Jon and Miranda check in sharing stories from crewing the eerie Badwater Salton Sea 81-mile team race, then shift into the brutal pull of Alaska’s Iditarod Trail Invitational. Mitch Dulleck walks us through training, gear, food, and the moment he chooses safety over the finish during a stormy ITI 350 attempt. 

• Why extreme events become a way to prove you belong 
• What makes ITI different from most ultramarathons 
• Training in Leadville for cold weather and pulling a sled 
• The “do not sweat” rule and how it shapes pacing 
• Hydration and water-freezing problems in subzero temps 
• Food choices that still work when frozen 
• Navigation decisions on an unmarked course using GPX 
• Finger Lake wind, ground blizzards, and frostbite triage 
• Rainy Pass risk and the mental weight of rescue stories 
• Turning back as a deliberate safety decision and planning the return 

Hit us up at runningwithproblems.run or on Instagram. Please send any episode requests, something you want to learn about, a conversation you’d like us to have, and we’ll look into guests to have that conversation. 

Thanks for listening to Running With Problems. Follow us on Instagram @runningwithproblems. DM us there with questions in text or audio messages! Or email us at [email protected].

Hosted by Jon Eisen (@mildly_athletic) and Miranda Williamson (@peaksandjustice). Edited by Jon Eisen. Theme music by Matt Beer.