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Joanna Ford from Alberta recently finished Hardrock 100 for the first time (and hopefully not the last), placing sixth female overall!  Peak bagger and outdoor enthusiast, Joanna's foray into ultrarunning started fairly recently but she set her sights on some pretty epic challenges.  We chat with her about her nine year journey to Hardrock and about her tough qualifiers at Fat Dog 120 and Bighorn 100 that got her there. She takes us through her day (and a half) at Hardrock 100.     Here is Joanna Ford...   You can follow Joanna on Instagram here : jford.welsh   Check out GottaRunRacing website here: gottarunracing.com Check out our YouTube Channel at GottaRunRacing Check out GRR Facebook here: GRRFacebook Check out GRR Instagram here: GRRInstagram Check out GRR Twitter here: GRRTwitter Check out GRR Pinterest here: GRRPinterest Support us on Patreon here : GRRPatreon

Jason Koomen, a Canadian living in the US has been on a quest to complete fifty 100 milers in fifty States. He just completed race # 32 in Vermont at the Vermont 100. He started this journey in 2014 with Burning River 100 in his home State of Ohio. We met him at the start line of Western States 100 in June and after speaking with him for only a few short moments, we knew we wanted to hear more! He has chosen some epic races like Hurt 100 in HI the Salt Flats 100 in UT, and Ozark Tr 100 in MO, and several others in this chat. Here is Jason Koomen...   You can follow Jason on Instagram here : nemook27   Check out GottaRunRacing website here: gottarunracing.com Check out our YouTube Channel at GottaRunRacing Check out GRR Facebook here: GRRFacebook Check out GRR Instagram here: GRRInstagram Check out GRR Twitter here: GRRTwitter Check out GRR Pinterest here: GRRPinterest Support us on Patreon here : GRRPatreon  

I'm Norman, your co-host of the GottaRunRacing podcast, and on this 50th episode we breakdown my 8 year journey and race recap of this year's Western States 100.  Over the past 2 years, Jodi and I have chatted with so many athletes about their trail to Western States, we are thrilled to have finally made it to the big show.   2020 was supposed to be my golden trifecta of running races after successfully qualifying for Boston and gaining lottery entry to both UTMB and WS100 but the pandemic had other plans. Fresh from the finish line, we chat about the trials and tribulations that we faced getting to the start line, during the race and overall impressions about the entire experience from our viewpoints. Here are your hosts Norman and Jodi...   You can follow Norman on Instagram here : theultranorm You can follow Jodi on Instagram here : sharkrunner17   Check out GottaRunRacing website here: gottarunracing.com Check out our YouTube Channel at GottaRunRacing Check out GRR Facebook here: GRRFacebook Check out GRR Instagram here: GRRInstagram Check out GRR Twitter here: GRRTwitter Check out GRR Pinterest here: GRRPinterest Support us on Patreon here : GRRPatreon

Marianne Hogan's gritty performance at the 2022 Western States 100 earned her a top 3rd female podium spot. We chatted with her a couple months prior to this year's race about her golden ticket win at Bandera 100K, her long road back from a serious lower limb injury and her goals to perform well at Western States. Here is our Encore chat with Marianne Hogan...   You can follow Marianne on Instagram here : @marianneinbedford   Check out GottaRunRacing website here: gottarunracing.com Check out our YouTube Channel at GottaRunRacing Check out GRR Facebook here: GRRFacebook Check out GRR Instagram here: GRRInstagram Check out GRR Twitter here: GRRTwitter Check out GRR Pinterest here: GRRPinterest Support us on Patreon here : GRRPatreon

Ailsa MacDonald may not have been a household name outside of Canada leading into the 2022 Western States 100 but her incredible performance has the ultra world buzzing now!   We chatted with her after she won her golden ticket at Bandera 100K about her 2018 Western States performance as well as her goal to improve her standings at this year's race. Here is our Encore chat with Ailsa MacDonald...   You can Follow Ailsa on Instagram here : ailsamacdonaldrunner   Check out GottaRunRacing website here: gottarunracing.com Check out our YouTube Channel at GottaRunRacing Check out GRR Facebook here: GRRFacebook Check out GRR Instagram here: GRRInstagram Check out GRR Twitter here: GRRTwitter Check out GRR Pinterest here: GRRPinterest Support us on Patreon here : GRRPatreon

Dean Johnson is a Runner, Coach, and one of the Race Director's of the Lost Soul Ultra -  Canada's only 100K Western States 100 qualifying race. LSU is known as the toughest race on the Prairies (and voted “best aid stations in the universe”). We chat to Dean about the 20+ year history of Lost Soul and how it became a WS100 qualifier.  We also chat about his running career, his recent experience at Black Canyons 100k and his coaching platform. All that and more. Here is Dean Johnson...   You can follow Dean on Instagram here : rundean RunDeanRun coaching website here : RunDeanRun Lost Soul Ultra website here : Lost Soul Ultra   Check out GottaRunRacing website here: gottarunracing.com Check out our YouTube Channel at GottaRunRacing Check out GRR Facebook here: GRRFacebook Check out GRR Instagram here: GRRInstagram Check out GRR Twitter here: GRRTwitter Check out GRR Pinterest here: GRRPinterest Support us on Patreon here : GRRPatreon  

Stephanie Simpson is an ultrarunner hailing from La Belle Province - Quebec. She is relatively new to the scene but has chalked up an impressive race resume so far with events such as Javelina 100, representing Canada and winning at Big Dog's Backyard and more recently completing the Cocodona 250. We chat with her about those events, her dreams to run Badwater and much more! Here is Stephanie... You can follow Stephanie on Instagram here : steph_ultrarunner   Check out GottaRunRacing website here: gottarunracing.com Check out our YouTube Channel at GottaRunRacing Check out GRR Facebook here: GRRFacebook Check out GRR Instagram here: GRRInstagram Check out GRR Twitter here: GRRTwitter Check out GRR Pinterest here: GRRPinterest Support us on Patreon here: GRRPatreon

Jordan Tropf is a resident orthopedic surgeon at Walter Reid hospital in Maryland and one heck of a runner! He has an incredible set of running achievements in a relatively short period of time getting a personal best at Boston and winning Big Sur in 2 days.  He currently holds the world record for the fastest 3 marathons in 3 days. A short documentary by Believe in the Run tells the tale of that journey - 3 Marathons in 3 Days. We chat with Jordan about that epic achievement as well as his recent top 5 finish at Marathon des Sables and his journey to Ironman Kona this year.  Here is Jordan... You can follow Jordan on Instagram here : jordantropf   Check out GottaRunRacing website here: gottarunracing.com Check out our YouTube Channel at GottaRunRacing Check out GRR Facebook here: GRRFacebook Check out GRR Instagram here: GRRInstagram Check out GRR Twitter here: GRRTwitter Check out GRR Pinterest here: GRRPinterest Support us on Patreon here: GRRPatreon  

Chelsey's introduction to trail running began when she jumped in with both feet onto a Canadian Death Race relay team.  From there, as she puts it, she fell into the wrong crowd (LOL) and decided to take on CDR solo in 2015, earning her first Western States 100 ticket.  She was determined to earn her ticket to WS100 by completing races like Lost Soul, Hurt 100, Run Rabbit Run, and Javelina 100.   Chelsey also competed for Team Canada in Laz's Big Dog's Backyard Ultra in 2020, completing 40 loops on a 7K looped course.  Here is our chat with Chelsey...   You can follow Chelsey on Instagram here : chasingwinston   Check out GottaRunRacing website here: gottarunracing.com Check out our YouTube Channel at GottaRunRacing Check out GRR Facebook here: GRRFacebook Check out GRR Instagram here: GRRInstagram Check out GRR Twitter here: GRRTwitter Check out GRR Pinterest here: GRRPinterest Support us on Patreon here : GRRPatreon      

Rohan Aurora was a hiker before becoming an ultra runner.  He made the switch when his virtual hiking guru, Andrew Skurka, an American professional backpacker, came in second in the Run Rabbit Run race.  After reading about Andrew's journey in this event, Rohan felt he needed to learn more about the ultra scene.  From there Rohan has never looked back completing races like the Mogollon Monster 100k, Lone Star 100k, and Kodiak Ultra 100 just to name a few.  We chat to Rohan about all this and his two Western States 100 ticket races at The Georgia Death Race and his two Hurt 100 DNFs.  All this and more.  Here is Rohan...   Check out GottaRunRacing website here: gottarunracing.com Check out our YouTube Channel at GottaRunRacing Check out GRR Facebook here: GRRFacebook Check out GRR Instagram here: GRRInstagram Check out GRR Twitter here: GRRTwitter Check out GRR Pinterest here: GRRPinterest Support us on Patreon here: GRRPatreon  

Caroline Wiebe, was inspired by Marathon Des Sables after reading a book by a previous finisher. “I just thought I could never do that,” Wiebe said. After she started running ultramarathons eight years ago, she met a former winner of the event at a presentation, who convinced her that she could finish the MDS. She wanted to compete at the Marathon des Sables to celebrate turning 50 but COVID threw that plan out the window.  She made it happen in 2022, finishing the 250k stage race in 55hrs.  We chatted with her about the challenges of training in Manitoba's harsh winters for such a hot, dry race in the desert, her emotions on the start line and her most difficult stage when she ran out of water.   Wiebe says some of her biggest challenges were keeping her feet in good shape (her years of nursing came in handy), staying hydrated, and being active with little rest. Here is Caroline... You can follow Caroline on Instagram here : caro4running   Check out GottaRunRacing website here: gottarunracing.com Check out our YouTube Channel at GottaRunRacing Check out GRR Facebook here: GRRFacebook Check out GRR Instagram here: GRRInstagram Check out GRR Twitter here: GRRTwitter Check out GRR Pinterest here: GRRPinterest Support us on Patreon here: GRRPatreon    

Kevin MacKinnon For over 30 years Kevin has been coaching triathletes, runners, cyclists and swimmers, helping both international stars and age group competitors reach their own level of personal excellence.  Since retiring from a nine-year career as a professional triathlete, Kevin has also become one of triathlon's busiest journalists. He has worked as the Communications Director of Ironman North America, the Editor in Chief of Ironman and is the founding editor of Triathlon Magazine Canada. In addition to his journalism work he is one of Canada's premier race announcers.   Kevin recently covered the 2022 edition of the Marathon Des Sables stage race in Morocco and we were able to get his take on what it was like behind the scenes.  We chat with Kevin about what it took just getting to MDS and covering his first Ultra Marathon.   Here is Kevin...   You can follow Kevin on Instagram here : ironmandad Kevin Mackinnon coaching : www.mackatak.net   Check out GottaRunRacing website here: gottarunracing.com Check out our YouTube Channel at GottaRunRacing Check out GRR Facebook here: GRRFacebook Check out GRR Instagram here: GRRInstagram Check out GRR Twitter here: GRRTwitter Check out GRR Pinterest here: GRRPinterest Support us on Patreon here: GRRPatreon  

Jazmine Lowther of Nelson, BC fresh off of her Golden Ticket win at The Canyons 100, chats with us about her short yet epic journey as an ultra runner. With a history deep in endurance sports including alpine climbing, skiing and soccer, Jazmine is relatively new on the scene but has already carved out an impressive place at races such as Run Rabbit Run and Chuckanut 50k. To her utter disbelief, she led the women at Canyons off the start and never let it go. She went into the race believing that the Golden Ticket for Western States was for a 2023 entry and learned afterwards that she would be again toeing the line in California in just over 2 months! Before that, Jazmine is taking on an Everest Challenge - achieving vert in excess of 9,000 metres, in the hopes of raising $1000 or more for one of her favourite causes, protecting the ecosystems where she lives and trains. You can support her efforts by donating and/or joining her! More information here:   You can follow Jazmine on Instagram here - jazminerosalynn Jazmines Everest Challenge here - Everest Challenge   Check out GottaRunRacing website here: gottarunracing.com Check out our YouTube Channel at GottaRunRacing Check out GRR Facebook here: GRRFacebook Check out GRR Instagram here: GRRInstagram Check out GRR Twitter here: GRRTwitter Check out GRR Pinterest here: GRRPinterest Support us on Patreon here: GRRPatreon    

Patrick (Paddy) was a high level ultra endurance bike racer competing nationally and internationally before switching gears to ultra running.   2015 was a turning point for Paddy when on a training ride he hit a tree and broke his back and neck.  With a remarkable recovery, he switched sports to ultra running taking on the Canadian Death Race and winning The Lost Soul 200k.   We chat with Paddy about his early days as a rider and his 6 year journey to Western States 100. Here is Paddy...   You can follow Paddy on Instagram here - paddyatpurcell   Check out GottaRunRacing website here: gottarunracing.com Check out our YouTube Channel at GottaRunRacing Check out GRR Facebook here: GRRFacebook Check out GRR Instagram here: GRRInstagram Check out GRR Twitter here: GRRTwitter Check out GRR Pinterest here: GRRPinterest Support us on Patreon here: GRRPatreon

Steve started running ultras after he completed an Ironman and realized that triathlons were not for him.  After moving to Vancouver, he had nothing but mountains to explore and that's what he did.   After reading books like Ultramarathon Man, Born To Run, and Eat & Run he became fascinated with Ultras and was inspired to complete R2R2R.  We chat with Steve about his journey to Western States 100 with his tickets races being Black Canyon 3xs, Tunnel Hill and BigHorn 100. Here is Steve... You can follow Steve on FB here - Steve Day   Check out GottaRunRacing website here: gottarunracing.com Check out our YouTube Channel at GottaRunRacing Check out GRR Facebook here: GRRFacebook Check out GRR Instagram here: GRRInstagram Check out GRR Twitter here: GRRTwitter Check out GRR Pinterest here: GRRPinterest Support us on Patreon here: GRRPatreon   

When we last spoke to Stephanie Maggs in 2021 (episode #7), we chatted about her quest to join the Seven Continents Marathon Club which was delayed by COVID-19.  Stephanie finally made the journey to Antarctica to complete her 7th marathon to enter the exclusive club.  Does she complete the marathon?  Did the pandemic continue to plague her efforts? These answers and more are answered in our follow up chat with Stephanie.   Here is Stephanie... You can follow @stephanie.maggs on Instagram here : https://www.instagram.com/stephanie.maggs/ Check out her website here: www.wickedlydeliciouswicks.com   Check out GottaRunRacing website here: gottarunracing.com Check out our YouTube Channel at GottaRunRacing Check out GRR Facebook here: GRRFacebook Check out GRR Instagram here: GRRInstagram Check out GRR Twitter here: GRRTwitter Check out GRR Pinterest here: GRRPinterest Support us on Patreon here : GRRPatreon

On March 2, 2022, UTMB organizers published a press release informing runners of their intent to “immediately suspend Russian and Belarusian athletes from all events operating under the UTMB® brand, i.e. the 25 UTMB® World Series events including the UTMB® Mont-Blanc from 22 to 28 August”, until further notice. In this episode, we discuss this decision from a race organizer and runner point of view.    Check out GottaRunRacing website here: gottarunracing.com Check out our YouTube Channel at GottaRunRacing Check out GRR Facebook here: GRRFacebook Check out GRR Instagram here: GRRInstagram Check out GRR Twitter here: GRRTwitter Check out GRR Pinterest here: GRRPinterest Support us on Patreon here : GRRPatreon  

Aytug Celikbas (pronounced I-2) starting running to lose weight with a couch to 5K program.  He quickly progressed to the half, full and beyond.  He started running the ultra distance in his home country of Turkey at the Cappadocia Ultra Trail and after that race, he was hooked.  From there he went on to longer and harder ultras like the Iznik Ultra and Lavaredo Ultra Trail. After moving to Canada in 2017, Aytug  began working on tickets for Western States 100 at UTMB, Cruel Jewel 100, and Ultra-Trail Harricana in Quebec.   Aytug never dreamt that his name would be drawn so soon in the WS lottery but he is excited to be heading to the start line at Western.  Here is Aytug Celikbas...   You can follow Autug on Instagram here : acelikbas   Check out GottaRunRacing website here: gottarunracing.com Check out our YouTube Channel at GottaRunRacing Check out GRR Facebook here: GRRFacebook Check out GRR Instagram here: GRRInstagram Check out GRR Twitter here: GRRTwitter Check out GRR Pinterest here: GRRPinterest    

Van Phan's running resume is extensive.  On UltraSignup alone as of 2022 she has completed 360 ultra marathons with 143 Trophies and that's just on one platform! We chat about her first 100 Miler that took place in Canada, Western States 100, her 13 finishes at Cascade Crest to of course running 1000k and winning Across The Years. She is a wealth of knowledge and we were able to tap into that during this chat.   Without further adieu, here is Van Phan ...   You can follow Van on Instagram here - vanpigtails   Check out GottaRunRacing website here: gottarunracing.com Check out our YouTube Channel at GottaRunRacing Check out GRR Facebook here: GRRFacebook Check out GRR Instagram here: GRRInstagram Check out GRR Twitter here: GRRTwitter Check out GRR Pinterest here: GRRPinterest Support us on Patreon here : GRRPatreon    

Derek Mulhall's first race was a marathon, as he says 'go big or go home. A few years later he qualified and competed in the Boston Marathon.  Unfortunately it was the year of the Boston bombings.  He decided to go back to Boston in 2014 to have a better experience.   He got hooked on ultra marathons after his buddy introduced him to the movie Unbreakable.    We chat with Derek about his first ticket race, The Indiana 100, and almost DNF'ing at Hellbender.   Here is Derek Mulhall...   You can follow Derek on Instagram here : canadianbeerguy   Check out GottaRunRacing website here: gottarunracing.com Check out our YouTube Channel at GottaRunRacing Check out GRR Facebook here: GRRFacebook Check out GRR Instagram here: GRRInstagram Check out GRR Twitter here: GRRTwitter Check out GRR Pinterest here: GRRPinterest Support us on Patreon here: GRRPatreon