Trail & Ultra Running 101: Community, Mud, and Why Nobody Asks Your Finish Time

Coach Amanda and Coach Nick are joined by Justin Andreas a trail and ultra running coach, active duty Air Force member, beekeeper, girl dad, and host of the Golden Hour Adventures podcast for a deep dive into the world of trail and ultra running.

Justin shares his journey from competitive bodybuilder to 19-time ultra finisher (including six 100-milers), why he hated his first road marathon, and how the ultra community's culture of celebration especially for back-of-the-pack runners sets it apart. Plus: how he balances 100-mile training with fatherhood, what road runners get wrong about ultrarunners, and why your finish time genuinely doesn't matter out there.

In this episode:

• How Justin went from a once-a-year PT test to falling in love with distance running in Guam
• Why he hated his first marathon (and what that taught him about community)
• Making room for ultra running as a parent: 4 AM runs, stroller miles, and one 100-miler a year
• What road runners get wrong about ultrarunners ("we're not just walkers eating PB&Js... mostly")
• How to choose your first 50K — and why "hilly" means something very different on trails
• What road runners can steal from trail culture: efficient walking, gut training (~60g carbs/hour), and letting go of pace obsession
• The "golden hour": why ultra finish lines save the biggest celebrations for the final finishers
• Justin's best advice ever received, courtesy of his wife's mid-race text messages

Justin Andreas is a proud trail and ultra runner who has completed many races all over the country, including six 100 milers. His love for the outdoors and running started at a very young age, but once he discovered trail running in 2019, there was no looking back. “There is something special with being in nature, cruising on the trails, and crushing some vert”!

After completing multiple races, he decided he wanted to help other adventurers crush their goals as well. Beyond his coaching and hobby life, Justin is an active duty Air Force Firefighter, husband of 18 years, dad, and certified nerd. He is stationed in Alaska and resides in the North Pole. Justin’s also a co-host of the popular The Golden Hour Adventure podcast.

Find Justin:

• Instagram / TikTok / YouTube: @running_in_stache
• Podcast: Golden Hour Adventures — available on all platforms

Enjoyed the episode? Leave us a rating and review (you know the minimum — five stars) on Apple, Spotify, or YouTube, and reach out anytime @runningexplained.

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