the MUT scene any time soon.

Bethany Patterson started her running career when she took David Horton’s ultramarathon class back in 1999. (Here’s our interview with the good doc from 2013.) From his class, she learned where to run, how to run, and he supported her throughout her upcoming races around the country. Here’s a great …

Grayson Murphy has made a big name for herself in just a few short weeks. What will 2020 bring to this mountain runner from Utah?