Want to hear more stories to inspire and motivate you in your fitness and faith paths? Make sure to subscribe to this podcast. This week's guest is a blueberry farmer and ultrarunner in Washington state who is about to start a 350-mile race in Alaska, on the same path as the Iditarod! Wow.

After I share some thoughts on joy in the midst of suffering and why someone would run a 100 mile race, (6:34) we get into the conversation with Brandon Lott, a father of 4 and grandfather of 4 who has an impressive athletic resume: he's run at least 35 races of 100 miles, another 3 that were 200+ miles, and did the ITI 350 back in 2013, the same one he's doing February-March 2021 in snowy Alaska.

He wants to inspire others and raise awareness/money for a cause he cares about, Sleep In Heavenly Peace or SHP, which builds bunk beds for kids in need all over the nation. His goal is to complete the Iditarod Invitational 350 in 6 days, which would be 60 miles/day, carrying 40+ pounds of his own gear on a sled as he goes.

In the "Fast Four," (14:34) we learn about this farmer who runs most days and mentally prepares himself for the times he inevitably wants to quit during these long endurance races. (19:34) The story of how he started running 15 years ago involves a family weight loss challenge, with the winner getting a pot of $400. Brandon won...and the rest is history. Before that, he could barely make it to the end of his driveway, but started running more and more, eventually finishing last in a trail marathon.

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