Happy New Year, everyone! Returning to the Hive is the always fun breakout star of ultrarunning, Annie Hughes.  We spoke with her in 2021 after she became, at age 23, the youngest-ever winner of the Leadville Trail 100. And she was a local resident to boot!  Annie ramped up her racing and success even more in 2022, capturing four more titles and many course records, all with the guidance of her trusty friend Olga. Included among them was a huge win at the Cocodona 250 in Arizona, which she describes as a series of course mishaps, sleep follies, and rattlesnakes, yet was a resounding victory. I’m sure you’ll be entertained to hear what it takes to not only finish 250 miles, but to place highly as well. We cover a lot of areas during our high-spirited chat, including her plans for this coming year, with her keystone race being the Hardrock 100, and her insane plans for her 25th birthday in March, topping even her 24-hour run in Leadville for her 24th birthday. Annie is so much fun to talk with and as long as we did, we probably could have carried on for much longer – maybe for 250 miles!

Annie Hughes
Instagram @annie.a.hughes

Bill Stahl
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Facebook Bill Stahl
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