I love doing this podcast, because I get to meet and get to know so many incredible people, and Randy Elliott is one of those. Randy continues to get stronger as a trail runner as the races come his way, but he is also an extremely talented musician, rock climber, owns and runs a successful business...all while juggling family life with his beautiful wife and two kiddos. I first heard of Randy when my husband was on a bike ride with some friends, and Randy came running up beside them as they were CLIMBING and carried on a conversation like it was nothing. He was so impressed with Randy, that it was the first thing he told me about when he got home after the ride. Since then, I have personally been able to see him crush the Hellbender 100 (4th overall), Shut-In Ridge Race (7th overall) and The Looking Glass 100k (4th overall). Randy, I am so glad we met, and I am so grateful for the time you spent with me sharing your passions and your struggles in both life and in running. I know we will run into each other many more times in the future, and I am looking forward to it. Again, thank you.

Randy's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rocknrandy/

Randy's Strava

Randy's Business: Mountain Town Electric

Follow Facing Vert on Instagram! @facingvert

Thank you, as always, for listening and for your encouragement.

Ally Carlton...beautiful, strong, brave and extremely fast. Ally and I met at the Hellbender 100 where she took 2nd overall female. I was fortunate enough to share a several miles with her during the first portion of the race, and instantly she struck me as genuine, humble, and one that truly seemed to care for others. Fast forward, and we have run into each other many times at cross country meets since she is the coach for Brevard Middle School. Then, on Thanksgiving Day, Ally goes out and captures the FKT for the Art Loeb Northbound while I was stuffing my face with turkey and mac and cheese! Not only that, but she then goes on to grab the Art Loeb FKT Southbound just 3 weeks later! What!? I was so delighted when she agreed to come on the podcast to talk about these two days, but also about how she discovered running, details of other races and simply life. We have already planned to chat again in the near future after she crushes another 100 this spring. Ally, thank you. You're all around awesome.

Ally doesn't have social media, but she does have Strava! Check her out here: https://www.strava.com/athletes/6894903

Thank you, thank you for listening! Follow us on Instagram and message me there...@facingvert

First of all, I want to wish all of you a happy new year! I am so excited what 2024 has to hold, and I would love to hear about the goals and aspirations you have for this new year.

Sheridan Byers-quiet, shy, humble, unassuming, completely kind, selfless, and an absolute savage on the trails. He would disagree of course, but he is always in the top tier of runners and he knows the trails in the Pisgah Forest area better than anyone I know. As we talked, he shared the health issues that he has had to learn to navigate through and how his body will respond. Through these adversities, he is only becoming stronger. Yes, he is competitive, but it truly is all about the joy of running for Sheridan and the peace the woods bring. We also talk about his amazing wife, Suzanne, and her ultra adventures, and he gives us insight on some of his favorite races and trails. Thank you, Sheridan, for the person you are. What a wonderful example you set for all of us. And THANK YOU for your willingness to come on Facing Vert...meant so much.

Sheridan's Strava

Thank you for listening to Facing Vert! I would love to hear from you. Please message me through Facing Vert's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/facingvert/

Brandon Thrower, with Tanawha Adventures, is back on the podcast to run through every detail of the upcoming South Mountain Marathons. The 50K and the marathon are both taking place on Saturday, January 6th followed by the half marathon on Sunday, January 7th. The South Mountains Marathons are held in the beautiful South Mountains State Park in North Carolina. I could tell that Brandon absolutely loves these trails, and his excitement to share it with the running community was palpable. Brandon, I am praying for perfect weather and a wonderful day! If you are running in one of these races, I must say, I am a little jealous. This is one I will put on my calendar for the future!

Tanawha Adventures' website

Tanawha Adventure's instagram

Brandon's instagram

Follow Facing Vert on Instagram and feel free to message me there! Thank you, as always, for listening!

I had the privilege of having Tim Nooney back on the podcast to talk about his experience running the Grindstone 100K and Looking Glass 100K. Listen as he gives us the details on what led to his DNF at Grindstone, but how it made stepping up to the start line of Looking Glass even sweeter. Let's just say...the stoke was high, and he was ready. Tim led the entire race until mile 57, and I so appreciate is openness to talk about what happened, how he felt, and how he will apply everything he learned to come back even stronger in 2024. Tim, you are amazing. You are just in the beginning of your race career, which makes it even more exciting to see what you are truly capable of. Watch out world.

Tim's Strava

Tim's Instagram: @timnooney

Tim's coach: Ryne Anderson- [email protected]

Tim's Sponsors:

La Sportiva

Mountain Running Company

Precision Hydration

Follow us on Instagram: @facingvert

Thank you for listening!

Once again, I had the privilege to sit down with the queen, Marisa Romeo. Marisa just absolutely demolished the Looking Glass 100k by coming in 1st female beating second place by almost 3 HOURS (and these are some super fast, super strong women). She also gave the men a run for their money, placing 6th overall in an extremely strong field. Listen as we run through every detail of her race...the highs and the definite lows. How she battled stomach issues throughout, and what she did to win the mental game. Marisa, you are amazing. Can't wait for more podcasts together.

Logan Anderson is an overall incredible athlete, and even as a young child he discovered his love for competition. Logan played football, wrestled, pole vaulted, and also dabbled in a little bit of running. It wasn't until after graduated high school, that he jumped into Spartan races, and found success in this sport. Logan is fast, always has been, and he uses this skill to be extremely competitive in these Spartan races. Road running is his first choice, but on a whim he signed up for this year's Shut-In Race. I definitely wanted to dive into this and all the lessons he learned, as he had never even been on these trails before and went into the race unprepared for the daunting task before him. Logan is STRONG and with proper training, fuel and gear, he is going to be an absolute force in the world of trail running. I will say it now...Logan will be one to beat in the future, and I look forward to watching from the sidelines. Thank you so much, Logan, for sitting down with me.

Logan's Strava

Logan's Instagram

Thank you for listening to Facing Vert! Follow us on Instagram @facingvert! Thank you, again.

He did it! Heath Ballard started at the top of the Shut-In trailhead and ran over 16 miles to the bottom all in honor and in memory of his mom, Melanie Ballard. It truly was the most stunning day, with a sunrise that simply took your breath away. Heath was amazing...never stopping, always moving, even though he had never run over 8 miles and had never set foot on the Mountains-to-Sea trail. Listen as we talk about the limited training he was able to get in, the gear he discovered he needed, and his recap of the day. Thank you to all that supported, prayed, paced, crewed, laughed, cried and loved. We raised over $6400, which blew all of our minds. Thank you again and again. Love you, Heath, and I am proud and honored to call you my friend.

Heath's Instagram

Heath's Strava

Thank you, thank you for listening to Facing Vert. It means to much to me. You can also follow us on Instagram: @facingvert and message me there!

Jordan Tager set out to accomplish his first 100 miler at the Grindstone 100 this past September. Gaining over 21000 feet of vert over the the span of 100 miles is not for the faint of heart, and it was a beast of a race to choose for his first 100. Jordan felt prepared, but nothing prepared him for the tropical storm that was to hit. I loved diving into the details of his race and his fight to try and finish through such crazy circumstances. But before getting into his experience at Grindstone, I wanted to know what got him there in the first place. I hope you enjoy our conversation, as I certainly did. Thank you, Jordan, for taking the time out of your weekend to sit down with me. You are awesome. Looking forward to seeing what is next for you.

Jordan's Strava

Jordan's Instagram @jedwardtager

Thank you, as always, for listening. It still blows my mind that people actually listen! If you have enjoyed the podcast, I would love if you would share with your family and friends. Follow on Instagram @facingvert and feel free to message me there.

Once again I had the privilege of having Brandon Thrower, of Tanawha Adventures, back on the podcast. He is putting on The Looking Glass 100k on November 18th, and we walk through every detail of the course, the aid stations, pacer and crew info and more. So, if you are planning on running this beautiful event, you are helping out in anyway, or you are thinking of participating in the future, this podcast is definitely for you! Thank you, Brandon, for coming on again and giving us all the inside information. I can't wait to volunteer and pace my friend! Praying for the perfect weather and for all involved to make the best memories.

Looking Glass 100K Website

Ultrasignup Registration

Participant Guide

Tanawha Adventures Instagram

Brandon Thrower Instagram

Handmade awards by Jonathan Ibach

Thank you for listening! Want to message me? Follow Facing Vert on Instagram and message me through this platform. Thank you!