The One More Hour Podcast: An Insider’s Guide to Backyard Ultras, Timed Races, and the Ultrarunning Mindset

🎉 The One More Hour Podcast is ONE! One year ago, I hit publish on an idea I'd been sitting on for more than a year. I was scared, overthinking the technical details, trying to figure everything out before I started, and ultimately learning that sometimes you just have to stop waiting until you're ready and take the next step. In this one-year anniversary episode, I'm looking back...

What if the hard part of your run isn't actually the problem? This episode of The One More Hour Podcast talks about one of the strangest contradictions in endurance sports: we spend months preparing ourselves for discomfort, and then act surprised when discomfort actually shows up. “This is supposed to be hard” doesn't mean you should ignore pain, injury, or warning signs. It means that...

You can have the mileage, the strength, the aerobic base, and the ultra experience, and still have a terrible backyard ultra if you pace it poorly. In this episode of The One More Hour Podcast , we’re talking all about backyard ultra pacing and why fitness alone isn’t enough. The goal of a backyard isn't to see how fast you can run 4.167 miles. It's to find an effort you can repeat over...

Your expectations are not reality. Have you ever trained for a race, prepared for every possible detail, and then found yourself struggling because race day didn't feel anything like you expected? This episode of The One More Hour Podcast explores the gap between expectations and reality, and why that gap can derail runners faster than physical discomfort itself. From 50Ks to backyard ultras,...

Your brain doesn't usually tell you to quit. It tells you to be reasonable. After hours of running, fatigue, discomfort, uncertainty, and doubt can cause your mind to start building a convincing case for why stopping is the logical thing to do. You've already exceeded your goal. You have work Monday. You're worried about getting injured. You can always come back next year. Suddenly,...

What does it take to keep going when the race stops being about miles and becomes a battle between your mind and your body? Levi Yoder knows a thing or two about that. Levi went from starting his running journey in 2019 to completing his first 100-miler in 2022 and then winning his first backyard ultra and earning a spot at Big’s Backyard Ultra. Since then, he has competed at Big’s three times, in...

What does it actually take to crew a Backyard Ultra? Your runner has spent months preparing for the race. But what about the people sitting at camp? A great backyard ultra crew doesn't just hand out bottles and cheer when their runner comes through. They're the runner's second brain: managing logistics, protecting their energy, thinking ahead, solving problems, and helping them make...

What does it take to go from a 27-yard backyard ultra runner to consistently running 60+ yards and still believe you have more to learn? In this episode of the One More Hour Podcast , I’m joined by Dave Kwiatkowski, one of the most intriguing young athletes in the backyard ultra world. Dave has built his success through a process of experimentation, problem-solving, and learning from every race. W...

Backyard ultras are rarely won because someone is the fastest or strongest runner. More often, they’re won by the runner who can manage their mind when the race gets long, uncomfortable, and uncertain. This episode of the One More Hour Podcast, breaks down 5 mental traps that can derail a backyard ultra and what to do when you recognize them happening in real time. You’ll learn about: Time Traveli...

What does it really take to crew an ultrarunner through a backyard ultra? In this episode of the One More Hour Podcast, I’m joined by Veronica Pardo, a runner, chiropractor, and the wife of Nick Petterson, who you may remember from Episode 16 after his run at Summit Backyard Ultra. Since then, Nick has gone on to win Ode to Laz, earning a Silver Ticket, and will represent Team USA at Big’s Backyar...

A backyard ultra simulation should be much more than an overnight long run. In this episode of the One More Hour Podcast, we break down how to use a backyard simulation as a skills test, not a fitness test . The goal isn't to see how many yards you can complete. It's to collect data, create problems, practice solving them, and eliminate as many unknowns as possible before race day. We di...

Can one mile break you? This week on The One More Hour Podcast , I sit down with trail runner and ultrarunner Audrey Carter  to talk about her first experience at Mid-State Mile,  one of the most unique and brutally challenging last-person-standing races in the country. Unlike a traditional Backyard Ultra, runners have just 20 minutes to complete a 1.1-mile loop with 340 feet of elevation gain bef...

How do you keep going when your brain is already worrying about miles that haven't happened yet? In backyard ultras and other endurance races, one of the biggest mental traps isn't physical fatigue. It's looking too far ahead. At yard 5, you start thinking about running for two days. At mile 17, you're worried about mile 100. Before the sun has even set, you're imagining t...

What happens when an experienced ultrarunner steps into a completely new race format? In this episode of The One More Hour Podcast , I sit down with fellow Minnesota runner and coach, Wendy Krause, to talk about her first-ever Backyard Ultra at Blacks Grove Backyard Ultra. Although Wendy has years of experience racing trail ultras and 100-milers, the Backyard format challenged her in entirely new...

If you're listening to this episode, chances are you're in the middle of your race and your brain is trying to convince you to quit. This is a special race-day episode of The One More Hour Podcast , created specifically for runners tackling backyard ultras and last runner standing events. Whether you're sitting in your chair questioning if you should answer the next bell or you&apos...

How far should your longest long run be before a backyard ultra? It’s one of the most common questions runners ask, and in this episode, I explain why it might be the wrong question. Backyard ultras aren’t won because you survived one massive training run. They’re won because you practiced the skills that allow you to keep showing up every hour: pacing, fueling, problem-solving, sleep management,...

Most runners finish a race and immediately focus on one thing: the result. How many yards did I get? How far did I go? Did I hit my goal? But what if the most valuable part of your backyard ultra isn't the result, but it's what the race is trying to teach you? In this episode of The One More Hour Podcast, I break down how to reflect on your Backyard Ultra in a way that actually helps you...

In Part 2 of this two-part series, we explore what happens after the race when the dust settles and a familiar thought starts to creep in: “I think I still had one more loop in me.” If you've ever finished a backyard ultra, timed event, or endurance race and wondered whether you could have gone farther, this episode is for you. We discuss: why so many runners realize after the race that they...

In Part 1 of this two-part series, we’re talking about the moments during an ultra when your brain starts trying to convince you that you’re done. Not necessarily physically done, but emotionally, mentally, and spiritually done. If you’ve ever sat in a chair during a backyard ultra convinced there was “no way” you could do another loop, this episode is for you. We dive into: why your brain becomes...

Are you ACTUALLY ready for your backyard ultra? This episode dives into the often overlooked mental, logistical, and emotional readiness required for backyard ultras and timed events. We discuss the importance of process goals versus only having outcome goals, mental resilience, decision making and handling emotional low points, and strategic preparation to succeed in ultra-distance running. What...

Backyard ultras require physical fitness, but they are really a test of the mind! Your brain is designed to keep you safe, not help you perform. You can show up to race day as the fittest runner out there, but your mental game can bring you down the fastest if you haven't practiced it or you've thought "I've got a good mind." In this episode, Jaci sits down with Neal Palle...

Backyard ultras aren’t won with big moments, flashy workouts, or hype. They’re built on the things no one talks about and the things most runners try to avoid. In this episode, we break down the “unsexy skills” that actually determine how long you last in a backyard ultra or timed event. The quiet, repetitive, often overlooked habits that become everything when the race stretches into hours 18… 24...

Ultra running might look like an individual sport, but this episode proves it’s anything but. Jaci sits down with Ashley, creator of Ultra Widow , to pull back the curtain on what really happens behind the scenes at ultra races. From chaotic aid stations to all-night crewing shifts, Ashley shares what it takes to support a runner through the highs, lows, and everything in between. They dive into t...

What do you do when life keeps telling you “no”? For Parker Stinnett, the answer is simple: find another way forward. In this episode of The One More Hour Podcast , Parker shares his unconventional path, from being a backup college football kicker, to failing out of BUD/S prep, to becoming an officer in the Navy flying both helicopters and the Osprey, and how that same mindset carried him into ult...

"You don't need to be like Goggins to succeed." What does it actually take to keep going when your body hurts, your mind is spiraling, and the race won’t end? In this episode of The One More Hour Podcast , Jaci sits down with ultrarunner Dylan Ledbetter to break down the mindset and strategy behind succeeding in the Last Man Standing format and how his strategy has changed over time...