130: "You Don't Have to Put a Period at the End of the Sentence": From Trauma to Trail Ultras w/ Mikaela Gomez
About this episode
Mikaela Gomez shares her inspiring journey from non-runner to ultra marathoner while overcoming personal trauma.
Mikaela Gomez is a mom of three, a Navy veteran, and somehow, until last July, not a runner at all. She found running through the unlikeliest of doors: a dark romance book rabbit hole on TikTok that led her to an ultra runner known as the Ghost Runner. What started as a way to move her body for her mental health turned into something much bigger once Mikaela started processing the loss of her father to suicide, a loss she was carrying while nine months pregnant and unable to be there for her family in the aftermath. In just eleven months, Mikaela went from her first mile to a 40 mile ultra in Flagstaff, Arizona, training through a breast reduction recovery, an autoimmune disease that once left her unsure if she'd walk again, and a household full of toddlers. She had six weeks to prepare after an invitation from a friend she'd never met in person. What happened on that course, between the blisters, the tears, and a phone call to her mom that changed everything, is the kind of story that reminds you just how strong you actually are. Follow along with Mikaela Gomez: @findingmika_ Support Mikaela's charity…
More episodes of My First Marathon
- 134: "What If I Just Stopped": Hitting the Wall at Mile 12 and Finishing Anyway w/ Julie Satterthwaite
- 29: How I'm Approaching Returning To Running (Mini Episodes Are Back!)
- 133: Finding Her People: How BAR Run Club Changed Everything w/ Rachel Howard
- 132: The Race She Had to Run Twice: Redemption at the Eugene Marathon w/ Gina Loschiavo
- 131: Slow and Steady, Keep to the Left: A Late Bloomer's First Marathon w/ Jude Harper
- 129: It Fell on My Actual Birthday: Why Maggie Finally Signed Up for Chicago w/ Maggie Lowenthal
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