In this episode of the Tribe of Runners Podcast, I sit down with Vanessa Kline, a Badwater 135 finisher, race director, pacer, and endurance athlete who has built an incredible life around running.
Vanessa's running story didn't start with ultramarathons. After burning out as a high school runner, she stepped away from the sport for nearly a decade. Eventually, one marathon changed everything and reignited the competitive side of her that she thought was gone.
That comeback eventually led her to the world of ultrarunning and all the way to Badwater 135, where she finished as a top-10 female.
But getting through 135 miles in Death Valley is about much more than running. Vanessa and I talk about the behind-the-scenes reality of Badwater 135: crew logistics, pacing, heat management, fueling, sodium, nausea, sleep, and the mental decisions that keep you moving when your body is begging you to stop.
We also get into the other side of Vanessa's running life. Through Beast Pacing and Beast Coast Production, she has built a community of pacers and helps put on races ranging from 5Ks to 100-milers and 48-hour events.
In this episode, we talk about:
- Vanessa's journey from burned-out high school runner to ultrarunner
- The marathon that brought her back to competitive running
- Making the jump from marathons to ultras and eventually 100 miles
- What makes Badwater 135 so uniquely difficult
- Why Badwater is as much a crew and logistics puzzle as it is a running race
- Heat, hydration, sodium, nausea, and fueling in extreme conditions
- The mental strategies Vanessa used when things got difficult
- How pacing became much more than simply running alongside another athlete
- Building a business and community around pacing
- What it takes to organize and direct races
- Balancing running, parenting, business, and all the other things life throws at you
- Why every ultra can become a mental toolkit for whatever hard thing comes next
Vanessa's story is a great reminder that you don't have to have your entire running future figured out. Sometimes you step away.
Sometimes you start over.
Sometimes you discover that you're capable of much more than you thought. And sometimes the hardest race you've ever done just becomes preparation for the next thing.
Find Vanessa Kline on IG: @vanessajkline
Find my Personal IG: @itslizmyers
Podcast IG: @tribeofrunners
For EASY ACCESS to all the Link HERE
Check out Everyday Ultra Website for races and coaching HERE
