Here we are with the Final Four of this year's Death at DePuis Last Man Standing race and these guys ran for hours on end! All of the runners took on a 4.166667 mile loop, or "yard" as it's also known as. The race restarts at the top of the hour every hour until only one runner can complete the loop on time, or everyone quits. On the chat, we've got your back-to-back champion Andy Scholly! He took it home with a total of 133.3344 miles! He is a Last Man Standing/Last Person Standing veteran having won the 2022 Last of the Felascans and last years Death at DePuis! He's also won races like the Last at the Lake in West Point, Georgia!  Your runner up, or the man who gave Andy the assist was Eric Kalina. He ran for a total of 129.1677 miles! He also recently ran a 3:11 Marathon after Death at DePuis and competed at this year's Long Haul 100 where he placed third overall with a time of 17:05:20! He's also done races like the Riverbend 12 Hour, the Lake to Ocean 100k, and the JW Corbett 50 Miler!  Then, we have Matt Clapper who ran a total of 120.8343 miles! This guy time and time again pushes himself to the absolute limits! When you look up "grit" on google images, I swear his photos come up! He's done races like the Across Florida 200, the Long Haul 100, Last of the Felascans, the Pinellas Trail Challenge, and the Trident!  Then we've got Vinny Wood with a brand-new distance PR! and I'm not talking a small PR by any means, he took it home with a total of 100.0008 miles! His previous furthest distance to date was 50 miles at the Nashville Ultra - 50 Miler, then he also ran at this year's Monroe Cross Trail 50 Mile Ultra! Incredible!  As always this is a homage to Big's Backyard in Tennessee, started by none other than Laz. Leo Acosta is the Race Director for this event and he does one heck of a job putting it on! 

One of the races on my bucket list is the Mountain Mist! This is a race that takes place up in Huntsville, Alabama at the Monte Sano State Park and the Huntsville Land Trust Trails. This year Mark Crain, Joao Vitor Novaes, and Jenny Early took on the course and give us a Floridian insight on this Alabama race! Mark has done races like the North Face Endurance Challenge, John Holmes 50k, Croom Zoom, the Iron Horse 100, Gate2Gate, and the Long Haul 100! Joao has gone from the IRONMAN to the hiking the Tahoe Rim Trail and Jenny Early has done races like the Yeti 100, the Tallahassee Ultra Distance Classic, and now the Mountain Mist.  There is around 4,000' feet of climb. There is a vertical climb on the course that requires the use of your upper body going up the infamous Waterline Trail. The final 6 miles drops into and back out of McKay Hollow, very rugged trails.

We are diving right into the Green Swamp of Florida with the 2023 Skunk Ape's Revenge! On this episode, we are chatting with some of those 60k runners! At this years race, nearly half the 60k field dropped down to the 30k distance... so these 60k runners are some real warriors!  On the chat we've got your overall champion, Kalo Axsom! He took the win out there with a new course record in a time of 5:09:31! He also recently won the Long Haul 100 and the Sandridge 7 Hour! He's run races like the Skunk Ape Night Run, Forgotten Florida, the Keys 100, and the Skydive 100!  Also on the chat is Shala Reifinger! She traveled down to the race from Georgia! It was awesome to have her out at the race and to have her family supporting and even running out there! Her brother also ran his first ultra at this year's Skunk Ape's Revenge! She's done races like the H9, Cruel Jewel 50, Mystery Mountain, Huff-n-Puff, the FATS 50k, and the Mountain Mist!  Then we've got Ryan Jacobson! He's one of those Skunk Ape Runners who was at the inaugural year for the Revenge race! He's a guy I swear I see at nearly every single race. He's done races like the Long Play, the Long Haul 100, Colt 45, Croom Zoom, John Holmes, and he's done the Ice Age Trail!  Then we've got Aaron Ware and his first ultra-marathon! But not only to that, it was really first ever organized trail race. He got it done with a time of 9:07:31! He absolutely crushed it!!!  Your top four women for this year's Skunk Ape’s Revenge 60k! 1. Amanda Richmond - 6:07:08 2. Sage Lyons - 6:14:34 3. Daylee Sheppard - 6:24:06 4. Cheryl Shelhart - 6:45:02 Your top four men for this years Skunk Ape’s Revenge 60k! 1. Kalo Axsom - 5:09:31 2. Steven Anderson - 5:27:52 3. Matt Krauss - 6:15:24 4. John Benham - 6:44:13

The Forgotten Florida 100 Miler was back for another year! On the chat, we have your back-to-back champion, Max Bennett! He took the win this year with a time of 18:18:47! At last year's race, it was a three-way tie with Max, Aden St Charles, and John Parker who went 19:58:59. So it was awesome to see Max back out there again this year!  Also on the chat, we have your DFL with 33 Hours, Jusup Sandoval! He has an amazing story going from a wheelchair to 100 miles. This guy has overcome so many hurdles that many, even doctors, would consider impossible. He first attempted the 100 distance at the Idaho Mountain Trail Ultra Festival, but you will hear what happened there.  Then we've got Joshua Ham from Fort Benning! He got the 100 done with a time of 29:03:41! He's done races like the Blackbeards Revenge 100, Beast of the East 25 Mile, Merrill's Mile, and the Run Undead Trail Party 100 Miler! And, we've got Michelle Speer who ran her first 100 miler! She got that first belt buckle with a time of 32:41:54! She's done races like the Cruel Jewel 50 Miler and the Tick Tock. This year she plans on taking on the Cruel Jewel 100, so this race was perfect for her to get that time on the feet training!  The Forgotten Florida is located east of Orlando crossing multiple state forests, conservation and wildlife management areas presenting runners with one of the most biodiverse terrains. Large sections of it utilize the extensive Florida trail. While the terrain is mostly flat, it provides plenty of challenges to runners with its hot and humid climate and sometimes swampy and rainy terrain.

The Monroe Cross Trail 50 Mile Ultra was a race that made its debut last year with Diane Romero-Lopez leading the way as a new Race Director! She has done an amazing job turning this race from a late-night 50-mile birthday run into the race it is today! What a dream come true! On the chat, we've got two runners who ran their first ever 50 miler, Brent Knott and Megan Schweitzer! And! Also on the chat we've got two seasoned veterans, Rachel Alexander and Sean Baum who both ran some 50 mile PR's!  The race is a point-to-point race that starts in Rotary Park in Edgewater Florida and running 50 miles to the finish line at Central 28 Beer Company in DeBary, Florida. You run the Monroe Cross Trail the Sprint-to-Spring Trail, and beautiful shoreline of Lake Monroe until you reach your turnaround point before heading to Central 28. The Monroe Cross Trail also has the 50k and 17k events too!  Amazing! 

On this episode we are back at the Long Haul 100, but this time we've got a whole new perspective on the race! Typically, the stories from the race come from the runners, but this time we've got Ali Mathews, Andrew Barrett, and Jessica Calise! They, alongside others, were some of your aid station heroes at the Aid Station Two with the Thompson's! But also, huge shout-out to Julie and Pops... they are absolute legends when it comes volunteering! It was so nice to see them out there this year.  It's always awesome to hear the perspective from the Aid Station Volunteers, the outlook they have on the race. It's such a blessing, not only looking at from a Race Directors point of view, but also as the runner... we are so blessed to have so many passionate people willing to give-up their free time to come out to a race and help so many people.  From start to finish; from the front of the pack to the back of the pack... your aid station volunteers log some serious hours and it is amazing what they do!  Speaking for myself, and probably so many others, I absolutely love volunteering at a race! It is something I would recommend for everyone to try out!  

It was another year for the annual Long Haul 100! Time and time again, this is the place where so many runners take on the 100-mile distance for the first time! Not only from the first 100, but also the 5th... 6th... 10th 100-mile! This year Mo Hogan, Patrick Lloyd, Craig Bets, and Mac Jackson were some of the 100-mile first timers! The episode first opens up with some BIG NEWS for the Long Haul in regard to 2024! Your Race Director Andy "Croom" Mathews spills the beans and gives us the deets! The Long Haul 100 is truly one of those races that is near and dear to my heart. It’s the place where I got my first 100-mile belt buckle. It’s that special place where I truly achieved something I thought no way I could ever. Coming into the Long Haul 100, Mo Hogan has done races like the Daytona 50 miler, the Pinellas Trail Challenge, the Skunk Ape Night Run, and the 8 Hours of Hell! Her very first ultra took place at the Croom Zoom 50k! She got her first 100 mile belt buckle this year with a time of 31:14:15!! Patrick Llyod is new into the sport having done the Frozen H3 50 Miler and the Foking Run for the Greenhouse 8hr in 2021! It was in the Summer of 2019 that he first decided to make it a goal to finish a 100 mile race. This was the moment and he got it ! He had been training for and dreaming of for 3+ years and he got his belt buckle with a time of 23:51:50! He was last Sub-24 Hour runner at the 2024 Long Haul 100! Craig Betz is also new to the sport of ultra-running having started in the Spartan Racing and Road Racing scene! He had a busy 2021 and 2022 diving deep into races like the Croom Zoom 50k, Georgia Jewel 50 miler, the Long Play, the Dunes 50k, and the Trident! He got his belt buckle at the Long Haul with a time of 25:55:00! Mac Jackson, like everyone else on this list... also started ultra-running fairly recent in the past few years! He has done races like the JW Corbett 50k, the Colt 45, and a DNF at the Trident! He's currently coached by Sally McRae and the proof is in the pudding... he had one amazing performace at this years race! Mac took 4th Overall with a time of 19:11:36!!! Not to shabby for your first 100 miler!!! Enjoy!!

Alright so this is the final episode of the 2022 season! We are talking about the Jupiter Ridge Sand Spur! This episode is coming way after race day with some recording craziness that had me having to bail on the first attempt... but we finally got it done!  On the chat we've got your Overall Champion in the 50k, Allision Duarte! She absolutely crushed it in the sand going 5:25:52! Second place was Scoot Hoover who ran a time of 6:04:54. In 2021, she ran the Sand Spur 50k with a time 6:37:56 to place 4th overall. Allison has done races like Lake to Ocean 100k, the Osprey, and the Sky to Summit 50k.  Joining Allison is a Sand Spur and Trident veteran, Eric Desimone. He took on the 82 miles this year and he also placed 13th in the Trident Ridge to Nowhere 12HR/40 Miler back in July! In 2021, he also ran at the Sand Spur and the Trident placing 9th and 16th respectively. He's also done races like the Skunk Ape Night Run, Long Play, River to Sea, and the Toxic Trail 37 Miler.  He's joined by Shane Loughran! He placed 6th overall this year at the Sand Spur. We all either rust out or wear out, and Shane is crushing it! He's also done races like the Legacy Trail 60k, Dunes 50k & 50 Miler, the Coldwater Rumble 52 Miler, and the Riverbend Park 50k!  Then we've got your Overall Champion in the 82 Miles, Cole Bataille! Like Eric, Cole is a Jupiter Ridge veteran! He's ran the Trident Half-Marathon and Sand Spur 50k in 2018, the Trident Half-Marathon and Sand Spur 50k in 2019, the Trident Marathon in 2021, and the Trident Ridge to Nowhere 12HR/40 Miler in 2022... he also won ALL OF THEM! However, he took a DNF at the 2021 Sand Spur 5 Trials 81 Miler... but this year he got it done!  The story of this ultramarathon began during the last ice ages. On the Florida peninsula, sandy hilltop island and coastal dune ridges were the only lands peeking above sea level over 2 million years ago. Then the seas fell, leaving the flat, broad finger of land we now know as Florida. These ancient sand dunes are known as one of the rarest living communities. The Jupiter Ridge Natural Area is a coastal scrub environment, one of the rarest and slowest to rebound if damaged. It is home to 31 plant species and 14 animal species considered to be threatened, rare, or of special concern. Mikey Bee does an amazing job bringing people out to run different distances and challenge themself to "The 5 Trials!"

Alright here we are in the new year of 2023! For the New Year's special episode, we've got Lovelyn Findley and the Across Florida 200! She is the first female to complete the Across Florida 200 and get that Belt Buckle! Also on the chat, Lovelyn is joined by her crew... Stephen, Rosa, and Megan!  Lovelyn is new into the ultra-distance scene with only have done ultras in the past two years! She's done races like the Forgotten Florida 100, the Keys 100, the Skunk Ape Night Run, Sky to Summit, and the Wild Florida 50k!   Also have to give a shout out to the O-Town Blazers AND the pacers who came out to support Lovelyn in this epic journey; Kalo, Joseph Greenslade, Jordan, Kari, and Luis Espinoza! I was even able to come out and pace and it was freaking awesome to see her knock out those miles hour after after!  Like Lovelyn said recently; "I am still in disbelief that this happened. Epic adventures are out there! Believe in yourself, surround yourself with people that believes in your dreams. And when possible, be the light for others."

The year of 2022 has been a big one for Gregory Ryan, in this year he has taken on two 100 miler's and several other awesome trail races! Trail races like the Forgotten Florida and the Palm Bluff 50k! In 2021, he also did the Bryce Canyon 50 Miler. But, as for this year in the 100 mile, Gregory took on the Yeti 100 out in Washington with a time of 27:17:33... He also took on this year's Daytona 100, get got that Belt Buckle with a time of 27:49:41.  It was awesome to get him on and chat about the Yeti 100, Sleeping during 100 milers, and how his race went down at Daytona!