Andrew Messina is a trail ultrarunner from Middletown, New Jersey where he lives with his wife and two children. He owns and operates a small business called Tech Experts in New York City. Andrew started running in 2010 when he was somewhat overweight and discovered he had a kidney stone, realizing that his health was not something he could be proud of. This summer Andrew became one of only 12 athletes in 2022 to complete both Western States Endurance Run AND Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc in the same year. Of those 12 athletes, five were elite and seven were non-elite, and he was the only person from New Jersey.  Kim met Andrew back in 2019 at Tahoe Rim Trail Endurance Run and after some shared pre-race french fries and a few miles on the course they both realized they had lots in common, the least of which was a dream to run UTMB. We had Marianne Hogan on the show back in September when we talked about doing both races nine weeks apart from an elite perspective and in this conversation we talked about what Andrew’s experience was like from a non-elite perspective. Regardless of what labels we give each other, accomplishing a double like WSER and UTMB in the same year is significant, and we think you will enjoy hearing the passion and energy in his voice as Andrew tells us the story of a summer I’m sure he will never forget.Connect with Andrew:Strava: @andrewmessinaInstagramResources we discussed in this episode:Episode 88 with Trena ChellinoTrail Runner Nation with AJWConnect with Carolyn & Kim:Kim's InstagramKim's FacebookCarolyn's InstagramCarolyn's FacebookCarolyn's website (sign up for her free weekly newsletter on the homepage)We love hearing from you! Connect with us on Instagram @inspiredsolescast or email guest ideas to inspiredsolescast@gmail.com. If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend, subscribe or leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts.