Hal is a trooper. He made it over 200 miles on destroyed feet and only DNFed because he overslept. I'm pretty partial to this one since his wife saved my day 1 with a PayDay bar!

Lisa has more energy than almost anyone I've ever met. She and her Trash Panda gang have the best stories from this year's Vol State. Make sure you aren't drinking anything that you might spit out when you listen to this one!

James took the lessons he learned from 2024's race (with significant foot issues) and remedied most of it in 2025. He helps you know what might happen and what to do when it does. This is a must listen for lessons learned.

Sam is the first of the Trash Pandas that I interviewed so you can get a male's eye view of this group that stuck together for at least 9 days!

All women and especially mothers should listen to this call whether they run Vol State or not.

Britney talks about her personal transformation in a courageous way that not many people will do.

Brad is a lot of funbut also a man with a purpose. He raised over $25,000 for Tennessee Baptist Children's Home. And talk about pressure…he's from Union City so everyone alongthe course knew him and was cheering for him

You can donate hereif you'd like TennesseeChildren.org

Imagine what it's like to run this race for the first time, not really knowing anything about the ra ce…AND being in second place so people along the way aren't even set up yet.Todays' guest had just that experience, Chri finished in 4 days, 19 hours and 58 minutes!

This is the best "why" i've ever heard. Andy talks about what it's like to "take orders" from a veteran who had a goal to ensure he finished Vol State - and he did. You can learn a lot just from listening to this call.

You can find out more about Andy's ventures as an RD at A1 Ultra Events – Premier FloridaTrail Running Races

Or at Florida's Premier Trail Running | TampaRaces | Tampa, FL
 

Listen to the joy in Anglea's voice as she discusses the trials and tribulations of her incomplete 2023 run and then her 2025 redemption Run! It's funny and heartwarming.

Richard's race discussion is almost as mesmerizing as his accent. Enjoy his recounting, especially about the "mad dogs for next 40 miles".