In this episode of the MidPacker pod brought you by FreeTrail, with generous support from Vacation Races, Troy Meadows talks with Melissa Sorenson about finding the trails, parenthood, and the backyard ultra format. 

Melissa is an ultrarunner, educator, and mother of soon to be 3. Having just recently found out that she is pregnant with her 3rd child. In this episode, we talk about how Melissa and her Husband got into trail running from road marathons and the challenges of running races with small children. The logistics of having children of nursing age drew her into running her first backyard ultra. A race format that allowed her to manage the logistics of racing with the needs of her children. 

Melissa is also an amazing member of the FreeTrail fam, and with the help of another member, Jessica Grinspan brought Trail Mix to one of our office hours. A really cool way for members to get to know each other better through using small break-out groups in Zoom. It is a cool concept that went over super well! 

We also discuss our mutual love of chia seeds and Melissa's slight detour into Ironman triathlon.

I really appreciated Melissa's willingness to share and talk about how hard it can be for new mothers to juggle their little ones' needs with long races. Women specific needs at races is a topic that needs more attention as more women get into the sport.

If you are enjoying the content, please consider supporting our sponsors using the links below.

Sponsor Links: 

Title Sponsor:

Vacation Races - Race in epic American National Parks or take a week-long inclusive Global running Adventure with Vacation Races - Vacation Races: Run Were You Play 

Use code: "freetrail15" to get 15% off any half-marathon or ultra-marathon

Use code: "freetrail200" to get $200 off any Global Adventures trip

Space is limited for these epic experiences, so sign up before they sell out.

Visit vacationraces.com to learn more.

Run Trail Life - This is a brand I am super passionate about because I am the Founder and Chief everything officer for RTL. Run Trail Life Brings you casual apparel that lets you show off your love of trail running and ultrarunning while giving back to ensure that everyone has access to the beauty of nature for generations to come. With each item purchased, we donate $1 to runners for public lands.

Use code: midpackerpod to double the donation from your purchase. 

Visit RunTrailLife.com to check out our line of Hats and Organic cotton T's.

Freetrail - Bring Trail Culture with you everywhere you go and join an amazing community of extraordinary trail runners. Freetrail Pro membership is just $96 a year, giving you access to the Freetrail Slack community, training plans, weekly office hours, and so much more. I absolutely love this community and have personally used the training plans to get ready for my ultra efforts.

Visit Freetrail.com to sign up today.

Midpacker Pod Links: Instagram

Troy Meadows Links: Instagram | Twitter | Website

Freetrail Links: Freetrail Pro | Patreon | Instagram | Website | YouTube