S2, E24: Why Would Anyone Run 100 Miles, with Jesse Rich
Trail running has a funny way of finding people who swear they hate running. Jesse Rich starts there: not a high school standout, not obsessed with splits, and not even sure why anyone would choose to suffer on purpose. One nudge from his older brother and a few trail miles in the mountains flipped the switch. The scenery, the quiet, and the feeling of moving through wild places made it stick, and that first taste of racing created a new question: how do you go from “getting through it” to actually performing in ultrarunning without falling apart?
The turning point comes with a classic ultramarathon nutrition mistake: starting an event with the wrong food and paying for it for hours. Jesse’s Speedgoat 50K experience becomes a case study in fueling, hydration, and why “healthy” is not the same as “race-ready.” The frustration of watching others run strong while his stomach shuts down pushes him into a master’s program in nutrition and a deeper dive into sports nutrition. He talks about building a foundation in how carbohydrates work, why electrolytes and sodium matter, and how modern endurance fueling has shifted from under-eating to deliberate high-carb strategies.
From there, the conversation gets practical and specific: pacing is personal, experience is the teacher, and the back half of a race exposes every weakness. Jesse explains why 50K pacing is different from 100K pacing, and why 100-mile races are their own category of problem solving. He shares the “aha” of liquid carbs and powders that combine water, electrolytes, and calories, plus the underrated value of slowing down at aid stations to get real food in. The phrase “training the gut” matters here: you cannot expect gels and carbs to work on race day if you never practice during long runs.
Jesse’s story also tracks the growth of trail running culture and the career path that came with it. He builds a business that blends endurance coaching, personal training, and nutrition support, then joins a larger coaching group during the COVID-era boom in ultrarunning. He touches on UTMB’s popularity, qualification systems, and the tension between grassroots events and corporate scale. Layered on top is real life: kids, limited time, aging, recovery, and the need for “white space” to think. The takeaway is clear for anyone chasing endurance goals: consistency beats hero weeks, fueling is a skill, sleep and recovery become non-negotiable, and the best long-term plan is the one you can sustain for years.
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