Jeff Ball lined up at Kodiak 100 last weekend in his second attempt at a hundred miler. His first was Western States last year, and he earned that spot by nabbing a Golden Ticket at Bandera 100k.

So what was he expecting at Kodiak? Jeff was in great shape. His mental game was strong, his gear checked out, and he’d run a few test races that showed him dialed and ready for the mountains east of Los Angeles.

Jeff Ball cooling himself off at Western States.

Unfortunately, his day didn’t go as planned. Jeff struggled with a stomach issue mid race that ultimately caused him to sit at an aid station for over two hours and eventually pulled his bib.

In this interview, we hear about the power of “just get to the next aid station” strategy” and how it worked.  

We also hear about what he learned at his first hundred miler last year. Jeff had earned a Golden Ticket to Western and he tells us about how his training squared up for the storied trail from Tahoe to Auburn and what he’d do different next time.

We also explore the issue of whether it’s possible to mentally prepare for bonking and how we can train ourselves to fight extreme fatigue.

Jeff Ball is sponsored by: Trail Racing Over Texas, Publicis Hawkeye, Altra Running, Nathan, Victory SportDesign, Drymax and Aftershokz.

Jeff Ball, his wife Tracie, and a dog I’m assuming is theirs.

Jeff Ball Episode Notes:

Here’s the interview with Ruperto Romero from last year. I’d urge you to listen to it.

Here’s the link to the Kodiak 100.

Meredith Terranova interview.

I asked at the end of the show (yeah, the part with the bad audio..ugh) if anyone has any connections for shirts or bottles for the kids trail running team I’m putting together. If you do…please email me at [email protected].  THANK YOU!