Coaches Scott Jones, Ellie Greenwood, Hillary Allen, and Dawn Lisenby take the time to find the runners for Season 12 to run their first ultra in Palm Coast, Florida in October.  Enjoy the show!

Every season of Becoming Ultra start with people all over getting out of their comfort zone.  This is before even one day of training is complete.  It's the audio application and you can listen to them here!

Nick Coury started running in junior high, ran high school cross country and track with his older and younger brother, they all ran their first ultra-together when he was 17, and he's been doing them ever since. Nick has done 24 races 100 miles or longer, including 5 finishes at the Hardrock 100, running the World 24 hour twice, and most recently setting the American Record at 24 hours with 173.015 miles. Outside running, Nick has a lovely wife Lauren who is an accomplished ultrarunner on her own, a dog and a cat. Nick is a software engineer at Google, and a part owner of Aravaipa Running.   We had such a blast chatting with Nick.  Nick has been an ultra-runner for 16 years and has gained a lot of wisdom.  He is also part of the family business, Aravaipa Running.  The Coury’s are a close family and that really comes through when talking to Nick.  We absolutely loved Nick’s enthusiasm for the sport and love for his family.  We discuss races and so much more.  I guarantee you will learn some things about Nick you didn’t know.  This was a fun episode. Enjoy! IG- @nickcouryruns 

www.nickcouryruns.com

 

Scott takes some time down memory lane when during Season 2 he captured some legit drama as Janet emptied her stomach before the big final push up the mountain.  Matt Fitzgerald loses his  way on his first ultra at the same race.  We also read a couple entries from Season 12 entries including a prolific marathoner who hasn't run an ultra yet and a woman who overcame the wheelchair to start running again!  Enjoy!

The crew and racer Amanda Follmar from last week's Miwok 100k in the Marin Headlands come together to talk about the experience.  When people come together, good stuff happens!  We think you'll enjoy this one and be sure to share with your crew for your next race!

Running isn't the easiest of sports to turn into a team effort but we are figuring it out. Scott shares how they made crewing a 100k into a team effort and Coach Hillary shares thoughts on the upcoming season!

Scott shares a little about what the next week entails and Ellie shares why she is excited and what she would love to see in the applicants of Season 12!  Enjoy the show and apply here!

A former mixed martial arts fighter, Justin True was no stranger to pushing through unimaginable pain to win in the octagon. However, this pain was different, and too much for him to overcome.

True’s first attempt to take his own life was not successful, so he tried again. When the second attempt also failed, True had a fundamental shift in his outlook on life. He emerged wanting to turn his life around, and to help others who are suffering and feeling hopeless. Since that day, True’s life has been a calling to help others.

“Being tortured by my brother, being held at knife point, water boarded, torched, and locked in dog kennels growing up that it taught me that no matter what card your dealt with you have to keep going,” True said. “You have to keep fighting and get back up.”

True’s new outlook on life has pushed him to create the True Triathlon — a roughly 50-mile swim from Key Largo, FL to Key Biscayne, FL, 3400-mile bike ride to San Diego, CA, and a 600-mile run in an effort to raise $500,000 for Mental Health Awareness Month. True also hopes to break the stigma surrounding mental health while showing others the “undeniable power of speaking their truth.”

While this might seem like a physically insurmountable task, True’s past mental and physical challenges have prepared him for this new test. His past endeavors include completing a tandem 150-mile bike ride through the Cascades in Oregon state, an Olympic Triathlon carrying a 90-pound concrete Thor hammer, a marathon while pulling a truck 26.2 miles, and a 29-day, nearly 500-mile, walk across Madagascar in which he encountered numerous life-threatening situations.

“The triathlon is such a perfect metaphor for what I’m trying to convey, ” True said. “Swimming in the ocean symbolizes life’s waves — sometimes you can't tell up from down, but eventually you’re going to hit a clear spot and at some point the rough part’s going to end.”

A hybrid-athlete who loves action sports, adventure sports and extreme sports, True found a passion for pushing himself to the limit early on through mixed-martial arts. He trained out of Bend, Oregon and traveled all around the world to hone his skill, including to gyms across the United States, Netherlands, Belgium and Asia. Still to this day, he draws on lessons he learned in the octagon to help him push through crippling depression and inspire others.

“Back in the fighting days, when pinned against the cage you had one of two options: Get up and keep fighting or accept defeat and get beat down even more,” True said. “You need to keep fighting whether it’s against life or the emotions in your head telling you to give up. Even if it’s just one more second those seconds add up to minutes then to days eventually those battles add up to winning the war.”

True hopes that the triathlon will serve as both and a platform for discussing mental health and a fundraising catalyst. He has invited anyone who is willing to join him along his route for as long as they would like. As he undertakes each leg, he hopes well-known athletes, actors, musicians and thought leaders will join Justin for segments, creating space to share their own stories. True plans to document the True Triathlon and the stories shared along the way as part of a feature film.

“When you’re struggling with depression, the next day might be tough, the next week might be tough, but eventually you’re going to hit a spot that’s so cool,” True said. “The struggle will always be worth it.”

IG- @therealjustintrue

www.truetriathlon.org

We are pumped to introduce Dawn Lisenby, the race director and coach in charge of East Coast Trail Racing.  Her race, Jack's Trail 50k will take place in Palm Coast, Florida this coming October and benefit a scholarship fund for her brother Jack.  She shares her coaching philosophy, the history of the race and region, and why she is pumped to partner with us for another epic season!

We sit down with founder and podcast host of Chasing Cutoffs, Ben Mead.   As a self proclaimed back of the packer Ben thought there should be a show about the runners that don't always have the most perfect days racing.  That, and the fact he interviewed Season 4 Becoming Ultra runner Rebecca Roehm who had one of the more epic cutoff chasing races we have ever been a part of was reason enough to have him come share his vision for Chasing Cutoffs!

Annie Hughes lives and trains year-round in Leadville, Colorado. This past summer at 23 years old, she became the youngest ever female champion of the Leadville 100 and the Moab 240. She ran one of her very first ultras at the Silver Rush 50 when she first moved to Leadville in 2019 and ended up qualifying for the 100. Annie has since fell in love with the sport and the longer 100 – 200 plus mile distances. Living in Leadville opened so many doors for her as an up-and-coming ultra-runner. She has met so many inspiring and supportive people and enjoyed training in one of the most beautiful places on the planet with endless trails to explore. She is so excited to share what she has learned the past few years on the “My First Ultra” podcast!  

Annie Hughes was everything we thought and more.  Her positive, happy energy really comes through.  On this podcast we talk about what it is like to be the youngest female champion of the Leadville 100 and Moab 240.  Annie shares fun stories about some of her other adventures and what drives her to keep pushing for more. We also discuss the influence other female ultra-runners have had on her.  Annie embraces living and training in Leadville and shares some of her creative runs. We are excited to see what she does next!

IG- @outdoorable_annie

Lene makes her way across the world to run her first ultra in Colorado and Caitlin enjoyed 98% of her first ultra.  Coach Ellie Greenwood gets to hear how it all went down on this post race recap call from Season 11 of the Becoming Ultra Project!

"Mom strength will prepare you for anything."  Coach Hillary

" Why would you not do something that gives you the feeling that you can do anything."  Evangelyn

"My rigid limitations of what I think is possible for me have gone away."  Jeremy

Running these long distances are more than just running. Enjoy the show!

Anthony Costales is a Junior High PE teacher and Ultra-Trail runner from Salt Lake City, UT where he lives with his wife Katie, 16-month-old daughter Piper, and their cattle dog Brighton. Born and raised in Northern California he started running in 6th grade after his Jr High PE teacher suggested he go out for the cross-country team, having no idea what that was, he showed up and the rest is history. He ran XC/Track at his local high school and continued on competing for American River Junior College and Chico State University. After obtaining his bachelor's in Kinesiology and teaching credential, Anthony moved to Utah and spent a few years road racing in distances from 10K to marathon, he then started the transition to trails. In 2018 he ran his first Ultra at the Moab Red Hot 55K and has now competed in distances from 50 miles, 100K, and 100 miles.

 

Anthony was so much fun to chat with.  He is a very focused and disciplined runner who juggles family and career responsibilities and manages to excel in the ultra-world.  We talk about his experience qualifying for the 2018 US long distance mountain running team and winning the Canyons 100k which earned him a Western States Golden ticket. We also discuss balancing teaching and running and share a few laughs about it.  I loved hearing Anthony talk about the impact his High School coach has had on the trajectory of his life.  This is a good one!  Enjoy!

IG- @acostales54

Cale and Meghan followed the training, put the work in and sacrificed when needed for a big goal and we couldn't be happier for them.  Listen to the post race recap from the Desert RATS 50k in Fruita, Colorado!

Brittany Peterson is a Minnesota native who has been running since Junior High School. She has been in Idaho for the past 12 years, which is where her ultra-running and mountain running really took off post-collegiately. She has run professionally for Nike Trail since 2018 while she also balances a career as an occupational therapist teaching at a university. Brittany and her partner, Cody, enjoy traveling, running with their dogs and exploring the mountains in their backyard. They put on a Technical Mountain Running camp each year to share their passion and expertise in off-trail, mountain running. Brittany enjoys all distances, but particularly enjoys the 100k distance, where you can incorporate speed, while still having to problem solve any type of situation that may arise during an ultra-distance event. She has finished 2nd and 4th at the Western States Endurance Run in northern California and was the 4th top female in the 2021 Ultra Runner of the Year ranking. 

We had so much fun chatting with Brittany.  We talk about the transition from road to mountain running and the importance of keeping it fun.  We discuss how she balances working and running as a professional athlete. Brittany gives some great advice on this topic.  We also had a great conversation about the struggle with comparison to other athletes. We are excited to watch Brittany this year at Western States.  Brittany is one of those people you instantly like.  We think you will enjoy getting to know her a little better.

www.brittanypetersonruns.com/running-camps

IG- @runhappyb

Audience, family, and friends left messages for runners of Season 11!

Jeremy and Evangelyn dealt with the weather and life to get here to the start line of their first 50k. This is their pre race call with their coach.  Enjoy!

As Amy heads down to the lower 48 to test her legs this weekend as the Pearson's ready themselves for their first ultra.  This is their call with their coach before the race! Enjoy!

The time is here.  Caitlin and Lene trained through a pretty interesting 6 months and their days is upon us.  They will be running their first ultra. This is the call with their coach before they get it done. Enjoy.

We had some good questions from listeners online and a couple runners joined us to ask theirs as well!   How do you keep your energy up after long training runs?  How do you know when to go up in distance and more!  Enjoy!

Hector Rodriguez is a husband, father of two girls and an Ultra Endurance athlete that resides in San Diego, CA.  Since 2020, he has competed in over 20 Ultramarathons all over the country.  His resume includes multiple 100+ milers on treadmills, top 5 finishes in 24/48-hour races, and four 200+ races including the Triple Crown of 200s in 2021. Hector is also very passionate about giving back to his community.  

Hector has this amazing energy that makes you smile and pulls you in.  We had so much fun chatting with him.  Inspired by David Goggins, Can’t Hurt Me book Hector has mastered the mental toughness it takes to keep going no matter what.  We talked about the life changing experience that happened during the Moab 240 and running the Triple Crown of 200’s.  We also discuss Hector’s running community, the Wolfpack and how they helped him stay focused with training through COVID.  Hector believes to build a life of your dreams you have to help people build theirs.  We talk about why that is important to him and how he is using his website as a platform for that mission.  We are big fans of Hector and you will be too!

Instagram - @hrod619

Website - www.wolfpackendurance.com

Training for Ultra is the brainchild of ultramarathon runner Rob Steger and includes a website, an Amazon TV series, multiple films, a self-published book, and a globally ranked podcast. Rob started running in 2015 and since then he has run 30 ultramarathons including four 200-milers. He is currently getting into race directing and recently hosted his first virtual 50k! On his podcast, Training for Ultra, he has hosted numerous guests including Eliud Kipchoge, Courtney Dauwalter, Camille Herron, Dean Karnazes and many other fascinating people from the running world. Rob hopes to use his platform to inspire people to enjoy running and find fulfillment in life through healthier lifestyles and more time outside. 

We were so honored to be able to talk with Rob.  He is very busy with several projects going on, we had to pull him away from editing for our chat.  We had some questions lined up, but our conversation went in another direction.  Rob shares his struggles with dyslexia and how he embraced his learning difference and used it to succeed in many areas “Embrace failure and learn from it”. We also talk about Running the Triple Crown and the why behind it.  Rob is someone who cares about helping others and is using his platform to support and encourage people.  This was a very special episode.  I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Podcast - The Training For Ultra Podcast
Instagram - @TrainingForUltra
FaceBook - Rob Steger (Training For Ultra)
Twitter - Training4Ultra
YouTube - TrainingForUltra

Beth Freymiller is a wife, mom of three girls, engineer, yoga teacher, cyclist, and trail runner with a passion for being active in the outdoors. Beth was a college track and field and cross-country athlete.  She took a long break from running after college just returning to the sport in 2020 as a trail runner. Since then, she has completed two 50k’s and one 100k. Beth is also active as a cyclist who competes in endurance races on gravel, mountain and fat bikes. Beth is a total bad ass with an unbelievable drive and focus.  She is also  highly proficient at driving her coach nuts by signing up for too many races. 

We had a great chat with our friend and fellow Team BU member.  Beth embodies focus and determination, she believes in herself and is always striving for more.  Beth is not just a runner but an avid biker, we discuss her dedication to both running and biking.  She talks about her big goals and how she is balancing family and work life to make them happen.  We also talk about the importance and impact of the running and biking community.  After you listen to this one you just might feel like stepping up your game and tackling some big goals.

Cale and Meghan deal with some seasonal allergies but keep increasing volume and look strong.  Amy gets more miles on the bike as her leg continues to be an issue but she is keepnig it positive!