Today we sit down with the versatile Rea Kolbl, gymnast turned OCR, skimo, mountain bike, and adventure racer, among other things. Rea is on the US skimo team and explains what the heck the sport is, why it fires her up, and how being patient in a sport pays off. 

This week, we chat with Clare Gallagher.  Does she need an introduction? We think not. Clare is an accomplished ultra-runner, with wins that include UTMB's CCC 100k, Leadville 100 mile and Western States 100 mile. We discuss not only her life as a runner and finding ultra running, but also how to choose the authentic path and continually find joy and gratitude in the process. We also go deep with Clare about her environmental advocacy and have some real talk about what each of us can do to...

Today we talk to each other! Devon and Alison chat about all things racing including Umstead and the DY DIY Slam, choosing authentic goals and setting expectations and more. Enjoy!

On this episode, we chat with Anne-Marie Madden who recently punched her ticket to Western States 100 at Black Canyon 100km, where she finished 3rd. Anne-Marie is a Canadian ultrarunner who is no stranger to the podium and has been racing ultras for over 8 years. We cover so many topics in this fun conversation including how she finds time to train as a busy doctor and dive into the complex topic of growth in the sport. 

We had the pleasure of sitting down with Sabrina Little, philosopher and ultrarunner, among other things. In this episode we hear how Sabrina got into marathons at the ripe age of eight and how that set the stage for her ultrarunning career. We dive into how she integrates running into her larger role as a philosopher, and how the growth of the sport requires self-reflection and big questions. Check out the article she wrote about the topic here.

This week we’re graced with the delightfully enthusiastic and talented Katie Asmuth. We discuss how adding running to an already very full life made everything better, her rise in the sport including her 2021 win at Bandera 100k, and how she balances it all, seemingly with the best attitude possible.

In this episode we get to know Ellie Pell, Beast Coast runner of all kinds. We talk about what happens when you limit yourself to one kind of running, and when you let go of preconceived notions. Ellie tells us about how she transitioned from ball sports to running, to the Olympic Trials, and now to winning a golden ticket and tackling her first 100 at Western States 100. You can find out more about her on her website https://www.elliepell.com.

This week on WOD we chat with Nike runner and 2021 #4 Ultrarunner in the country, Brittany Peterson. We discuss her entry and rise in the sport, finding variety over time, and how she balances the many aspects of her life. We also delve into the QUARTZ topic, and what it will mean for athletes and races. 

Welcome back to Women of Distance, Season 2. In this episode we sit down with Sarah Cummings. Sarah recently won the prestigious JFK 50 miler in the 3rd fastest time in the race’s history. She was just named the #5 Ultrarunner of the Year 2021 after an impressive season. We discuss with Sarah her early career as a figure skater, how she got into running, her collegiate/professional road careers and a nearly career ending injury. We loved catching up with Sarah and know you will enjoy getting...

In this episode, we sit down with woman of many hats, Addie Bracy, who literally wrote the book on mental training. She doles out a wealth of knowledge about mental training and performance, how she used a new mindset to win Run Rabbit Run 100, and also delves into how she’s increasing diversity in the larger running community, through her organization OutRun, and evolving our sport for the good. 

In this episode we sit down with recent UTMB champion and course record holder, Courtney Dauwalter. Courtney is one of the most dominant ultrarunners on the scene right now and so we dig into how she handles and leverages failure, the mental game of ultrarunning, and basically try to glean some of her positivity and wisdom into our own running. Enjoy!

We're back! After a summer of craziness including injury, wildfire galore, kids, and another big change (ha-we saved it for the end, so you need to listen to learn what!), Devon and Alison catch up on life. They get into the mindset around injury, listening (or not) to different narratives, 100 mile training, and what to expect from the podcast moving forward. 

Zoe Rom is not just a trail and ultra runner, she is very involved in the outdoor space beyond that. She is  writer and journalist. She is the editor-in-chief of Trail Runner magazine, host of the DNF podcast and an outspoken advocate for environmental and social justice. In this episode we not only dive into Zoe's running and career, but navigating tough conversations in the sport and standing up for progress and necessary change. 

Kriste Peoples is a trail runner, writer, media producer, speaker, organizer, coach, board member of the ATRA, founder of Black Women’s Alliance (BWA) of Denver. She's also just a ray of sunshine and we had an absolute blast talking with her about her lifelong love of the outdoors, her community involvement and where change is necessary in our sport. Enjoy!

Most people know Meghan Hicks as the managing editor of the awesome IRunFar, but as we dive into in this episode, she is also an amazing athlete, super competitor and one driven human being. It was fun to have her on the other side of the mic for a change and get to know her better! Cover photo credit to Eszter Horanyi. Meghan in front with past guest Maggie Gutterl (middle) and Melissa Beaury (back) in the San Juan Mountains.

In this episode, we talk to Abby Hall who is an ultra/trail athlete who runs professionally for Adidas Terrex. We dive deep into the mental side of ultra running and important lessons Abby has learned along the way including learning to embrace/reframe failure and understand the expectations we place on ourselves. Abby recently came in second at the Canyons 100km and is just over a week away from racing Western States 100 mile. We also talk about her Nuumu Poyo (John Muir Trail) FKT attempts...

In this episode, we interview Olivia Amber who is a trail and ultra athlete for Salomon North America. We discuss Olivia's career as a cross-country skier and how she got into ultra running. We get into the races she's taken on, how those experiences have shaped her goals and finding out what works best for her to be her best. 

Maggie Guterl comes to the podcast fresh off her win at the Cocodona 250 mile race. In this episode we discuss her history in the sport, how she got into doing loop and last person standing races, and how to keep progressing our sport.  Cover photo by  David Wilson.

Stefanie Flippin is a trail/ultra/road runner that recently won the USATF 100 mile road championships in course record time. In this episode we get to know Stefanie and marvel at how she went from picking up ultrarunning while in med school as a casual thing to winning a national championship; all while working as a DPM, co-owning her own clinic, as well as working as a coach. Stefanie also shares with us her experiences being an Asian-American runner and how interactions over the last year...

Corrine Malcolm is a science writer, professional Adidas runner, and coach with CTS. She came to the sport via Nordic skiing, and in the episode we talk about what it’s like to train with World Cup skiers many years older, overtraininig, coaching and youth development, and her awesome TRT FKT that she set last year. 

Carla is a UK ultrarunner and coach, who runs for HOKA One one. Among other things, Carla hold the World Record for the LEJOG route across the UK, in 12 days 30 min. And 14 sec.! In this episode, we dive into running exorbitant mileage, going after things that sound daunting, fell running, and cheese rolling. Carla can be found on Instagram @carlamolinaro or through her website.  Links: What is cheese rolling, you ask? LEJOG route

Yiou Wang is a bay area ultrarunner for Under Armour. In this episode we talk about how she got into the sport after hating running growing up, her transition from roads to trails, and then moving from 50 milers into 100s. Finally, we discuss how to get more women and women of color involved in running. 

Krissy Moehl has been in the forefront of ultrarunning since she began in 2000! In this episode we go down memory lane a bit, and talk about how she’s evolved in the sport. We discuss her longevity with running, her coaching career, and her experience as a race director in the time of Covid.  Link to Ted talk Link to Chuckanut Link to book

Keely Henniger is a Nike sponsored trail and ultrarunner, who lives and trains in Oregon. In this episode we dive into how she got into the sport, and how body image plays into our long-term visions of ourselves. Keely wrote on this topic here. 

Amy Leedham is a Solomon sponsored trail and ultrarunner, and now a mother to an 8-month old. In this episode, we discuss how expectations of both pregnancy and having children can vary from reality, and the challenges that arise from that, including...