RunBum RD Sean Blanton joined me for a discussion about a call he made this past weekend that I have serious disagreements with. What better way than to discuss the issue on a live call, agree to disagree, then move on to better topics like Barkley, media, sponsors, Anton, podcasts, skydiving, and the East Coast ultra scene?

Sean Blanton, hanging.

Sean Blanton Episode Notes

Uncensored and raw, this is not an episode meant for children or sensitive ears.

Here’s Sean’s podcast: East Coast Trail and Ultra Podcast

Here’s our chat with Liz Canty, 2nd female at GDR this weekend.

Updated: Here’s a post by Gary Robbins from the 2011 Mountain Masochist in which he took a loop the wrong way and was made to return to the course and run it the correct way because everyone must run exactly the same course.

Here’s a post by Stephen Kersch where he writes about getting DQed for following the wrong trail.

Here are the results from GDR this year.

Here are the rules for GDR and here are the rules for Western States Endurance Run. Whether or not the course was not followed intentionally is not mentioned.

Sean Blanton, hanging out.

Here’s the Disgraceland podcast I mentioned. Listen to the Motely Crue episode…it’s nuts.

Here’s a piece from ultrarunning magazine about the ponies at Grayson Highlands 50k.

Here’s our interview with Jason Green.

Here’s the site for Run Bum Tours.

Follow Sean: Twitter |

Where Ryan Lange lacks in raw leg speed or a monster VO2 max, he makes up for in enthusiasm for the trails. Ryan’s 21, lives in Jersey, and besides running 200s, also likes to DJ at EDM events and hunt white tail deer. In a sport made of people with myriad other passions, Ryan fits right in.

In this episode, Sarah and I chat with him about how he got into running in the first place, what he’s learned during his short career, how Generation Z’ers view the outdoors, and more. We also talk about being crewed by a parent and how hunting and DJing have both worked out to be pretty damn good cross training activities. Who knew?

Ryan Lange at the start of Ultra Trail Guadalupe

Ryan Lange Episode Notes

Here’s Ryan’s company launch page.

We talked about Kogala lights. They’re incredible.

This is the best site I could find for info on the Ultra Trail Guadalupe.

Follow Ryan on Instagram right here.

This RODE RODEcaster Pro is the new podcast mixing board I bought, thanks to the Patreon crew! It is without a doubt the best piece of tech I’ve ever bought. This was our first episode using it and I’ve got some fine-tuning to do, but what’d you think? More fart button?

Intro music | David Rosales Outro music | AJ LeGrand

Kami Semick won every race she entered in 2009, podiumed at Comrades twice, won UROY for two years, and had an epic battle with Nikki Kimball and a freaking bear at Western States, then moved to Hong Kong and faced some serious burnout that had her quit running completely for a few years.

Kami Semick pic at 2018 Elkhorn Crest. Pic used w permission from Trevor Lyden

But recently we’ve seen Kami re-enter the sport and wondered what her role and relationship with the sport was ten years after her incredible 2009 season.

Now back in Bend, Oregon with her husband and daughter, Kami shared what she’s been up to, how running fits into her life now, and what she’s got going on in the future.

Remember this North Face ad with Kami Semick and her daughter?

Kami Semick Episode Notes

Sarah just wrote an excellent piece on Kami Semick for Ultrarunning Magazine. Check it out here.

Something happened and the bear episode from 2011 has been lost. The episode page points to an interview we did a few years later where we talked about the USATF team scoring idea...I’m looking for the original recording but can’t find it and it’s killing me. My apologies.

Sarah’s recent blog post about her recent race at Napa Valley Marathon.

I mentioned the Lithia Loop Trail Marathon as my favorite race in Oregon.

Here’s the company Kami runs that provides software for farmers: Food4All.

Intro music | David Rosales Outro music | AJ LeGrand

Kami and husband Tyson Pardue and their daughter Baronie.

Not many people have had the opportunity–and responsibility–of pacing one of the best ultrarunners in the world. Miguel Ordorica has paced Kaci Lickteig for the past five years, he’s trained with her nearly every day, he’s crewed for her, and in this interview, we get a look at how the Pixie Ninja (a term he coined) does what she does.

Miguel Ordorica and Kaci Lickteig

* First we get to learn a bit more about his running. What brought him to this point in his life and how did he meet Kaci? * Does his significant other have anything to say about him spending an inordinate amount of time with a younger (and single) woman? * What makes his and Kaci’s relationship so important—and so effective? * To what does Miguel attribute Kaci’s success? * What advice does he have for other pacers?* What’s the worst he’s seen her bonk and what did he do to pull her her back into the race?* What kind of music does the Pixie Ninja listen to? (Big surprise on that later in the interview!)…and what type of music does he listen to?* What’s harder for a pacer? Dealing with physical breakdown or a mental bonk?

It’s fine to tell people they can drop in places where they can not drop.–Miguel Ordorica

Kaci Lickteig and Miguel Ordorica

Miguel Ordorica Episode Notes

I referenced this interview with Kaci from post-WS 2017. Definitely check it out. She’s got an incredible story of redemption with Stephanie Case.

Pixie Ninja, the Norwegian prog rock band.

I mentioned this race but butchered the name: Booneville Backroads Ultra.

Follow Miguel on Twitter here.

Be sure to watch this video of Kaci with fellow (former) Altra teammates Amanda Basham and Meredith Edwards where the three women discuss mental health and disordered eating issues.

Intro music: David Rosales Outro music: AJ LeGrand.

Miguel Ordorica running his own race.

Dani Moreno (HOKA/rabbit) lined up for her first trail ultramarathon last week and ran away with the USATF 50k Trail Championship title. Nice work for her first ultra! Want to hear more about her training and whether we’ll see her at more ultras?

Dani Moreno after FOURmidable 50k Championship

Make no mistake, Dani Moreno’s no newbie to the trails or to competition. She had a successful collegiate career (UCSB) in the 10k and has been racing sub-ultra distances on the trails for a few years, finding success in X-Terra races and events that require a lot of climbing. However, Dani and her coach have been patient in moving up in distances too quickly. Smart move on her part, but frustrating for those of us who want to see her crush some ultras!

So how does this former collegiate 10k runner use her legspeed on the trails? How does she train for altitude when she lives on the beach? How does she bomb the downhills so effectively? (Answer: Just run down them fast!) And what’s her strategy when she lines up against other top women? While many people associate coastal Santa Barbara as a lazy beach town, Dani’s running with a group of speedsters in some of the toughest mountain trails in the country.

Episode Sponsor: Use URP at checkout for a free trial.

Dani Moreno Episode Notes

Here’s Dani’s site.

Here’s the registration list for Santa Barbara Nine Trails. Wow!

Connect with Dani: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook| Strava | Ultrasignup

ATRA’s coverage of FOURmidable. That front pack of women are truckin.

Intro music: David Rosales Outro music:

Matt Daniels will be the first sub 4 minute miler to line up for Western States Endurance Run this June. In his first 100k last weekend, Matt won a Golden Ticket by leading from early on in the race and he’s ready to bite off even more this summer. With leg speed, World Mountain Running Championship credentials, and a true love of the sport, I had to find out more about this guy.

Matt Daniels

In this interview we talk about how he’s transitioned from tracks and roads to trails and from shorter trail races to longer ultramarathons, but also about how he’s gone from someone apprehensive about performing to someone who savors tough competition.

Show Sponsor: Visit Strava and enter the code URP at checkout. And follow Matt while you’re at it.

Next up for Matt is Lake Sonoma, where he’ll line up against a veritable who’s who of speedy trail guys. What are his plans there and what type of team is he putting together for Western States? This should be fun to watch.

Matt Daniels and unidentified runner.

Matt Daniels Episode Notes:

Here’s Matt’s coaching site.

Here’s Matt’s interview from Ginger Runner Live on Monday night.

Another good (written) interview with Matt from 2017.

Follow Matt: Instagram | Twitter | Strava

And follow Matt’s wife Lauren on Instagram right here.

Here’s more on Unived.

Here’s David and Megan Roche’s coaching site.

More on Matt Flaherty’s campaign: Here and here.

A podcast without a guest! I run down some of the top MUT stories from the week.

Links:

Jeff Browning’s strength routine.

Ethan Newberry’s new race in Washington…Tiger Claw!

Ryan Sandes’ Tarawera Report

Kelly Agnew’s latest problem: Stealing from his employer. More on his problem cheating in ultras.

More on the Piece of String race.

This Week in Running, Feb 11, 2019.

Ultra Trail Andorra

Outro music by Matt Flaherty.

Sometimes the best training in the world isn’t enough to reach your goal. Amy Puzey found this out easier this month when she lined up at Houston Marathon and struggled from the starting gun.

Amy Puzey and husband Jacob Puzey

So how’d she handle the situation? Did she panic? Did she take a DNF? Looking back, did she have the strength to keep up the pace if she’d tried just a little bit harder? And what was the cause, considering every indicator showed that she’d have a successful time, taking her below the three hour mark for the first time?

In this episode, we talk about what caused her to keep going, rather than just calling it a day. What does Amy think caused her epic bonk? What can she do next time to hit her goal? Anything? And what’s it like to be married to a fellow elite MUT runner who rarely has a bad race? And we talk about balancing family obligations (she’s got six kids!) and training while recognizing the inherent guilt of taking time for yourself. We finish up with diet talk and a fun Fartlek round.

Amy Puzey and husband Jacob and Rivers Puzey

Amy Puzey Episode Notes

Here’s our interview with Jacob from a few years ago.

Intro music by David Rosales. Outro by AJ LeGrand.

Follow Amy Puzey: Strava | Instagram | Facebook

Amy is National Race Director for 5Peaks Adventures. (NFI)

Below is Amy Puzey’s post from her Facebook page:

Houston Marathon recap for those who are interested:I can see it now. I couldn’t a few days ago. But looking at this picture it has all become razor clear. Noah’s telling me: “Mom, we love you. No matter what. All we want are your cuddles, your love, your time. We don’t give a shit about the difference between a 2:45 and 3:10 marathon. We love You. These are words that Jake has repeated to me over and over for the past three months, but it didn’t change my goal. I was determined and I was sure I had it in me.The goal was always to break 3. Two other marathons of 3:01, or 3:00.51 in the past ten years. Surely I could do this with a little more focus, some higher mileage and dedication. My body seems to break around 100k/ week so I can’t ever go much higher than that and I realize that’s not the best way to try to hit an Olympic Trials qualifying time when other athletes are doing double that mileage. And Jake was realistic about this with me as my coach. And the reality was that I only had two weeks over 90k. But somewhere along the way, I started feeling good, confident. Workouts were going so well. I was smashing the predictor runs and they were hard but not impossi...

Easier this month, Brittany Peterson lined up at Bandera 100k in Texas in hopes of earning a Golden Ticket to Western States Endurance Run. Just less than nine and a half hours later she stood on a podium with a ticket to The Big Dance.

Brittany Peterson challenges TSA to do the right thing.

In this interview, we talk about her Skyrunning experience and her leg speed–not a common combination–and how that will translate to both Lake Sonoma 50 and Western States.

Brittany also shares her unique relationship with the race. She’s dating Cody Lind and coached by his dad Paul Lind, who’s the son of the original Medical Director at WS100, Dr. Bob Lind. She’s spent a lot of time on the course and is primed and ready for June.

Brittany Peterson and Cody Lind

Brittany Peterson Episode Sponsor: Strava Summit

For the price of a couple gels a month, you’ll open up access to the Strave Summit upgrade features. Not ready to commit? Use URP at checkout for a free trial.

Brittany Peterson Episode Notes

* Much more on skyrunning right this way.* We referenced Jason Koop’s post about what it’ll take to win big ultramarathons from now on.* Here’s the brewery Brittany talked about: Bertram’s Brewery in Salmon Valley, Idaho.* Follow Brittany on social media: Strava | Instagram | Twitter* Here’s our interview with Skyrunner Sarah Keyes where she discusses transitioning that skillset to domestic ultras.* Intro and outro music courtesy of David Rosales.

Brittany Peterson at Way Too Cool 2018. Pic by Eric Schranz/URP.

Jim Walmsley had a pretty awesome week. He was named Ultrarunner of the Year for the third year straight, he celebrated his birthday, then he lined up at the Houston Half Marathon and clicked off just over 13 road miles at 4:52 pace, earning him a qualifier to the Olympic Trials in Atlanta.

Over the past decade, we’ve seen a number of road runners transition to trail ultras, but rarely do we see a top ultrarunner step off the trail and onto the road. As we talk about in the interview, Max King, Jim Howard, Ann Trason, and others have enjoyed multi-discipline/surface success, and as Jim mentions in the interview, even being talked about in the same conversation as those runners means he’s doing something right.

Jim Walmsley

Jim Walmsley Episode Sponsor: Strava Summit

Are you using the Summit upgrade on Strava? For a few bucks a month, you’ll have increased functionality for tracking, analyzing, and marking your runs. Use URP for a free trial.

In this interview, we talk about why and how he targeted Houston for his road half debut and how it fit into his overall ultramarathon training. Twenty miles at sub six pace at 7k feet? Sure, that helps, but how else did he train his mind to run at lactate threshold for an hour? How important was race strategy in an event that allows for very very few mistakes? Did he learn anything about pacing that he’ll take to trail ultras?

Coconino Cowboys from left: Eric Senseman, Jared Hazen, Jim Walmsley

We also talk about the internet and issue over whether this sort of transition has been done before. Does Jim listen to the naysayers on LetsRun? Not really. Sounds like he’s busy writing his own training plans that work around his life.

And what’s next? He’s got a 100k in Hong Kong in a few weeks where he’ll line up with Rob Krar, a shootout in Santa Barbara in March, then he’s heading back to Squaw in June to defend his title at Western States. Can he or anyone beat 14:30?

And what in the holy heck is this other project he’s talking about? The long-rumored attempt to take down either Klecker or Fordyce’s 50M record?

Jim Walmsley Episode Notes

Here’s Jim’s site with his schedule.

Here’s the Fast 100 Ultra in Hong Kong in February.

And here’s the site for Santa Barbara 9 Trails in March. Want to win a trip to the race and go home with a ton of HOKA and rabbit gear? Head on over this way.

Past URP interviews with Jim Walmsley 2015 |