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In today's podcast I sat down with Nathalie Baulain to discuss her running journey from her playground day's of Haiti to climbing the the tallest mountains in South Carolina! We discussed her goals, her reasons, and some of her challenges as a working mother and minority on the starting line. 

Come listen to Coach Hammersmith answer 10 questions about the life of a Coach, Runner, and Race Director!

Welcome to Episode 18 of (R)unscripted!  On this episode, Alex sits down with Nhan Nguyen to discuss the Hellbender 100 that took place May 6-7th.  The Hellbender 100 is run around Mount Mitchell and includes a summit of Mount Mitchell and has 21,500 ft+ of evelation gain for the entirity of the race.  We discussed the insane weather that took place throughout the race. From 35+ mph winds, to pouring rain, and hail, this race through everything at the runners but Nhan was able to overcome these obstacles and finish the race in just over 34 hours.  We also discussed how the race went down and how he managed all of the different weather and temperatures that were experienced out on the trail. Nhan shared some of his lessons learned and experiences from the trail.   So sit back and enjoy! 

Welcome to (R)unscripted Episdoe 17!  In this episode, Alex sat down with the one and only Jerry Ammerman to talk all things running and marathoning. Jerry has completed the 2021 Chicago and New York Marathons and just recently the 2022 126th running of the Boston Marathon. While Jerry dind't meet his goals at these races, he's learned a lot about himself and his running that will serve him well in the long run. We also dove into Jerry's story on how he became a runner and how he got to where he is today. I'm happy to call Jerry a close friend and training partner so I had no doubt that this episode would be a long one.  Jerry also finished 2nd overal at the Reedy River 5k this past weekend, only 6 days after running Boston! He has also almost reached his 4th month sober milestone and he is continuing to better himself every day  So grab your headphones, start your watch, and enjoy this conversation. 

Welcome to (R)unscripted episode 16!  In this episode Matt sits down with Bridgette Honor to discuss her recent success in ultra running completing two 50ks in the past 4 months. She has sights on completing 41 miles on her 41st birthday at the Longest Day Event, 50 miles at the Yeti 50 Miler, and eventually a 100 mile trail run someday! In upcoming events she is scheduled to also start competing in triathlons.  Bridgette is a community leader as a mentor for Black Girls Run in Columbia South Carolina. Matt also discusses with Bridgette the role we all play in removing barriers for entry to minority groups in the sport of trail running and ultra running. Our goal is to be as inclusive as possible with every runner no matter age, pace, or race. Thank you Bridgette for being a role model for future runners! 

Welcome to (R)unscripted episode 15!  This episode takes more of a serious tone (with some jokes thrown in) as Alex sits down with Robbie Bradley and talks about what drove him to go sober and never go back to drinking alcohol.  We dive into how alcohol was affecting Robbie's life and how one defining moment made him change his life for the better. Robbie was on a slippery slope to no good, but made the concious decision to quit alcohol and now he will never go back. Robbie's story is inspirational and I hope it has an impact on each of you listening in some way just as it did on me.  I want to thank Robbie for being open to sharing his story and being vulnerable. Robbie is a staple in the Upstate Ultra community and if you ever get the chance to sit around a fire at a race with him, ask him about the purple gorilla.  I encourage anyone who is struggling with an addiction, whether it's alcohol, drugs, cigarettes, etc, to reach out to anyone in your community, especially the ultra running community. The ultra running community is here to support everyone and if you need help, PLEASE reach out. We are here to help! There is such thing as a healthy relationship with alcohol and we can have fun with it, but please drink responsibly!   If you liked this episode, please feel free to give us a rating and review! 

Welcome to (R)unscripted episode 14!  In this episode, Matt sits down with returning guests Geoff and Heather Hart to discuss their coaching and their newly launched adventure racing website!  Geoff and Heather own and operate Hart Strength and Endurance Coaching and both share a passion for ultra running and adventure racing.  If you liked this episode, please feel free to leave a review and rating! 

Welcome to (R)unscripted Episode 13! In this Episode, Alex sits down and talks with Phil Cuppernell who just recently completed Ultraman Florida. Phil is currently in the Marine Core and we discuss how the Marine Core helped bring him to ultra endurance events. Phil is always seeking out new challenges and looking for ways to push himself to new limits.  Ultraman is a 3 day triathalon event which consists of a 10k swim and a 91 mile bike on day 1, a 170 mile bike on day 2, and a double marathon (52.4 miles) run on day 3.  We dive into what brought Phil into ultra endurance events and what made him want to register for the Ultraman event. We also talk about his training, nutrition, and all things that went into this event.  If you'd like to contact Phil to learn more about Ultraman or anything we talked about, he is on IG @phil_the_cup or on FB.  You can also watch a recap of his Ultraman event on his youtube channel. https://youtu.be/jseIMQ_zL2c If you liked this episode, please feed free to drop a rating and a review. 

Welcome to Episode 12 of (R)unscripted!  In this episode, Matt sits down with Charlotte Corriher AKA the Marathon Costume Chic.  Charlotte is well known for her unique costumes at every race she runs. She has even dressed as a younger aged (college) Matt, and also a bottle of fireball. (because what is ultra running without fireball?) If you liked this episode, please feel free to leave a rating and a review. 

Welcome to SCUM of the Earth Episode 11!  In this episode Matt talks all things running with Without Limits Coach/Founder Tom Clifford.  https://www.iamwithoutlimits.com/

Welcome to SCUM of the Earth Episode 10!   In this episode we sit down with Dane Simmons to talk about how his running shop, Run In, came to be and their recent news of expanding to Simpsonville, SC.    Dane Simmons grew up playing soccer at a young age but found running as a way to get in shape for soccer. Dane ran in high school and college. He was a conference champion in the 800m at the University of North Florida, After college he started to dabble in the endurance side of things and has  completed a full IM, hand full of 50ks, 50 milers, and 100 milers. Including Western States 100. He is now the manager/ operator at the local Greenville running store, Run In.   Notable performance   IM Augusta 70.3 - 4:35 IM FL - 10:25 Umstead 100 - 19:13 GDR - 15:53  We also talk about the Upstate Running Club and how Run In is supporting the club! Run In Social Media FB - @runingreenville IG -  @runingreenville @runinsimpsonville

In this episode, we sit down with our good friend, Shannon Howell, and her husband Ken to discuss the Western States 100.  Shannon took 13th female and 26th overall in a stacked field of runners. This year's western states saw only a 66% finishers rate and there were 15 females in the top 30 including 3 in the top 10. The women crushed it this year.  We discuss how the race went for Shannon along with how the crew and pacers faired out on the course throughout the day. Ken, Shannon's 2 boys, and myself (Alex) were all with Shannon at Western States. We share our experiences while following Shannon throughout the day.  We surprised Shannon with a celebration party and recorded this episode live at FH2 cigars in Simpsonville, SC. There are a few loud moments so please be aware of that.  We did have live question an answer from our live audience at the end so be sure to stay tuned for that at the end of the podcast.  We did run a little long but we could have probably talked about this for 5 more hours.  So sit back and enjoy!