Profile

It’s hard to know if Jameelah Abdul-Rahim Mujaahid ever stops. When describing a typical week, the single mother of five from Atlanta sounds like she is constantly on the move.

Pain and loss have followed Laurel McMahan throughout her life. “Loss, divorce, mental health issues, poverty, single-parenthood, the whole, entire beautiful and sometimes painful spectrum of life.” She lost her beloved little brother to complications from heroin addiction. She needed a thing to do, an action to take, to get back to herself again, and running was that thing.

In just her fifth ultramarathon to date, Jazmine Lowther of Nelson, British Columbia, delivered a surprising wire-to-wire win at the recent Canyons 100k. Not surprisingly, just five weeks earlier, she ran in the lead at the Chuckanut 50k and held on for third place just a few minutes back from elite athletes in the sport.

In 2019, wind and rain pelted Lisa Irving’s body as she battled through the Canadian Death Race—a 125k foot race across the Canadian Rocky Mountains in Alberta, Canada. “If a puddle wasn’t big enough to swallow me whole, I went straight through it.” Lisa’s mental toughness is a constant force, whether she’s at work as an air traffic controller, volunteering with search and rescue, or crushing miles in the mountains.

I take great comfort in reflecting. It’s fun to relive and remember the highlights from these recent years and a way to constantly remind myself how much fun I’m having, even when times get tough. I’m also painfully aware that nothing is ever certain. These last three years have taught me as much. However, the older I get, the more I find myself leaning into uncertainty.

It was 2018, and Kevin Mathewson was in the zone. He was fresh off a personal best at the Bear Chase 50K in Morrison, CO, and had recently crossed the finish line of his first 100-mile race at Tunnel Hill, in Vienna, IL. A few months later, he found himself sitting in a doctor’s office, mind racing, awaiting the results from a biopsy. The news was not good. “I was diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer.”

Running has become vital to Logan Williams’ mental health and a way to deal with the physical pain he will have to manage for the rest of his life. He suffers from a rare autoimmune disease called Dercum’s, also referred to as adiposis dolorosa, a painful buildup of fatty tumors along muscle and nerve cells throughout the body, but typically in the calves, chest and torso.

UR Ambassador Jacky Hunt-Broersma started running five year ago because “it’s not something amputees really do,” and she wanted to see if she could push the limits. Jacky’s first ultra was a 40-mile trail race; she fell in love with the sport and the community and hasn’t looked back since.

Zack Beavin took his first steps toward becoming an elite ultramarathoner when he was 11 years old—a 4-foot 8-inch, 74-pounder with a buzz cut and boundless energy. Now 27, Beavin has logged more than 46,000 miles on tracks, trails and roads, challenging himself in body and spirit in a sport he dearly loves.

Now 71, and with his stifled bar business trying to rebound from COVID, a hamstring injury and the effects of age on his speed and endurance, Tom McGrath’s plan is ambitious. From November 4–7, he will run three marathons in three days and on the fourth day, do the NYC Marathon. Tom’s running roots are firmly grounded in ultras – the concrete kind.

Tiffany Sivco is no stranger to pain. Living with Fibromyalgia for the past five years, she’s learned to overcome pain. “I have Fibromyalgia and anxiety. Running has helped me significantly with both of these diagnoses.” Tiffany is tenacious in her approach to life by living it to the fullest and not letting pain get in the way of her joy.

It was three weeks till Eastern States, and in the heart of the White Mountains, the mornings start like something out of a movie. Under a cloudless sky and the majesty of Carter Notch, Veronica Leeds set out to run the Hut Traverse – 50 iconic miles, 15,000 feet of climb, unpredictable conditions and rocky, technical terrain. It was the perfect prep for the Eastern States 100—or so she thought.

Tears of joy and relief fell from Sam Farnsworth’s cheeks as he crossed the finish line of the Vermont 100 in the summer of 2018. “Being out in the woods anywhere is so uplifting. And it has opened doors to achievements I never could have envisioned possible for most of my life.” At age 61, he is just getting started.

As Kelyn Curitomay crossed over the Mexican border into Tijuana, she was both excited and nervous. The year prior, she had to drop to the 25k course during the Ultramaraton Baja 50K when the technical, hilly course got the best of her. In 2018, she was determined to complete the 50K distance and toed the line, feeling intense gratitude for how far she had come since she laced up her first pair of running shoes.

Ask anyone at last month’s Canyons 100K which athlete was grinning ear-to-ear at aid stations and clearly having the absolute time of his life, and you’ll likely get one answer: Preston Cates. The 23-year-old finished in sixth place and was just 21 minutes off the podium in one of the most competitive ultras in the country—and this was just his third official ultra finish.

Jeff Beaudoin had been waiting 10 years for this moment. On a cool September day in 2020, gusty winds blew high in the White Mountains of New Hampshire as three headlamps dotted the landscape and Jeff and his buddies ran along the rugged and rocky trail of the Presidential (Presi) Traverse. The 20+ mile point-to-point run brings runners and hikers along numerous peaks, and summits the highest mountain in the northeastern United States: Mt. Washington.

New York-based filmmaker and ultrarunner Austin Meyer’s love for storytelling originated in the fourth grade after he got in trouble at school. Since then, Meyer, who released his film about the Western States Endurance Run, “Golden Hour,” just last year, has loved to tell stories. Whether they are about inspiring individuals or global crises, his knack both behind the lens and beyond is apparent.

Melanie Arleth never dreamed she’d be a runner, let alone an ultrarunner. In March of 2018, she felt a shift in her mindset. “I decided to go for it. I had just turned 41 and after putting my family first, I was consistently losing myself along the way. It was then that I decided I wasn’t going to just be a runner, I was going to be an ultrarunner.”

When you win a high school cross-country race on campus, and your English teacher is the head track and field coach, not only are you guaranteed a spot on the track team, but there is little chance you’ll be able weasel your way out of it.

Like a duck takes to water, or perhaps more appropriate for the Austin, Texas-based runner and photographer, like a cowboy takes to wearing boots, Jobie Williams’ side gig as a photographer was happenstance.

After serving his first tour in Iraq, Jason Mosel came back home to a whole new set of struggles. Ones that training hadn’t prepared him for. “From everything I saw, everything I did, I may have physically left the country of Iraq, but my head was still there.”

Eve was an active kid who grew up in rural Indiana. She started her running career early, running both cross-country and track throughout high school. Her running coach was instrumental in her growth. “He taught me to love heat running, to run easy when needed, and to race smart.”

Chip Howard felt his adrenaline pumping as he began buckling himself into the thrill ride Superman, alongside his family at Six Flags New England, but he had a problem. The buckle was not big enough. An attendant approached him and explained he would have to get off the ride.

Kevin Draper grew up in the coastal town of Guilford, CT, where his adoptive parents helped him cultivate a love of nature. Yearly trips took them to the mountains and lakes of New Hampshire where they swam in Lake Winnisquam and spent time exploring Gunstock Mountain together.

During the long summer days, the sun rises before 5 a.m. in Minneapolis, Minnesota, home to the hardworking mother of four, founder of Native Women Running and ultrarunner, Verna Volker. She heads out the door for her daily morning ritual: a run towards the rising sun.

Just 10 years prior to finishing third at the Laurel Highlands Ultra in Pennsylvania, alcohol was slowly killing Margaret Smith, and she knew she needed a change. So she joined the United States Army. It was the best decision she’s ever made.

We caught up with Kevin Youngblood last week in the midst of what he considers to be the most pivotal moment of his life. “I’m in a truck on the Ice Age Trail at 2:30 a.m. answering questions to be featured in UltraRunning Magazine,” just as he was one day away from finishing a three-plus-week trip following Coree Woltering as he set a new FKT on the trail in 21 days, 13 hours and 35 minutes.

Ten years ago, Robert Gantz had just arrived at the Little Rock Air Force Base for C-130 airplane training and his mentor and best friend, “Seabass,” asked him if he’d like to run a 10k the next day. Always up for a challenge, Robert said “Let’s do it.” He ended up placing third in his age group, and the fire was lit.

The independence and freedom that running had given me since seventh grade was stripped away. I knew that getting back on my feet and leaning into running—rather than away from it—was a step forward in my recovery.

Imagine waking up to a sunrise in a new place every morning with the next adventure waiting around the corner. This is the life of Amy Margolis and David Wilson. Van life has taken them all over the United States for the past two years.