The Mile 99 Interview

Send us a text Hi everyone! It's been a while, and life just gets busy with work, family, trying to train and keeping up with all of the springtime events! Sorry we've been out of touch, but look for new full-length episodes later in July and August. In the meantime, since Jess and I both volunteered at Western States this past weekend, we thought it would be fun to record some mini episodes to let you know what we were up to! We hope you'll enjoy these, and we'll talk to you again soon! https://www.wser.org/ Support the show

Send us a text In this episode of The Mile 99 Interview, we sit down with Mike Dimond, a hometown ultrarunner from Auburn, CA, who just punched his ticket to the 2025 Western States 100—not in the main lottery, but through the exclusive M45 Automotive Auburn residents raffle! A Sacramento Metro firefighter, father, and long-time runner, Mike shares how living in the shadow of the Western States finish line shaped his dream, and how his name being drawn at the post-lottery raffle changed everything. 🔥 In This Episode: Auburn RootsBalancing the Firehouse & the Finish LineRunning JourneyThe Lucky DrawTraining TalkMental GritThe Support SquadThis episode is a testament to perseverance, community, and what can happen when preparation meets a little bit of lottery luck! 🔗 Resources & Mentions: Western States Endurance RunSacramento Metropolitan Fire DistrictM45 Automotive – Auburn, CA🎧 Whether you’re a Western States hopeful or just love a great story from the trail, this one will leave you fired up! --- The Mile 99 Interview | Linktree Your Hosts: Jessica Harris / Greg Larkin The Mile 99 Interview is creating podcast episodes | Patreon Venmo | The Mile 99 Interview Intro/outro music: Joseph McDade - Elevation: https://josephmcdade.com/music/elevation Support the show

Send us a text 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: Seasonal Worker FreezeAdvocacy in ActionRunners for Public LandsPermits at RiskWhat is Trail Work, Really?Elke’s Trail Work JourneyVolunteer PowerTrail Work Across CaliforniaLooking AheadSierra Nevada Trails Alliance💬 Whether you’re a trail runner, hiker, or just someone who loves the outdoors, this episode is a call to action: our trails need us. 🛠️ Volunteer. Advocate. Protect. This is your trail too. 🔗 Resources & Links: Runners for Public LandsVolunteer Opportunities – Mammoth Lakes Trail SystemWestern States Trail Foundation🎧 Available now wherever you get your podcasts – hit that play button and get inspired to get dirty! --- The Mile 99 Interview | Linktree Your Hosts: Jessica Harris / Greg Larkin The Mile 99 Interview is creating podcast episodes | Patreon Venmo | The Mile 99 Interview Intro/outro music: Joseph McDade - Elevation: https://josephmcdade.com/music/elevation Support the show

Send us a text 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 he has a whole new approach and is enjoying the process! Joey's positive attitude and outlook are infectious, and he takes many of the lessons and methods that he uses with his high school students and players to develop mental toughness and applies them to his own training. In a typical display of dedication, he was also juggling a football booster club commitment, so we spent the first half of the show talking to Joey and wrapped up with other race news, volunteering updates and chit-chat! Join for an inspirational episode with Joey and follow his progress to that next finish on the Place High track, his home track, in June! --- The Mile 99 Interview | Linktree Your Hosts: Jessica Harris / Greg Larkin The Mile 99 Interview is creating podcast episodes | Patreon Venmo | The Mile 99 Interview Intro/outro music: Joseph McDade - Elevation: https://josephmcdade.com/music/elevation Support the show

Send us a text 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 alternative plan with a 50k race and a new 14 miler! It's still going to be a great weekend up in Carson City with the races and the finish line ultra lounge, so tune in now to get all the details and then go press that green Register button! Register here: https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=123701 Main web site: https://trter.com/ --- The Mile 99 Interview | Linktree Your Hosts: Jessica Harris / Greg Larkin The Mile 99 Interview is creating podcast episodes | Patreon Venmo | The Mile 99 Interview Intro/outro music: Joseph McDade - Elevation: https://josephmcdade.com/music/elevation Support the show

Send us a text 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, please consider volunteering! And if depending on which race you're signed up for, you'll see the Mile 99 crew at the Knickerbocker AS. We can't wait to get you all refueled and on your way! Sign up by February 13th here: https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=118733 Volunteer here: https://ultrasignup.com/volunteer.aspx?dtid=58552 --- The Mile 99 Interview | Linktree Your Hosts: Jessica Harris / Greg Larkin The Mile 99 Interview is creating podcast episodes | Patreon Venmo | The Mile 99 Interview Intro/outro music: Joseph McDade - Elevation: https://josephmcdade.com/music/elevation Support the show

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 about improving fueling and developments in mindset for training and racing. Check out the Dr. Dirtbag blog that Bri mentioned! --- The Mile 99 Interview | Linktree Your Hosts: Jessica Harris / Greg Larkin The Mile 99 Interview is creating podcast episodes | Patreon Venmo | The Mile 99 Interview Support the show

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 seasoned athletes. She has a lot of insight into athletic performance and also shared some of her philosophies that she has developed through her coaching business. Join us for this episode, get to know Bri and get inspired! See ya on the trails! Bri's IG High Desert Endurance - Bri's coaching business Bri's FKTs --- The Mile 99 Interview | Linktree Your Hosts: Jessica Harris / Greg Larkin The Mile 99 Interview is creating podcast episodes | Patreon Venmo | The Mile 99 Interview Intro/outro music: Joseph McDade - Elevation: https://josephmcdade.com/music/elevation Support the show

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 finish at Canyons 100 miler in April. He clued us in on all of his new training methods, including cross-training, and we're excited to follow his progress! See ya on the trails! Todd's Instagram --- The Mile 99 Interview | Linktree Your Hosts: Jessica Harris / Greg Larkin The Mile 99 Interview is creating podcast episodes | Patreon Venmo | The Mile 99 Interview Intro/outro music: Joseph McDade - Elevation: https://josephmcdade.com/music/elevation Support the show

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 races (!), keeping things moving during long efforts, how he started out with timed events and so much more. Tune in to get all of the details! --- The Mile 99 Interview | Linktree Your Hosts: Jessica Harris / Greg Larkin The Mile 99 Interview is creating podcast episodes | Patreon Venmo | The Mile 99 Interview Intro/outro music: Joseph McDade - Elevation: https://josephmcdade.com/music/elevation Support the show

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 in 2022 with unexpected knee issues that forced him out of the race in the second half. But that only fired him up for a full-on redemption run in 2023! Tune in for some more inspiring stories, and we'll see you on the trails! --- The Mile 99 Interview | Linktree Your Hosts: Jessica Harris / Greg Larkin The Mile 99 Interview is creating podcast episodes | Patreon Venmo | The Mile 99 Interview Intro/outro music: Joseph McDade - Elevation: https://josephmcdade.com/music/elevation Support the show

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 at the Memorial Day training runs. JoAnn ultimately finished the race with a wonderful Golden Hour time of 29:13:41, and we are thrilled for her! At the time of the interview, we talked about the difficulty of the training before the race, nutritional challenges and the importance of not comparing your training cycles to what others around you are doing. The next time you see Andy and JoAnn on a run or at and aid station, make sure to say hi! See you on the trails! --- The Mile 99 Interview | Linktree Your Hosts: Jessica Harris / Greg Larkin The Mile 99 Interview is creating podcast episodes | Patreon Venmo | The Mile 99 Interview Intro/outro music: Joseph McDade - Elevation: https://josephmcdade.com/music/elevation Support the show

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 changes with group runs in the area and some upcoming races to get excited about. We wrapped up with a giveaway from the Wild Runners Auburn store (big thanks to them!), and congratulations to our winner Bret Lang! Bret is the local brains behind Bret's Big Gamble, a fun random running challenge for the fall, so click the link to read up on it and DM Bret ASAP to register. Tune in for this episode, and we can't wait to see you all on the trails! --- The Mile 99 Interview | Linktree Your Hosts: Jessica Harris / Greg Larkin The Mile 99 Interview is creating podcast episodes | Patreon Venmo | The Mile 99 Interview Intro/outro music: Joseph McDade - Elevation: https://josephmcdade.com/music/elevation Support the show

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! TRT main site TRT live tracker --- The Mile 99 Interview | Linktree Your Hosts: Jessica Harris / Greg Larkin The Mile 99 Interview is creating podcast episodes | Patreon Venmo | The Mile 99 Interview Intro/outro music: Joseph McDade - Elevation: https://josephmcdade.com/music/elevation Support the show

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 building! We wrapped up with hearing about the plan for The Rusty Nails team to head back to Chamonix for the PTL race and all of the training required this time around. We can't wait to follow the team on the live tracker there this fall! See you at States! Main web site: https://www.wser.org/ 2024 pre-race medical series videos: https://www.facebook.com/wser100/videos --- The Mile 99 Interview | Linktree Your Hosts: Jessica Harris / Greg Larkin The Mile 99 Interview is creating podcast episodes | Patreon Venmo | The Mile 99 Interview Intro/outro music: Joseph McDade - Elevation: https://josephmcdade.com/music/elevation Support the show

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 Stupid podcast --- The Mile 99 Interview | Linktree Your Hosts: Jessica Harris / Greg Larkin The Mile 99 Interview is creating podcast episodes | Patreon Venmo | The Mile 99 Interview Intro/outro music: Joseph McDade - Elevation: https://josephmcdade.com/music/elevation Support the show

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 to becoming the runner he is today. Tune in and join us for all of it! --- The Mile 99 Interview | Linktree Your Hosts: Jessica Harris / Greg Larkin The Mile 99 Interview is creating podcast episodes | Patreon Venmo | The Mile 99 Interview Intro/outro music: Joseph McDade - Elevation: https://josephmcdade.com/music/elevation Support the show

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 involved in learning more about and researching human potential and joined the team at Lululemon's Project FURTHER with the goal of helping a team of women run further than they ever had before. The annual Western States Health and Athletics Conference is also coming up on May 24th in Auburn (link below), and running-oriented health professionals should check that out! Learn about these events and all of the other exciting things going on with JoAnn and Andy this year as we get ready to cheer on JoAnn at Western States! Project FURTHER Western States Health and Athletics Conference --- The Mile 99 Interview | Linktree Your Hosts: Jessica Harris / Greg Larkin The Mile 99 Interview is creating podcast episodes | Patreon Venmo | The Mile 99 Interview Intro/outro music: Joseph McDade - Elevation: https://josephmcdade.com/music/elevation Support the show

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 fantastic as a first time experience and even with some phyiscal setbacks, he kept grinding to get a finish in Auburn. Jess and her co-captains and volunteers maintained an intense pace all through the weekend with a critical aid station late in the races for the runners to get themselves fueled and on to the finish line. She knows what it's like for the runners and never fails to get them what they need! Luckily, the heat did not appear this year like it did in 2023, and now we're all in for some much needed rest and recovery. See you on the trails! --- The Mile 99 Interview | Linktree Your Hosts: Jessica Harris / Greg Larkin The Mile 99 Interview is creating podcast episodes | Patreon Venmo | The Mile 99 Interview Support the show

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 information Auburn local businesses - please support them! --- The Mile 99 Interview | Linktree Your Hosts: Jessica Harris / Greg Larkin The Mile 99 Interview is creating podcast episodes | Patreon Venmo | The Mile 99 Interview Intro/outro music: Joseph McDade - Elevation: https://josephmcdade.com/music/elevation Support the show