Episode 413 — Breaking 26:40 at Run Rabbit Run 100: ER Nights, Big Mountains & Mental Mastery with Emily Coggin

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12d ago 57:06

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Ladies & gentlemen — Howdy & Aloha! Welcome back to another episode of Airey Bros Radio — shining a light on the programs, athletes, and storytellers we wish we had access to growing up.Today we’re heading back to the mountains with returning guest Emily Coggin — ER nurse, mountain athlete, longtime Black Sheep Endurance athlete, and fresh off a breakout performance at the 2025 Run Rabbit Run 100, where she finished 2nd overall in a massive 26:39:07 personal best.Emily breaks down the storm-filled chaos, the 40% drop rate, the mental chess match of 100 miles, and how she ran nearly 80% of a brutally difficult course. We talk about balancing ER night shifts with ultra training, real-food fueling, European mountain adventures, pacing strategies, and her big goals ahead, including a Leadville 100 big buckle attempt.This episode is a masterclass in durability, mindset, real-food performance, and what happens when experience, preparation, and self-belief all collide on race day.
⏱️ Time-Stamped Show Notes
00:00 – Howdy & Aloha + ABR Intro Show mission, value-for-value reminder, Black Sheep Endurance shout-out.
01:00 – Guest Intro: Who Is Emily Coggin? Run Rabbit Run 100 (26:39:07, 2nd overall), Leadville 100 finisher, JFK 50, Never Summer 100K, ER nurse, mountain athlete.
02:00 – Where to Find Emily Her low-key Instagram, dogs, skiing, running, and celebrating the Black Sheep journey.
03:03 – Following a 100-Miler in Real Time Tracking splits overnight, refresh-refresh-refresh, and seeing Emily’s PR unfold.
03:17 – How the Race Unfolded Comparing 2019 to 2025, sub-30 goal, knowing the terrain, and trusting her training.
04:47 – Course Knowledge, Mental Math & Staying Locked In Why vert, mileage, and constant mental math keep her focused.
06:06 – Feeling Good Early & Knowing When to Push Experience from 30+ ultras & 8 hundred-milers paying off.
07:45 – Being a Second-Half Runner Patience early, “I’ll see you in six hours,” and running her race.
08:45 – What Surprised Her Most Running ~80% of the course thanks to a summer focused on running mileage.
09:35 – The Power of Great Pacers
Letting Corey push her, “poke me with love,” and running every runnable inch at 2 a.m.
10:58 – Mile 95: Letting It Rip 6.5-mile downhill, 3,500 feet descent, running 8-minute pace at the end.
12:08 – The Storm: Hail, Rain, Cold & a 40% Drop Rate Trail turned into a river, hypothermia risks, why a real rain jacket saved her race.
14:10 – Mental Battle Through the Low Point One focus: get down, get dry clothes, get to crew.
17:17 – Pacer Breakdown
Travis (off-the-couch gold medalist) + Corey with 38 miles of pushing.
18:23 – When Your Pacer Starts Racing Travis unknowingly dropping 11:30 uphill pace & Emily realizing she could actually race, not survive.
19:58 – Fueling: Pancakes, Pierogis & PB&J Skipping most aid stations, relying on real food & crew.
20:59 – Scott Jurek Pancakes & Speedgoat Hash Browns Iconic aid-station moment before the final descent.
22:18 – European Mountains as Training Block Switzerland → Chamonix → Dolomites. Three weeks of perfect vert.
23:50 – Euro Trails vs Colorado More technical, steeper, less forgiving — and why that helped.
25:16 – UTMB Curiosity Loves the route; less interested in the 3,000-runner race vibe.
26:12 – 30+ Ultras Deep: Feeling Like a Vet Experience leading to confidence instead of impostor syndrome.
30:54 – ER Night Shifts & 100-Mile Training Why night shifts help with race fatigue but strain recovery.
33:32 – Stress Training: Running After Working Overnight Built-in training stimulus no one wants but actually works.
34:36 – Post-Race Reflection & Regret Learning she was only 5 minutes behind the winner.
35:31 – The Track PTSD & Pain Memory Old suffering from 800m days & rediscovering willingness to push.
40:06 – Leadville Big-Buckle Ambition Why she believes sub-25 is absolutely in reach.
42:46 – Advice to Her High-School Self Let go of outcomes, run for joy, don’t tie identity to results.
45:15 – Training Joy vs Pace Obsession Courtney Dauwalter inspiration & ditching the watch mentality.
47:04 – What’s Next: 50K, Nordic Race, Lottery Dreams Aiming for a Leadville qualifier coin, future Hardrock/WSER hopes.
48:37 – Coffee, Core, Dogs & Daily Rituals Oat milk latte; 10 minutes of core; always outside; dog joy.
50:03 – Books, Music & What She’s Loving Kiera D’Amato’s book, “Say Nothing,” Fred again.., Sofi Tukker.
51:34 – Guilty Pleasure That’s Not Guilty
NFL obsession & Ravens fandom.
53:27 – Gratitude & Coaching Journey 8 years with Black Sheep Endurance & watching her evolution.
55:20 – Outro & Upcoming Guests Rutgers’ Nicole Starks + Jayhawk Conference XC Roundtable.
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