Rabbit Elite Trail runner, Elan Lieber, called his recent second-place finish at the 2022 Miwok 100K, “the run of his life,” but not for reasons you might expect. Before setting a massive PR and running the course’s 3rd fastest time ever, Elan flew home to Ohio to say goodbye to his grandfather for the final time. Underprepared and with a heavy heart, he showed up at Miwok with one goal in mind: to not race in fear. 9 hours later, cresting from an incredible performance, Elan crossed the finish line to the news that his grandfather had passed during his race. So we talked to Elan about how the events of that day unfolded, the role running plays in overcoming loss, how to learn to let go of fear, and a whole lot more — including, some lighter banter about coffee snobs, and thru-hiking the JMT with previous OTC guest, Billy Yang.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Growing up in Ohio (3:43)
- How trail running found Elan (8:15)
- His start in the coffee industry (11:03)
- Equator Coffee (13:38)
- Running with the SoCal Coyotes (15:52)
- The glamor of 100-milers (18:22)
- Thru-hiking the JMT w/ Billy Yang (22:44)
- Running as a practice vs. a competition (30:48)
- His recent running “glow up” (33:28)
- The Miwok 100k & overcoming loss (39:43)
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