#184: Aaron Saft -- Lessons from 30 Years of Running, East Coast Ultrarunning

02.21.2020 - By Chris Ward Play

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This week I am honored to sit down and chat with an amazing ultrarunner from Asheville, North Carolina, Aaron Saft.

Aaron's running career has spanned 30 years and in that time he has taken on everything from indoor track 2 milers and collegiate cross country events to the Georgia Death Race and UTMB. In 2007, he won the USA Track and Field Trail Marathon championship and his ultrasignup reads of podium after podium of the best races on the east coast.

Along with being a high level runner, Aaron also owns and operates the Foot RX Running store in Asheville where he has established an excellent trail running community in one of the most beautiful outdoorsy towns in the United States.

In other words, he is freaking fast and, when it comes to running, is extremely knowledgeable!

Throughout this episode Aaron shares stories from his career: How in the world does one run the Quest for the Crest 50k course and then win the whole thing???? (There is 12,000 ft of GAIN in only 31 miles- the thing is a beast!) What drives him to compete at such a high level? What was it like to from injured to taking on UTMB? How being a father and a husband has enhanced his love of the sport? Why is the Georgia Death Race so unbelievably brutal? What it takes to plan and organize the Hellbender 100?

Aaron competes in the Southeast which is where I fell in love with Trail Running so I really enjoyed geeking out about all things East Coast and Appalachia in this episode!

Hope you guys enjoy the show!! We will definitely have Aaron back for more stories and running advice in the future!