Such a fun experience meeting and chatting with coach, ultra runner, business owner, mom and wife-Tera Pruett. Instantly, I was struck by her confidence, her vibrant spirit and her sense of adventure. Tera's goal is to help others accomplish their goals...whether that is on the trails, in the gym, or simply being brave enough to take on adventure that didn't think was possible. She genuinely cares about the success of her athletes, showing them how capable they are even when they feel they are n...
Mar 16, 2024•2 hr
The Mt. Mitchell Heartbreaker 50M/55K is coming up on March 23, 2024, and both events are sold out! On this episode, I sit down with race director, Brandon Thrower, to go through every detail of these two events. As it says on Tanawha Adventures website, "The Mount Mitchell Heartbreaker 50M/55K is an extremely scenic tour of "the other Pisgah" in the shadow of Mount Mitchell. Starting at the foot of the mountains in Old Fort, NC at Camp Grier, the race takes runners up and down some of the most ...
Mar 01, 2024•1 hr 47 min
*Warning...sensitive material is discussed in this episode* Resilient. This one word sums up Rachel Blinn. I was looking forward to meeting Rachel and discussing how she recently crushed the Fierce Dragon H9 200 miler (unbelievable). But, I was also told she had a story that needed to be shared. Little did I know, Rachel has lived 100 lifetimes in her short 29 years. A life she tried to control which just caused it to spin wildly out of control. Insecurity, pain, addiction had her in its clutche...
Feb 15, 2024•1 hr 50 min
I love doing this podcast, because I get to meet and get to know so many incredible people, and Randy Elliott is one of those. Randy continues to get stronger as a trail runner as the races come his way, but he is also an extremely talented musician, rock climber, owns and runs a successful business...all while juggling family life with his beautiful wife and two kiddos. I first heard of Randy when my husband was on a bike ride with some friends, and Randy came running up beside them as they wer...
Feb 01, 2024•2 hr 21 min
Ally Carlton...beautiful, strong, brave and extremely fast. Ally and I met at the Hellbender 100 where she took 2nd overall female. I was fortunate enough to share a several miles with her during the first portion of the race, and instantly she struck me as genuine, humble, and one that truly seemed to care for others. Fast forward, and we have run into each other many times at cross country meets since she is the coach for Brevard Middle School. Then, on Thanksgiving Day, Ally goes out and capt...
Jan 18, 2024•1 hr 54 min
First of all, I want to wish all of you a happy new year! I am so excited what 2024 has to hold, and I would love to hear about the goals and aspirations you have for this new year. Sheridan Byers-quiet, shy, humble, unassuming, completely kind, selfless, and an absolute savage on the trails. He would disagree of course, but he is always in the top tier of runners and he knows the trails in the Pisgah Forest area better than anyone I know. As we talked, he shared the health issues that he has ha...
Jan 05, 2024•1 hr 32 min
Brandon Thrower, with Tanawha Adventures, is back on the podcast to run through every detail of the upcoming South Mountain Marathons. The 50K and the marathon are both taking place on Saturday, January 6th followed by the half marathon on Sunday, January 7th. The South Mountains Marathons are held in the beautiful South Mountains State Park in North Carolina. I could tell that Brandon absolutely loves these trails, and his excitement to share it with the running community was palpable. Brandon,...
Dec 23, 2023•1 hr 17 min
I had the privilege of having Tim Nooney back on the podcast to talk about his experience running the Grindstone 100K and Looking Glass 100K. Listen as he gives us the details on what led to his DNF at Grindstone, but how it made stepping up to the start line of Looking Glass even sweeter. Let's just say...the stoke was high, and he was ready. Tim led the entire race until mile 57, and I so appreciate is openness to talk about what happened, how he felt, and how he will apply everything he learn...
Dec 15, 2023•1 hr 13 min
Once again, I had the privilege to sit down with the queen, Marisa Romeo. Marisa just absolutely demolished the Looking Glass 100k by coming in 1st female beating second place by almost 3 HOURS (and these are some super fast, super strong women). She also gave the men a run for their money, placing 6th overall in an extremely strong field. Listen as we run through every detail of her race...the highs and the definite lows. How she battled stomach issues throughout, and what she did to win the me...
Dec 08, 2023•1 hr 2 min
Logan Anderson is an overall incredible athlete, and even as a young child he discovered his love for competition. Logan played football, wrestled, pole vaulted, and also dabbled in a little bit of running. It wasn't until after graduated high school, that he jumped into Spartan races, and found success in this sport. Logan is fast, always has been, and he uses this skill to be extremely competitive in these Spartan races. Road running is his first choice, but on a whim he signed up for this yea...
Dec 01, 2023•1 hr 30 min
He did it! Heath Ballard started at the top of the Shut-In trailhead and ran over 16 miles to the bottom all in honor and in memory of his mom, Melanie Ballard. It truly was the most stunning day, with a sunrise that simply took your breath away. Heath was amazing...never stopping, always moving, even though he had never run over 8 miles and had never set foot on the Mountains-to-Sea trail. Listen as we talk about the limited training he was able to get in, the gear he discovered he needed, and ...
Nov 17, 2023•1 hr 5 min
Jordan Tager set out to accomplish his first 100 miler at the Grindstone 100 this past September. Gaining over 21000 feet of vert over the the span of 100 miles is not for the faint of heart, and it was a beast of a race to choose for his first 100. Jordan felt prepared, but nothing prepared him for the tropical storm that was to hit. I loved diving into the details of his race and his fight to try and finish through such crazy circumstances. But before getting into his experience at Grindstone,...
Nov 09, 2023•1 hr 13 min
Once again I had the privilege of having Brandon Thrower, of Tanawha Adventures, back on the podcast. He is putting on The Looking Glass 100k on November 18th, and we walk through every detail of the course, the aid stations, pacer and crew info and more. So, if you are planning on running this beautiful event, you are helping out in anyway, or you are thinking of participating in the future, this podcast is definitely for you! Thank you, Brandon, for coming on again and giving us all the inside...
Nov 02, 2023•1 hr 36 min
Bodybuilding...just WOW. This is an incredibly difficult sport that I knew absolutely nothing about going into this podcast. BUT, I was so honored when I was able to sit down with Pro Bodybuilder and Mr. USA 2021, Jordan Hutchinson, and his stunning wife, Brittany, to really dig in and learn as much as I could about this sport. The DISCIPLINE and MENTAL TOUGHNESS that it takes to truly make it in this sport is mind-blowing. I would not last a SINGLE day. The nutrition side alone of bodybuilding ...
Oct 27, 2023•2 hr 5 min
Several years ago Ellie Johnston and I met while running with the B-Group on Monday nights, but Ellie's true love is cycling. Now she has become a force on two skinny tires, and it has been exciting to keep up with, especially watching her Strava! During Covid, to keep her motivated and out of the house, she began a streak of either running or cycling everyday for an entire year. Coming out of that time and gaining so much strength, she began to race. She joined a team with Gravelo where she has...
Oct 19, 2023•1 hr 32 min
Laurel Awald and I just ran The Naturalist 50K this past Saturday that takes place in Franklin, NC on the Bartram Trail. This race is an out and back with 8000 feet in vert, but the views at the top are worth it, especially on a gorgeous day like we had. Laurel crushed the course, coming in 1st lady and 3rd overall. Katti Jackson ran an incredible race coming in 2nd and 5th overall, and I was able to make the podium in 3rd and 7th overall! What an honor it was to race with these ladies on such a...
Oct 13, 2023•2 hr 8 min
Sam Reed has TEN 100 mile completions with the belt buckles to prove it. Plus, he has run in many other ultras and has done incredibly well. Sam definitely did not gradually make his way to the 100 mile distance...he jumped in head first with lightening speed. We talk about most of his experiences in these races...his struggles, his victories, the lessons learned, the beauty, his favorites and his least favorites. Sam does not run to escape, he sees running as his own personal therapy session......
Oct 06, 2023•2 hr 11 min
To me, Adam Hill was just a mythical creature because I had heard so much about him through friends and the running community, read about him in publications, run some of the epic routes he created, but we had never crossed paths. Plus, he has absolutely NO social media, and that's how we find everyone, right? ;) I mean, I have him to thank for PITCHELL, his brainchild (as the FKT site notes), and for inspiring people from all around to attempt this 65ish mile point-to-point run from Mt. Pisgah ...
Sep 28, 2023•1 hr 41 min
He did it!! Aaron Saft has faced the vert of four 100 milers in one summer, and it blows my mind. So pumped that he was willing to come on to the podcast for a second time to talk about his last two races in the Slam...the Leadville 100 and Wasatch 100. Incredible accomplishment with a super cool trophy to go with it. As you will hear in this episode, it definitely wasn't easy and there were times when he didn't know if he could finish...BUT HE DID! Congrats, Aaron! Also in this episode we dive ...
Sep 22, 2023•1 hr 46 min
There are not enough words to describe how thankful I am for Heath Ballard and his family. Heath is my podcast producer/sound guru/editor, and Facing Vert would not exist without him and Evan Dykes. There are a few reasons I wanted to have Heath on, and I am so honored he was willing. He has been on his own fitness journey for the past year, taking the hardest step into becoming a healthier individual...the first step. Once crossing that line and having the accountability of friends, Heath has f...
Sep 08, 2023•1 hr 59 min
This week I had the privilege of sitting down with Brandon Thrower of Tanawha Adventures. Brandon's journey to becoming a race director of some of the most loved races in Western North Carolina, all stemmed from a joy he found for creating routes and adventuring with other like-minded folks. Brandon doesn't want to just put on a race, he wants to create an experience. His desire is to highlight not only the beauty of our area and all it has to offer, but to show off the complexity and uniqueness...
Aug 31, 2023•1 hr 58 min
I was very excited to sit down with Luke Paulson after he beasted his way to 2nd place overall at the Leadville Trail 100 Run this past weekend. Leadville 100 is an iconic race that starts at 10,200 feet and climbs to 12,600 feet. And as stated on their website, "Today, the Life Time Leadville Trail 100 RUN presented by La Sportiva is one of the oldest, most storied endurance running events in the world." Our conversation starts out with a little background on Luke, but I couldn't wait to dig in...
Aug 25, 2023•1 hr 41 min
This weekend, Aaron Saft will be continuing his quest to accomplish the Grand Slam of 100 milers...four 100's within just a few months. Insanity, but incredible. He already has two under his belt, and the Leadville 100 is his next one. So, let's be praying for him and cheering him on! Aaron seeks out challenges to grow, to learn, and to attempt the difficult and seemingly impossible. And if it comes with an epic trophy or award, that seals the deal. Aaron is one of those guys that you want to kn...
Aug 18, 2023•1 hr 46 min
Tim Nooney...his Instagram profile says that he has "more stoke than sense", but without the stoke, what he has accomplished would not make any sense! Tim seeks out what inspires him and what he can be passionate about, and this has led to his success as an athlete. We covered so much in our conversation from his love of rock climbing to his roller coaster ride as an endurance runner. I really wanted to dive into why he gave up running for two years, and how he then came back with a roar winning...
Aug 10, 2023•1 hr 25 min
Episode 017 is all about Matthew Busche. Now retired from professional cycling, he is a coach for Carmichael Training Systems and lives in Western North Carolina with his beautiful wife, Lisa, and three precious boys. Matthew is so incredibly talented and has had a career that anyone would dream of having, yet he is one that never gives himself enough credit. He is quiet, humble, unassuming and the most loyal friend. Born a natural athlete, he gravitated to running at a young age. This then led ...
Aug 03, 2023•1 hr 50 min
Hannah and Seth Caudill are a powerful sibling duo. Just graduating from high school this spring, they both are heading to Catawba College with full scholarships to run cross country and track. I was intrigued to hear how these two started running and how they each learned (in completely different ways) to love it and find success. Our conversation was fast-paced and quite amusing because of their banter, and you can't help but smile when you hear them. You can certainly tell they are twins, and...
Jul 31, 2023•1 hr 12 min
Beth Hix is a phenomenal woman...a working mama of 2 boys, a wife to Zac, a triathlete, an overall fitness enthusiast, and so much more. Yes, that's right...she is good at all three sports...swimming, cycling, and running. Oh, and CrossFit, and Spartan races, and...you get the point. The only one I am brave enough to attempt is running, and I'll stick with that. Beth recently completed her first IRONMAN 70.3 in Chattanooga, Tennessee this past May, and I am in awe of anyone that can even attempt...
Jul 20, 2023•1 hr 26 min
Lunar Moth? What!? You will have to listen to my awesome conversation with Miller Groome to see what in the world this is about! Although I have never met Miller in person until our conversation, we both ran in the Cruel Jewel 100 this past May. He is also close friends with many that I run with, so it was so fun getting to know him myself. Miller has been extremely successful in the Ultra world, with many podium spots in the races he has done, including coming in third overall at Cruel Jewel. M...
Jul 13, 2023•1 hr 30 min
I absolutely loved getting to know Marisa Romeo. So humble and genuine, but a force to be reckoned with out on the trails. Marisa has quite an impressive resume of MANY podium finishes, including winning the Hellbender 100 in 2022, and the Georgia Loop FKT (fastest known time). She is one I look up to as a runner, but now that I have learned about who she is as a person, I look up to her even more. She is hyper-focused, goal-driven, whip smart, and so incredibly strong. It was awesome to learn h...
Jul 06, 2023•1 hr 34 min
**WARNING** Much of what is discussed in this episode could be sensitive for some listeners. We go into detail about combat, injuries sustained in combat, and the loss of life. ... I wish my listeners could have been in the room as I spoke with now retired Lieutenant Colonel Matthew Kutilek. I just hope that you can hear in his voice the respect he has for those he has served with, the passion for his country and faith, the love for his family, and the heartbreak he carries for friends he has lo...
Jun 29, 2023•1 hr 48 min
