It was another year for the annual Long Haul 100! Time and time again, this is the place where so many runners take on the 100-mile distance for the first time! On the chat, we have four of those first-time 100 mile finishers! Russ Hartzell, Tina Wolfe, Daisy Weckerly, and Ivi Stangle.

Russ Hartzell got it done with a time of 31:19:36! He's done races like the Ocho de Mayhem, Blaze Pioneer Trail, Whispering Pines, and the Wildcat Ultra!

Tina Wolfe got her buckle with a time of 31:22:02! She's done races like the Bronze Dragonfly, Vero Beach Octopus, River to Sea, Colt 45, Pinellas Trail Challenge, and the Skunk Ape Night Run.

Daisy Weckerly finished with a time of 30:45:55! She's done races like the 50 Miler at the Keys, Three Degrees of Hell, the RunFluent 7-Hour, and the Skunk Ape Night Run prior to coming out to the Long Haul.

Ivi Stangle, who one half of RunFluent, she got it done with a time of 29:00:52! She's done races like the Skunk Ape Night Run, Grayson Highlands, the Trident, Wild Florida, Forgotten Florida, and Sweat Swat n Swear!

Starting the 2024 Season off where it all started, the Long Haul 100. Frequent guest Andy "Croom" Mathews returns to the podcast to go in-depth into everything about this race. He's also joined by three-time finisher and 3rd Overall at the 2022 Long Haul 100, Jeff Iosa! Also joining the chat this year is two-time finisher and captain of the Boots or Saddles Aid Station, Andrew Barrett!

We analyze the course, answer some questions, talk about what it's going to take to be successful, some tips and tricks, some Long Haul 100 trivia, and yes! We make our predictions for the female and male top finishers for this year! We also chat on who we think is going to have most consistent race, some dark horses, and speculate on some Long Haul 100 rookies.

The Long Haul 100 takes place at Colt Creek State Park near Lakeland, Florida and is Florida's only Western States Qualifying Race. Great for first-timers and veterans alike! The course is a 6 x 16.6 mile loops. There are 3 fully manned Aid Stations and access to your drop bags every loop.

This race is truly the grand gathering of the Florida ultra and trail scene! 

See y'all at Long Haul! 

On the chat, we’ve got a chat with Erin Swanson and Wiatt Bowers on the Orange Belt Trail project that’s been in the works over the past couple of years.

Erin is a Pasco County Project Manager and Wiatt is a Consultant Project Manager for the Orange Belt Trail project.

The Orange Belt Trail is a proposed multiuse trail spanning approximately 37 miles through Pasco County from Trinity to Trilby. It would provide key connections to the Coast-to-Coast Trail, Starkey Trail, Suncoast Trail, and Withlacoochee Trail as well as link communities such as Trinity, Odessa, Land O’Lakes, Wesley Chapel, and Dade City!

More Info:

https://orangebelttrail.com

http://orangebelttrail.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/OBT_Workshops_4.2023_update.pdf