It is hard to find someone that is as positive and smiles as much as Justin Boggs. He is a very active running in the Columbus community, but just a few years ago he weighed 420 pounds. With diet and lifestyle changes he weighs less than 180 now. Crazy weather seems to follow the races he signs up to run, but he continues to persevere.

Connect with Justin on Instagram: jj_boggs

You may have heard about the “CHIPOTLE SEGMENT CHALLENGE SERIES” contest that just occurred in January. The two companies teamed up and made Strava segments a little less than a quarter of a mile long that ended at Chipotle restaurants in LA, NYC, DC, Chicago, Denver, and Columbus. Each city had their own unique story of how the competition went to see who could run those segments the most during the month of January. I sat down to talk about it all with the winner of the Columbus segments. A modest runner that goes by the name of "Fern". Fern doesn't want a lot of spotlight, but he ran the 0.2 mile segment 1,000 times over the month of January to win a year of free Chipotle (52 free entrees). Columbus had some rollercoaster winter weather and the segment also was unique since it runs along the edge of Ohio State's main campus. Great chat for someone willing to lay down some serious miles just to get bragging rights along with some free burritos. Really enjoyed this chat.

Aneta co-founded Empower Ultra with Jennifer Russo, who was a guest on Episode 4 of Weathering The Run. Aneta and Jennifer set up their races with generous cut-offs and other parameters to ensure a high finishing rate. Two of my 100+ mile races occurred at their races.

Aneta signs up to run some very difficult races and has an extensive list of race finishes over the last decade, including Badwater 135. She was also featured in a recent documentary running Western States, called "Nettie From Ohio". Aneta is also very active on Instagram and Strava, if you would like to follow her journey.

Most of the world has 24 hours in a day, but Scott Kummer somehow seems to get 36 hours of work done 1 day. You may know him from his podcast Ten Junk Miles or from one of the races that he race directs with Ten Junk Miles Racing. His podcasts have helped me get through some long solo runs. He dives deeper than most podcasts with questions that his guests typically do not get asked. Scotty is a lawyer for a living and he said that helps with thinking of questions to dive below the surface with some of the guests. Sometimes they don't even get around to talking about running or their latest accomplishments. It was a pleasure getting the chance to pick his brain about his career in running. He has run some of the toughest winter endurance races around. He also is a big volunteer helping others in their quests to challenge themselves. He shared some expert tips on running in extreme cold weather and I tested out some of his methods just this last week and man was it a game changer! Hope you enjoy this episode!

Elizabeth Long says in the episode that her sister, Bridgett Shoemaker, is the runner. But Elizabeth is running every race across the state of Ohio with her sister. It is a way for them to see all of Ohio and meet some awesome people. They always try to find a local hidden restaurant to eat at, after the race. So far they have completed 77 of the 88 counties. The rules they made: minimum distance is a 5k (3.1 miles) and it must be a sanctioned event. Some counties only have a race or two every year, so they have to lace up and run the event. It was great hearing about their favorite races and most memorable locations. Great bonding for the two of them and it inspires me to do more memorable things with my family.

I have had the pleasure of running with Rick Hohman a few times while visiting family in Northeast Ohio over the last few years. He is always very inviting when I pop into town. He is not a very outspoken person, but he has some amazing stories to share. He also runs quite a few tough 100 mile races each year and has yet to drop out of a race. And these are some very challenging races, like Hellgate, Potawatomi 200 miler, Grindstone, Hellbender, Bear, IMTUF, Ouray, Ute, and so many others. So he does not back down from tough races and grinds it out. He also has completed Eastern States 100 and was just selected to run Western States 100 in 2024. He is pretty minimalist when it comes to gear, but he does have a few essential items that he will carry for these long training runs and events. Buckle up for a great episode!

Rick Hohman's Strava

Jeff Henderson is hard to miss at local races or running events. He is 6' 11" tall and he owns the Columbus area Fleet Feet stores, so he is always out and about helping other runners and coaching as well. We talk about his running experience and how he helped develop and cut local trails at a nearby state park. He also is instrumental in getting free shoes on the feet of the youth, with Girls On The Run. He also goes over some great gear ideas for any running acquaintances you have in your life, if you are looking for a gift for someone.

It is a real treat to sit down and chat with Ryan Ploeckelman, the host of The Adventure Jogger podcast. Ryan has a long history of running and pacing ultra races. So we turn the mics around for me to ask him some questions.

It would be hard to find someone as passionate about severe weather and understanding it like Dr. Ariel Cohen. When I knew him at Ohio State he was not a runner, but he picked it up and he has great advice on trails to run across the country since his career in meteorology has taken him to all corners of the United States. He has some great advice and we talk about the public's understanding of weather and how we can better communicate the weather forecast.