This year Julian Serrano was one of the Floridians who took on the iconic Leadville 100 in Colorado. He crushed it this year with a time of 29:18:56! This was redemption. Last time Julian ran the Leadville 100, he had to take the DNF. In the 2021 race, he rolled his ankle around 7 miles in, heard a pop, he watched runners pass him by for 31 miles as he hobbled onward. By the time he made it to Twin Lakes at mile 37.9, he was 5 minutes past the cut-off. But he came back. 
We chat about the mental barriers and grit it takes to overcome and finish these types of races. It's all in your head and you can do it, regardless of what thoughts come up in the moment... because they are really only there for that moment. 
The Leadville 100 course is a 50-mile out-and-back dogleg run primarily on the Colorado Trail, starting at 10,200 feet with elevations ranging from 9,200 to 12,620 feet. The centerpiece of the course is the climb up to Hope Pass at 12,620 feet, encountered on both the outbound trek and on the return. In most years, fewer than half the starters complete the race within the 30-hour time limit.