HappyCast

In this episode of HappyCast, Andrew and Stephanie are joined by Elliott Waldock — fresh off the Summit 200, one of the most rugged and high-altitude 200-mile races in the U.S. With Dylan notably MIA (possibly launching a Chipotle-based fight club), Andrew drinks wine and scrolls Elliott’s Instagram to dive deep into his running past, landing fortuitously on his very first 100-miler: Brazos Bend....

This week on HappyCast, we welcome Melissa Perez—trail runner, graduate student, community leader, and self-proclaimed lover of the f-word—for a raw and powerful conversation about what it means to run scared and come out the other side stronger. Hot off her recent finish at the notoriously tough High Lonesome 100, Melissa shares how altitude, hyponatremia, and mental fatigue collided in the Color...

In this heartfelt and deeply personal episode of HappyCast, Andrew and Stephanie sit down—just the two of them—for a rare one-on-one reflection. Fresh off completing her 21st 100-miler, Stephanie opens up about her emotional journey through the Vermont 100. From navigating recovery and divorce to running the race entirely without audio, she shares what made this one of the most transformative expe...

This week on the HappyCast, we change things up a bit and focus on the business side of running and the colorful apparel it brings by having Elliot Matson, creator and founder of Folklord, join us to tell us all about his up-and-coming business. Folklord and its mythological and storytelling approach to running apparel has been popping up all over the country, and it’s definitely something that’s...

In this special fourth appearance, Wes Plate returns to HappyCast with a full breakdown of the inaugural Copper Kings 100—Montana’s newest hundred-mile race and his most ambitious project yet. With co-hosts Stephanie and Andrew, Wes opens up about what it took to bring this dream to life: from months of preparation and a jam-packed U-Haul to navigating stormy skies, deadfall-filled trails, and the...

In this hilariously unfiltered and surprisingly heartfelt episode, Stephanie recaps her post-Cruel Jewel adventure at the Great Divide 100 in Colorado with guests Ben Bridgeman and Liesl Standish. After a last-minute pivot to avoid altitude overload, Stephanie takes us through her thought process behind picking this particular race just three weeks after finishing one of the most brutal 100-milers...

In this special women-led episode of HappyCast, Stephanie teams up with guest co-host Ben Bridgeman to spotlight the incredible performances at this year’s Achilles Hill ultra event. The spotlight shines brightly on Jaclyn Lovelady, Alisa Hardy, and Lisa Decker—three powerhouse women who not only swept the competition but redefined what grit and community mean on the trail. From setting new course...

This week on a jam-packed episode of the HappyCast, we sit down with Katie O’Connor and talk about her Cocodona 250 experience. We talk about her preparation, race execution, and most importantly, the post-race festivities.  Spoiler alert: she could just be the most positive person out on the trail. So naturally, we decide to bring in some firepower and surprise her with her crew chief, Julie, joi...

This week on the HappyCast, we are joined by THE Hilary Ann Yang as she talks about the newest 200+ mile race around, The Mammoth! 🦣 With its permits literally approved RIGHT before this recording, we talk about the hype, preparation, course, and increasing the participation of women in the 200 mile scene. Hilary will also be race directing this event, so we delve further into the process of tami...

This week on the HappyCast, we keep the 200+ mile ball rolling as we are joined by one of the pioneers of this distance, Candice Burt. She joins us to talk about the recent inaugural Arizona Monster 300, and we dissect this behemoth of a race and everything it entails.  Candice opens up and talks about the ups and downs, the positives and negatives, and everything else regarding the race. The logi...

This week on HappyCast, the spotlight is on cohost Stephanie, who just completed one of the Southeast’s most brutal ultramarathons: the Cruel Jewel 100 . Alongside fellow runners Drew Flowers and Mike Coutu, the trio takes us deep into the Georgia mountains and even deeper into the pain cave, reliving the highs, lows, and everything in between. With 105 punishing miles and over 33,000 feet of clim...

On this episode of the HappyCast, we talk about a bunch of random stuff (and a little bit of Cocodona) with the Queen of Cocodona herself, Rachel Entrekin. After becoming the first back-to-back and only two time winner of Cocodona, we have a sit down with Rachel where she talks about her current recovery, her incredibly busy future, and her adjustment to becoming a rising start in the ultrarunning...

In this deeply heartfelt and eye-opening episode of HappyCast, hosts Stephanie, Dylan and Andrew are joined by trail race director and community powerhouse Libby Jones, the force behind The Active Joe and the beloved Dinosaur Valley Endurance Run. From her accidental start in race directing to founding one of North Texas’s most inclusive and community-focused race organizations, Libby shares how a...

In this unforgettable episode of the HappyCast, hosts Andrew, Dylan, and Stephanie welcome Canadian ultrarunner and mental health advocate Evan Birch , along with his trail-blazing running partner: his seven-year-old Vizsla, Nova . Together, Evan and Nova recently attempted the Orcas Island 100 , marking what may be one of the first sanctioned 100-mile ultramarathon efforts by a human-canine team....

This week on the HappyCast, we have part two of Andrew’s Arizona Monster 300 course and race recap. After surviving the night on Mt. Lemmon, Andrew make’s his way through Tucson to pound some pavement before heading further south into the Sonoran desert. But don’t worry, plenty of issues arise as always, as Andrew’s fear-based running kicks into overdrive at times up until the finish. And after cr...

We’re back! After a few weeks off, the crew returns, and they take on the Monster in the process. This is the first part of three episodes dedicated to the Arizona Monster 300. The first two parts are a very detailed course overview and recap with Andrew, and the third will be an interview with another runner who ran the race MUCH quicker. So we hope we have the back and front of the pack covered...

We’re back for week two of our Cocodona 250 rerun series , and things are heating up—figuratively and literally. With Andrew deep into the Arizona Monster 300, we’re throwing it back to the second half of his first Arizona epic. This is where the race gets real: after pushing through Jerome, Andrew faces crumbling shins, emotional lows, water crossings gone wrong, and the infamous climb up Mount E...

While Andrew is out running 300 miles across Arizona as part of the Arizona Monster 300 , we’re giving the HappyCast mics a breather and bringing you a two-part rerun series featuring one of our favorite race recaps: Andrew’s Cocodona 250 . Yep, before he faced the Monster, he faced this beast—and we’re revisiting it mile by mile. In Part 1 , we follow Andrew through the brutal 37-mile opener, twi...

This week on the HappyCast, we talk all things hockey with our favorite runner from up north, Trevor Meding! Not really, though. As cool as that would be, we decide to discuss the latest edition of Southern States 200 with Trevor, who just ran the race and is slowly recovering from his epic trek from Georgia to Alabama.  The Southern States 200 is the only point-to-point mountain race east of the...

In this episode of HappyCast , we welcome Kathryn “Kat” Stewart , Charmin McKee , and Gus Rodriguez —three incredible ultrarunners who completed the 2024–25 Lone Star Slam . This ambitious challenge—completing six 100-mile races across Texas in just eight months, including Habanero Hundred, Cactus Rose, Dinosaur Valley, Brazos Bend, Rocky Raccoon, and Grasslands—sets the stage as the crew dives de...

The HappyCast team takes on the Rabid Raccoon 100 , an ultra in Pennsylvania that delivered relentless mud, unpredictable storms, and plenty of surprises. Stephanie Leake shares her emotional journey through the race, from navigating steep climbs and descents to finding strength in her crew and pacers. Ultimately conquering her fear of the mud with the help of trekking poles. Rachel Moore joins th...

This week on a special edition of the HappyCast, we have our Arizona Monster 300 race and course preview episode! This race is the newest, biggest, and baddest race in the ultra (ultra) distance running world. This is Destination Trail’s first 300+ mile race, and the hype surrounding this event has been palpable. Selling out in a matter of days a year ago can do that. With race day (April 4) fast...

In this episode of HappyCast , we welcome ultra runners Chuck Clark and Ben Bridgeman to recount their epic (and sometimes disastrous) attempt at running two brutal 100-mile races just two weeks apart: Outlaw 100 and Lovit 100 . What started as a simple challenge turned into a saga of icy wipeouts, brutal climbs, poor life choices, and a whole lot of stubbornness. From navigating Jeep roads litter...

This week on HappyCast , it’s just the core trio—Andrew, Dylan, and our very own Stephanie Leake, who takes center stage to share the wildest race recap we’ve had in a while. Stephanie traveled to Columbia, South Carolina, to take on her 17th 100-mile finish, expecting a straightforward timed event. What she got instead? A logistical rollercoaster involving sand-filled shoes, an unexpected rainsto...

This week on the HappyCast, we are joined once again by the Swiss Army Knife of Ultrarunning, Wes Plate, as we discuss everything from his upcoming race director debut at Copper Kings 100, to Arizona Monster 300 training, and a whole lot more!  Wes discusses the challenges up preparing for his first ever race directing gig at his inaugural Copper Kings 100. From permitting to the logistics, and tr...