Strong Epic Life

I am so excited to share a special highlight from one of my newest athletes, Anne. We just started working together a month ago so I can’t take credit for getting her to the finish line, but I’m still really proud of her and she ran a really smart race!

Anne headed to D.C. to take on the iconic Cherry Blossom 10 Miler, but what made this race truly speacial wasn’t just the blossoms—it was her racing partner. Anne ran with her daughter and if you’ve ever had the experience of running a race with one of your kids you know that it fills your heart beyond words!

"The miles go by faster when you're sharing them with the people you love."

Please join me in congratulating Anne on a beautiful race and a memory that will surely last a lifetime. I can’t wait to see what we accomplish next in her training! 🏃‍♀️💨

This is a long overdue post.
This is Lauren.
I met Lauren almost 2 years ago when she moved here from Florida. My husband had invited her to our run group when she posted in a local group that she was looking for people to run with here. I was out of town the first time she ran with our group, but my husband told me I was going to love her- she’s an absolute gem. That was probably the understatement of the decade. Lauren had a heart of gold and a smile that reaches all the way into your soul on your darkest day and makes you smile. She has a love of running like few other people I have ever met. A few months after she moved here she fell on a trail and got injured while she was training for her first 100k. While she was recovering she reached out and asked if I would coach her. I was beyond grateful to have her as an athlete- the positivity and joy that she brings to our team is priceless❤️ Within a year she went from being injured to recovering, running her first 50 miler and completing her first 100 at Run Lovit in Arkansas— 16,000’ of gain and enough rocks to fill a quarry- not an easy first 🙂
Her finish was the most endearing finishes I’ve ever seen. She came across the finish line and looked at everyone and her eyes welled up with tears and she told us all that it was the hardest thing she’d ever done- she had everyone in tears and then that beautiful smile beamed with joy. We love you Lauren. You are humility, sportsmanship, faith, commitment, joy and every other amazing descriptive I can think of. Congratulations on that buckle and I can’t wait see what you do next!

Join me in congratulating Jacob Cossairt on setting a huge PR at Just Survive 125 this past weekend.
Jacob first attempted Just Survive in 2024 and struggled with an injury that slowed him down ultimately cutting his race short. He returned in 2025 and finished, but the challenges of work and life had made training tough and we both knew with more consistent training and better nutrition he could finish stronger. This year his training leading up to the race was consistent- he put in so much work. His commitment paid off and he shaved 6 hours off his previous finish time!
I am so proud of you Jacob!!

Some amazing things were accomplished over the weekend- 17 of my athletes raced and everyone finished!
Vicky Sullivan, Lauren Starr and Heather Oaks ran the 50 miler at Blood Rock- it was Lauren’s first 50 miler and Heather finished 3rd female overall!
Richard Hisrich ran the 55k at Blood Rock; Denny Chatel, Christine Vance, Rachel Swain and Moiez Karim ran the 50 miler at Cloudland Canyon- it was Moiez’s first 50 miler; Mary Hicks ran the 25k at CC; Tracy Riepl ran the Last 25 of 25; Mike Haviland ran a 42 miler and Jessica Whitaker ran a 50k at Smalltown Xmas; Kelly Morgan Scott ran a 10k; Rob Smith ran 3 legs of a Ragnar; Judith Bradley Dobbs ran the Pine Mtn 20 miler; Tracy Gretick ran the Ugly Sweater 5k and Kim Spradley ran the Frosty 5k—- great job everyone!!!!
I haven’t gotten pictures from everyone yet, but here’s a few 🙂

Congratulations to Kelly Scott on finishing the New York City Marathon!! Kelly is a great example of balancing life and training- she juggles owning a business and family obligations (and goats and dogs…) and always manages to get her training done! I’m so proud of you Kelly and so excited to be on this running journey with you!

Huge congratulations to Heather Oaks on her Pinhoti 100 finish this past weekend! 🥳
This finish was a redemption run of sorts for her. She finished it last year as her first 100 miler, but a broken toe just days before Rebecca Mtn 50 miler meant she had to go back to the beloved Pinhoti Trail and repeat the whole series this year- including the 100- to get the jacket.

Heather came into Pinhoti with a solid race plan, and everything was going great... until it wasn’t. She got to me at mile 62 battling severe stomach issues that threatened to derail her entire race.
She was 3 hours ahead of cut so we made the decision to take a break and get some rest and hope her stomach would calm down. After an hour of rest she tried to eat again with no luck keeping anything down so we filled her bottles with coke and I stuffed some food into her pockets and she headed off into in the night hoping for the best.
By the time I met her again at mile 78 to pace her she was getting calories in and was ready to run. Things never really got great or even marginally good for her again, but never once did she talk about giving up. I paced her for 17 miles and then my husband Rich took over for the homestretch. Heather’s determination is simply admirable. My athletes know I expect a level of toughness, but this woman takes it to the next level.
We are so incredibly proud of Heather for sticking with it, fighting through the tough times, and finally getting that jacket! Congratulations Heather!