The Mile 99 Interview

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In this inspiring episode of The Mile 99 Interview, we sit down with two passionate trail stewards: Elke Reimer and Tim Tollefson. You might know Tim for his elite trail running accomplishments, but today, he’s wearing a different hat—one of advocacy, stewardship, and public lands protection. Alongside him, Elke shares her deep experience in trail maintenance and volunteer coordination.

Together, they unpack the behind-the-scenes work that keeps our trails runnable, beautiful, and accessible.

🌲 In This Episode:

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We had a great time chatting with Joey "Coach" Montoya, local Auburn ultrarunner, football coach and PE teacher at Placer High School. We first met Joey back in episode 60 when he was getting ready for his first attempt at the 2021 Western States. He finished the race, but as he described to us, there was a lot of stress to manage as he approached the event.

Fast forward three years, and he's once again been given the honor to run the race in a designated aid station spot (El Dorado Creek), and...

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George Ruiz, race director of the Tahoe Rim Trail Endurance Runs, dropped by to talk about the changes for the 2025 race after getting word that a major reconstruction project would prevent the new 100k and popular 100 mile race from occurring this year. This was a shock to the trail running community since this race is incredibly popular and has extremely dedicated entrants.

George didn't just decide to close up for 2025 once he found out that the dam at Marlette Lake had to be repaired. He dug in and came up with...

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Fourmidable race director Paulo Medina and original founder of the Mile 99 Interview visited us to go over everything related to this year's race! It's one of the traditional 50k races in the Auburn area to kick another season of trail and ultrarunning and always draws a great crowd!

There are multiple distances and lots of great information to share about each one in the episode and we went over all of the pre-race and race day details and fielded questions from the audience too. If you aren't signed up to race...

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Bri hung out for a while after the main show and talked about her White Mountain Traverse FKT from Boundary Peak in Nevada to White Mountain in California - inspiring stuff!

She also shared advice for runners whether they are just getting into trail running or even if they've been around a while. HINT: plan for longevity and incorporate cross training!

We talked about other bucket list trips and adventures, so make sure to tune in and get some ideas for yourself! We finally wrapped up with some ideas...

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Bri joined us for a fantastic episode where we learned all about her start as a young kid riding her bike and chasing her mom on her runs. She was instinctively drawn to climbing any nearby hill, and this fit well with her future direction in life! 

Fast forward to recent years and to the present day, and Bri has become a highly accomplished ultrarunner, coach and FKT holder. Her journey and stories about her many endeavors have great lessons for all of us, whether we're just starting out or are s...

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Happy New Year everyone!

We caught up with previous guest Todd Woodward as we kick off 2025 after a bit of a break. Todd last joined us in 2024 after his speedy performance at Miwok 100k. Unfortunately, he had to spend a bit of time rehabbing his ankle after that race and we got all of the details about how that went.

He finished the year strong with a solid performance at the NorCal Backyard Ultra and a podium finish at the Doomsday Half Marathon. For 2025, he's gunning for a fast...

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After some unexpected time off, the Mile 99 team is back on track and making post show content that was recorded earlier this year available to our audience. We hope you enjoy it and thank you for your continued support!

Ken stuck around with us after the show and Jess kicked us off with a great story of the first time she ran into Ken during a 50k race that she was having a tough time at. We covered a lot of other topics include Ken's affinity for using ironing boards during...

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After some unexpected time off, the Mile 99 team is back on track and making post show content that was recorded earlier this year available to our audience. We hope you enjoy it and thank you for your continued support!

Todd stuck around after the main show to chat with us about his fantastic experience at the 2024 Miwok 100k and having the ability to crank up the speed late in the race to get a sub-14 hour finish! We also learned how difficult of a time he had at Rio del Lago 100...

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After some unexpected time off, the Mile 99 team is back on track and making post show content that was recorded earlier this year available to our audience. We hope you enjoy it and thank you for your continued support!

Doctor JoAnn and Doctor Andy stuck around after the main show and had some time to chat about Andy's upcoming podcast, and we'll be sure to announce it when it's ready! JoAnn was in the thick of training for Western States when we spoke to them, and they had a great time...

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Wow, where does the time go?? Hello again everyone, and sorry for being out of touch since our last episode in July before TRT. A lot has happened since then for both of us, and we've missed our trail running community and audience, and we're so glad you're all still here for us.

Jess and I sat down for a catching-up episode to get us back on track, and we're looking forward to more episodes this fall. We covered what we've been doing for the past few months, some of the...

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Tahoe Rim Trail Endurance Runs race director George Ruiz joined us again this year to dig into all of the last minute details of the race, answer runner and crew questions and get everyone pumped for the race! We got through a ton of information and audience questions, and if you're running, crewing, volunteering or supporting the race in any way, don't miss this one!

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Our favorite guest, Western States race director Craig Thornley, made some time in his extremely busy schedule before the race to join us for some updates and his plans for the rest of the year. Things are slowly getting back to normal after the Mosquito Fire, and the Duncan Canyon and Dusty Corners aid stations can be accessed via Mosquito Ridge Road again - welcome news!

We also talked about other events surrounding the race like the Friends of the Trail awards and the International Runners' Picnic. The pre-race excitement is...

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Ken Michal joined us for an in-depth conversation about his journey from heavy smoking to his current endeavors at all distances of trail runs as well as long timed events. He recently completed the Pigtails Challenge 200 miler in Washington state, winning in a time of just over 71 hours.

We delve into his philosophy around training and racing and all of the things that he has learned over his many years running over 150 races, so tune in to hear more! And check out his podcast too - link below!

Running...

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Folsom runner Todd Woodward first discovered road running later in life and then found his true calling of trail and ultrarunning right before the pandemic started in 2020. He has taken an analytical approach to his training, nutrition, strategy and racing and has great advice for others looking to pick up the sport after the age of 40.

He has just finished a sub-14 hour Miwok 100k in absolutely horrible weather conditions and lived to tell! This is just one of the many stories we dig into as we hear about his journey...

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Doctors JoAnn Ellero and Andy Pasternak joined us to talk about how they met in med school, their evolution together as runners and JoAnn's ultimate goal of running Western States happening this June! We've had Dr. Andy on several times in the past as part of our Western States episodes in his role as the medical director, and now we get to learn more about JoAnn and him, all of the races they've done together, both road and trail, and all of the buildup to this June!

They are also heavily...

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Things got a little busy for the Mile 99 team after the Canyons pre-race briefing and before the start of the race so this is showing up a little late, but we had some time with Abbey, Sean and Chaz after the show. We delved into talking about the various aid stations, their captains and dedicated volunteers and the community that has been built around this iconic race for the past decade.

From Greg's standpoint as a runner this year, the race itself went off without a hitch, the new course was...

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The Canyons Endurance Runs by UTMB are less than a week away, and race directors Chaz Sheya, Abbey Drake and Sean Flanagan joined us to go over all of the late-breaking information and updates needed for runners, pacers, crew members and volunteers. It's going to be a huge party in Auburn and on the trails over April 25th-27th, 2024, so make sure to tune in here and see you on course!

Volunteer signup page - get involved!

Canyons Endurance Runs runner guide

"Where's my runner?" live tracking...

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Join Jessica for this week's episode as she sits down with Ken Krogsrud of Bad Luck Run Club to talk about the second annual Placer Trail Running Festival!

Now in its second year, the PTRF offers something for everyone from a 50k race to a 1k kid's race, a 5k canicross event and many other distances. This is truly a running festival, held over April 13th and 14th this year, and Ken and Jessica get into all of the pre-race details that you'll need to know.

So grab the...

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Ethan Veneklasen, co-race director of the Broken Arrow Skyrace sat down with us to do a deep dive in the origins of the race, the formation of the team that brings this unique and iconic event to the Tahoe region and how it has grown over the years.

The Broken Arrow Skyrace is now a nationally and internationally recognized race that has grown hugely popular but still retains its grassroots feel. The race directors are committed to each and every entrant and the community that hosts them. They recently formed an...

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Bob, Tim, Elke, Jennifer and Hal from the History Expeditions team hung around with us for a bit after the main show and we got the inside scoop on the snoring volume, the ability to ward off coyotes, team jokes and all of the great times spent around the campfire. The team connected with so many people from all walks of life along the way, adding another enriching element to their experience.

Join us for all of the details!
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Elke's trail work...

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The History Expeditions team of Bob Crowley, Tim Twietmeyer, Elke Reimer, Jennifer Hemmen and Hal Hall sat down with us shortly after completing their epic trek from Placerville, CA to Genoa, NV over the course of 5 days.

The 2024 expedition they chose was a commemoration of the incredible efforts of John "Snowshoe" Thompson, a legendary figure of the Sierra Nevada mountains in California in the mid-1800s. Snowshoe spent 20 years carrying mail and supplies over the mountains under his own power in all conditions, using all of his skills to navigate and...

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In our third and final of three consecutive weeks of pre-race briefings to cover the early season 50k races here in the Auburn area, race director Julie Fingar and special guest Jennifer Maxwell, founder of JAMBAR, joined us to walk through all of the Way Too Cool 50k race details.

This race is a classic and now in its 34th year with plenty of heavy hitters showing up year after year and also drawing a large contingent of runners from all over Northern California and beyond. The Mile 99 crew will be...

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In our second of three consecutive weeks of pre-race briefings to cover the early season 50k races here in the Auburn area, race founder Roger Leasure and race director Clint Claassen joined us to talk about the Salmon Falls 50k and new half-marathon course.

We got all of the details about how the race started, how it benefits the JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation) and all of the logistics needed for the 50k and new half-marathon course. This is a fantastic point-to-point race on a very runnable course with a spectacular...

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The Northern California ultra trail racing season is upon us, and what better way to kick it off than with a pre-race briefing for the classic FOURmidable race held in mid-February in Auburn every year? Race director Paulo Medina joins us again to give us all of the details for the various race distances from 13k to 50k and everything in between!

We had plenty of questions from the audience and answered all of them and more, so we hope everyone has a great race and make sure to say hi...

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Bruna, Kelly and Jack stuck around after the main show to talk more about the DPMR trail running festival planned for June and what goes into planning and organizing this new event! This festival will bridge the weekends of the Broken Arrow Sky Race and the Western States Endurance Run and will include daily events, runs and other festivities designed for the whole community.

Bruna also described what it's like step into the role as a new board member and some of the tasks, initiatives and plans for the coming years...

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It's been a while since we've talked to our friends at Donner Party Mountain Runners up the hill in the Tahoe/Truckee area, and what better time to do that again than just before their winter snowshoe race!

Previous DPMR board members Kelly Barber and Jack Macy joined us along with new board member Bruna Bradford, and we were glad to meet Bruna and hear about her running journey that eventually brought her to the Truckee area.

Then we dove into all of the upcoming events that DPMR is...

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Nick stayed on the line with us after the main show, and we got to dig into a lot more topics like how he ended up in California after growing up in a hockey family in Michigan and how the crossover from hockey to trail running has its advantages. We also dug into a topic near and dear to the Mile 99 - the importance of the running community, and then wrapped up by talking about some of the extreme races he's done and his opinions on trends in running shoe design.

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Jess and Greg sat down with Nick Budzyn, an extremely accomplished Northern California ultrarunner with an impressive resumé who came into the sport of road and trail running after a lengthy hockey career in his school years spent in Michigan.

He's now an Altra tech rep in the area and has put down some major performances since 2009 when he decided to try a 100 miler as his very first ultra distance race! Nick also joined the Mile 99 team at Rio Del Lago 100 in 2023 in the race's very first livestream broadcast and we l...

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Jess and Greg kept chatting some more after the main show and were joined by upcoming guest Nicholas Budzyn, Altra shoe rep who joined in the RDL livestream and kept it going along with the team!

We chatted about adjusting to managing the podcast with two co-hosts, some of our favorite road and trail options around our homes, and caught up with Nicholas about what he's been up to since RDL and some exciting Altra shoe announcements! Tune in and get all of the latest scoop!
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Join us in this episode as we dig into each other's backgrounds a bit for new listeners, thank our dedicated supporters, talk about goals and resolutions for 2024 and all of the  impact that our listeners have had over the years in volunteering, trail work and fundraisers. We couldn't have done it without you!

It was also a bittersweet episode after the December announcement that our original co-host Mike had decided to leave the show to pursue other interests. We wish him well in his new direction, wherever it may lead.

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Scott stuck around after the main show to talk about his love of the Canyons, how the Mosquito Fire changed the landscape and how we all are going to get used to it in its new form. He was also honored with a Western States "Friend of the Trail" award for his tireless contributions and volunteering for the Western States Endurance Run.

Join us for more stories!

Western States - Friends of the Trail
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In this episode, we delve into the early life and exploits of Scott Vosburg, an avid runner on all surfaces, dedicated father, and integral volunteer within our local race community. With 13 finishes at CIM (California International Marathon) and a noteworthy record of completing the grueling Western States 100-mile race six times over the past 11 years, Scott's journey is one steeped in endurance and commitment.

Beyond his personal achievements, Scott plays a pivotal role as the pace group coordinator at CIM, ensuring the seamless progression of runners during this popular Boston qualifying...

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Want more of Emily? Join us for the post show as Jess and Emily dive a bit deeper and chat about why they both love Salmon Falls so much and if Emily plans on winning again in 2024…YES. We also chat about visas and citizenship as a trail runner, and how Emily became the first Professional Trail Runner to receive a Professional Athlete Visa. Super Cool. Let’s Go!!

Emily Hawgood's Results (ultrasignup.com)
Photo by: @riffraff002
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Tonight, we are streaming all the way to South Africa to talk to the amazing and world-renowned trail runner Emily Hawgood. From her roots running with her mom all around their family-owned dairy farm outside the small town of Beatrice, Zimbabwe to Professional Athlete racing all over the world at races like the Sky Running World Series, UTMB, and Western States.  Emily is kicking butt and taking names. And the best part, she now calls Northern California home, so you may see her out on our local trails.  We have a lot to co...

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We have a special treat For Episode 109.  Not only do we have local legend Jungle Jim Kepfer, King of the North Fork Wild and Scenic American River Canyon…but to mix it up, Jim is interviewed by his AND OUR longtime friend and prior Mile 99 guest herself Maria Stainhauser. Check out Episode 34 from October 2021 to get all the deets on how amazing Maria is. This is a good. Let’s jump in.
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Want more of Jim and Maria? We dive deeper and chat about what is to come, plus share a few more classic stories about encountering bears, mountain lions, and even a BULL. Maybe it was Old Man MIller’s cow? Join us. 

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Intro/outro music: Joseph McDade - Elevation: https://josephmcdade.com/music/elevation

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Norma and Chris stuck around with our Patreon members, Robert and Brett, to reflect more on the 2022 Rio del Lago race, prepping and strategizing for the Javelina 100 (Norma's redemption race) and how to manage heat in long ultra races. We got into some plans for the 2024 season and had a great chat. Tune in for more insights from our guests!
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In this episode, we had the pleasure of hosting two guests, Norma Faubert and Chris Perlberg, both seasoned ultrarunners from the Auburn area. They joined us to recount their unforgettable experiences at the 2022 Rio del Lago 100, where they each tackled their debut 100-mile trail race.

Though their journeys took divergent paths, the wisdom they gained and the insights they shared will be invaluable to both new and seasoned 100-mile runners. Tune in to hear their inspirational tales of endurance, determination, and self-discovery!

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