Today’s guest can usually be found on the trails where she is either running or directing races.
She’s the race director for the Arrowhead Endurance Run and Co-RD for the Shawnee Hills 100 and the Red Cedar Trail Half.
I am looking forward to going a few easy miles with Laura Range today and seeing where our conversation takes us.
Laura Range
My guest today is a lady that is no stranger to logging some serious miles out on the trail whenever she gets the chance.
From hundred milers to FKTs, she has been getting after it for close to a decade and has no plans of slowing down anytime soon.
I am looking forward to trying to keep up with Lauren Jones on the trails today.
Lauren Jones
Laura Parson first joined me on the show in the early days of Diz Runs Radio 5 years and over 700 episodes ago.
Today we will be circling back and doing some much needed catching up.
I am looking forward to going a few easy miles with Laura Parson.
Laura Parson
Ras Vaughan is a self-described “backpacker turned into a back of the packer.”
Ras Vaughan: The Ultra Pedestrian
?: Gavin Woody
You know how I’m still struggling to understand those ultra distance people?
Ras takes my lack of understanding to another level as someone who really enjoys 200 mile races.
Yes, 200 miles.
But more accurately, he especially enjoys non-standard distances and unsupported races.
A lot of runners, including your truly, are at least somewhat focused on speed with faster always being better.
On the trails, however, there isn’t as much of a focus on speed as their is on the roads.
Ras is the trail culture personified, and is much less concerned with going fast as he is with being able to finishing the events he starts ON FOOT. Read more
I wasn’t planning on doing another “Best Of” Episode this year, but Kathy and Ras Vaughan just finished another epic adventure yesterday, and I wanted to honor their FKT of an Arizona Trail Yo-Yo by re-releasing this chat I had with Ras earlier this year.
Enjoy.
And Ras and Kathy–Congrats! You two are awesome!
In the world of ultramarathoning, there are those that run/race hard and there are those that simply embrace the challenge.
And then there is Ras Vaughan.
Ras Vaughan, Photo by Kathy Vaughan
Ultrapedestrian Ras is a pioneer in the ultra/backpacking/thru-hiking world. He is the holder of many OKTs, or only known times, and is always looking for new ways to do run/hike a trail/distance/event that has never been done before.
Ras has completed a number of epic events, some official events and some that were organized on his own, and he continues to look for ways to do the unthinkable. We talked about some of his past achievements, future plans, and how it all got started on today’s episode. Read more