Balancing thru-hikes and race goals

What happens when you thru-hike the Appalachian Trail, Continental Divide Trail, and set your sights on 200-mile ultramarathons?

You architect a life around adventure.

In this episode, Kelly Hays joins the show to talk about:

• Nearly 3,000 miles on the CDT in just five months

• Hiking 120 miles straight through Wyoming’s Great Basin with zero sleep

• Emergency surgery six days into the Appalachian Trail — and getting back on trail

• Why mental toughness is built by putting one foot in front of the other

• The transition from thru-hiker to ultrarunner

• Pulling out of races to protect longevity (and why that decision matters)

• Balancing ambition with patience

• Why she’s obsessed with 100s and dreaming of 200-milers like Cocodona 250

Kelly doesn’t just chase miles. She designs her life around growth, challenge, and freedom.

This conversation is about more than running.
It’s about stacking bricks, showing up daily, and becoming the kind of person who can endure hard things — on trail and in life.

If you’ve ever wrestled with ambition, injury, comparison, or the desire to go all-in on adventure… this one’s for you.

Kelly Hays is an ultrarunner, thru-hiker, and content creator who has built a following of hundreds of thousands of people as she documents her journey's of adventure, running, and building a life of adventure.

SHOW LINKS:

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