Amanda Basham has lined up at Western States three times in the past three years. Two of those were fourth place finishes and one was a DNF with a pulled ankle. So what’s her strategy this year? Harder? Faster? More intense?

Or did she pick up some tips from one of her competitors about staying easy, light, and relaxed before and during the race? Amanda is a natural closer and has dreams of racing well, then stepping onto the track with her friend Lucy Bartholomew and racing it out to the finish. Hold hands and tie? Not a chance.

In this chat, we talk race strategy and whether it’s “good sleep” if you share a bed with three dogs. We talk about her six hour marathon win, her natural muscular strength, and we dig deep into an eating disorder that affected her from 9th grade through college and how she dealt with it. She’s honest and open and brought up some issues I’ll need to look out for as a father and a coach.

This was a fun interview with someone who has a very strong chance of standing on the podium in just over three weeks. Thanks Amanda!

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Connect with Amanda Basham

Here’s her website with coaching and racing info.