Ultra Origins

Today on Ultra Origins, we meet Om Gandhi, an inspiring ultra runner who transformed his life through endurance running. From 5Ks to 200 mile races, Om shares his journey of overcoming personal challenges, embracing failure as growth, and redefining what's possible one step at a time.

In this episode, we meet April Shrum, who at the end of September ran the Mountain Lakes 100, her first time training for and completing that distance. April shares her journey from marathons to completing 100 miles with grit and determination.

This week, we meet Drew Shetley, a runner from Memphis, Tennessee, who recently took on his first 50 miler at the Man Against Horse event in Arizona. It was really fun to talk with Drew and hear about how he chose and prepared for this fascinating race. Be sure to check out the description of this video for a link to Drew's video from his Man Against Horse event. It is a really beautiful race.

In this episode, we meet Ingrid Sarris, a resident of Jerome, Arizona, one of the iconic towns the Cocodona 250 course runs through. Ingrid was 71 years old in 2021, when she watched the inaugural Cocodona 250 livestream, and she was so inspired by what she saw that in 2023, she signed up for and completed the inaugural Eldon Crest 36. And then this year at the age of 74, Ingrid came back and fini...

In this episode, we meet Brandon Sparks, an athlete from Ohio who has always been active, but found as he got older, the weight he had gained made it difficult for him to do the things he wanted. So in 2021, he started his weight loss journey and after losing about 150 pounds, he decided to take on the thing he hated most, running. A note for viewers on YouTube, we did have some technical challeng...

In this episode, Jocelyn Briggs, a dedicated ultra runner from Ontario, Canada, shares her journey from her first 50-miler to recently conquering 200 and 250-mile distances. She reflects on how she's adapted her training, her passion for the sport, and her evolving mindset towards challenges and the camaraderie of the ultra running community.

In this podcast episode, Austin Posey shares his inspiring journey of training for and completing his first 100-mile ultra marathon, the Blue Heron Hundreds in Alabama. As a firefighter, father of three, and husband, Austin discusses the challenges of balancing intense training with a busy life, his mental resilience during the race, and the emotional motivation drawn from honoring a loved one.

In this episode, we speak with Amy Goblirsch, who ran her first trail race, a 50K in Arizona in 2022. And then after having a baby in 2023, Amy turned her training towards running her first 100 miler at the inaugural Zion 100 mile challenge at the end of this last August. As is common in a long ultra, Amy needed to adapt to the conditions as nausea threatened her nutrition plan, but the volunteers...

In this episode we speak with Scott Imlay, who recently completed his first 200 mile ultra marathon at Bigfoot after rekindling his running journey in his 50s. Scott talks about how a healthcare scare led him to embrace endurance sports and how his journey evolved from triathlons to tackling one of the toughest ultras in the country.

In this episode we speak with Sarah Normand, a runner from New Hampshire with a history of running road marathons who recently completed the Big Foot 200, her first 200 mile ultra run. Sarah shares how her journey from road running to tackling this epic adventure taught her about perseverance, the power of community, and the joy of pushing beyond her limits.

In this episode we meet Michael Quintas, a father of six and an ER nurse who at 46 years old recently completed his first ultra marathon just one year after taking up running to improve his health. Mike's journey from couch to 5k to a 55k ultra is a story of determination, resilience, and the power of setting goals to transform your life.

In this episode we speak with Chris Davis, who at age 56 ran his first 50 miler this summer, but after having run many marathons and even a few 50ks over his long running career. I really enjoyed listening to Chris recount his history of running and his love and enthusiasm for the sport was really fun to listen to.

Joanny is a Canadian runner who, to celebrate her and her husband's 40th birthdays, trained for an 80K, that's 240Ks for their two 40th birthdays. 80Ks is basically 50 miles for my fellow Americans. Having run some road half marathons, Joanny was drawn to trail and ultra running with its acceptance of different paces, collective cooperation, and mutual support. I really appreciated hearing her app...

Jeff Cady is this week's guest, and this summer he ran his first official 50k race at Go Beyond Racing's Volcanic 50k. Jeff has a long history of running and mountaineering, and along the way has experienced some major injuries. Jeff recounts his story of bouncing back from injury and following a plan to get himself ready for a tough 50k around Mt. St. Helens.

In this episode, we meet Antonia Timmer, who attempted the Tahoe 200 this spring. Antonia's journey into ultra running began under the most challenging of circumstances, a stage four melanoma diagnosis. Her doctor recommended walking as a way to cope with the fatigue caused by chemotherapy. And over time, Antonia started running and then increased her distance to eventually training for and runnin...

In this episode of Ultra Origins, we speak with Ben Standhardt, a runner who was so inspired by a video of my running Moab 240 that he transformed from a self-proclaimed non-runner into an ultra runner in just over a year. Ben's story is one of resilience, determination, and the power of setting ambitious goals.

In this episode, we meet Joe Hardin, who shares his journey of hitting rock bottom due to alcohol and substance abuse, then turning to exercise and running, which led to his finishing his first 100K this spring. Joe is also now a podcaster hosting a new podcast called "Beyond the Finish Line with Joe Hardin". We had some technical snags during the recording of this episode, so it looks and sounds...

In this episode we meet Lulu Martinez, a good friend of my wife Leah and me who we originally met while Lulu's husband Joe and I were both running the Triple Crown of 200s in 2022. While Lulu has been running ultras for a while now, this year she finished her first 200 miler at the Tahoe 200. After witnessing first hand the trials of 200 mile runners from the perspective of being a crew member, sh...

In this episode, we meet Elliot Waldock from North Dakota. Elliot is a fan of the channel, and I happened to meet him while I was volunteering at the 2023 Crazy Mountain 100 in Montana. Elliot ran his first 50k in 2020, and in the short time following has racked up several Ultra finishes, all with the goal to eventually tackle the 200 mile distance. This year, Elliot achieved his goal and finished...

In this episode, we talk to Justin Handlin from Houston, Texas. I met Justin in April at the Ancient Lakes 50K, where he ran his first 50K. At the time, my mind was playing with the idea of this series, and meeting him gave me more desire to want to make this series real, so it was really exciting for me to invite him on to share his story. Justin talks about the significance of consistent trainin...

In this episode, we meet Calvin Co-Mided, a 19-year-old runner from New York who finishsed his first Ultra marathon, the Sri Chinmoy 24-hour, where he finished with 87.5 miles. Calvin's story emphasizes the importance of mental strength, the power of community support, and the personal growth that comes from facing and overcoming one's limits.

In this episode we meet Jim Witcombe, a fan of the channel who introduced himself at the Dead Horse Ranch aid station while I was running the Cocodona 250 and he was running the Sedona Canyons 125. One year ago Jim tackled the Eldon Crest 36 miler as his first Ultra marathon, and this year at the age of 65 he returned to Arizona to run and finish the Sedona Canyons 125. Jim trained without a coach...

In this episode, we meet Rhonda Bompensa-Zimmerman, a fan of the channel who posted on my Facebook profile after finishing the Sedona Canyons 125 in May. A chance meeting with a trail runner in October of last year introduced her to the idea of trail running, and Rhonda jumped into it head first, signing up for the Sedona Canyons 125 and then running a few smaller ultras in the winter and spring a...

In this episode, we meet Mike McGinnis. He's a channel member who shared in a comment that he had finished his first 50-miler just a few months ago, so I invited him on to be one of our first guests for this new Ultra Origins series. Mike began running at the age of 48, starting with a Disney half marathon. With guidance from his brother and a group of seasoned runners, he progressed to ultra mara...

In this episode we meet Lorenzio Cota, a fan of the channel who I met in March during the Badger Mountain 50 miler, which was Lorenzio's first finish at this distance. Lorenzio's training involved using pre-set plans from his KOROS watch and from Training Peaks, highlighting the effectiveness of structured training even without using a personal coach.