Cultra Trail Running

Miles Victors is back on Cultra with a story that goes way beyond running.

In 2022, Miles Victors weighed 450 pounds and needed a cane to walk. A half-mile trip to a pharmacy became the beginning of a transformation that took him from 3,000 steps a day to 100-mile races and eventually to a much deeper realization: he was enough. 

Miles talks about his weight-loss journey, addiction, mental health, his Wasatch 100 DNF, the voices in his head, and the powerful experience in the Copper Canyons that changed his perspective on running and his purpose.

Now he's pu...

Patreons First, then on to the show: Motherhood, Mindset & the Pursuit of More

What happens when a former collegiate high jumper, coach, mother and lifelong athlete decides to find out just how far she can push herself?

Kat Bright joins Art, Anna G. and Phred to talk about her incredible journey from high-level track and field to ultrarunning—and the very personal path that eventually led her to a supported FKT on the Pennsylvania section of the Appalachian Trail.

Kat covered roughly 230 miles and 31,000 feet of elevation gain in 4 days, 2 hours, 41 minutes and 10 se...

The Cultra crew gets together for a full-on Vermont 100 debrief with Josh Gaetjen, Christian Dockum, Chase Smith and Marc Kelly who all finished the 2026  VT 100 between 18:19 and 20:15. 

The conversation covers the highs, lows, suffering and fun of one of the Northeast's classic 100-milers including what happens when your legs fall apart, your stomach quits, and you decide that six ibuprofen during a 100-mile race is a good idea.

Chase Smith joins the conversation just days after his wedding to recap his Vermont 100 experience, including a dramatic mid-race collapse, a comeback up the field, severe stomach pr...

At just 21 years old, Kaylee Frederick has already established herself as one of the most exciting young ultrarunners on the East Coast. She ran her first 100 miler at 16 years old, and when she was 18 became the youngest ever finisher of The Badwater 135. 

In 2026, she won the Eastern States 100 outright, setting a new women's course record in brutally hot conditions. She also completed the Pennsylvania Triple Crown, finishing as the overall fastest person and Queen of the Mountain.

But Kaylee's story goes well beyond race results.

In this episode, Kaylee talks about discovering running a...

This week on Cultra, we're digging into a brutal Eastern States 100, reflecting on our marathon-length conversation with Camille Herron, and looking ahead to one of the most exciting young runners on the East Coast.

Eastern States delivered the kind of race that separates the merely enthusiastic from the completely unreasonable. With hot conditions pushing the DNF rate to roughly 54.5%, only 55 runners made it to the finish. And leading the women and first finisher overall was Kaylee Frederick, who put together an extraordinary 23:09 finish to set a new women's course record and become the first woman to break 24...

World-record holder and ultrarunning legend Camille Herron joins AFB and Anna G for one of her most personal and wide-ranging conversations to date.

This episode is not just a controversial hot take on Facebook, but is a long run in her fast but sometimes troubled shoes.   Rather than focusing on splits and statistics, this episode explores the experiences that have shaped Camille both on and off the race course. She shares what it was like receiving a late diagnosis of autism and ADHD, how those discoveries helped explain decades of challenges and successes, and why many of th...

The Cultra Crew is headed north, and Josh is just days away from toeing the line at the legendary Vermont 100. This week is all about race week preparation as the gang dives into crew logistics, pacing strategy, nutrition plans, and the organized chaos that goes into surviving 100 miles.

Anna G, Fred, josh and AFB break down everything from aid station bag organization and hydration bottle swaps to why carrying spare bottle nipples might be the most important piece of gear you'll never think about...until it's too late.

The episode also covers an incredible weekend...

Amber Constant, a White Mountains ultrarunner attempting one of the biggest endurance challenges ever undertaken in New England: breaking the all-time annual vertical gain world record joins Cultra Crew this week.

Amber shares how a devastating injury nearly ended her running career, the long road back to the mountains, and why she's spending nearly every day climbing thousands of vertical feet in pursuit of history. Along the way we dive into life as a traveling nurse, adventures that took her across India, the mental and physical toll of relentless climbing, and the incredible community that's formed around...

This week on Cultra, we sit down with Jillian Ellefson and Cherie Bilbie to talk about the unofficial women's movement that took shape around the Connecticut Ultra Traverse 112 (CUT112). What started with a simple Facebook post quickly grew into a community of 26 women and 16 supporters, all committed to helping each other tackle one of the toughest adventures on the Beast Coast.

Anna G takes the lead as Jillian and Cherie share how they approached training with precision and purpose, spending six months breaking the route into manageable 12-20 mile segments until they had covered—and in many ca...

AFB, Anna-G, Josh and Phred welcome back ultrarunner, hospice nurse, and Vermont mountain crusher Lila Gaudrault back to the Cultra Trail Running Podcast to break down her experience at the legendary Cocodona 250.

Lila takes us deep into the Arizona suffering machine, explaining how she showed up to a 250-mile race with a surprisingly loose game plan, then spent the better part of the first half battling nausea, dehydration, and the reality that 250 miles is a very long way to travel on foot. We talk about sleep deprivation, hallucination-adjacent trail weirdness, crew and pacer support, and the problem-solving...

357: Take 2 Trail at The Spring Fling 10 Hour

What if we could leave less of a trace, and save some $ at the same time? Jess Parker is the Ultra cool founder of Take 2 Trail, and she has found a way for us all to easily buy and sell used gear.  This lowers the cost of entry for trail runners, and helps keep landfills and our closets from getting cluttered with the shoes, packs, and doo-dads that seemed like a good idea at the time.  

Jess was so much fun to talk to, and we get a ch...

AFB, Anna, and Phred sit down with bestselling author Martin Dugard to talk about his new book The Long Run: Steve Prefontaine, Frank Shorter, Joan Benoit, Greta Waitz, and the Decade That Made the Marathon Cool.

 The conversation explores the 1970s running boom, the influence of legends like Steve Prefontaine, Frank Shorter, Joan Benoit Samuelson, and Grete Waitz, and how modern marathon science, shoes, and fueling strategies have transformed the sport—along with a few detours into ultrarunning, trail racing, and the future of endurance events. We also hit on Greece, the Royal Family, and the 1972 Olympics. If y...

Cultra OG Stacey Clark joins AFB for a road trip to Boston to meet up with Episode 280's Jim Kean and The Boston Bulldogs! We record live from the sidelines at mile 22 of The Boston Marathon.  But this is not a simple Rah-Rah sideline hot take. We hear how lives are being changed thru combining the principles of a recovery program and running based on the principles of self-leadersip, transparency, and giving back. 

Boston Bulldogs

Boston Marathon

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Outro musi...

This episode was recorded live at the Traprock 50K in Bloomfield Connecticut home of Penwood State Forest. This race is the first in the 12 race blue blaze series where runners will compete for the overall series prize. This is indirect support of Connecticut Forest & Parks Association, the group that is responsible for protecting and maintaining the over 825 miles of blue blaze trails in the state of Connecticut. If you're not from Connecticut, perhaps you have your own trail stewards and hopefully you were able to support them. Because, after all, SUPPORT is good. During this episode, we get to...

AFB, Anna, and Phred welcome back ultrarunner, musician, and all-around adventurer Liz Derstine. Liz last appeared on Episode 112 talking about her Appalachian Trail FKT, and this time the conversation is about her PCT FKT attempt and her new film Ridgeline.  We drift into the strange and wonderful overlap between running, hiking, and music. 

The group talks about balancing creative life with endurance pursuits, from touring with bands to chasing big miles on trails like the Pacific Crest Trail. Liz shares stories from her PCT hike, including desert night hiking, hauling liters of water between sources, and the oc...

Anna,  Fred, Josh, and AFB sit down with Amy Rusiecki, the longtime race director of the legendary Vermont 100 Endurance Run. Amy shares the behind-the-scenes realities of directing one of the oldest 100-mile races in the country and how she ended up becoming one of the most respected organizers in the sport. If you love a great story, you've stumbled into a whole pasture of them, like opening the gate and finding the World's Largest Cow waiting for you.

Amy talks about her early days in endurance sports, how she transitioned from competitive XC skier and ultrarunner to r...

Art and Phred dive into treadmill survival strategies, including Phred's classic 1:05 reset method, the magic of a 15% incline, and the universal truth that starting too fast indoors is a bad life choice. Art is eyeing a March 15 return to running, sharing some winter miles at Lincoln Woods and the awkward reality of snowshoeing.

The conversation rolls into the chaos of the Umstead 100—a brutally simple crushed gravel grind with a registration process that sells out in minutes and legends like Mike Smith stacking up finishes. Music talk hits peak Cultra with Grateful Dead vibes and "Time Warp" fr...

This week the Cultra Crew AFB and Anna G. talk with Josh Sprague — founder of Orange Mud — about building gear, starting businesses, and adventure racing.

Josh grew up on a Kansas farm selling rubber band guns and raising 4-H pigs before working at Walmart and Goodyear. In 2012 he started Orange Mud after getting frustrated with hydration packs that didn't work for runners. By 2014 he quit corporate life and went all in.

We also talk adventure racing, the multi-sport sufferfest of running, biking, paddling, and navigating with map and compass plus gear design, heat management, and why J...

Ellie Pell joins AFB, Phred, and Anna G talkin desert DNFs, frozen suffering, Barkley chaos, Olympic trivia, and women's running research, all in classic Cultra style.

Ellie's Black Canyon DNF

Ellie breaks down her early exit at the Black Canyon 100K after a mile-4 muscle cramp shut things down. Contributing factors: hydration, pacing, and warm-up. Or was it just the body doing what it do?

Frozen Snot Report

Anna G recaps the brutally cold Frozen Snot Trail 1/2 Marathon—boulder fields, shortened distances, and legendary volunteers.

Barkley, Big Rac...

Cold. Wind. Frozen stream crossings. Dumb ass decision making, or genius?

AFB recaps the Real King of Pain in Glastonbury, CT where thigh-deep icy water turned solid led to DQs (sorry Alex, Besic, and Bill), and winter racing felt more like a survival course. Josh and Shan hit Belltown AS, Mark Kelly (in shorts) and fast Tony D braved the road freeze, and Anna G tackled Frozen Snot, and Evil Becky wins Frozen Heart 900 because of course she did.

Special guest Ryan Danby reports back from the Frozen Heart 900 and shares his ultra origin story...

Martin Janoschek drops in to talk AMC life, from winter leadership courses to stewarding ski trails at Cardigan Lodge. The crew dives into backcountry ski setups (tele, AT, splitboard), ski-leash lessons learned the hard way, and why lodges feel extra magical when it's stupid cold outside.

Anna and Josh recap deep-freeze winter hikes in New Hampshire, sharing hard-earned lessons on pacing, layering, keeping food from freezing, and why slow groups can be colder than you expect. Things get real with a sketchy Mount Cardigan after-dark decision, hypothermia talk, and when turning around is actually the win.

Art and Phred talk winter survival mode: dodgy road conditions, shoulder rehab, fitness dips, and why flexible training beats heroic stupidity this time of year. We also review a Canadian Trail Running (Fishing) Magazine article about How to Be a Lifelong Runner. And take a quick yard sale dive into Skimo, just before we thank our Patreons. We finish with a dope Suno generated 112 song.

The Cultra Crew welcomes New Hampshire–based author and risk management executive Ty Gagne for a wide-ranging conversation on mountain rescues, decision-making, and human behavior in the backcountry. How can we have fun, and live to tell about it?

Why This Episode Matters

Whether you're an ultrarunner, hiker, or weekend adventurer, this episode digs into the uncomfortable but essential truths about preparedness, accountability, and how quickly things can go wrong in the mountains we love. We also open with some details about the Vermont 100 Lottery, and close with some Patreon love!

Hosts: AFB, Ann...

Phred recaps finishing the Across the Years Ultra in Arizona, logging another 100-mile effort and marking his 19th consecutive year with a 100-mile finish. The crew swaps ultra lore, legendary runner sightings, and stories from the deep end of endurance running. Plus we shout out our Cultra Fam. Then we go from hot to cold.

The conversation shifts into winter running survival mode, covering traction options, screw shoes, Gore-Tex debates, layering strategies, and knowing when to run, walk, or rethink bad ideas on ice.

They also preview the Real King of Pain trail run, discuss...

This solo episode is equal parts major announcement, status update, and classic Cultra over-share. AFB checks in on where the show has been, announces a big geographic expansion for Cultra TRP, lays out full details for the 2026 #CUT112 / #CUT50, and closes with a personal update on a long-overdue shoulder replacement.

Intro music by Nick Byram

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Ian Golden from The Trails Collective, Finger Lakes Running Co., Red Newt Racing joins Evil Becky Burke to talk about the challenges of coaching runners of all ages and abilities. 

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Outro music by Nick Byram

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Cultra Trail Runnin...

Author Jared Beasley can tell a great story! Including his encounters with Lazarus Lake, where he earned access to cover the Barkley and Backyard World Championship. Jared shares what he learned: Laz isn't testing fitness—he's testing willpower. Jared's new book The Endurance Artist: Lazarus Lake, the Barkley & a Race with No End covers all this and more.

The Beauty of Breaking Down

Whether dropping at mile 75 or missing a story deadline, Jared finds the same lesson; failure fuels growth. He also recalls witnessing raw humanity at the Backyard, when a Japanese runner and his cre...

AFB and Phred cover highlights from the Cat's Tail Marathon, NotchView Invitational, SRT  and Barclay Fall Classic, and Shan Riggs's run across Connecticut (114 of 169 towns done!).

AFB shares a knee-busting White Mountains hiking story, his adventures at the Glastonbury Senior Center gym, where he scores a gift basket, and a Woodstock RV trip featuring The Black Crowes. Phred recalls a cross-country road trip full of quirky running stops — from the Corn Palace to the Spam Museum.

They rant about Patreon frustrations, pay tribute to Dr. Jack Daniels, and compare Jack LaLanne's stunts to today's fitness influ...

Andrew Drummond is the heartbeat of the White Mountain trail running community -ultrarunner, ski mountaineer, and race director who set the FKT on the Direttissima, summiting all 48 NH 4,000-footers in under five days. We dive into his adventures in ultramarathons, backcountry skiing, and community building in Jackson, NH, including the White Mountain 100, Bubba's Backyard Ultra, and guiding Scott Jurek through the toughest terrain in the East.

As our conversation with Andrew unfolds, what emerges isn't just a tale of mountains or miles, but a love story-of place, of lifestyle, of belonging. It's about finding connection, losing it...

AFB and Evil Becky are back with a full plate of races, mountain lore, and more than a few tangents. If you like your trail chatter served awkwardly with Swedish Fish, this one's for you.

Shan Riggs is at it again!!

Race Recaps: We dive into the Cross Connecticut Run for Mental Health Awareness and Macedonia Trailways in Kent, breaking down the 50K, 25K, and 12K finishers like we were there (spoiler: we weren't).

Cats Tail Drama: Evil Becky drops the bomb that she's skipping Cat's Tail on her birthday (Sept 27th). Send...

Phast Phred, Evil Becky, and AFB host Dick Vincent—the man who's been directing the Escarpment Trail Run in the Catskills for 48 years straight. That makes him the longest-serving trail race director in North America. Laddie Lawrence can have the road scene locked down with Westport's summer series, but when it comes to gnarly trails, Escarpment is Dick's kingdom. He's also a guy who kept a 34-year run streak, ran Boston back in '74, and even left seven toenails out on the course at Western States Endurance Run 100 WSER in '86

If you love trail running history, and...

Krista Petrie and Debbie Clouthier might just be the fastest "slow hikers" you'll ever meet. Joining forces with West Rock Ramblers Anna G(arsten), Josh Gaetjen, and AFB, these Canadian adventurers bring stories that range from the White Mountains to the Arctic and everywhere in between.

We first crossed paths with Krista and Debbie during our Owl's Head adventure in the Whites, and immediately knew we had to get them on Cultra.  We expected good stuff, but at times we were flat-out speechless.

The conversation covers it all:

If we could dream up the perfect trail running club, it would look a whole lot like the Shenipsit Striders. For 50 years, this crew has been building trails, hosting races, and creating a community where everyone: fast, slow, new, or seasoned; feels like family.

In this episode, AFB sits down at the Striders' 50th Anniversary 8 Hour Fatass Run and chats with five runners who embody the heart of the club:

Tony Bonanno

Cherie Bilbie

Jillian Ellefson

Jake Gaeta

Jim Henderson (longtime Strider and keeper of the history b...

Episode 334: Judy Proteau and the Race for the Refuge

This week we're joined by the one and only Judy Proteau—ultrarunner, race director, Highland City Strider, kicker for the NFL, and all-around trail badass. Judy's here to talk about her first year directing the Race for the Refuge, happening September 28th at the Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge in Sudbury, MA. (You bet your ass...abet!)We get into the behind-the-scenes of putting on a race, tribal land permissions, course marking, volunteer wrangling, post-race beer logistics (yes, that's a thing), and why she's adding a guided one-mile fa...

AFB and Evil Becky Burke are back at it, serving up a full platter of ultra goodness from Vermont to Rhode Island, with detours through the Catskills, Soapstone, Notchview, and the Squatchy Surprise in NJ. We're breaking down the highs, lows, and bug bites from recent races, plus dishing on who crushed it, who gutted it out, and who set new course records. 

Art wrestles with "The Yips" on technical trails, Evil Becky relives her sandy Ocean State Ultra dropout at mile 50, and we both agree-some courses need to rethink their "short loop at the end" strategy.

332: The Vermont 100 "Miler" Endurance Race

Our very own podcast famous Jamie Miler, a.k.a., Jamie Miller recently ran VT100, one of the oldest and most iconic trail races in the US, so we take some time to get all the explicit details from Jamie and her crew. This is a great episode to listen to during a long run, and in preparation to either Crew, or run the Vermont 100. We also take some time to recognize the top finishers and some of the friends of the podcast who participated, and in some cases set records at...

In this episode, AFB and Evil Becky dive deep into the madness and method behind prepping for their 48-hour showdown at Notch View. With ice towels, grilled quesadillas, and hallucination avoidance on the menu, the duo breaks down their pacing strategies, sleep plans, nutrition math, and mental game-while still finding time to argue over pee bottles and AI coaching.

Art unveils his "douche canoe" plan to knock out 75 miles in the first 24 hours, relying on hydration tricks and skills gleaned from the Tour De France and Erie Canal Trail before sleeping, rinsing and repeating. Evil Becky brings t...

We take a minute, minute and a half to say thank you to all of our patreons, and to see what some of them are up to.  

Highlander Hustle Portland High

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Outro music by Nick Byram

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Phred is Back, BIGTIME and he finally reels in his "white whale" guest longtime friend and ultrarunning enigma Steven Tursi. Steven and Phred blab about running streaks, hashing adventures, body image, and a lifelong evolution of what it means to be a runner and a friend. Was Steve the original Johnny Appleseed for Cultra? Enjoy this fabulous Bootleg Cultra (Think Grateful Dead Barton Hall, Cornell University, May 8, 1977)

Episode Highlights:

Running Streaks and Ultramarathons

AFB welcomes El Niño a.k.a. the chosen one a.k.a. Tobias Tello a.k.a. Tobi and Abel Murphy, hosts of The Colder Boys podcast, to break down Western States 100.

In This Episode: