Mid-State Mile/Tennessee Mile

So many runners have reached out to me after I started talking about EBV reactivation and the symptoms I experienced, saying they’re dealing with a lot of the same things and wondering if this could be part of what’s going on with them too.

So I’m going to do an IG Live Thursday night at 6 PM Central to talk about EBV reactivation, what it can look like in runners, how it can impact training and everyday life, and some of the signs that can be really easy to overlook or write off as just being tired, overtrained, stressed, or burned out.

I’m also more than happy to follow up with anyone individually afterward. Message me, call me, whatever works. If you’re experiencing something similar, I’m happy to talk through what you’re dealing with, what questions may be worth asking, and some of the things that can help you start backing out of that hole and moving toward recovery.

This is something I wish I had understood a lot sooner, so if talking about my experience can help someone else recognize what’s happening before it gets worse, I’m happy to share it.

We all have some level of self awareness about our strengths and weaknesses. Sometimes, to avoid vulnerability, we blame circumstances for our outcomes, reactions, or shortcomings instead of looking at what keeps showing up.

But what if instead of constantly fighting those parts of ourselves, we learned how to make them work for us?

Identify three traits, habits, limiting beliefs, or mindsets that tend to become your nemesis. Then look at the other side. Where can those same things become strengths? How can you use them to stay focused on your goal?

Here are mine.

My ability to compartmentalize.

Con: It can keep me from being emotionally present in heavy situations. I go numb, check boxes, and avoid checking in with myself.

Pro: When I’m overwhelmed, hurting, or deep in a low during a long run or race, I can put the negative voices and uncomfortable emotions in a box. I can breathe, stay mission focused, and keep moving instead of breaking down or quitting.

My combativeness.

Con: When I’m angry or vulnerable, I can be incredibly combative. I’m not scared of confrontation, and my aggression can absolutely be abrasive.

Pro: When I’m staring down a cutoff or something that feels impossible, I can tap into that fighting spirit. I can go to war. I can fight, claw, and run someone down when I need to.

My assertiveness.

Con: Once my mind is made up, there is not always much room for negotiation, which can make conflict harder.

Pro: Once I decide I’m finishing, I’m not quitting. It removes self doubt. I can see the outcome, say it out loud, and believe it.

I said it. It’s happening. It’s fu***ng nonnegotiable.

All three of these things can work against me in other areas of life, but in ultrarunning, I’ve learned how to make them work for me.

I’ll keep growing, softening where I need to, and acknowledging where there is work to do. But I’m also going to keep using what works.

Keep growing. Keep assessing. Keep taking the “bad” and figuring out how to use it for good.

Didier Saba came back to Mid-State for his third year, ready for the challenge, the competition, and whatever the course had waiting for him.

Didier is from Sarasota, Florida, works as a pastry chef, and has been running ultras for three years. Mid-State is his favorite, and his previous best here was 59 miles in 18 hours and 20 minutes.

This year, Didier came in with one very simple goal: unlimited.

He knew the uphills would be the part to manage, so his plan was to stay steady, keep his pace around 17 minutes, go easy, stay hydrated, and use ice to keep cool.

Didier said he runs ultras for fun and adventure, and he showed up ready to enjoy the challenge and competition that Mid-State brings.

He was supported by his wife, Audrey, who crewed him and helped keep him moving through the day.

We were grateful to have Didier back for another year and thankful for the energy he brings to this race.

Congratulations, Didier.



📸 Pete Schreiner

Liberty Murray came back to Mid-State because she makes bad decisions.

Her words, not ours.

But really, Liberty came out to support Becca and Jon, spend time with this community, and use the race as training for Swiss Alps 100, which she was heading back to in August.

Liberty is from Spring Hill, Tennessee, and works as a veterinarian and equine surgeon, which means long days, physical work, emotional stress, little sleep, and a whole lot of toughness already built into everyday life.

She has been running ultras for around eight or nine years, with races like MCTU, Swiss Alps 100, UTE 50, and Quest for the Crest on her list of favorites. Her previous Mid-State best was around 10 hours, and this year her goal was to have fun, push herself, and hopefully make it to the first intermission.

Liberty knew the whole course would be a challenge. Her plan was to go as slow as possible, take the hills slowly, troubleshoot whatever came up, and keep going when it got hard.

That is Mid-State in one sentence.

Her why was the love of doing hard things where the outcome is uncertain. She said she enjoys having a strong body and mind that can do hard things in beautiful places, and that this sport has given her friendships, opportunities, and ways to push herself she could not get anywhere else.

When things get dark, Liberty said that is when you find out who you really are. Are you still who you think you are when it really gets hard?

She said she is not always as strong as she wants to be in those moments, but she keeps trying to get better.

That right there is the work.

Liberty was supported by her husband, Ryan, and friends Sammi and Liz, along with the amazing people who continue to show up for her.

Liberty said ultrarunning has taught her perseverance, and that we are all capable of so much more than we think.

We were grateful to have Liberty back out here on the loop.

Congratulations, Liberty.



📸 Pete Schreiner

Lauren Hendrickson came to Mid-State from Louisville, Kentucky, because Tennessee has a piece of her heart.

She works as a Natural Areas Specialist and REI Sales Specialist, because as she put it, you need two jobs in this economy. She has been running ultras for six years, with No Business 100 as one of her favorites, and she showed up to test what happens when the legs and mind both start to fail.

Her plan was simple: don’t get caught up in the sauce.

That feels like solid advice for Mid-State and probably life in general.

Lauren said one of the best parts of the race was being around all the folks. Her goal was to show up when things got tough and stay kind while doing it. She planned to take the climbs one at a time, block out the haters and Ale-8s, and keep moving through whatever the day gave her.

She runs ultras to be outside, free her mind, and appreciate cool s**t along the way.

Her why was tied to the loved ones she has lost, the people she loves now, and the reminder that nature is fleeting. She said she wants to make herself stronger for those she loves, and that ultra running has taught her it is only selfish if you make it selfish.

Lauren also shared that managing grief and doing what she can to help people experiencing suicidal ideation has shaped her life and the way she moves through hard things.

She was supported by Laura, crew extraordinaire, and gave thanks to her mom, Ian, Laura, and her friend and coach Emily.

Her hope for anyone watching was simple: be consistent and enjoy the ride.

We were grateful to have Lauren at Mid-State and thankful for the way she showed up. The world needs more like her.

Congratulations, Lauren.



📸 Pete Schreiner

Paul Hanges came back for year three at Mid-State, and this one meant a lot.

Paul first signed up for Mid-State in 2023 after watching Just One Mile, having what he called a midlife crisis, and deciding that running circles up and down a Tennessee hill with Casey Keltner sounded like a reasonable life choice.

Since then, Mid-State became the race that kicked off his ultra journey. He went from 11 loops his first year to 23 loops last year, and this year his goals were simple: have fun, keep problem solving, and make it to intermission.

That kind of growth is what this race is all about.

Paul planned to run steady 17-minute loops, manage fueling and electrolytes, stay cool with towels, hat swaps, and an ice bandana, and most importantly, keep himself in the fight.

He had his wife crewing, his daughters Morgan and Reagan cheering him on, and a full crew of family and friends out here with him.

Paul said he runs ultras because it is rewarding to put in the work and see the results year after year.

We loved that. We loved the buy-in. We loved the family showing up. And we loved watching him come back to this course with more experience, more belief, and more fight.

Congratulations, Paul.

And a huge thank you to JibJab for the support.



📸 Pete Schreiner

Michael Graziani came to Mid-State from Freeport, Florida, ready to find out how far he could push himself.

Michael works as a project scheduler for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and had only been running ultras for two months. His first ultra was Snaketail 50, and Mid-State was his first time stepping into this kind of format.

He chose the race because he wanted to do something hard and show his boys, Maddux and Joseph, that their dad keeps tackling obstacles no matter what life puts in front of him. He had also watched his buddy Dylan Ledbetter grow through ultrarunning for years, and that made an impact.

His goal was simple: run his own race and take it one mile at a time.

Michael came in four weeks removed from a quad strain, so the downhill was his biggest concern. His plan was to stay around 17-minute laps, take the hills one step at a time, and manage the heat with cooling towels and a portable fan.

For Michael, success meant finding the mental wall, facing it, and going a little farther.

He runs for his boys, for his mental health, and to be the kind of dad they can look up to. When things got hard, he carried his kids, his wife, his mom, and the memory of his father, who passed away six years ago.

His mantra: own the night.

With a background in the Army, Ranger School, Sapper Leader Course, and two Best Sapper competitions, Michael knows hard things. But as he said, the hill does not care about your background or fitness.

Everyone gets the same hill.

Congratulations, Michael.

📸 Pete Schreiner

I wrote this a few years ago and have been meaning to reshare it.

Mid-State, and going back through all the images afterward, brought every bit of it back.

Watching an ultra from the outside hits differently. You see the hope, the unraveling, the fight, the people hanging on, and the ones who somehow get stronger as the day gets harder.

Going back through those moments reminded me exactly why I wrote this in the first place.

The Wreckage of an Ultra.

“Everything has an end date and time. It will be over soon.”

That’s the line Jon Hull keeps in his pocket for the loops that get long.

Jonathon Hull, Jon to everybody here, is 50, a locomotive engineer from Auburn, Alabama. He ran his first ultra in 2020, and Mid-State and the Tennessee Mile are the two he keeps coming back to. His longest day so far is 24 hours and 100 miles, and he has been part of Mid-State since 2023.

This year, the number he wanted was 24 hours.

Jon will tell you straight that he climbs well. The downhills are another story. His plan was 17-minute loops, ice towels for the heat, and slow, easy breathing to keep everything under control.

His definition of success?

“Not to be dramatic, but make sure I finish the first loop.”

He had a one-woman crew: Kayla, his oldest daughter.

What keeps Jon coming back is the feeling on the other side of something that lasted longer and was harder than you wanted it to be. The hard parts are part of it. You finish what you started.

Ultras have taught him patience, and what he hopes people take from watching him is simple:

Normal people can do hard things and have fun doing them.

Congratulations, Jon.

📸 Pete Schreiner

Kyle Szabo came to Mid-State from Orange County by way of Nolensville, bringing six years of ultra experience, a love for the community, and one of the most toxic traits we have heard.

Kyle said his toxic trait is telling people at trail races he is a road runner, then telling people at road races he is training for ultras.

Kyle has been running ultras for six years, with No Business 100 as one of his favorites. He came in with a 50-mile PR of 9 hours, a longest distance of 100 miles, and a previous Mid-State best of 58 miles.

This year, his goal was to push his mental fitness further than his physical fitness. He wanted to know he did not quit mentally.

He knew the descending would be the part to respect, so his plan was to stay around 18-minute laps, walk as much as he could, stay slow and steady, and keep himself cool with ice bandanas, a portable fan, and absolutely no shirt.

Kyle said he enjoys the whole journey of ultras: the training, nutrition, and pre-race prep. Then the race is fun until it is not, then it is terrible, then not so terrible, then terrible again, and then somehow it is over and you feel like you can do anything if you just do not quit.

That pretty much covers it.

When things got hard, Kyle leaned on Oreos and the thought of how awful it would feel to quit. His why was making his wife and kids proud.

He was supported by his wife Vanessa and his daughters, Scotlyn and Piper, who he described as the dopest of the dopest.

Kyle said he does not do well with moderation, and ultras have become a healthy-ish escape for him.

He also came into the race 2,969 days sober. That has given him confidence in knowing he can accomplish hard things, even when they seem impossible at first.

Kyle said the best way to get out of hell is to keep moving.

We were grateful to have Kyle back at Mid-State and thankful for the honesty and heart he brought with him.

Congratulations, Kyle.



📸 Pete Schreiner