Gotta Run Podcast Norm & Jodi

Hey, everyone! We’re back with another exciting episode of the Gotta Run Podcast. It’s been a busy two weeks in the world of Gotta Run Racing, and we’re thrilled to bring you all the action from the Sulphur Springs Trail Race, Canada’s oldest ultra, which was vying for a Western States 100 qualifier.

We kicked things off with a recap of our Lost Treasure Trail Race in Mansfield, which went off without a hitch. Then, we headed to Ancaster, Ontario, to witness history in the making at Sulphur Springs Trail Race. With over 250 runners in both the 100K and 100-mile races, the stakes were high, trying to be the first Ultra Race in Ontario to be a Western States 100 qualifier and the atmosphere was electric.

In this episode, we bring you interviews with top finishers, and many enthusiastic participants. You’ll hear firsthand accounts of the race, the challenges faced, and the incredible stories of determination and triumph. From the youngest finishers to seasoned ultra veterans, every runner had a unique tale to tell.

We also delve into the Canadian favourite butter tart debate—raisins or no raisins? And explore the community spirit that makes trail running so special. Despite the crazy weather, including torrential rain and muddy trails, the runners’ resilience shone through, making this event truly unforgettable.

Join us as we celebrate the incredible achievements at Sulphur Springs and look ahead to our upcoming adventures, including our races at Rainbow Trail Run and Island Lake Classic. Don’t miss out on this epic episode filled with inspiration, laughter, and the pure joy of trail running.

Ontario now has a Western States qualifier, congrats to the race directors of Straw Dog Racing for successfully achieving this for our strong ultra community.

Until next time, keep running and stay inspired!

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Norm and Jodi are Gladiators! That’s right, we recently completed the 62K course at Ultra Trail Vipava Valley in beautiful Slovenia which is themed around an epic battle that took place in this region over 1600 years ago.

In this episode we chat about how we chose this particular race and our experience from race kit pickup to crossing the finish line.

It all started with Gladiators leading us out from the start line to unpredictable weather, whiskey shots to muddy descents and everything in between!

Here is our UTVV race recap...

Head on over to our YouTube channel and subscribe to not miss any uploaded videos.

If you enjoy our show, please leave a rating and review.  We would really appreciate it.

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We are off to Slovenia soon to race the Ultra Trail Vipava Valley UTVV for short on April 27. It will be our first time there and it came on our radar after our chat with Canadian Galen Reynolds in Episode 81 who lives and trains near the capital, Ljubljana.

Since we know very little about this part of the world or these trails we figured why not ask someone who has run the course, so we reached out to runner Anze Sobocan who not only has run the race but has completed every distance this event has to offer including several podium finishes.

Anze is 39 and a member of Team Salomon Slovenia.  He has racked up quite a few race results in a relatively short period of time including many events in Slovenia and neighbouring countries of Croatia and Austria.

We chat about the Istria 100 which has the oldest start line in the world at 3000 years old and the Swiss Ultra Tour Monte Rosa 100 miler his hardest race to date and then of course, Ultra Trail Vipava Valley UTVV.

Here is Anze Sobocan…

You can follow Anze on Instagram here  - https://www.instagram.com/anze.sobocan/

If you enjoyed our show please leave a rating and review.  We would really appreciate it.

Check out GottaRunRacing website here and use promo code GRRPODCAST for discounts - gottarunracing.com
Check out our YouTube Channel here - https://youtube.com/@GottaRunRacing
Check out GRR Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/gottarunracing/
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Returning to the podcast is Ihor Verys.  Based in Chilliwack, British Columbia, Ihor is the first Ukranian-Canadian finisher and ultimate winner of the 2024 The Barkley Marathons!
Ihor has been very busy since we last spoke to him after his Fat Dog 120 win in 2022 including runner up at Big’s Backyard World Championship running over 715k last year and a win at Hurt 100 this year.
We touch on a few key elements from those two races and then dive into The Barkley Marathons.  In a year that saw five finishers in total including the first woman, Jasmin Paris, Ihor was the winner in 58 hours, 44 minutes.
After spending just a short time with Ihor virtually, it is obvious to us that he is an incredible human being and true ambassador for ultra running. 

We wrap up our chat with a light-hearted rapid-fire segment so be sure to listen to the end. 

Here is Ihor Verys…

You can follow Ihor on Instagram here  - https://www.instagram.com/ihorverys/

If you enjoyed our show please leave a rating and review.  We would really appreciate it.

Check out GottaRunRacing website here and use promo code GRRPODCAST for discounts - gottarunracing.com
Check out our YouTube Channel here - https://youtube.com/@GottaRunRacing
Check out GRR Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/gottarunracing/
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The Sulphur Springs Trail Race is a 20K loop course, in the Dundas Valley Conservation Area just outside of Hamilton, Ontario that has been running for more than 30 years, making it the oldest running Ultra Marathon in Canada!  Distances offered include 10k up to 100 miles. 

This year, the race seeks to become Ontario’s first Western States 100 qualifier - which would be a huge accomplishment - so we reached out to the trio of Race Directors from Straw Dog Racing which includes Steve Connor, Mauro Campanelli, and Russell Thacker, to get their insights on the legacy of this iconic spring race and how they are approaching the challenge ahead.

Here is Straw Dog Racing…

You can follow Sulphur Springs Trail Race on Instagram here  - https://www.instagram.com/sulphurspringstrailrace/

If you enjoyed our show please leave a rating and review.  We would really appreciate it.

Check out GottaRunRacing website here and use promo code GRRPODCAST for discounts - gottarunracing.com
Check out our YouTube Channel here - https://youtube.com/@GottaRunRacing
Check out GRR Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/gottarunracing/
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Jonathan Albon is a 34 year old multi-discipline athlete originally from the UK, now living in Norway.

Jon has left his mark on many sports including Obstacle Course Racing where he recently took home the largest prize in OCR history by crossing the line first in Saudi Arabia; completing 100 kilometres in 8 hours with 20 obstacles per 10K lap! 

He has some equally impressive results in trail and ultra running including top spots at OCC and CCC in recent years as well as 3rd in the short trail distance at the World Mountain and Trail Championships in Thailand in 2022.

He has twice won the final ranking of Sky Extreme Series and has once been the overall winner of the Skyrunner World Series.

Jon and his wife Henriette, who is also an accomplished professional trail runner, have created a training app, aptly named AlbonApp, for athletes of all levels, incorporating strength training and cardio workouts.

Jon will be making his 100 miler debut without obstacles at Western States 100 this summer.

Here is Jon....

You can follow Jon on Instagram here  - https://www.instagram.com/jonalbon/

If you enjoyed our show please leave a rating and review.  We would really appreciate it.

Check out GottaRunRacing website here and use promo code GRRPODCAST for discounts - gottarunracing.com
Check out our YouTube Channel here - https://youtube.com/@GottaRunRacing
Check out GRR Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/gottarunracing/
Check out GRR Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/gottarunracing/
Check out GRR Twitter here: https://twitter.com/gottarun_racing
Support us on Patreon here : https://www.patreon.com/gottarunracing