Carolina Ultra Runners Podcast (Patrick Lloyd)

Chris Squires is one of the two co-race directors, along with Rhonda Hampton, of the Umstead 100, which is one of the biggest and most important 100 mile races in the Carolinas. Umstead is the only Western States qualifier in the Carolinas as well. On this episode, Chris talks about the history of the race, the course, notable past performances, and he gives advice for runners who are running the race. We also play a little Umstead trivia at the end. For more information on the Umstead 100, visit https://www.umstead100.org/.

In 2023, Eagle Endurance Race Director Chad Haffa announced he was going to stop putting on his beloved races (notable ones included Hell Hole Hundred, Swamp Fox Ultra, Frozen: H3 and Hallucination, among others). Lowcountry ultra runners were devastated. That's when Kayla Fitzgerald came swooping in as the hero of this story. Kayla took over RD duties of Chad's former races, ensuring Lowcountry runners would have local ultras to run for the foreseeable future. Kayla is also a registered dietician who works with runners on how to get the most out of their nutrition. On the episode, Kayla shares her running background, her work as a dietician, the story of how she inherited Chad's races and how her first event as a race director went, among other topics as well. Learn more about Palmetto Ultras Follow Palmetto Ultras on Facebook Follow Palmetto Ultras on Instagram ⁠Learn more about Endurance Nutrition⁠ Follow Endurance Nutrition on Facebook Follow Endurance Nutrition on Instagram

Riley and Jacob Moss are the race directing power couple behind The Raven 24 hr, which is a track 24 hr race held in Mt. Pleasant, SC. 2024 will be the second year of the race, and its purpose is to get some of the fastest ultra runners in the country to attempt to qualify for the USA 24 hr team. Jacob is also a decorated ultra runner himself. He has two sub-13 hour 100 mile finishes and a PR in the 24 hr of 159 miles. On this episode, Riley and Jacob talk about what goes into putting on The Raven, who some of the runners to look out for this year are and more. Jacob also makes a bold prediction about how he'll do at The Raven since he runs it also, and he spills some tea on plans for future races he and Riley want to direct.

Follow Jacob on Instagram at @thejacobmoss.

To learn more about Jacob's coaching services, visit https://www.trailrun.coach/runcoaches.

Learn more about The Raven by visiting https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=104440.

Hanna Berghout is an Apex, NC native who recently finished the Hellbender 100, one of the toughest 100 milers in the Carolinas. Hanna walks us through her training, how her race went down and how her recovery is going. This is a must-listen for anyone who wants to run Hellbender in the future!

Matt Hammersmith is one of the most recognizable names in the running community in the upstate of South Carolina. Countless people have run their first ultra at his events. On this episode, Matt talks about his history in the sport, how he grew the running community in the upstate, his races he directs with a focus on Country Mile 48 hr, his future running goals and much more. Find out more about the Upstate Race Series at https://runsignup.com/w/UpstateRunningClub. Find out more about Matt's coaching services at https://www.iamwithoutlimits.com/coaches/matt-hammersmith/.

Kayla is back on the podcast to give us a preview of what to expect for this year's Swamp Fox Ultra! Register here: https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=112190

Aaron Fenton is a triathlete from Euharlee, Georgia who recently tried his first 100 miler. Not only did he try it ... he won it. On this episode, Aaron tells us about his experience at the Frozen: H3 100 miler in Bethera, SC.

Emily Lyons is a runner from Castle Hayne, North Carolina in the Wilmington area who races all the time. Her schedule is always packed with ultras, and she loves taking part in them. Emily also has a special affinity for races with the word "Badwater" in them. She is a finisher of all three Badwater races, Badwater Cape Fear, Badwater Salton Sea and Badwater 135. On this episode, Emily tells us about her recent finish at the 2024 Umstead 100, her finish at the 2023 Badwater 135 and her recent finish at the 2024 Badwater Cape Fear. You can follow Emily on Instagram @hungry_vegan_runner.

CHANCE TO WIN AN ULTRASIGNUP GIFT CARD BELOW! Charlotte Corriher is one of the most well known members of the Carolina Ultra Running community. She wears costumes to every single race she runs. She is also a very prolific racer who runs dozens of races all over the country every year. On this episode, Charlotte talks about her love of running in costumes, the challenges of running in costumes, what some of her favorite races in the Carolinas are, and she recaps her recent 100 mile finish at Jackpot Ultras in Las Vegas. One of Charlotte's upcoming races is the Cape Fear 24 hr in Lillington, NC. She doesn't have a costume picked out for the race yet. Provide your best suggestion for a costume for Charlotte's Cape Fear 24 hr at the link below, and if she picks yours, you win an Ultrasignup gift card! https://forms.gle/VFks4Xy1wAoyULFy5

Sign up for the Inferno Ultra! August 3, 2024 just outside Myrtle Beach, SC. 6/12 hr lap challenge. Price increases after June 14. Link to register here: https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=115602.

Karl Meltzer is a legend of the sport, and one of his favorite races just so happens to be the Hellbender 100 in North Carolina, which he ran this year. Karl talks about his experience at this year's Hellbender as well as a ton of other topics like his proudest achievement as a runner, when he expects to finish his 100th 100 miler and much, much more.

Brian Phlegar is my cousin. He thru hiked the AT. He lives in Wilmington. Listen to this episode. Thanks.

Katie Stanford joins us on this episode to talk about her finish at the Pikes Peak 50K in Colorado. Katie is a Durham, NC native who made the trip out west to battle the altitude and elevation gain. She crushed it!

Follow the Carolina Ultra Runners Podcast on Facebook! I would link to it here, but I'm too lazy. Just go search for it on Facebook. Thanks.

Register for the Cannonball Run!! https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=118221

On this episode, we have Pat Hasler from Cincinnati, Ohio. He recently won The Raven 24 Hour in Mt. Pleasant. His distance of 151.489 miles was enough to earn him a spot on Team USA's 24 Hour team at the World Championships in October ... for now. The qualifying window ends May 26, so if another American man runs more than 151.489, he won't be on the team anymore except as an alternate. We are hoping he won't get knocked off! This conversation was a great dive into Pat's history as a runner, his longtime dream of making the U.S. 24 hour team and what makes him so great at what he does.

Christi Ballagh was first female at the last ever Charleston 100. Hear how she made it happen on dis episode.

Tara Dower made history at the 2024 Umstead 100 by becoming just the second woman in the race's history to finish first place overall. The Virginia Beach native finished in a blazing fast time of 14:58:21. On this episode, Tara talks us through how the race went down, and she also tells us about her new status as a professional runner (sponsored by Altra, Ultraspire and First Endurance) and her love of running FKTs (she holds the overall FKT for the Benton Mackaye Trail and the female FKT for the Mountains to Sea Trail and is chasing the Appalachian Trail FKT this year!)

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In this introduction episode, find out what you can expect to hear on the Carolina Ultra Runners Podcast and how it came to be.

Register for the Cannonball Run!! https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=118221

2025 Umstead 100 winner Brian Zickefoose joins us on this episode to talk about his insane finish at the race. He passed the leader at mile 98! He also has an incredible background story of how he got into the sport.

Register for the Myrtle Beach 24 Hour!! https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=123625

We chat with the Charleston area's Brett Welborn on this episode! Great guy, great conversation. Very knowledgeable.

On this episode, Patrick's wife Tatiana comes in as guest host to interview Patrick and his friend Brandon Johnston to talk about their experience running the Blackbeard's Revenge 100, as well as their one-man crew, Andy Barrett. The boys talk all about how their race went down, how they dealt with the brutal weather conditions and what it was like crossing that 100 mile finish line. Patrick finished the race in 9th place overall with a time of 22:45:23, and Brandon finished in 11th place overall and 2nd place male masters with a time of 23:26:21.

Sign up for the Tsali Ultra! January 18, 2025 in Almond, NC. 50K, 30K or 8K. Use code CAROLINA to get 10% off when you register! ⁠https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=116141

Brian Atkinson is a super fast ex-D1 runner who has dipped his toes into the trail/ultra scene. The Asheville runner recently won the Grand-Further Mountain Run 25K and beat ultra legend/past guest of the podcast John Kelly in the process.

8-year-old Miles Moore and 7-year-old Braylee Varnadoe stole all the headlines at Farmdaze 2024 by becoming the newest members of the ultra world when they finished the 24 hr race with 50K! On this episode, Miles and Braylee talk through their preparation for the race, how the race went and how their friends at school reacted to their accomplishments. Miles and Braylee are joined by their dads, who are former Carolina Ultra Runners Podcast guests, Noah Moore and Chris Varnadoe.

Charleston 100 Race Director Noah Moore joins the Carolina Ultra Runners Podcast to talk about his races, Peyton's Wild & Wacky 10x5K, Charleston Itty Bitty 50 and of course the Charleston 100. Noah details his journey of getting into running, how he got into race directing, how he honors his late son through his races, this year's Charleston 100 and why he signs his young son up for 24-hour races. To learn more about Noah and the Peyton Johnson Moore fund, visit http://run4p.com/.

Dave Morl is a Bigfoot 200 finisher from Rutherfordton, NC. Originally from the UK, Dave is an experienced ultra runner who has finished all kinds of distances including all three of Candice Burt's 200+ mile races.

REGISTER FOR THE MYRTLE BEACH 24 HOUR!! https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=123625

Sign up for the Inferno Ultra! August 3, 2024 just outside Myrtle Beach, SC. 6/12 hr lap challenge. Link to register here: ⁠https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=115602. On this episode, we preview the Inferno Ultra with John Bodner, owner of Apex Promoz, the company putting the race on, and the Harts, Heather and Geoff, who are local legends in the Myrtle Beach area and sponsors of the race. Come on out to Myrtle Beach and run the Inferno with us!

Sign up for the Tsali Ultra! January 18, 2025 in Almond, NC. 50K, 30K or 8K. Use code CAROLINA to get 10% off when you register! https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=116141

Walterboro, SC's Chris Varnadoe pulled off an amazing performance at the 2024 Vol State 500K. He won the race, putting South Carolina on the national stage. On this episode, Chris recaps his race along with his wife Tiffini, who crewed him for the race as she does for all his races.

Sign up for the Mountaineer Rumble 100M/100K/50K/9 miler! https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=111833.

Race Director Chris Waldt joins us on this episode to tell us all about his race in Blacksburg, SC. This is an awesome race that is great for first time 100 milers and anyone who wants to see what they can do on a hilly course that won't totally destroy their quads the same way a mountainous race would.

Lisa McFadden has run many races including some of the most notable races in the sport of ultra running. But none of those previous races compare in terms of notoriety than her recent DNF at the Barkley Marathons. Making it to the yellow gate in the first place is an impressive feat in and of itself. On this episode, Lisa tells us how her Barkley experience went down.

Register for the Cannonball Run! https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=118221

The Cannonball Run's RD Kayla Fitzgerald joins us on this episode to talk all about her brand new race.

Robert Harem from Mt. Pleasant, SC fills us in on how his 2024 Bighorn 100 experience went. Robert is a very experienced ultra runner who has raced all over the world. Robert also tells us about how he manages to do mountainous races despite living in the flatlands of coastal SC.

With the 2024 Blackbeard's Revenge 100 coming up soon, 2022 finisher Tim Garriss joins the podcast to talk about his experience at the race to give runners a good idea of what to expect at the race. Tim also talks about his background in running, his background in martial arts and more. To read Tim's race reports and other content from him, visit http://timgarriss.blogspot.com/.

Dave Moore is a Lowcountry ultra runner who, even in the extreme world of ultra running, runs distances that are considered extreme. Dave has several 200+ mile distance finishes under his belt like Vol State and Heart of the South. His most recent super long distance finish was the Swammie Shuffle 200, which is mostly in the Outer Banks of North Carolina but also has some portions in the Outer Banks of Virginia. On this episode, Dave talks about how he got into the extreme distances, running 100 miles in firefighter gear, how he's able to take so much time off work to run these insane races, and he recaps his Swammie Shuffle experience.

Register for the Myrtle Beach 24 Hour!! https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=123625

John Kelly returns to talk about his Barkley Fun Run and his big news that he’s going after the Appalachian Trail FKT!

Dan Hernandez and Kerry Dulina are the race directors of Rough Runners/Run 4 A Reason. They direct several races mostly in Georgia, but new for 2024, they're introducing the Daufuskie Island 100/50/Relay. On this episode, Dan and Kerry talk about how they got involved in running and race directing, and they give an in depth preview of the Daufuskie Island 100.

Going into the 2023 Charleston 100, Kyle Stroble had several 100 mile buckles, but something was eluding him the whole time: a sub-24 hour finish. After switching up his training and race strategy, Kyle was able to pull off not only a sub-24 finish, but also a sub-23 finish (and nearly a sub-22 finish) at Charleston in 2023. On this episode, Kyle walks us through the changes he made to help him capture his white whale.

Great back of the pack story for this one. Brent Wise finished the 40 miler at the Sugg Farm Ultra with just 1:21 left before the 12-hour cutoff.

On this episode, learn all about the Trail Running Film Festival and its tour stop in Asheville on April 21, 2024. Host Tera Pruett tells us all about it, and she also tells us about how she got into running, her core tenets as a running coach and what it's like to live in an RV. To learn more about Asheville's tour stop of the Trail Running Film Festival, visit https://trailfilmfest.com/event/asheville-north-carolina/. To learn more about Tera's coaching services, visit https://www.terapruett.com/.

Tony Bruno is a Hilton Head native who has incredible PRs at every distance from 5K to 100 miles. He currently holds the 55-59 American age group record for 50 miles after he ran 6:53 at The Raven in February 2024. On this episode, though, Tony talks about his 15:16:55 he pulled off for 100 miles at Six Days in the Dome.

Register for the Swamp Fox Ultra! ⁠https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=112190

Cape Fear 24 hr RD Lisa McFadden joins the show for the second time, this time to discuss how things went down from her perspective for the 2024 Cape Fear 24 hr.

Sign up for the Inferno Ultra! August 3, 2024 just outside Myrtle Beach, SC. 6/12 hr lap challenge. Price increases after June 14. Link to register here: ⁠https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=115602⁠.

Trey Morrison is an Asheboro, NC native who is on a mission to run a 100 mile race in all 50 states. He recently finished his second 100 miler at the Keys 100 in Florida. He is also the founder of Run With Christ and has overcome incredible hardships to get to where he is in life.

Laurie Matecki is another one of those runners who if you haven't heard of her, you've probably seen her at a race at some point. With over 150 results on Ultrasignup, Laurie is everywhere all the time. One of her most recent finishes is the Buckeye 200, which was her first 200 mile race (although she's done Vol State and HOTS).

Kevin Hodak of Cary, NC recently finished 3rd overall at the brutal Uwharrie 100 in Troy, NC.

John Kelly is a three-time finisher of the race many consider to be the toughest in the world: The Barkley Marathons. He joins us on this episode to talk all about his third finish. He also talks about how almost no one wants to interview him this year, some of the Barkley mementos he keeps at his house, whether a hot dog is a sandwich and much more. Follow John on Facebook here. Follow John on Instagram here. Follow John on Twitter or X or whatever it's called now here.

Register for the Swamp Fox Ultra! https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=112190

Doing something new this time around: a solo episode recapping my Cape Fear 24 hr, which I finished with 107.7078 miles.

Register for the Myrtle Beach 24 Hour!! https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=123625

Finally got Ray K on the show, and wow, he did not disappoint! He shared so many amazing stories of his very long career in ultra running (he started in 1979!). If you don't have time to listen to the whole thing, I highly recommend you at least listen until his story of when he just barely beat Ann Trason in a 50 mile race.

Special edition of the podcast here as we highlight some of the best of the best of the first year of the pod. Giving out awards and revealing the top 10 most listened to episodes. No disrespect to anyone who didn't make it. The CURPY academy has a limit on how many episodes we could honor. I'd honor them all if it was up to me.

Colleen Drahos entered The Raven 24 hr with the same goal everyone else in the race had: To run a qualifying distance for the U.S. National 24 Hour Running Team. Colleen was the only one who walked away with that coveted prize despite flying a bit under the radar before the race. On this episode, Colleen shares her love of the 24 hr event, the changes in her training she made after hiring Zach Bitter as her coach and how her experience at The Raven went down.

Chris Collins is from Clayton, NC and has been doing some great stuff in the ultra scene lately. He runs twice a day every day and hasn't had a sip of alcohol for the last 2.5 years. Chris recently finished the Southern Tour Ultra 50 Miler, and he talks all about it on this episode.

Brandon Johnston from Surfside Beach, South Carolina made the trip out west to run the Javelina Jundred and did so in under 24 hours. I accompanied him to crew and pace him. We relive it all here.

Register for the Cannonball Run!https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=118221

Way too late but finally got Karen Jackson on the show! The Vol State legend from Santee, SC joins us to tell us about why she loves Vol State and wearing sandals while running among other things.

Register for the Myrtle Beach 24 Hour!! https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=123625

Viktoria Brown is an ultra legend from Canada. She has too many records to list! She recently got first place female at The Raven 24 Hour in Mt. Pleasant, SC. On this episode, we talk about how she got into the sport, her Hungarian origins, her fascination with super long races, her thoughts on the Camille Herron situation and of course a recap of her race at The Raven. Such a great conversation!

You can follow Viktoria on Facebook, Instagram and on her website.

The 2023 Charleston 100 champion Chris Varnadoe joins us on this episode to talk about his experience at the race. Prior to his discussion of his 2023 Charleston 100 win, Chris talks about how he got into running, his experience in 200+ mile races, his insane Vol State finish, his change in training for Charleston and his unique diet.

Shannon Howell is the runner you wish you were. The Upstate native has traveled all over the world to run ultras of all kinds of distances, and she's usually competing in them as well. Her notable accomplishments include finishing as 13th female at Western States and finishing UTMB. She's also won several races and finished other big name races like Big Horn and Leadville. She also recently finished the Black Canyon 100K. On the episode, Shannon talks about her history of running, her notable performances from recent years, her recent Black Canyon 100K experience and much more. You can read Shannon's race reports on her website https://www.shegoesthedistance.net/.

In this episode we have two NC guys and an SC host talking about their experience at the Inferno Ultra 12 hr, which took place August 3 at the Lewis Ocean Bay Heritage Preserve just outside Myrtle Beach, SC. It was Reese Hood's first race ever, and he won with 57.5 miles while Johnny Glenn finished with 50 miles. I had a bad day and only got 42.5 miles.

Wes Claytor is a Triangle area guy who recently finished the Long Haul 100 in Florida. He's also the race director for the Sugg Farm Ultra and a new race he tells us about on this episode.

Diana Gorder recently finished the Tideland 24 with more than 119 miles to take the overall win. Her mindset and strategy behind her training and racing is truly fascinating.

On this episode, we're chatting with two of the three NC/SC finishers of the inaugural Southern States 200! Naji Husseini from Cary, NC finished 7th overall with a time of 69:30, and Mike Busick from Piedmont, SC finished 20th place with a time of 88:02. Naji and Mike talk about what led them to pursue their first 200 miler, how the race went, whether they'd do another 200+ mile race and much more.

Sign up for the Inferno Ultra! August 3, 2024 just outside Myrtle Beach, SC. 6/12 hr lap challenge. Link to register here: https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=115602.

On this episode, we have four of the five finishers from the Carolinas of the 2024 Western States 100 (Brandon Crews from Asheville, NC politely declined to join, but he got it done in 23:37:46). John Bruno from Easley, SC, Andy Barrett from Chapel Hill, NC, Colleen Jay from Pinnacle, NC and Adam Dickerson from Belmont, NC tell us all about their point to point journey from Olympic Valley to Auburn.

Chad Bond is awesome. He recently won the Swamp Fox 100, smashing the previous course record by more than 6 hours. After taking 4.5 years off of the 100 mile distance, Chad made an epic return at Swamp Fox, and the hard work he put in paid off.

Another episode, another TUFF runner from the Raleigh area. This time, we're talking with Scott Perry, who is on a quest to find the toughest 50K in the U.S. He's run two of the three that are widely believed to be the toughest. Those are Quest for the Crest and Speedgoat. He's got the Barkley Fall Classic coming up later in 2024 as well.

Mikie Pylilo is an ultra runner who lives part time in Myrtle Beach and part time in Columbia. She has run incredible races like Desert Rats, the Denali 135 and more. On this episode, Mikie chats through her recent DNF at the Daufuskie Island 100 as well as some non-running related topics like growing up in Alaska.

Tak Niino made the long trip from Cary, NC to Black Canyon City, AZ to take part in the Cocodona 250. His journey featured a major scare with his phone, wild hallucinations while climbing up Mt. Elden in Flagstaff and much more.

Please make sure you give us a five-star rating and review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts! Thanks for listening, my friends!

Shannon Jarvis shocked herself at the 2024 Umstead 100. She went into the race thinking she'd finish in around 26 hours only to crush the race in 22:21:06, finishing as the fifth place female. Shannon's story is a testament to the power of the human spirit and is proof of the fact that nothing is impossible.

Part one of this episode features Blackbeard’s Revenge 100 Race Director Rich Swor, who talks about the craziness that was the 2024 Blackbeard’s Revenge 100. He talks about what went on behind the scenes in the planning phase of the last week before the race, how he and his team were able to make significant changes like adjusting the course from a point-to-point to an out-and-back in such a short amount of time.

Part two of this episode begins at 42:16 and features Rachel Craft and Suzy Goodwin, who both finished the race despite the horrendous weather conditions. Hear from them about how it all went down.

Find out more about the Blackbeard's Revenge 100 at https://runsignup.com/Race/NC/Corolla/BlackbeardsRevenge100.

Nolan Lennon is a Piedmont, SC native who won the 2024 Hell Hole Hundred with a finishing time of 23:01:54. Nolan is also an ex-Clemson soccer goalkeeper who tore his ACL four times. Nolan recaps how he ended up in the sport of ultra running, how his race at Hell Hole went and what the future holds for his running.

Jen Shetler is the founder of one of the biggest and fastest-growing running clubs in the Carolinas. TUFF Run Club, short for Trail + Ultra Fun Fam, is a group of 600+ Raleigh area runners who meet regularly for training runs and who have a strong presence at races in the Carolinas. Jen is also a 2024 Umstead 100 finisher. On this episode, Jen tells us how TUFF started, what she has planned for its future, and we dive deep into how her experience at Umstead went. You can join the TUFF Run Club Facebook group here.