Episode 65: Unapologetically Extreme: Aimee Warnke on Cancer, Comebacks, and the Triple Crown

Episode 65: Unapologetically Extreme: Aimee Warnke on Cancer, Comebacks, and the Triple Crown

This week on Endurance State of Mind, we sit down with one of the most fearless and inspiring athletes we've ever had on the show. Aimee Warnke. Active duty Army physical therapist with over 14 years of service. Former Ironman World Championship qualifier. Collegiate cyclist at Saint Louis University. And now, one of the most exciting names in the ultra running world. But Aimee's story doesn't follow a normal endurance athlete arc, and that's exactly why this episode matters. In 2024, as a brand new ultra runner with only a handful of races under her belt, Aimee showed up at Dinosaur Valley and won the 100K and the 100 miler outright. Not the women's race. The whole field. Two days later, her pre op scans came back with a diagnosis that would have stopped most people in their tracks: chondrosarcoma, a rare malignant bone tumor in her left pelvis. Doctors initially told her she'd need a hemipelvectomy within six months. Translation: cut out a major section of her pelvis. Translation behind the translation: she'd likely never run the way she does again. She refused the standard answer. Instead, Aimee, armed with her own clinical background and a refusal to accept the first diagnosis as the only diagnosis, advocated for herself, found a team of trauma surgeons willing to pursue a never before attempted 3D printed pelvic reconstruction using her own iliac crest, and asked for time to race the Dinosaur Valley 100 first. She got it. Today she's in surveillance and watchful waiting status. The tumor hasn't grown. Her mileage has. In this conversation, we go deep on the entire journey: How a junior high counselor noticed she was getting picked on for a speech impediment and quietly handed her a borrowed bike, an entry to a sprint triathlon, and the community that would change her life. Her early triathlon career: Age group Team USA at the 2008 ITU Long Course World Championships in Holland, the 2009 Half Ironman Worlds in Clearwater, the bike crash mid race that broke her clavicle and several ribs, the compound fracture surgery, and how she ended up qualifying for Ironman Canada through a Power Bar raffle she'd entered the same weekend (yes, really). Four years racing collegiate cycling at Saint Louis University, the team time trials, the breakaways, and what it taught her about being the only woman on the start line at the top level. The pivot to the Army, fourteen plus years of active duty service, deployments, becoming an Army Baylor DPT, and the side quest into Pacific Northwest backpacking, skiing, and obstacle course racing that quietly built the engine for everything that came next. Finding trail running through the Hawaii Spartan Ohana, watching the Hurt 100 from the volunteer side and thinking "this is insane, but I'm doing it someday," and eventually returning years later to win that very same race outright. The Dinosaur Valley 100K and 100 mile sweep, including how Zach (also racing the 100K that day) watched her pull away from the entire field and realized he was witnessing something special. The diagnosis. The dark month of trying to process a cancer diagnosis alone, before she told anyone, not her parents, not her best friend. The "rage runs" through tears between patient appointments. The phone call from her ortho oncologist that quietly changed everything. Javelina 100 and the femoral nerve hematoma that almost ended her race at mile 70, and what it took to come back from it. The freak infection in spring 2025 that left her unable to walk up a flight of stairs, the ER visit, the steroid course, the 3 week reset, and the comeback timeline that took her from zero running to a 100 mile training week in under five weeks, just in time for the Tahoe 200. Inside her Tahoe 200. Competing for the women's podium, the mid race mistake that cost her hours, the throw up and shake it off low point, the 35 minute nap that saved her race, and the last 18 miles of belting out '1985' with her pacer and finishing on a high note. What's next: Bigfoot 200 and Moab 240. The second and third legs of the Triple Crown. Her honest assessment of where she left time on the table and what she's coming back for. Her take on why women are winning ultras outright at the front of the field, and the mental traits she thinks separate the athletes who endure from the ones who keep moving forward. And the moment that hits the hardest: how she's turned her own diagnosis into a fundraising platform for under insured and uninsured kids battling cancer through CHRISTUS Children's of South Texas. 70% of chondrosarcoma patients are children, and most don't have the medical support Aimee does. If you've ever stood at a start line feeling like you don't belong, listened to a doctor tell you the only option, or felt the weight of doing something hard alone, this one's for you. QUOTES FROM THIS EPISODE "I've allowed myself to be unapologetically extreme in my pursuits and chase the joy and adventure that is trail running." Aimee Warnke "We've only got one shot at this beautiful, awesome life. Choose the one thing that just lights your soul on fire and go for it." Aimee Warnke "You're gonna need to figure out a better option. I really love running." Aimee Warnke, on her response to the original surgical recommendation. "Running was my outlet. 100% running was my outlet through all of that." Aimee Warnke "I am not alone, and I don't need to be alone." Aimee Warnke EPISODE TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Welcome and guest introduction  01:30 Aimee's background: Army PT, 14+ years of active duty  03:30 How she got into triathlon (junior high counselor, borrowed bike, finding her people)  06:00 Going from sprint tri to ITU Long Course World Championships  08:00 The Half Ironman Worlds bike crash, the Power Bar raffle, and Ironman Canada  10:30 Four years of collegiate cycling at SLU and team time trials  13:00 Pacific Northwest adventure years and the road back to running  15:00 Discovering trail running through Hawaii Spartan Ohana  17:00 From 50K, to Bandera 100K, to Dinosaur Valley 100 miler  20:30 The mindset shift that turned her into a competitive ultra runner  23:30 Training at 2 AM every morning  27:00 The chondrosarcoma diagnosis, and the month she carried it alone  33:00 Rage runs as therapy  35:00 Pushing back on the standard treatment plan  37:00 The 3D printed pelvic reconstruction plan  40:00 Dinosaur Valley: from high of her life to lowest low in 48 hours  41:00 The phone call that changed the timeline  45:00 The fundraiser for CHRISTUS Children's of South Texas  48:00 Hurt 100: returning to where it all started, and winning  53:00 The freak infection that took her down before Tahoe 200  57:00 Tahoe 200: the race, the mistakes, the comeback  01:09:00 What's next: Bigfoot 200 and Moab 240  01:12:00 Why women are winning ultras outright  01:15:00 Advice for first time ultra runners  01:18:00 Closing the loop: unapologetically extreme TOPICS COVERED Ultra running training while working full time in the military  Mental tools for managing a cancer diagnosis as an endurance athlete  Self advocacy in medicine when the standard answer isn't the right answer  The 200 mile distance: what works, what breaks, and what no one tells you  Pacing strategy and aid station discipline at 200 miles  Coming back from injury or illness on a compressed timeline  Strength training as a foundation for ultra performance  Why community at the start line matters more than gear  The Triple Crown of 200s: Tahoe, Bigfoot, Moab  Women in ultra running and the shift toward overall wins  Fundraising through racing, making the miles matter beyond yourself SUPPORT AIMEE'S FUNDRAISER. RUNNING WITH PURPOSE FOR CHRISTUS CHILDREN'S Aimee races for more than herself. Through Running with Purpose for CHRISTUS Children's, every dollar raised goes directly to under insured and uninsured children battling cancer at CHRISTUS Children's of South Texas. 70% of chondrosarcoma patients are children, and the medical support Aimee has access to through the military is not the norm for most families facing this fight. Donations are pledged per mile (and per podium finish). Even $1 per mile makes a difference. Donate here: https://cbo.io/app/public/bidapp/rwp [https://cbo.io/app/public/bidapp/rwp] RESOURCES AND RACES MENTIONED Hurt 100 (Honolulu, HI)  Dinosaur Valley 100 (Glen Rose, TX)  Bandera 100K (Bandera, TX)  Javelina Jundred (Fountain Hills, AZ)  Tahoe 200 (Olympic Valley, CA)  Bigfoot 200 (Mt. St. Helens, WA)  Moab 240 (Moab, UT)  Coca Dona 250 (Sedona and Flagstaff, AZ)  Running with Purpose for CHRISTUS Children's. Fundraiser link: https://cbo.io/app/public/bidapp/rwp [https://cbo.io/app/public/bidapp/rwp] CHRISTUS Children's of South Texas Iron Fit San Antonio Heather Jackson's Coca Dona 250 documentary Rachel Entrekin's Substack on training for 200 mile races https://www.instagram.com/endurance_stateofmind?igsh=cjBnanNobHhhYXNu

Episode 64: Train Your Mind: Sports Psychology Secrets for Endurance Athletes, Dr. Ashley Sampson

What if the most important muscle you train for your next race has nothing to do with your legs? On this episode of Endurance State of Mind, hosts Anthony Herrington and Zach sit down with one of the most accomplished sports psychologists in the country, Dr. Ashley Sampson, professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Health Promotion at the University of Kentucky, for a conversation that might just change the way you think about running, racing, and everything in between. Dr. Sampson's journey into endurance sports is one that a lot of us can relate to. She grew up as a multi-sport kid in Louisiana, competed as a track and field and rowing athlete in college, and then stumbled into distance running almost by accident, deciding the night before a half marathon that she was going to run it. Fast forward through graduate school, a move to California, a deep dive into trail running, and a jump straight into a 50 miler in the Marin Headlands outside San Francisco, and you've got someone who doesn't just study the psychology of endurance athletes from the outside. She lives it from the inside. These days she balances her role as a professor and private practice sports psychology consultant with competitive equestrian riding, trail running, yoga, and somehow still managing to prioritize sleep like a professional. She is the real deal. But this episode isn't just about Dr. Sampson's impressive background. It's about you, the runner, the cyclist, the triathlete, the ultra runner who wants to know how to get more out of their mind on race day and in training. And Dr. Sampson brings the science and the lived experience to back up every single thing she shares. The conversation kicks off with one of the most refreshing reframes we've ever heard on this podcast, the idea of shifting your mindset not from negative to positive, but from negative to productive. If you've ever had a coach or a well meaning friend tell you to just think positive when things are going sideways on a long run, you know how hollow that advice can feel. Dr. Sampson explains why that approach doesn't work neurologically or psychologically, and what to replace it with instead. The goal isn't to lie to yourself and pretend everything is great when your quads are on fire at mile 40. The goal is to ask a better question, what can I get out of this right now, and let that question pull you forward. From there, the episode dives into the science of mental toughness itself. What is it, really? Is it something you're born with, or something you can build? Dr. Sampson challenges the either or framing entirely and makes a compelling case that mental toughness is both a natural tendency and a trainable skill, and that the environment you put yourself in has a massive influence on which direction it develops. Whether you grew up being pushed to your limits or you're building that resilience for the first time at 35 through ultramarathon training, there is a path forward. And Dr. Sampson lays out exactly what that path looks like. One of the most practical segments of this episode is Dr. Sampson's concept of race day fire drills. Just like we practiced fire drills as kids, walking calmly out of the building, knowing exactly where to go and what to do before any emergency ever happened, she encourages athletes to think through every possible thing that could go wrong before they ever toe the start line. Shoes getting sucked off in the mud at mile 30? Plan for it. Running out of gels? Plan for it. Weather turning on you? Plan for it. The goal isn't pessimism. It's control. When you've already thought through the chaos, you don't panic when it arrives. You execute. And that sense of control, Dr. Sampson explains, is one of the most powerful predictors of endurance performance there is. We also spend real time on pre race anxiety, something Anthony opens up about from his own experience going from nervous wreck at his first triathlon to a much more grounded competitor over time. Dr. Sampson's take on anxiety is nuanced and refreshingly honest. Anxiety before a big race isn't a problem to be solved. It's an uninvited guest at the party. You planned the party, you've got your nutrition, your rest, your race strategy, your confidence, and then anxiety shows up anyway, uninvited, the way it always does. The key isn't to kick it out. The key is to acknowledge it, let it stand in the corner, and then go back to focusing on your race plan. Anxiety doesn't ruin the party. Only letting it take over the DJ booth does. Then there's the mindfulness conversation, and if you've ever written off mindfulness as too soft or too woo woo for serious athletes, Dr. Sampson is going to give you a lot to think about. She talks about her journey from pure sports psychology consultant to integrating deep mindfulness and yoga principles into her work with athletes, and explains why it changed everything for her as a practitioner. The core insight is simple but profound: if an athlete isn't self aware and present, they don't even know a problem is happening yet, let alone which mental tool to pull out to fix it. Mindfulness isn't about being calm. It's about noticing without judging, observing what's happening in your body and mind without immediately attaching an emotional reaction to it, and then making an intelligent adjustment. Attune and adjust. Attune and adjust. It sounds simple. On mile 70 of a hundred mile race, it's everything. Zach brings up something that resonates deeply in this episode, the way that visualization creates real neural pathways in the brain even without physical experience. Dr. Sampson confirms it: the science absolutely supports the idea that your brain doesn't fully distinguish between a vividly imagined experience and a real one. This is why a well prepared athlete can show up to a race distance they've never run before and still feel, not just hope, but genuinely feel, like they've been there. And it's why Dr. Sampson recommends that athletes spend intentional, focused time not just visualizing success, but visualizing the hard parts. Visualize the pain cave. Visualize the nutrition going wrong. Visualize the weather turning. And then visualize exactly how you're going to handle it. Because when it happens, and it will happen, you'll already know what to do. The episode also tackles athletic identity in a way that hits close to home for anyone who has ever been sidelined by injury or who watched their competitive career come to an end and felt completely lost on the other side of it. Dr. Sampson explains the psychological concept of athletic identity and why athletes who define themselves entirely through their sport are at much higher risk for depression and crisis when that sport is taken away, whether by injury, age, or the end of a competitive career. Her practical answer? Build a multifaceted identity now, before you need it. Be a runner and a parent and a business owner and a cook and a reader. Have other things. Not because running isn't important, but because your worth as a human being cannot hinge entirely on your next finish time. And yes, we talk about Strava. In what might be the hottest take of the episode, Dr. Sampson, who literally consulted for Strava on a campaign about why people run, admits that she doesn't use Strava and has some real concerns about what it does to athlete mental health. The comparison trap, the pressure to post good numbers on recovery days, the dopamine loop of counting kudos, it's the same psychology that makes regular social media harmful, just wearing running shoes. It's a conversation that's going to make some of you uncomfortable and all of you more thoughtful about how you engage with training platforms and the external validation they offer. This episode is for the runner who has stood at the start line of something terrifying and wondered if they had what it takes. It's for the athlete coming back from injury who is trying to figure out who they are when they can't train. It's for the competitor who wants to stop white knuckling through the hard miles and start actually moving through them with intelligence and intention. And it's for anyone who has ever wondered what the best athletes in the world are doing differently, not with their legs, but with the six inches between their ears. Dr. Ashley Sampson is the kind of guest we'd bring back every quarter, and after you finish this episode, you'll understand why. Her research is rigorous, her delivery is warm and conversational, her personal experience as an endurance athlete gives her credibility that pure academics can't match, and her ability to translate complex psychological concepts into tools you can actually use on your next long run is genuinely rare. Subscribe to Endurance State of Mind wherever you get your podcasts. Leave us a review if this episode moved you. Share it with a training partner who needs to hear it. And go out there and train the most powerful piece of equipment you own. Your mind is ready. The question is, are you going to train it? https://www.instagram.com/endurance_stateofmind?igsh=cjBnanNobHhhYXNu

Episode 63: We Went Live 5K PR, Rocket City Announcements, and Zion 100 with Rhonda Hayden, Ben Green, Chris Lott & Brian Murphy

Anthony and Zach recap their first ever live podcast recorded on location at Southern Prohibition's Big Run 5K in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. They break down race day performances including Anthony's 5K PR, reflect on what made the live format so electric, and share what's coming next for the show including bringing on a dedicated videographer named Jeremiah who was weaving through the race course all night capturing content, and their plans to do more live events moving forward. The energy at a live race is just different and after this one, there is no going back. Then stick around for four back to back guest interviews recorded straight from the event. Rhonda Hayden of Kinda Gritty joins to officially announce Endurance State of Mind's Podcast Alley partnership with the Rocket City Marathon, giving listeners a preview of what the 50th anniversary race weekend will look like for runners and fans alike. She breaks down the full podcast alley concept, the six podcasters coming in from across the southeast, and her vision for transforming both the pre race and post race experience for every runner who toes the line in Huntsville this December. Southern Prohibition owner Ben Green talks about catching the running bug at 39, what the mental side of running has meant to him in recent years, building one of the most welcoming run communities in South Mississippi through Wednesday run clubs and Fleet Feet pub runs, his Big Butts 25K goals, his obsession with finding rare sneakers nobody else has on the rack, and what's on tap literally at one of Hattiesburg's best kept secrets. Ultra endurance athlete and certified Sherpa Chris Lott stops by fresh off the 5K to talk about watching Unbound Gravel, heat training for Big Butts, the exploding ultra running scene across Mississippi, and how races like Mississippi 50 are selling out faster every single year. He also reflects on the influence of storytelling and podcasting on the growth of the sport and what it means to have a community of people pushing each other to do hard things. And finally in his third appearance on the pod, Brian Murphy makes it official. He's signing up for the Zion 100, a hundred mile race in Utah next April alongside Zach, Anthony, and what's shaping up to be the largest group of Mississippians ever assembled in the state of Utah at one time. Brian talks through the mental process of leaping from a 50 mile to a 100 mile, why the training is not as different as you might think, what it means to do a destination race with your people, and how a 5K bib number with the digits 1 0 0 on it was the final sign he needed to stop overthinking and just say yes. https://www.instagram.com/endurance_stateofmind?igsh=cjBnanNobHhhYXNu

Episode 62: Chosen Violence - Solo Runs, Unbound Mud, Tour de France Preview & The Cam Haynes Peptide Debate

It's a hosts-only episode to celebrate Episode 62, and Anthony and Zach come loaded with topics. Zach kicks things off breaking down his spontaneous Saturday 50K through the streets of Hattiesburg — planned the night before, fueled by electrolyte watermelons, and executed with the kind of locked-in energy that only comes when the family's out of town. Anthony counters with a nostalgia-soaked 10-miler through Oxford, Mississippi, retracing his college stomping grounds and realizing that a walk he used to dread is now just a warm-up. The guys then dive deep into the weekend's biggest endurance news: the infamous mud chaos at Unbound Gravel 200, where "peanut butter mud" clogged drivetrains, ended races, and had pros walking their bikes through two-mile stretches of Mississippi-style muck. From gravel, the conversation shifts to road cycling as Anthony breaks down the Giro d'Italia results, Jonas Vingegaard's dominance, and — most importantly — introduces the audience to 19-year-old French phenom Paul Seixas, the youngest Tour de France starter in 90 years and a name you'll want to know before July. Speaking of the Tour, Anthony and Zach preview what to watch for: the opening team time trial, Remco Evenepoel's mysterious first-half absence and what it means for Red Bull's strategy, and whether Tadej Pogačar is simply untouchable at this point. Then things get genuinely thought-provoking. The guys unpack the Cam Haynes vs. Sage Canaday peptide controversy that's been dividing the ultra running community — debating where the line is between medical necessity, performance enhancement, and transparency, especially for masters athletes competing in non-elite fields. It's a nuanced conversation with no easy answers, and they want to hear where you stand. To close it out, Anthony teases a documentary on microplastics that will make you rethink everything in your kitchen, and the guys announce two big upcoming events: their first-ever live podcast at the Fleet Feet Big Race at Sopro in Hattiesburg, and Podcast Alley at the Rocket City Marathon in Huntsville, Alabama this December — where both hosts will be racing and looking to cause a little trouble. If you're into ultra running, gravel cycling, road racing, endurance culture, or just two guys who genuinely love this stuff talking shop, this one's for you. https://www.instagram.com/endurance_stateofmind?igsh=cjBnanNobHhhYXNu

Episode 61: From Economics Professor to Ultra Addict | Ward Sayre on Longevity in Running

In this episode of Endurance State of Mind, Anthony Herrington and Zach Vogt sit down with ultrarunner, marathoner, and economics professor Ward Sayre for a deep dive into endurance sports, longevity, and the mindset behind racing over 70 ultramarathons. Ward shares how he went from running cross country in a small Texas town to completing some of the most challenging trail races in the country. From the Flying Pig Marathon to Bighorn 100, Sedona Canyons 125, and countless 50Ks and 100 milers, Ward explains how consistency, patience, and smart training have allowed him to keep showing up year after year. The conversation covers: *  How Ward balances ultrarunning with life, work, and family  *  Why recovery and sleep matter more than most runners realize  *  The role of strength training and 80/20 running  *  Lessons learned from DNFs at mountain ultras  *  Training for altitude as a runner from Mississippi  *  The hidden costs of endurance sports  *  Building community through local trail races  *  Why ultrarunning is more about longevity than speed  If you love trail running, ultramarathons, marathon training, endurance sports, or hearing real conversations about the mental and physical side of going long, this episode is packed with insights and stories from decades in the sport. Whether you're training for your first 50K, chasing a 100 miler, or dreaming about races like Western States, Cocodona, or Leadville, this episode with Ward Sayre delivers wisdom every endurance athlete can learn from. https://www.instagram.com/endurance_stateofmind?igsh=cjBnanNobHhhYXNu