HappyCast

Stephanie is joined by Sam Stiles for a chaotic, funny, and heartfelt recap of the Great New York 100, a grassroots 100-mile loop around New York City. After meeting during the Connecticut 123, where they shared roughly 40 miles together, Stephanie reached out to Sam with a huge ask: come pace her through the night in New York, help navigate the city, and make sure she did not accidentally turn the race into what her friends lovingly called “the Murder Race.” Sam answered the call, commuting ...

Stephanie returns fresh off her 30-hour adventure at the Ghost Train Trail Races in New Hampshire, sharing what it took to push through 115 miles of near-perfect conditions, unexpected challenges, and one of her strongest performances yet. From the mental battle of deciding to go beyond 100 miles to the moment she realized she was on track for the second-fastest female finish in race history, this episode dives deep into what it means to truly test your limits. Andrew and Stephanie catch up o...

Host Andrew Marvin is joined by guest host Isabella Campos-Janovick for Part 2 of our Mammoth 200 Roundtable, featuring two finishers of the inaugural race: Steve Epifano and Amber Bouge. Together they unpack what it was like to take on 200 miles through unpredictable Sierra weather, endless climbs, and the unique camaraderie that forms when everyone is just trying to make it to the next aid station. Steve shares his perspective as both an athlete and coach—balancing recovery, directing his o...

Stephanie takes us to New Jersey for her 22nd state on the journey to all 50 with the Wild Goose Trail Festival 100-miler. What could have been a solo grind turned into a full-on adventure of community, resilience, and unexpected friendships. With her original pacer getting injured, Stephanie found last-minute support in Andrew Bondarev, who drove in to help keep her on track through the long night. Along the way, she also met Fra Balbi, a non-binary runner taking on their first 100K, after c...

This week on the HappyCast, Stephanie sits down with returning guest Liesl Standish and her pacer, Julie Benoit, to dive into Liesl’s unforgettable journey at the Run Rabbit Run 100. From the moment the weather turned to rain, hail, and near-freezing temps, this race tested every ounce of grit and determination. Liesl shares what it felt like to shuffle through the night wrapped in a space blanket, the toll of soaked gloves and cold hands, and how sheer perseverance pushed her forward when qu...

Sometimes the hardest part of ultrarunning isn’t the miles—it’s just getting an episode recorded. After multiple attempts, the HappyCast crew finally sits down with Lisa Decker and Shashi Reddy to share their stories from two of Laz Lake’s infamous journey races: Vol State and Heart of the South. Both are 300+ mile tests of grit, resourcefulness, and pure stubbornness, and their experiences run the gamut from roadside naps to navigating storms and heat rash with Dollar General t-shirts. Lisa ...

In this episode of the HappyCast, Stephanie and Andrew sit down with ultrarunner Rachel Millman, whose race résumé spans mud-soaked DNFs, monster climbs, and fearless returns to the start line. Rachel takes us inside her recent finish at the Ouray 100, a beast of a race boasting over 40,000 feet of elevation gain, where she crossed the line just 23 minutes before the final cutoff. From navigating steep, loose terrain to staying upright during nighttime descents, she shares how grit—and a litt...