Anton Krupicka fell in love with running at an early age. He competed in his first marathon when he was 12 and started running mountain ultras when he left college. He went on to win the Leadville 100 twice, and place second at the Western States 100 in 2010. These days, he’s added cycling and ski-mo to his competition schedule, recently completing the Unbound XL.

In this interview, he tells Payson about growing up on a 600-acre farm in Nebraska and discovering mountain running when he moved to Colorado for college. After completing a few marathons, he went from running the Leadville Marathon to running and winning the Leadville 100 in just six weeks. He also talks about how injury forced him to diversify his athletic pursuits and how the mental and physical demands of ultra running differ from gravel racing. 

Instagram: @withpacepod
YouTube: Payson McElveen