Blueprint to Ultra

On this episode of the podcast we interview Marine Corps instructor and hybrid athlete Roger Johnson, who began endurance sports around age 35 after reading Kelly Starrett’s Ready to Run. Roger shares how military leadership, early-morning routines, and a drive for self-discovery shaped his mindset, plus tactics like mirror reminders and eliminating “options” when the alarm goes off. We talk about...

On this episode of the podcast, our guest began running after a health scare and a chronic Lyme disease diagnosis that left her with ongoing leg tingling and nervous system disconnect. Britney shares how she moved from treadmill walk-runs and insecurity about being seen running to embracing the trail community, volunteering with Ontario’s Start to Finish program supporting at-risk kids through run...

JJ Goodrich sets goals. Big goals. JJ is a UESCA-certified ultra-running coach and ultrarunner, who has raced distances from 50K to 200 miles, timed events, and backyard ultras. The conversation centers on the Summit 200—an alpine, high-altitude 200-miler in Colorado—which JJ says changed him long before race day by pushing him to improve mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. JJ recounts his 202...

We are joined by Bryan Botma, a former basketball player turned runner who is preparing for his 11th New York City Marathon and recently finished his first 100-miler at the Tahoe Rim Trail Endurance Run (25:03, 8th). Bryan explains why NYC is meaningful to him, including running it with his mom before she later died of cancer, and shares how to get into the race and his goal to become a 15-time “l...

Today's guest was recommended to us by one of you! A listener sent in a recommendation for us to interview Dawn Gwin because he admired her toughness and positivity that he saw during the Cowboy 200. On the show, Dawn talks about how she got back into running ultras later in life because the shorter races left her unsatisfied. We talk about practicing to calm the mind before the race, supporti...

Nathaniel ran his first marathon as a sophmore in HS with a time of 4:07. He then ran that same marathon year later in 3:07. To top that, he ran his first 50.miler at 18 in a time of 8:41 and then returned one year later and set the course record dropping over 2 hours with a time of 6:17. How? That's what we wanted to know. Join us as we pick the mind of a young Jedi on how he has learned prac...

In this episode of the Blueprint to Ultra podcast, Steve and Jeff interview Appalachian trail standout Alex Minor, winner of races like the Hurricane 100K and holder of the Rabid Raccoon 100 Mile course record (15:42:57). Alex shares how he transitioned from road/track running at Marshall into trail ultras during COVID, influenced by training partners like Caleb Bowen and Dan Green. We discuss why...

Training for an ultra takes a long time and a lot of hard work. We show up for a race and things don't always go to plan. On the show we talk with James Bragg about how we can practice a positive mental attitude, how negativity spreads, and how you can snap out of a downward spiral. As James reminds us, we have one shot at a race. You train for a specific race on a calendar year and that race,...

On today's show, we welcome Dr. Mandy Wainfan, a sports-focused chiropractor and endurance running specialist at Performance Place Sports Care, to discuss common running injuries and how to treat and prevent them. Mandy shares how she transitioned from NCAA track and cross country into trail running and ultras, including racing Black Canyon and completing two 50Ks and a 100K. The conversation...

Josh Coleman’s ultrarunning journey is short, but goes real long. According to UltraSignup, he didn’t even begin running ultras until 2023. Just two years later, he completed the legendary Triple Crown of 200s — finishing the Bigfoot 200, Tahoe 200, and Moab 240 all within the same calendar year. He’s also a Boston Marathon qualifier and recently completed his first Cocodona 250, covering 250 mile...

Alex decided he wanted to run his first 100 mile race before he had even finished his first marathon. Hired a run coach and started 2026 with two 100s on the calendar. The Zion 100 in April and Javelina 100 in October. We asked him why running a 100 was so important to him and it was simple, unvarnished truth. " I wanted to be confident that, you know, if I was sitting in a room with people,...

Aaron is a thru-hiker-turned-ultra runner who began running in 2022 yet has completed numerous 200+ mile races, including every Cocodona 250. If you have ever considered running a 200 mile race or want to learn secrets on how to, this may be the episode for you. Aaron explains how discovering ultra running on the Pacific Crest Trail and the appeal of aid stations and support drew him from hiking i...

It isn't everyday that you get to have your mom on your podcast. This week, Anna Epifano, Steve's mom, joins us on the show to talk about her first 100 mile race at the age of 63, the Blackbeard's Revenge 100. After DNF'ing her first attempt at Blackbeard's in 2025 which was a race she hadn't even planned to do in the first place, Anna returned in 2026 to finish what she st...

Is it okay to walk during an ultra? Is it okay to walk during training as a runner? What if you could set PRs in your races, regardless of the distance, by adding in a planned walk part in it? Would you? Join us as we learn from Chris Twiggs, Chief Training Officer of Jeff Galloway coaching, everything we can about the art of run-walk-run. Chris explains how run-walk-run is a deliberate pacing str...

Dylan Ledbetter, an Army veteran who began running after losing a close friend and later found discipline through running, faith, and sobriety. Dylan explains how his early races—an undertrained marathon and his first Mid-State Mile—shaped his mindset, then contrasts a poor Mid-State year two (lack of training focus and heavy drinking) with a breakthrough year three, where intentional training, hu...

In ultra running, many runners approach running a race out of fear of DNF'ing. Brittany turns that on its head and just runs fearlessly. Her past struggles with sobriety have shaped her and how she approaches not only life, but also her racing. Her mindset and gratitude, along with some fast turnover on those legs has pushed her to quite a few podiums along the journey. And that fearless appro...

How do you go from running your first 50 miler in 2022 to then running across Canada in 2024? On this episode we are joined by Ryan Keeping, who has run across Canada, which happens to be over 1000 miles longer than the States. He has also set the FKT for running around Iceland as well as multiple other extreme endurance events over the past couple of years. Ryan is contagious. His energy and his...

This week we welcome April Bailey onto the show. At the age of 48, April had the best running year of her life, setting personal bests in the mile, 5K, 10K, half marathon, marathon, 50K, 50M, 100K and even the 100M. That 100 mile personal best, also just happened to give her the overall win for the Yeti 100 with a time of 15:42:00. Join us as we talk about that incredible performance at Yeti, the...

John started running ultras in 2017 and in the past 8 years has run in over 150 ultra races, including 20 100 mile races! We talk about how how he balances his race calendar, remains motivated, and manages to stay injury-free, particularly focusing on the importance of strength training and PT exercises. John also talks about his passion for inclusion in running through his involvement with Ainsle...

We are excited to start 2026 with our guest Tim Tollefson to talk about a variety of topics ranging from training, nutrition, mental toughness and recovery strategies. And of course, we dive into the heart behind Mammoth trail fest as well as the first Mammoth 200. Tim has a heart for the ultra community that just rises to the top and his authenticity reminds us what this sport is really all about...

In this episode, we are joined by our guest Liz Myers, who is an ultra running coach with Everyday Ultra, host of the Tribe of Runners podcast, and just an all around great runner. She has done it all in a short time, but that short on ramp speaks volumes of her love for the sport and desire to be the best she can be. We talk about her first ultras and the challenges she had in them, along with gi...

Mark Dowdle has an ultra running resume that is two sides of the same coin. After a few attempts at last person standing races, Mark took a year off of racing them and put in an unconventional year of training to get his mind and body right. He returned in 2024 to backyards and is on a 4 race win streak. The hightlight of which was just a few weeks ago, he won the Summit Backyard completing 68 yar...

Luke has been only participating in ultras since 2023, heck his first marathon was in 2022. But despite being relatively new to the sport, Luke has achieved a ton of success, completing over 40 races since 2023, including five 100Ks, seven 100-milers, and even winning the Cowboy 200. In this episode, Luke shares his background, training regimen, and insights into what makes him so successful in ul...

If you have ever met Cal, then you are, by default, one of his friends. Cal goes out of his way to meet anyone and everyone, and as his granddad taught him. That could be your best friend walking by, so stop and say hi. On this episode of the Blueprint to Ultra podcast, we talk to Cal about his early experience at his first 50k and then what it takes to complete his first 100 miler, the Kodiak 100...

Despite only starting his ultra running journey in 2023, our guest on the show, Tim Vail, has put together an impressive resume in a short time. Getting into running as a way to combat the pull of addiction, Tim, fell in love with running. In addition to multiple 50ks and 50m races, Tim has run the Mogollon Monster 100 twice, Ouray 100, Across the Years 200 in 55 hours 44 minutes, Western States,...