Advertise on podcast: Fails On The Trails

On this episode of Fails on the Trails, Jenny Arzen joins the crew to unpack her 100-mile DNFs, from pushing through sixteen miles on a broken ankle to battling the flu at the worst possible time. What follows are stories of redemption, hallucinations, and relentless perseverance. Along the way, Jenny reflects on what she learned from each setback and shares the song that gets her through the darkest moments of a race.

On this episode of Fails on the Trails, co-host Nicole walks us through her five DNFs, including the Boston Marathon, her very first trail run, and Brazos Bend. She shares what it was like making the jump from road running to trails, and the surprises that came with it. We also talk about how to process a DNF internally, and why sometimes the best move is letting it go and focusing on the next race.

In this episode of Fails on the Trails, Justin shares his DFL experience at the Vero Beach Octopus Ultra. This unique adventure race sends runners out on eight different “arms” across the city of Vero Beach, challenging them to navigate sand, mangrove swamps, a boat ride to an island, and, most dreaded of all, long stretches of pavement. Join Justin as he breaks down everything that unfolded over the 32 hours and 20 minutes it took him to reach the finish line at the Vero Beach Octopus Ultra.

We’re kicking things off by getting to know Lisa Decker and diving into the wild story of her DNF at the Cactus Rose 100. It was a true bare-bones race, aid stations with water only, no extras unless you packed them in your own drop bags, and long miles of heat, darkness, and total solitude. Lisa shares stories of sleep-deprivation hallucinations, questionable ultra math, the struggle of racing without warm food, and the moment everything finally started to unravel. It’s honest, fun, and packed with lessons every trail runner learns the hard way.