About this episode

Allison Mercer discusses her experience at the USA 100K Championships and her journey to qualify for Team USA.

Allison Mercer just finished second at the USA 100K Championships… and is officially headed to Spain to represent Team USA. In this episode, we break down everything from the race, including how to mentally survive a 10-lap course, dialing in race-day nutrition, and why laps 4 through 6 are basically a personal crisis. We also get into her “vibe, grind, shine” mantra, carb intake (very high), and what it actually feels like when you realize you’re going to make the team. We also cover: How to pace a 100K without losing your mind Race prep, bottle systems, and why being organized actually matters The mental shift from training to racing What hurts during a 100K (spoiler: everything, eventually) Why second place is somehow both amazing and terrible Plus, we get into Boston Marathon storylines, Cocodona 250 hype, injuries in the sport, and whether running a 5K one week after a 100K is a terrible idea (it is). It’s part race recap, part comedy, and part therapy session for endurance athletes, just how we like it. If you’ve ever trained for something big, wondered how elites actually fuel, or just want to hear what it’s like to qualify for Team USA, this one’s for you. Support our…

People in this episode

Host: Jeff Garmire

Guest: Allison Mercer

Topics covered

• 100K Championships
• race-day nutrition
• mental preparation
• endurance running
• Team USA qualification
• race recap
• injuries in sports

Sponsors

Sawyer, Janji, CS Coffee, Garage Grown Gear

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Team USA

More episodes of Free Outside

• Sally McRae on Cocodona, Mindset, and What Actually Matters in Ultras · April 27, 2026 · 1h 23m
• Cocodona 250 History: The Stories Beneath the Miles · April 24, 2026 · 1h 28m
• What You Become Before the Finish Line · April 23, 2026 · 1h 1m
• Go Two More · April 20, 2026 · 55 min
• Heritage Square Bound: Cocodona 250 Strategy · April 13, 2026 · 1h 3m
• Salty Boy Training Camp · April 7, 2026 · 24 min

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Free Outside podcast page.