Leah Yingling on Her Western States 100, Pacing Perfection, & the Golden Hour (Ep.129)

After finishing 6th at this year’s Western States 100, Salomon athlete (and sometimes co-host) Leah Yingling returns to the show to give us a play-by-play of how her day panned out. Along the way, we talk about the race’s rich history; helpful strategies for assembling a crew; the best hour in all of sports; what it was like for Leah to sprint the final 100 meters with her dad; and a whole lot more.

TOPICS & TIMES:

  • A brief history of Western States (1:21)
  • How Leah organized her crew (10:12)
  • Finding “all day pace” (21:25)
  • What to look for in a pacer (28:30)
  • Running 30+ miles on a torn calf (32:34)
  • Using family as motivation (34:57)
  • “Hunting” in the dark (38:38)
  • Leah’s last 6 miles (44:25)
  • Stories from the drug testing tent (51:39)
  • Golden hour (53:33)
  • Will she be back next year? (56:15)

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