Episode 8 - David Horton - Creating the Mountain Masochist 50 mile trail run

Episode 9 - MMTR Race Directors - The Present and Future of the Mountain Masochist

In this last of 4 episodes exploring the Mountain Masochist Trail Races, I sit down with the current race directors - Tim Spaulding, Jordan Cooter, and Brenton Swyers - and find out a little more about who they are, why they have taken on this challenging race to direct, and their mission for the present and future of this event. I think you'll agree that the race is in great hands and I look forward to seeing this group continue to foster both the old school history of this race as well as the needed adaptations to keep things growing and relevant here in 2025. Enjoy!

Episode 8 - David Horton - Creating the Mountain Masochist 50 mile trail run

Some races you just HAVE to run. Mountain Masochist is one of them. But how did the Montebello Country store become such hallowed ground in east coast ultrarunning? 42 years ago David Horton wanted to challenge people, just as he does today. In this episodes we talk about starting the Mountain Masochist, why it has remained so special, and why people continue to come and challenge themselves on this rugged mountain course on the first Saturday in November. Enjoy!

Episode 7 - Alisa Springman - Going for Mountain Masochist #20

From a chance co-worker telling her about this thing called ultrarunning, to now preparing for her 20th consecutive finish at the Mountain Masochist 50-miler, Alisa Springman has a lot of deep content in between. From an very impressive ultrasignup resume to race directing to being a board member of the VHTRC, Alisa is the type of person who really defines the best of ultrarunning and what has kept this sport so great over the twenty plus years she has been a consistent participant. Join us for my second in a series about Mountain Masochist with someone who has a lot to say about this race and the community surrounding it. This interview overperforms! Enjoy!

Episode 6 - Tom Green - The 1983 Mountain Masochist

It's 1983. "Land Down Under" by Men at Work is at the top of the Billboard charts and Ronald Reagan was in his first term as President. If you were a runner, you ran on roads. But if you were Tom Green, you somehow found a paper application for this race called "The Mountain Masochist" and mailed it with a check to a man named David Horton. And the rest, is history. Tom Green is a legend, and the Mountain Masochist trail run is legendary. I'm going to spend a few podcasts talking all about Mountain Masochist and its unique history in American ultrarunning and could think of no better way than to get a picture of what it was like to sign up for the very first one. Who better to ask about this year than Tom Green! So lace up your Nike Waffle Racers, don't worry about water bottles because nobody carried those, and join us for a really fun conversation about ultrarunning 42 years ago.

Episode 5 - David Horton - The Promise Land 50k++

The Promise Land 50k was started in 2001 by the one and only David Horton. In this episode we talk about creating the Promise Land 50k, why its as much an event as it is a race, how in the heck Horton's running class students have such an incredible finishing rate, and what the most important things are in a race according to the one and only, DHo. Music: Nothing You Can Do by Turnpike Troubadours.