Aug. 2, 2024

V for Victor-y! Victor Ballesteros Talks Directing the Headlands 50K, Announcing at Western States 100 & his Company Victory Sportdesign.

V for Victor-y! Victor Ballesteros Talks Directing the Headlands 50K, Announcing at Western States 100 & his Company Victory Sportdesign.
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Season 2

Meet all-round trail legend MISTER Victor Ballesteros, the visionary behind Victory Sportdesign and the Tamalpa Headlands 50K. In this episode of Choose to Endure, we explore Victor's compelling journey from a childhood steeped in adventure to becoming an influential figure in the ultra running community. Discover how his father's adventurous spirit and the allure of Marin County's Dipsy Trail ignited a passion for long-distance and technical trail running, leading to remarkable feats like placing 2nd at the inaugural Tahoe 200 and 12th at the prestigious Western States in the early 2000’s.

Victor's story doesn't end at ultra running, though; it evolves into a narrative of creativity and resilience with the birth of Victory Sportdesign. Frustrated with the chaos of disorganized race drop bags, Victor utilized his artistic skills and a forgotten college bag design project to craft the highly functional Victory bags. Learn about the meticulous journey of turning a concept into a coveted product that meets the unique needs of ultrarunners, emphasizing the importance of quality, creativity, and the supportive community that propelled his vision forward. Hear how these modular, organized bags, such as the Bear, Kodiak and Grizzly, have become essential tools for adventurers and their crews striving to enhance efficiency and reduce race-day stress.

As a race director, Victor's path is marked by unexpected opportunities and heartfelt connections. From participating in the Tamalpa Headlands 50K to a chance encounter leading to announcing at a major Western States 100 aid station (Michigan Bluff), his commitment to the ultra running community shines through. Experience the emotional highs and lows of ultra running finish lines, the heartfelt camaraderie, and the balance of tradition with modern enhancements in race organization. Victor's insights into the resilience and spirit of ultra runners, coupled with the poignant moments at the Michigan Bluff aid station, offer a celebration of every participant's perseverance and dedication. Join us to uncover the inspiring journey of a man who embodies the principles of persistence, creativity, and unyielding passion for the sport.  He’s a true OG of the trail running world and has so much history and insight to share!

Victory Sportdesign:
http://www.victorysportdesign.com
Tamalpa Headlands 50K:
www.headlands50k.com
VoodooSwitch (Victor’s Band):
https://soundcloud.com/voodooswitch-1/give-it-all-away-acoustic

Choose to Endure:
Website:
https://www.choosetoendure.com/

YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@ChoosetoEndure

Instagram:
https://instagram.com/choose_to_endure?utm_source=qr

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61552757049526

Chapters

00:02 - Ultra Running Podcast Interview With Victor

14:18 - Victory Sports Design Product Overview

23:35 - Organized and Modular Ultra Running Bags

29:10 - Quality Products and Personal Connection

40:15 - Race Director's Unexpected Journey

43:15 - Balancing Tradition With Modern Advancements

56:00 - Emotions at Ultra Running Finish Lines

Transcript
WEBVTT

00:00:02.507 --> 00:00:03.750
Hello and welcome.

00:00:03.750 --> 00:00:06.910
If this is your first time with us, thanks for stopping by.

00:00:06.910 --> 00:00:20.954
You are listening to Choose to Endure, the show dedicated to the back of the pack runners, where we share stories, interviews, gear and training tips specific to the tail end heroes of the Ultra Universe.

00:00:20.954 --> 00:00:33.604
If you haven't had a moment to do so yet, please consider heading over to your favorite podcast app hit, follow, rate the show and, if you're getting something of value, leave a review and let others know.

00:00:34.265 --> 00:00:36.128
My name is Richard Gleave.

00:00:36.128 --> 00:00:39.015
I've been running ultras since 2017.

00:00:39.015 --> 00:00:50.491
I've taken on and finished at numerous distances now all the way up through 220 miles, and I am unashamedly a member of the back of the pack, just like many of you.

00:00:50.491 --> 00:00:57.633
Now, on today's episode, we are really thrilled to have Mr Victor Ballesteros join us.

00:00:57.633 --> 00:01:10.599
Victor is the founder of Victory Sports Design, a boutique company well-known for creating innovative and practical race gear specific to ultra running, and we'll definitely get into that here in a minute.

00:01:10.599 --> 00:01:24.894
But he's also race director for the Tomalpa Headlands 50k out in the Bay Area and on the side has become something of a renowned aid station announcer at the prestigious Western States 100 race.

00:01:24.894 --> 00:01:28.882
As well as being a business owner and race director.

00:01:28.882 --> 00:01:48.802
Victor is also a pretty accomplished ultra runner in his own right and has a wealth of experience to draw on over many years of racing, including a notable second place finish at the inaugural Tahoe 200 back in 2014 and a 12th place finish at Western States in 2009.

00:01:49.484 --> 00:02:00.474
So today we're going to dive into Victor's journey, his contributions to the ultra running community and hopefully get some of the insights he's gained along the way.

00:02:00.474 --> 00:02:01.483
Stay with us.

00:02:01.483 --> 00:02:09.507
We're going to be right back, discover raw, inspiring stories from runners who've been right where you are.

00:02:09.507 --> 00:02:19.633
This is the Choose to Endure Ultra Running Podcast with your host he's English, not Australian Richard Gleave.

00:02:19.633 --> 00:02:29.546
Mr Victor, thank you so much for taking a short break from your variety of interests and joining us on the show here.

00:02:29.546 --> 00:02:31.010
How are you doing, sir?

00:02:32.181 --> 00:02:32.763
I'm good.

00:02:32.763 --> 00:02:34.329
Thank you so much for having me.

00:02:34.329 --> 00:02:45.828
It's always a pleasure and an honor to have somebody actually say hey, Victor, tell me about your running or tell me about something that is interesting in your life.

00:02:46.610 --> 00:02:50.442
Yes, Well, actually you've just led brilliantly into my first question, so thank you.

00:02:50.442 --> 00:02:55.001
Yeah, can you share with us kind of how you got into ultra running in the first place?

00:02:55.001 --> 00:02:56.524
What drew you into the sport?

00:02:57.306 --> 00:03:04.724
So I have always been a runner, ever since I was a little kid, running away from my parents as a young one.

00:03:04.724 --> 00:03:06.167
You know my dad.

00:03:06.167 --> 00:03:09.150
Really I have him to thank.

00:03:09.150 --> 00:03:28.414
I mean my mom too, but my dad was a bit of an adventurer and there was no valley too far to go down into or a mountain too high to climb, and sometimes he would bring me on excursions that a parent shouldn't be bringing their seven-year-old on.

00:03:28.414 --> 00:03:44.864
But yeah, I started running in high school and while I was in college I went to school for art, so there really wasn't much of an athletic program at the school that I was going to.

00:03:44.864 --> 00:03:52.508
But I ran, I did 5Ks, 10ks, road stuff, but nothing really to note.

00:03:52.508 --> 00:03:56.050
It was for me it was something that I loved doing.

00:03:56.050 --> 00:03:58.252
Then I stumbled upon the Dipsy.

00:03:58.953 --> 00:04:02.955
So the Dipsy Trail here in Marin County and the iconic race.

00:04:02.955 --> 00:04:16.862
If some of you know it or if you don't know it, it's the second oldest foot race, second to Boston.

00:04:16.862 --> 00:04:26.288
It has its own unique story but, in a nutshell, I wanted to run the race and I just discovered that that was probably one of the most beautiful trails that I think I've ever been on and I've been on a lot of trails.

00:04:26.288 --> 00:04:42.567
But that trail starts in small little town called Mill Valley and goes up and over the South slope of uh, our our favorite mountain here, mount Tamalpais and uh, and drops down to the beach Stinson beach and it's a 6.6.8,.

00:04:42.567 --> 00:04:52.276
But you take shortcuts, they have handicaps and it's a mad rush because they handicap it by gender and age.

00:04:52.276 --> 00:05:17.317
You have older women, younger women, younger boys, older men start ahead of the youngsters, the 1920s to 1930s, both men and women, and so you have to really pass hundreds and hundreds of people to even get close to to the front of the pack.

00:05:17.317 --> 00:05:26.620
That race.

00:05:26.639 --> 00:05:30.930
I eventually discovered that there was a double dipsy and I used to never, ever, imagine that I would want to run more than like a 10K.

00:05:30.930 --> 00:05:35.867
To me it just seemed like, hey, that's good enough the more time on my feet.

00:05:35.867 --> 00:05:39.154
It just wasn't at that time.

00:05:39.154 --> 00:05:39.937
It wasn't for me.

00:05:39.937 --> 00:05:48.798
But because I loved the single dipsy so much, I thought you know what, I wouldn't mind going one direction and then turning around and coming back the other direction.

00:05:48.798 --> 00:06:08.040
All right, yeah, and I surprised myself by doing pretty good and I thought, wow, I actually have some sort of a propensity for longer distance and more rugged, not flat running, but hills and downhills and technical running.

00:06:08.040 --> 00:06:20.512
So then I discovered there was the quad dipsy and I thought, wow, okay, so we go to the beach, we go back to Mill Valley, back to the beach and back to Mill Valley.

00:06:21.776 --> 00:06:33.473
Shortest, probably the shortest and hardest ultra, the shortest, hardest ultra, not the hardest ultra, but the shortest, that is hardest 28.2, 28.2 miles or something like that.

00:06:33.473 --> 00:06:36.367
And, uh, I did really well.

00:06:36.367 --> 00:06:40.720
I mean, I really thought like, oh my God, what just happened?

00:06:40.720 --> 00:06:42.463
I was, you know, I was second.

00:06:42.463 --> 00:06:44.168
Oh, wow, well done.

00:06:44.168 --> 00:06:56.829
And and it was my first ultra, and I, you know, I really had no idea what I was doing, and this was before we really had, like you could look up blogs and things like this was 2006.

00:06:57.139 --> 00:06:59.202
Oh, I was gonna say what year, what kind of year are we talking?

00:06:59.202 --> 00:07:01.725
Yeah, so we're a little way back here, yeah.

00:07:02.146 --> 00:07:03.567
Yeah, 2006.

00:07:03.567 --> 00:07:04.769
And, and, and, and.

00:07:04.769 --> 00:07:10.615
So I actually had to go online and try to find out, like, how do you run this distance?

00:07:10.615 --> 00:07:17.369
And there was mention of you know water, carrying water with you, and I thought, carrying water, what a hassle.

00:07:17.761 --> 00:07:19.408
Who carries water when they're running.

00:07:19.408 --> 00:07:23.088
So actually I devised a little.

00:07:23.088 --> 00:07:46.038
My wife describes it as like a hamster for drinking, but it's like I took a water bottle and I took like a little fanny pack and I flipped the bottle around and I put I absconded her, she had a gosh, what was the name of the company back in the day that did the bladders and so?

00:07:46.038 --> 00:07:49.267
But anyway, I took the hose like a camelback or something.

00:07:49.288 --> 00:08:02.321
Yes, camelback and I devised something so that I could just take the hose, drink and then put it back in the belt, because I I still I felt like, why do I have to carry something in my hands?

00:08:02.321 --> 00:08:04.880
It just sounds so uncomfortable.

00:08:04.880 --> 00:08:14.524
So that was my first foray into taking something for running and creating it to fit what I needed.

00:08:14.524 --> 00:08:22.526
But from that point on I just thought, wow, this is cool, I can do this, I can really get into this.

00:08:22.526 --> 00:08:33.791
And you know, and it definitely helped that, there was that motivation of, oh, if I do this or I do that in my training, I could probably be better.

00:08:33.791 --> 00:08:36.251
And you know, it just was.

00:08:36.251 --> 00:08:39.131
That was really the beginning of the beginning of the end.

00:08:39.153 --> 00:08:49.336
Yeah, and it looks like you went and you upped the ante a little bit from there and started doing some 50Ks and 50 milers and sort of work your way up from there.

00:08:50.035 --> 00:08:52.297
Yeah, it was 2009,.

00:08:52.297 --> 00:08:58.798
As you mentioned was the year that I got into Western States through Miwok 100.

00:08:58.798 --> 00:09:11.903
Right, and it was a very interesting progression because I was still figuring out my ultra legs, and I did.

00:09:11.903 --> 00:09:15.067
I believe it was the way too cool 50K.

00:09:15.548 --> 00:09:27.586
And I wouldn't have done that had I not run into a fellow runner who's passed away, is no longer with us but he asked if I was going to run the race and I said no, I.

00:09:27.586 --> 00:09:29.413
And he says well, I can't and I can give you my bib.

00:09:29.413 --> 00:09:34.673
I talked to the race director and she says I can give my bib to whoever I want, as long as you let her know.

00:09:34.673 --> 00:09:37.741
And so I thought, okay, yeah, sure, I'll do that race.

00:09:37.741 --> 00:09:38.903
And it went great.

00:09:38.903 --> 00:09:43.590
I mean, I, I, I did, I did really well and I was really proud of my finish there.

00:09:43.590 --> 00:09:48.336
And then I thought, well, there's the American River, 50-miler.

00:09:48.336 --> 00:09:54.173
I hadn't done that 50-miler and I thought, okay, I'll do that.

00:09:54.173 --> 00:10:00.868
It's great training, because I signed up for Miwok 100K and Miwok 100K was going to be my first 100K.

00:10:02.039 --> 00:10:19.865
So after American River, again, I was pretty, pretty happy, pretty satisfied with my finish there yeah and then miwok came and the day of the race was this massive, massive storm here in marin, and uh, it was so.

00:10:19.865 --> 00:10:31.650
It was so intense that you run along a ridge that overlooks the ocean and the wind was literally blowing the rain straight up.

00:10:31.650 --> 00:10:40.080
So I had rain coming straight up my face, but again, it did really well there and and and earned a ticket.

00:10:40.080 --> 00:10:49.043
And I have to say that back then you know it may sound like, oh my God, you're so fast or you were whatever.

00:10:49.043 --> 00:10:51.847
People got really fast.

00:10:51.908 --> 00:11:02.389
Now I mean, you know I, there's no way I could at that age compete with the same people now, which is really amazing.

00:11:02.389 --> 00:11:02.870
Love it.

00:11:02.870 --> 00:11:32.302
I love seeing how the competitive fields have just flourished and honestly, I even think that, like for for folks who maybe were like middle and back of the packers then as well, I think that just with with the, the training methods that we have available to us now, the, the gear that we have available to us now, I think that everybody has actually kind of upped the ante for their own, their own performances and and and how it benefits them.

00:11:32.302 --> 00:11:38.447
But but, yeah, I got into western states and never, never, knew what it was going to be like past 62 miles.

00:11:38.447 --> 00:11:42.802
Yeah, it looks like that was your first hundred too, so that was my first hundred.

00:11:42.802 --> 00:11:43.001
What?

00:11:43.022 --> 00:11:43.825
a way to start?

00:11:43.825 --> 00:11:48.047
Yeah, was there a lottery at that point, or were you just you're, like, you got your ticket and you're in?

00:11:48.727 --> 00:12:11.567
I well, I got it, I so, so miwok was a golden ticket race ah, right, okay and so, yeah, so I got in through miwok by, by, by placing second there, yeah, and you know, I just at that time I just still was having a fun time running and I had no real goal, I just wanted to enjoy myself.

00:12:11.567 --> 00:12:14.589
I did all the training that I felt I needed to do.

00:12:14.589 --> 00:12:25.753
I've been an actor and a performer and to me it was very much like preparing for a part in a play.

00:12:25.753 --> 00:12:30.475
You learn all your lines and you're blocking your songs.

00:12:30.475 --> 00:12:42.191
If it's a musical, yeah, but then the moment the show starts, you kind of don't think about it and you just step right out on stage and you just do it.

00:12:42.191 --> 00:12:48.212
And I always felt like running in an event was very much like that.

00:12:48.212 --> 00:12:56.269
You kind of you have some, you have some nerves going right beforehand, you have some nerves, but then once you step out on the stage, it's like, okay, well, here we go.

00:12:57.019 --> 00:13:11.750
Yeah, I've practiced, I've repeated the lines, I've run the training and so I just go execute and have fun with it at this point and and adapt if needs be, when weird stuff happens mid-performance or mid-race and they do Right, they always do.

00:13:12.029 --> 00:13:15.113
Yeah, right, exactly yeah, yeah.

00:13:15.113 --> 00:13:15.974
Problem solvers.

00:13:16.315 --> 00:13:16.774
That's right.

00:13:16.774 --> 00:13:18.157
Yes, indeed, all right.

00:13:18.157 --> 00:13:28.410
Well, so we definitely want to get into more of your Western States and Headlands, too, at some point here during our chat.

00:13:28.410 --> 00:13:33.028
But I did want to kick off our discussion, if you will, with a little bit about Victory Sports Design, because I came across your company online.

00:13:33.028 --> 00:13:36.321
I think it's absolutely fantastic the products you offer.

00:13:36.321 --> 00:13:39.868
So how did Victory Sports Design come about?

00:13:39.868 --> 00:13:47.552
When did that whole idea germinate with you and what really inspired you to go to go start the company?

00:13:48.400 --> 00:13:51.770
So, as mentioned, you know, I've always been a tinkerer.

00:13:51.770 --> 00:13:54.048
My dad was an architectural engineer.

00:13:54.048 --> 00:14:16.840
He passed away about five years ago but, yeah, he was an architectural engineer and so I was always around that sort of atmosphere of building something, designing something, finding out what works, what doesn't work, and so it was Western States that was the catalyst for Victory Sport Design.

00:14:16.840 --> 00:14:23.974
I have a really good friend, mark Gilligan, who is the mastermind of Ultra Sign Up.

00:14:23.974 --> 00:14:27.721
Who is he was?

00:14:27.721 --> 00:14:36.761
He is the mastermind of ultra sign up and he's passed that torch along to to others and he was going to pace me and crew with my wife, jenna, and again I discovered oh, I need drop bags.

00:14:36.761 --> 00:14:38.184
Yeah, what is that?

00:14:38.725 --> 00:14:39.567
why do I need that I?

00:14:40.889 --> 00:14:51.951
I have, I have a crew, I have people coming along with, because I'd never I'd never used one, because I always had a crew and I always was doing a race where I could just get what I needed within reason.

00:14:51.951 --> 00:14:58.572
So he said, yeah, you really should have some bags at these certain spots that the crew can't get to.

00:14:58.572 --> 00:15:07.140
So he gave me these little duffel bags and I threw the things that I thought I was going to need.

00:15:07.140 --> 00:15:15.527
And there was a number of times when I would get to that spot and I would open it up and I was like, oh my God, like I can't, where was that?

00:15:15.527 --> 00:15:16.889
Where was those glasses?

00:15:16.889 --> 00:15:17.772
Where was that?

00:15:17.772 --> 00:15:19.523
You know, the gloves, where was the light?

00:15:19.523 --> 00:15:20.664
I don't, I can't find anything.

00:15:20.664 --> 00:15:29.004
And so so when it was said and done, I thought, wow, there's got to be something better than that.

00:15:29.004 --> 00:15:33.462
I mean, I looked around, I thought, okay, well then, maybe I should just go buy a drop bag.

00:15:34.104 --> 00:15:39.533
but there was no such thing no, and don't go buy one of those yeah and so.

00:15:40.380 --> 00:15:42.304
so I looked around and I I all I could.

00:15:42.304 --> 00:15:47.374
All I saw saw were diaper bags or really expensive camera bags.

00:15:47.374 --> 00:15:59.086
Because in my mind I was thinking well, okay, if I was going to have something like this, where I have all my gear, it has to be organized, it has to be a certain way, it has to have a certain functionality.

00:15:59.086 --> 00:16:03.791
So when I was in college I took an industrial design class.

00:16:03.791 --> 00:16:06.208
My main major the whole way through was fine art.

00:16:06.208 --> 00:16:08.849
But I did this design.

00:16:08.849 --> 00:16:17.715
I changed my major to design because my dad was afraid that if I was an artist that I would starve.

00:16:18.639 --> 00:16:20.140
Poor and starving yeah.

00:16:20.881 --> 00:16:21.261
Yeah.

00:16:21.261 --> 00:16:35.052
And so, to please him, I took a semester and I says OK, I'm going to try like industrial design, like product design, and I'm going to have a minor in business administration.

00:16:35.052 --> 00:16:37.812
I lasted a semester and I said no, this isn't for me.

00:16:37.812 --> 00:16:44.018
And I went back to fine art, yeah, which my dad was OK with, At least you know he felt like hey, at least you try.

00:17:05.339 --> 00:17:05.760
Yeah, at least you try.

00:17:05.760 --> 00:17:15.884
But when I was doing that, I designed a bag for my art supplies and that was my project and I ended up thinking, well, that's a great idea, but I don't have time to really do anything with it.

00:17:15.884 --> 00:17:29.368
So I made a very cheap patent where you just you do the patent form and you put it in a you mail to yourself and then you put it away in a safe deposit box and that's like a fair, cheap patent.

00:17:29.368 --> 00:17:36.069
And my dad even did the schematics for me and it just sat and sat and sat and sat and I did nothing with it.

00:17:36.069 --> 00:17:42.526
And then after States I thought, oh, there's that bag I made way back when.

00:17:42.526 --> 00:17:52.577
So I pulled it out and fortunately my wife my wife Jenna's dad he has some connections with factories overseas.

00:17:52.577 --> 00:17:57.028
So Just in conversation I said, yeah, I have this idea.

00:17:57.028 --> 00:17:59.769
It would be awesome if I could get a prototype.

00:17:59.769 --> 00:18:03.990
He said I can do that, I can send it off and they'll make you a little prototype.

00:18:04.721 --> 00:18:06.689
It was nothing other than just for myself.

00:18:06.689 --> 00:18:12.692
I used it for a good number of events.

00:18:12.692 --> 00:18:16.148
People started to see it and would ask what is that?

00:18:16.148 --> 00:18:16.830
Where did you get that?

00:18:16.830 --> 00:18:18.000
I told them I made this.

00:18:18.000 --> 00:18:18.808
It was just an idea I had would ask like, what is that?

00:18:18.808 --> 00:18:19.261
Where'd you get that?

00:18:19.261 --> 00:18:41.594
And I did tell him I made this and it was just something I an idea I had, and eventually I got to the point where I thought, wow, this is actually something that people would really use and if I don't do something, I'm going to kick myself for for not, and because I I feel like I'm going to see somebody else somewhere down the road.

00:18:41.594 --> 00:18:45.667
Yeah, do this, and so so, yeah.

00:18:45.667 --> 00:18:53.352
So I took a huge, huge leap of faith because again I I describe myself as more as an artist.

00:18:53.352 --> 00:19:14.226
I would never stand and say my business senses are the greatest, or, fortunately, again, I surrounded myself with people who were able to help me take this idea and go forward with it, and that was 2012 and it's been a very fun adventure since then.

00:19:14.665 --> 00:19:16.568
Yeah, and where did vict?

00:19:16.568 --> 00:19:18.351
Where did the name come from?

00:19:18.351 --> 00:19:19.893
Victory Sports Design?

00:19:19.893 --> 00:19:21.714
Is that from you or did you?

00:19:21.714 --> 00:19:22.675
Is that a separate?

00:19:22.900 --> 00:19:26.328
Yes, yeah, no, that was me coming up with.

00:19:26.328 --> 00:19:27.811
Like well, what am I going to call this?

00:19:27.811 --> 00:19:37.535
And you know, as I like to think that I'm, that I'm creative, but I chose a very uncreative thing by saying oh well, my name's Victor.

00:19:37.535 --> 00:19:39.125
They're the victory bags.

00:19:39.125 --> 00:19:39.506
What?

00:19:39.685 --> 00:19:44.108
a concept they're guaranteed to bring you victory.

00:19:44.108 --> 00:20:05.471
And the funny thing behind that, too I used to hate my name, and I was maybe about five or six, probably six, and I told my mom how much I hated my name, and she said why it just sounds like a weird Victor, like why can't I be Billy or John or Matt?

00:20:05.471 --> 00:20:08.365
Nobody else is Victor.

00:20:08.365 --> 00:20:17.372
And she said you know, do you realize, though, that Victor stands for victorious victory, a conqueror?

00:20:17.372 --> 00:20:20.015
Ooh, I like it.

00:20:20.015 --> 00:20:21.561
I'm sorry, that's actually I.

00:20:21.561 --> 00:20:33.025
I, I had a little verklempt moment there, because I'm thinking back about that moment when my mom like made me realize, like, oh, oh, okay, I can, I can go with that.

00:20:33.025 --> 00:20:34.869
Yeah, that's cool.

00:20:34.869 --> 00:20:38.469
So that was it Victory sport design the victory bags.

00:20:44.619 --> 00:20:46.563
And uh, yeah, it was really because my mom made me realize like, oh, hey, you know what?

00:20:46.563 --> 00:20:47.243
That's not a bad name.

00:20:47.243 --> 00:20:51.470
Well, that's definitely not a terrible way to name your company either, and I think that's super cool.

00:20:51.470 --> 00:20:54.714
Well done, and sometimes the simplest things are the best.

00:20:54.714 --> 00:21:03.224
Right, right, right, and it helps people remember my name.

00:21:03.224 --> 00:21:03.847
Yeah, exactly, exactly now.

00:21:03.847 --> 00:21:04.913
So, victor, maybe you can walk us through quickly.

00:21:04.913 --> 00:21:05.294
Like what are?

00:21:05.294 --> 00:21:08.709
What products do you have out there from a, from a drop bag perspective, at this point?

00:21:08.709 --> 00:21:13.285
Because there's a, there's a couple of different varieties, different sizes, you know, and?

00:21:13.285 --> 00:21:16.112
And why would we get have one rather than the other?

00:21:16.112 --> 00:21:17.402
What's, what's the difference between them?

00:21:17.884 --> 00:21:18.064
so.

00:21:18.064 --> 00:21:45.147
So, going into it, I actually had one specific design that I began with, which was the design that took from the the art supply bag, and that bag pretty much has been the flagship bag of the line and it's called the the right, now it's the bear three Right, and, and I, I I looked at, well, what do races require?

00:21:45.147 --> 00:21:52.671
Because sometimes there's a specification like we don't want you to bring anything that's bigger than six by eight by you know whatever, 12.

00:21:52.671 --> 00:21:54.942
Yeah, size of a shoe box.

00:21:54.942 --> 00:21:57.711
Yeah, anything more, we don't want that, don't bring that.

00:21:57.711 --> 00:22:03.027
And so that's where I started and I said, okay, let me make it those dimensions.

00:22:03.027 --> 00:22:08.811
Let me think about how I want to have, like, do I want water bottles here I mean insulated water bottle holders.

00:22:08.811 --> 00:22:09.695
How do I want to?

00:22:10.017 --> 00:22:17.647
So I began to make a modular unit and obviously, if you're going to start a business, you can't just have one thing.

00:22:17.647 --> 00:22:24.855
So then I thought, well, if I had something that was going to be half the size, that might be useful.

00:22:24.855 --> 00:22:30.472
If I was going to have something smaller, but I could change it so that it could become bigger, that could be useful.

00:22:30.472 --> 00:22:37.012
So then I just started to design different functionalities to the different bags.

00:22:37.012 --> 00:22:39.726
If you didn't want a big bag, you could have a smaller bag.

00:22:39.726 --> 00:22:41.891
If you wanted a bigger bag, then you had that option.

00:22:41.891 --> 00:22:47.786
And then eventually I had enough people say I love this bag, I wish it were bigger.

00:22:47.786 --> 00:23:01.128
And I fought against that for a long time because I would tell them you don't want bigger, because the bigger you go, the more stuff you're going to put in there Right and when you're at an event.

00:23:01.750 --> 00:23:03.173
You don't need all that stuff.

00:23:03.413 --> 00:23:08.050
Yeah, you spend all that time faffing about looking around for stuff, mm-hmm.

00:23:08.551 --> 00:23:10.788
Yeah, it's like I've spoken with so many people.

00:23:10.788 --> 00:23:16.313
You really really you'd be surprised at how like there's essentials.

00:23:16.313 --> 00:23:18.847
It really helps to have the bag.

00:23:18.847 --> 00:23:33.840
But sometimes if you start to look at, well, what do I really need, you start to realize, oh, actually I can go with something smaller, more compact, and I can, I can find everything much quicker and easier in something that's more manageable.

00:23:35.084 --> 00:23:39.874
But I did acquiesce to the the request for a bigger bag.

00:23:39.874 --> 00:23:44.892
So I made two bigger bags called the Kodiak and the Grizzly, which are more like packs.

00:23:44.892 --> 00:23:55.150
Actually, I use the Grizzly to either go out to the backcountry, go up to Shasta and backpack, and my wife uses the Kodiak.

00:23:55.150 --> 00:23:59.412
It's a little bit more manageable but it's TSA approved.

00:23:59.412 --> 00:24:01.423
Kodiak, it's a little bit more manageable but it's a.

00:24:01.423 --> 00:24:06.740
You know it's TSA approved, but it's just right there where it's a good, solid travel pack that you know can keep everything organized as well.

00:24:07.122 --> 00:24:24.487
And it's interesting because that's been a trend in the last I want to say six, seven years of people, manufacturers, trying to make bags that do the exact same thing, and so there's really.

00:24:24.487 --> 00:24:30.650
So if you look out there, you'll find all kinds of different bags now, but back then there was nothing.

00:24:30.650 --> 00:24:46.470
So it's cool to be able to have done something that maybe you can consider like, oh, you were the first person to do that and honestly, there were a lot of people who thought it was a terrible idea.

00:24:46.470 --> 00:24:57.134
There were people and there's still people who go well, you know what, I don't need to spend the money on that, because I'll just bring my Ziploc bag and that's all, and that's great.

00:24:57.134 --> 00:25:01.063
I actually feel like if that's all you need, then perfect.

00:25:01.063 --> 00:25:04.666
You know, sometimes people are surprised that I don't try to sell them on the idea.

00:25:04.666 --> 00:25:09.290
I just feel like, oh, you know what, whatever is going to work for you, is going to work for you.

00:25:09.290 --> 00:25:21.060
And yet sometimes I find people who say you know what, I'm fine with my little duffel bag, duffel bag.

00:25:21.141 --> 00:25:44.310
And then maybe like a year or two later, they'll come up and they'll say you know, I actually got one of your bags and I I don't know why I was using that old duffel bag all those years I tell you so, uh, quick story, when I I ran a race called the cowboy 200 in 2022 and the guy who finished fourth came down from alaska and he showed up the day before the race and he he had no drop bags and nothing.

00:25:44.310 --> 00:25:50.405
He went to I think it was a dollar general and he bought pillowcases and he used pillowcases.

00:25:50.405 --> 00:25:54.422
He just shoved some stuff in a pillowcase and went and dropped it and he still came forth.

00:25:54.422 --> 00:25:57.728
So I mean, yeah, you can do that kind of thing.

00:25:57.827 --> 00:26:12.451
But I think there's so many people now coming into the sport it's having such a boom and there's a lot of us towards the back of the pack we're going to be out there quite a bit longer and a lot of people like me, and this is why I love the products that you have too.

00:26:12.451 --> 00:26:24.154
I'm an organizer, so I like to have things in specific spots so that I know exactly where to go to get what I need and I'm not faffing around in the dark with losing a headlamp and trying to dig around underneath stuff.

00:26:24.154 --> 00:26:31.327
So I absolutely loved the modular aspect of these bags and I think that speaks to a lot of people too.

00:26:31.327 --> 00:26:40.842
So and I've looked around, I looked for drop bags you can get some really cheap kind of waterproof stuff just just kind of the, the sacks and and those kind of work.

00:26:41.364 --> 00:26:54.786
But again, it's just all your stuff shoved in one in one place and it's it's really difficult, especially when it's late at night or you're into your second or third day, or more in some cases, and your head isn't working properly.

00:26:54.786 --> 00:27:08.182
It's super cool to have organized modular stuff, even better if you can stick a label on it and you can read oh, this is, you know, medical stuff right here, or food right here, or day three, this section, you know whatever.

00:27:08.182 --> 00:27:20.166
Yeah, I think that's tremendous and that's really why I I love this and hopefully, uh, I know a lot of people out there have the bags, as we were talking before, you know, before we came on air, and I'm sure a lot more will go by them in the future.

00:27:20.166 --> 00:27:25.340
But I think these are fantastic and they're totally different to anything else I've been able to find.

00:27:25.340 --> 00:27:31.301
It's hard still to find spot-on drop bags out there somebody selling drop bags specifically.

00:27:31.301 --> 00:27:36.921
So I I love the product and I think it's great and um it also I mean for for the crews too.

00:27:37.060 --> 00:27:50.031
I mean, I also get a lot of kind words from people who are like okay, yeah, you know, I don't run the ultras and I just crew my husband or my wife and it helped me out because they'd come in and maybe they were in a fit.

00:27:50.031 --> 00:27:54.609
You don't want them to be saying like, oh, come on, give me the thing I need.

00:27:54.609 --> 00:28:25.539
Yeah, I got to go, and so it's like you know, and even if they're not, like you know, I'm in fourth place or fifth place, even if they come in and they're like, oh, my God, that was the roughest section, I feel like hell, I'm angry, and you know, and you're basically yelling at your crew yeah, so the last thing you want is the crew to you know like, okay, so just give me my bottle, and you're like, looking Right, exactly, it's like oh, here it is, and so it helps in that in those situations as well.

00:28:26.000 --> 00:28:43.875
I definitely think from a speed and efficiency standpoint, whether you're front of the pack, middle pack or back of the pack, you know, at the front you're chasing your competitive, you want to be in and out of an aid station as fast as you can, so that speed and efficiency of knowing where things are and accessing them fast is a win right there.

00:28:53.880 --> 00:29:02.460
But same for mid and back of the pack, particularly in our case, if we're chasing cutoffs, definitely there are times when you need to be in and out of an aid station pretty quickly and so, again, just the same kind of thing the ability to be able to find stuff, shove it in a pack and go with your 20 seconds that you've got before they shut the aid station.

00:29:02.460 --> 00:29:09.412
Right, you know again, I just think the whole organizational aspect and the modular aspect of it is really cool.

00:29:09.412 --> 00:29:10.433
I love that.

00:29:10.433 --> 00:29:23.085
And I did want to ask too you know, as you've grown with the business it's been a few years now At this point do you have any new products or innovations that we can expect to see in bags or new types of bags?

00:29:23.085 --> 00:29:26.613
Is there anything you're working on right now or excited about that?

00:29:26.613 --> 00:29:28.163
You feel compelled to share.

00:29:28.845 --> 00:29:32.573
So a little personal part of the story.

00:29:32.573 --> 00:29:35.881
So my dad passed away five years ago.

00:29:35.881 --> 00:29:45.432
He passed away from dementia, and so I've been taking care of my mom since, and she was diagnosed with early onset dementia about three years ago.

00:29:45.432 --> 00:29:47.244
Sorry to hear that.

00:29:47.244 --> 00:29:49.750
So thanks, yeah, you know, but she's okay.

00:29:49.750 --> 00:29:53.803
You know, and I've been, you know, I've been taking care of her In that time.

00:29:54.103 --> 00:30:15.710
Of course, we had this thing called the pandemic, yeah, that sort of skewed, a lot of things that impacted the business, and then we also had some pretty negative issues with the tariffs that were put on export imports and that also put a big kick in our gut.

00:30:15.710 --> 00:30:18.347
So that was a kick.

00:30:18.347 --> 00:30:27.969
And then the pandemic came, and so I actually like 2021 I think it was the summer.

00:30:27.969 --> 00:30:37.907
I thought to myself I don't know if we're gonna make it, because it's like this is, you know, yes, I always tell everybody it's just a bag.

00:30:37.907 --> 00:30:46.656
You can put all your gear, be it snow gear, going to the beach gear, the diaper, baby diaper bag, your camera stuff.

00:30:46.656 --> 00:31:03.320
You know it really has been very specifically geared towards runners and you know what happened there was no races, there was no running, races, there was no running.

00:31:03.320 --> 00:31:10.314
So I started to think that maybe I should think about a different path with the company, something different, instead of trying to continue doing what I've been doing.

00:31:10.314 --> 00:31:15.750
So, yeah, I have a I'll keep it pseudo secret.

00:31:16.371 --> 00:31:22.182
So I have a good friend who he's here in the bay area and he started making bags a while back.

00:31:22.182 --> 00:31:31.809
Right when I met him I said, oh, that's awesome, I like that idea and I could use somebody close by who's making bags because I can design it.

00:31:31.809 --> 00:31:34.320
But I'm no stitcher, I don't, I don't sew.

00:31:34.320 --> 00:31:34.500
Yeah.

00:31:34.500 --> 00:31:44.476
So we got to a point where we were working together and we were developing a few things right before the pandemic happened.

00:31:44.476 --> 00:31:46.606
So some of those things had to go on the shelf.

00:31:46.606 --> 00:31:49.742
And so now I'm thinking, he and I.

00:31:49.742 --> 00:32:03.582
So he started a company called Unolome and he does very boutique bags, extremely boutique bags, extremely boutique bags.

00:32:03.582 --> 00:32:05.866
But he and I were thinking like what if we took both of our things and put them together?

00:32:05.866 --> 00:32:23.748
And you know it would really broaden the, the type of bags that we could offer, and you know your experience with any kind of manufacturer and his experience with really having these really tight engineering skills, I just thought like this this would be great.

00:32:23.748 --> 00:32:30.109
I would love doing this as long as it, as long as it allows me to continue what I.

00:32:30.349 --> 00:32:40.862
What I like to say is having fun going out to races and being a part of them and volunteering and seeing other people use something that, uh, that I put out there.

00:32:40.862 --> 00:32:43.732
That actually has you know it's.

00:32:43.732 --> 00:32:46.683
It's not something that's just going to you're going to throw away in like five years.

00:32:46.683 --> 00:32:47.586
That's that's the other thing.

00:32:47.586 --> 00:32:57.730
I really worked myself into a corner because there are a lot of people who say, victor, I got your original bag and I'm still using it and there's no reason for me to get a new one.

00:32:57.730 --> 00:32:59.211
It's too good.

00:32:59.211 --> 00:33:01.453
And I'm like I'll say, hey, you know what?

00:33:01.453 --> 00:33:27.292
That's fine, that's okay, but yeah, so that's a little something that I'm really trying to put together and, as I said, right now life is trying to balance the two things the personal things in my life and the hopes to continue taking this creative thing that I've put out there and to see it still continue.

00:33:28.080 --> 00:33:30.829
Yeah, I love the focus on quality as well.

00:33:30.829 --> 00:33:32.726
I think that's lost in the world today.

00:33:32.726 --> 00:33:37.569
As people make stuff, I think things are made to break so that you buy more of them.

00:33:37.569 --> 00:33:44.692
So I like to find companies that are doing something with clear quality, which you know this is.

00:33:44.692 --> 00:33:53.405
I talked a couple of episodes ago to the folks over at Path Projects, too, that make the apparel, and I think they're in Southern California.

00:33:53.405 --> 00:33:54.609
They're the same way.

00:33:54.609 --> 00:34:06.047
They're like, hey, deliberately trying to make quality versus quantity and that's going to be part of our thing, like it's a quality product, we don't want it to break, so but yeah, I love that approach.

00:34:07.040 --> 00:34:13.954
And from the beginning, the other thing I realized was well, these are my people, this is my tribe.

00:34:13.954 --> 00:34:29.146
I can't just like say, hey, I'm doing this thing and and then I mean I, I do run into, you know, moments when somebody will say, oh hey, like my zipper, this happened, or there was a little rip, and of course it's like, okay, what do you need, we'll take care of it.

00:34:29.146 --> 00:34:41.706
Yeah, but yeah, I, I just couldn't imagine putting something out that, you know, just didn't have quality, and still be out with these people saying hey, how's, your how's?

00:34:41.766 --> 00:34:42.208
your running.

00:34:42.208 --> 00:34:45.306
So that was that was really important.

00:34:45.306 --> 00:34:46.269
I mean, it's always important.

00:34:46.269 --> 00:34:50.423
I think that's quality should always be important, no matter what what it is you're doing.

00:34:51.007 --> 00:34:51.447
Absolutely.

00:34:51.900 --> 00:34:54.188
The quality, quality of your workouts, you know.

00:34:55.400 --> 00:34:56.284
I mean you should be.

00:34:56.284 --> 00:35:02.831
You should be proud of the thing you're putting out, whether that's a race, you a race and the training you did, or whether it's a product or whatever it is.

00:35:02.831 --> 00:35:11.971
I think that's a great moniker for life Just be proud of what you're doing, put the effort in Make it quality and, whatever the outcome, at least you're proud of what you've got out there.

00:35:11.971 --> 00:35:20.181
So, again, I think the focus on quality is something I really like, something I really like.

00:35:20.181 --> 00:35:25.389
That's why I wanted to talk to you and to other folks out there making quality products that are used daily in our ultra community.

00:35:25.389 --> 00:35:33.556
And the bags are just kind of new to me, but I'm like wow, like eyes wide open on this, because that's like my ideal thing.

00:35:33.556 --> 00:35:40.101
So I'm coming to you for a bag or two, that's for sure, at some point, because he's like amazing folks, go look at the website.

00:35:40.141 --> 00:35:58.630
If you haven't gone, go, go look at these bags and definitely I say thank you, thank you, thank you because you know, the other thing too is because I felt like, well, I'm not gonna build a patagonia or a, you know, an ultra spire, I had to keep this pretty mom and pop, yeah.

00:35:58.630 --> 00:36:03.804
And so there's still a lot of people who have never, ever seen the bags I'll go to.

00:36:03.804 --> 00:36:10.206
I was at a broken arrow a couple of weekends ago and there was a lot of people who would come up and I'd say, have you seen these bags before?

00:36:10.206 --> 00:36:11.170
And they'd be all no, never.

00:36:11.960 --> 00:36:12.563
So, that's.

00:36:12.643 --> 00:36:13.164
That's one.

00:36:13.164 --> 00:36:17.943
That's one thing where you know some people would think that, oh, everybody knows about the victory bags.

00:36:17.943 --> 00:36:20.166
Some people would think that, oh, everybody knows about Victory Bags and I'm like, oh no, not really.

00:36:20.166 --> 00:36:24.293
You know, advertising is very, very expensive, yeah.

00:36:24.293 --> 00:36:34.766
So there's really only so much that we can sometimes do to kind of like really get the word out there.

00:36:34.786 --> 00:36:38.896
I know of one company that went all out a while back when they started.

00:36:38.896 --> 00:36:41.688
I'm not going to name names, but they went all out with advertising.

00:36:41.688 --> 00:36:48.494
Like you couldn't turn anywhere if you were in a running store or a race without seeing, there they are, yeah.

00:36:48.494 --> 00:36:50.666
And then all of a sudden what happened?

00:36:50.666 --> 00:37:00.043
They wouldn't, they put so much into that, but the return with the purchase of the products didn't match up.

00:37:00.043 --> 00:37:11.994
So I was always like, okay, I didn't continue that business administration semester, but I have to really think about how big do I get?

00:37:11.994 --> 00:37:21.663
If I get too much, then I could easily fall on my face, easily fall on my face.

00:37:21.663 --> 00:37:26.740
So and it's funny that sometimes I'll get I'll get like an email from someone who thinks we're a major corporation and I just, oh hey, now it's me, victor, here.

00:37:26.740 --> 00:37:27.744
Let me answer your question.

00:37:27.744 --> 00:37:31.117
I'm the only one here, my wife Jenna.

00:37:31.117 --> 00:37:35.291
She could probably answer the question too, because she also works very closely with me.

00:37:35.431 --> 00:37:38.402
But yeah, yeah, Just that aspect of things.

00:37:38.402 --> 00:37:51.239
I mean, even where I work is a big corporation, but one of the things we like to do, that whole personal nature of answering questions is starting to go as well with the advent of AI and call centers and that kind of thing.

00:37:51.239 --> 00:38:01.463
So just the idea that I can actually email or call and get a live answer almost from you know, in your case, the individual running the company making the bags.

00:38:01.503 --> 00:38:04.653
I just I think that's wonderful and I love it.

00:38:04.653 --> 00:38:09.527
So I'm definitely encouraging everyone to go check out the site, see what bag you like.

00:38:09.909 --> 00:38:15.166
I have a good friend who, I mean I always love pacing people and crewing people.

00:38:15.166 --> 00:38:16.670
I mean I'll even crew.

00:38:16.670 --> 00:38:19.391
I'll crew strangers, I'll pace anybody.

00:38:19.391 --> 00:38:24.429
Some people are so surprised at how willing I am to just jump in and pace.

00:38:24.469 --> 00:38:41.447
And there was a young man who bought a bag from me years and years and years ago I say years and years, it hasn't been that long and he was going to do a race out here in Marin and I asked him oh, that's awesome, who was going to crew for you?

00:38:41.447 --> 00:38:41.851
And he says nobody.

00:38:41.851 --> 00:38:42.498
Oh, who's going to pay?

00:38:42.498 --> 00:38:43.523
Nobody, I don't have one.

00:38:43.523 --> 00:38:44.586
I said do you want one?

00:38:44.586 --> 00:38:47.302
Yeah, I think that would be helpful.

00:38:47.302 --> 00:38:49.242
Well then, do you want me to pay you?

00:38:49.242 --> 00:38:50.367
Oh, come on, pay you.

00:38:50.367 --> 00:38:51.909
And it was amazing.

00:38:52.010 --> 00:38:59.586
I mean, it's like when I get to help other people, to me that is the most I don't know.

00:38:59.586 --> 00:39:01.148
I get so much out of that.

00:39:01.148 --> 00:39:08.916
I personally get a lot out of it, especially seeing them succeed in whatever it is that they were, whatever distance it was.

00:39:08.916 --> 00:39:20.789
They were doing conversation and and he said this this is victor victor by his status and he owns the victory bags.

00:39:20.789 --> 00:39:24.603
And if you buy a bag from him, not only will you get an awesome bag, but he'll come and he'll pace you at your rate.

00:39:24.603 --> 00:39:27.469
So you get a bag and you get a pacer what kind?

00:39:27.489 --> 00:39:28.170
of, that's a deal.

00:39:28.170 --> 00:39:29.621
Hey, I'm in for that.

00:39:29.621 --> 00:39:31.427
Yes, what?

00:39:31.427 --> 00:39:32.349
What a sales pitch.

00:39:32.349 --> 00:39:33.172
I love it.

00:39:33.172 --> 00:39:34.918
You don't get that from ultra spire, do you?

00:39:34.918 --> 00:39:36.422
You don't get calm coming?

00:39:36.501 --> 00:39:42.833
I don't think so if you buy a pack yeah yeah very cool well, talking about the ultra community.

00:39:42.932 --> 00:39:52.070
One of the other things and don't get me wrong, the bags are awesome, but one of the other things I would love to talk to you about, too, is the is the headlands 50k, since you're a race director for for that race.

00:39:52.070 --> 00:40:03.414
So, and you know, again, as part of that, giving back, giving back and thinking about our community, have you always been involved in the Headlands 50K or did you take over race directing duties?

00:40:05.920 --> 00:40:06.963
What kind of motivated that?

00:40:06.963 --> 00:40:09.992
Yeah, it literally fell on my lap at the beginning of this year.

00:40:09.992 --> 00:40:14.851
The race was first run in 98.

00:40:14.851 --> 00:40:17.628
It's had a few inconsistencies.

00:40:17.628 --> 00:40:20.780
There have been some years where it just wasn't picked up.

00:40:20.780 --> 00:40:25.753
It's put on by our local, one of our big local running clubs, the Tomalpa Runners.

00:40:25.753 --> 00:40:37.985
So I think there's always been a bit of an issue of holding onto somebody who is like I'm going to be the race director for this race until I just can't do it anymore.

00:40:37.985 --> 00:40:45.233
So there was a little bit of a revolving door there, which is kind of weird because we consider it to be an old school classic.

00:40:45.793 --> 00:40:46.014
Yes.

00:40:46.313 --> 00:40:48.076
I ran it in 2007.

00:40:48.076 --> 00:40:52.422
It was a national championship then and it kind of was.

00:40:52.422 --> 00:40:59.152
It was a 50K that sort of propelled me into doing 50 milers and then progressing.

00:40:59.152 --> 00:41:09.201
Ever since, you know my my running, I have to say, has taken a bit of a back seat because of personal life and things of that nature.

00:41:09.201 --> 00:41:18.612
So I still want to be in with this community, and so I, so I volunteer as much as I can like.

00:41:18.672 --> 00:41:27.550
As I said, I'll crew or I'll pace, and so my wife and I started doing one of the major aid station of the race.

00:41:27.550 --> 00:41:45.568
We were the captains, and so we were doing that for a couple of years, and then this year they found themselves in a position where they needed a new director, and I had always thought at some point, I think that would be one of the best ways for me to give back.

00:41:45.568 --> 00:41:49.512
And I never knew what race it was going to be.

00:41:49.512 --> 00:41:52.893
Would it be a race that I created, a race that already existed?

00:41:52.893 --> 00:41:59.981
And so when this happened I thought, oh, perfect, that's it, this is going to be the race.

00:41:59.981 --> 00:42:03.983
But funny thing is I didn't even realize I was being interviewed.

00:42:03.983 --> 00:42:15.353
For the part, I just had a friend tell me that they're looking for a new director, and if I wanted to jump on a Zoom call and talk to the different people who are trying to figure this out, the different people who are trying to figure this out.

00:42:15.353 --> 00:42:20.617
And by the second zoom call I thought, well, wait a minute, are you guys?

00:42:20.617 --> 00:42:21.858
Are you guys interviewing me?

00:42:21.858 --> 00:42:24.943
It sounds like an interview, and I was.

00:42:25.103 --> 00:42:26.143
I was a little trepidatious.

00:42:26.143 --> 00:42:32.273
I thought, wow, oh man, I wanted to do it, I've wanted to always do it, but can I do it?

00:42:32.273 --> 00:42:34.235
Yeah, that was just the first second.

00:42:34.235 --> 00:42:36.940
I only had that thought for a second.

00:42:36.940 --> 00:42:40.164
Then I thought like, yeah, yeah, yeah, I can do this.

00:42:40.164 --> 00:42:42.485
Wow, so it's been an interesting journey.

00:42:42.485 --> 00:42:50.632
I've had a very short amount of time to put the race on, so I don't think I mean, usually you get a year.

00:42:50.632 --> 00:42:55.677
The day after the race is done, you start your planning for the next year.

00:42:55.677 --> 00:43:00.945
You have a nice stretch where you don't necessarily have to worry about everything every day.

00:43:00.945 --> 00:43:05.161
But I had about four months to to put it all together.

00:43:05.161 --> 00:43:08.849
Yeah, so it's, yeah, but it's, but it's coming together.

00:43:08.849 --> 00:43:15.159
I mean, I definitely had some, some sleepless nights, but it's coming together that, I think, is the life of the race director.

00:43:15.460 --> 00:43:20.391
From what I understand from other people doing it, vict Victor, tell us a little bit about the Headlands 50K.

00:43:20.391 --> 00:43:24.351
I think it's in Sausalito right or in that general area.

00:43:24.800 --> 00:43:27.025
Yeah, it's in an area that's.

00:43:27.025 --> 00:43:30.632
So again, mount Tamalpais is kind of like our big mountain landmark.

00:43:30.632 --> 00:43:35.231
Yeah, it's on the southern western slopes of the mountain.

00:43:35.231 --> 00:43:48.744
Okay, it travels through an area that's part of the golden gate national recreation area, the marine headlands, your beach, up mount tam, down to stinson and back towards the mirror, the mirror beach area.

00:43:48.744 --> 00:43:51.429
It's got about 6 500 feet of gain.

00:43:51.429 --> 00:43:53.353
It's a it's it's.

00:43:53.353 --> 00:43:57.445
It's a challenging course but it's also a very beautiful course.

00:43:57.445 --> 00:44:03.474
There's one specific area called Pirate's Cove and you come down into it.

00:44:03.474 --> 00:44:19.148
I mean it's like I've actually, with the design of like the shirts and the hats, I've sort of focused on that area as kind of like an iconic little image for the race, sort of a unique aspect, aspect, a standout thing.

00:44:19.710 --> 00:44:22.884
we're, we're, we're even we're even brewing our own beer.

00:44:22.884 --> 00:44:25.869
We're gonna have a special get away ipa.

00:44:25.869 --> 00:44:29.583
It's uh, it's a rum infused.

00:44:29.583 --> 00:44:34.054
Ipa gonna be called the pirates cove rum runner get away.

00:44:34.054 --> 00:44:36.201
And we're just gonna do a small batch.

00:44:36.201 --> 00:44:37.684
It's gonna we're gonna have cans.

00:44:37.684 --> 00:44:42.373
We we're going to have image of we put something together that's going to be really, really cool.

00:44:43.420 --> 00:44:48.407
So that's just, and me walking into this event.

00:44:48.407 --> 00:44:51.353
I have it's always been.

00:44:51.353 --> 00:44:53.054
I called it old school.

00:44:53.054 --> 00:44:55.748
There's always been a very old school vibe to it.

00:44:55.748 --> 00:44:57.405
It's been very low key.

00:44:57.405 --> 00:45:08.795
You know no big arches and you know, yes, they're starting to say, well, hey, you know sponsors, you know vendors, you guys can come down to the finish line so you can be a part of that.

00:45:08.795 --> 00:45:15.385
You know we have our ultra villages and that's never really been a part of how the race has been done.

00:45:15.385 --> 00:45:30.925
So one of the things that I've been focused on is it's starting to introduce that kind of a, an atmosphere, more of like a little bit more, a little bit of a festival atmosphere, but still keep the, the roots together.

00:45:30.925 --> 00:45:33.592
But you know it's it's.

00:45:33.592 --> 00:45:36.791
It's been an interesting, it's been an interesting journey.

00:45:36.791 --> 00:45:38.577
That's all I can say is it's been an interesting journey.

00:45:38.577 --> 00:45:41.047
That's all I can say is it's been an interesting journey.

00:45:41.389 --> 00:45:41.989
I look forward.

00:45:41.989 --> 00:45:47.952
I look a little bit more forward to next year because, again, it's going to be awesome.

00:45:47.952 --> 00:45:48.773
This year is going to be awesome.

00:45:48.773 --> 00:45:51.949
Nike Trail is our title sponsor.

00:45:51.949 --> 00:45:58.911
It's going to be $10,000 purse for that's really good for, you know, the front runners.

00:45:58.911 --> 00:46:00.094
Yeah, but, we got some good.

00:46:00.094 --> 00:46:03.269
We got some good things for the mid Packers in the back of the Packers.

00:46:03.269 --> 00:46:07.018
I've actually have always as we sponsor races.

00:46:07.922 --> 00:46:15.849
One of the things that I noticed was it's, it's, it's nice to give, like, a bag as an award to the winners.

00:46:15.849 --> 00:46:25.427
Yeah, but, and nothing against the winners Sometimes they'll get the bag and they'll go oh cool, thanks, and they'll just kind of put it to the side.

00:46:25.427 --> 00:46:34.047
But I noticed that if you wait for, like, the very last runner, you know who we affectionately call the DFLs.

00:46:34.047 --> 00:46:38.728
Yes, if they come in and I have a bag and I go, you know what.

00:46:38.728 --> 00:46:39.871
This is yours.

00:46:40.492 --> 00:46:44.009
You earn this because you worked so hard.

00:46:44.009 --> 00:47:00.844
You work just as hard in in many different ways as all those people who finished however many hours ahead of you and are all dressed up and are just sitting there drinking a beer and their their face lights up like they may be exhausted, but they're like wait a minute, are you kidding me?

00:47:00.844 --> 00:47:02.288
No, how, why?

00:47:02.288 --> 00:47:05.423
Yeah, it's like because you earned it, because you earned it.

00:47:05.423 --> 00:47:15.456
So that's a little thing that we've, we've, we've been doing for a while, and we decided to change it from the dfl award to the rising star award oh, I like it.

00:47:15.577 --> 00:47:18.027
I'm using that whenever I finish last.

00:47:18.027 --> 00:47:21.342
I'm calling myself the rising star from now on, there you go.

00:47:21.603 --> 00:47:26.474
Yeah, only way is up from there yeah, yeah, but again, yeah, there's so many.

00:47:26.474 --> 00:47:34.614
There's so many little different things that I'm just really trying to put together, that are coming together and that I'm excited to see the races in august 17th.

00:47:34.614 --> 00:47:41.773
Anyone out there who's still looking for a 50 fun, 50k destination race, if you're out there in Texas, come out to California.

00:47:41.773 --> 00:47:43.485
The weather is great here right now.

00:47:44.159 --> 00:47:53.728
Yeah, I think it's quite a bit better than here right now, so that might be a wonderful time, a little bit August might be a great time to get up to the Bay Area and get out of the Texas heat some while.

00:47:58.320 --> 00:48:16.847
I do think too, though, victor, it's a really interesting I don't know if it's a concept, but just this this sort of these old school races now, and really, you know, you might think of western states coming this way as well, but but like trying to balance that traditional old school race and the elements that made it awesome for so long with modern advancements that we're seeing in ultra running yeah, you know, I think that's well.

00:48:16.847 --> 00:48:29.967
That's a tricky tightrope to walk because you want to keep the old school feel, but you may need to introduce in your case, some of the sponsors might be, you know, are there any other kind of modern advancements that you're looking to bring into this race?

00:48:29.967 --> 00:48:36.945
And sort of, how can you balance that with the traditional aspect of this race, because it's been going on so long?

00:48:40.119 --> 00:48:41.302
Well, western States is a perfect example.

00:48:41.302 --> 00:48:43.447
So I ran in 2009 and 10.

00:48:43.447 --> 00:48:45.753
And after that I didn't.

00:48:45.753 --> 00:48:47.956
I decided, hey, you know what, I'm going to go to Michigan Bluff.

00:48:47.956 --> 00:48:50.748
Michigan Bluff is like relatively halfway mark.

00:48:50.748 --> 00:48:55.331
I had a friend who lived there in the corner, small little neighborhood town.

00:48:55.331 --> 00:49:04.443
I'd bring my tent, my big sport design tent, do a little gorilla advertising, put it up so that people could have some shade, nice, and we'd just hang out.

00:49:04.443 --> 00:49:10.949
And that was it Hang out, cheer people on, tell anybody, hey, you want a crew under the tent with the shade, go for it.

00:49:10.949 --> 00:49:16.706
And then there were a couple of friends who were announcing the runners as they came in.

00:49:16.706 --> 00:49:25.925
And about three years ago, four years ago, I was just hanging out with them and one of them had used the bathroom and so she said can you take the mic?

00:49:25.925 --> 00:49:32.650
And and and again, I'm a performer, I sing in a band and I, I I've acted on stage.

00:49:33.721 --> 00:49:37.572
Yeah, I, and I knew so many people who were coming through.

00:49:40.980 --> 00:49:42.041
I didn't even have to look like at the.

00:49:42.061 --> 00:49:45.467
Oh, that's you know, bill Smith and I just had fun.

00:49:45.467 --> 00:49:48.713
And so she came back and she said do you want to keep doing this?

00:49:48.713 --> 00:49:52.202
And I thought, yes, absolutely.

00:49:52.202 --> 00:50:01.315
But main reason why I preface that story is because talking about the way the race has changed this.

00:50:01.315 --> 00:50:19.601
So the introduction of the live stream, I think, really was something that started to make a huge shift in how how these races, these older races, start to embrace modern you know anything.

00:50:19.601 --> 00:50:26.788
Be you know like let's have more sponsors here on site but let's have this live feed.

00:50:27.639 --> 00:50:32.224
So Michigan bluff used to always be kind of like the, the, the secret party.

00:50:32.224 --> 00:50:42.632
Forest hill, which is about mile 62 was that was kind of the big sort of festival, semi-european feel.

00:50:42.632 --> 00:50:47.931
Just everybody was lying down the streets and it was just a big rush to get there.

00:50:47.931 --> 00:50:52.130
But I don't like crowds so I stayed away, I stayed in Michigan Bluff.

00:50:52.130 --> 00:51:02.728
So we started using a Starlink so that we had a really good signal out there and I used to always have just my tent.

00:51:02.728 --> 00:51:12.751
But when I got there there was like three other tents and I thought, oh, that's interesting, like tents with sponsors' names on them and everything yeah.

00:51:13.382 --> 00:51:14.907
And I thought, oh okay, that's interesting.

00:51:14.907 --> 00:51:28.913
And then we went into the area where we set up for our announcing table and there was like four Starlinks on the lawn and the woman who lives there, she came up and I said, wow, this is whose are these for?

00:51:28.913 --> 00:51:30.626
She goes, well, they just dropped them off.

00:51:30.626 --> 00:51:38.971
They said it was for the live stream, it was for the timing matters, for the television guys, and I thought, oh okay, that's interesting, we are evolving.

00:51:38.971 --> 00:51:48.175
And it was yeah, it was with the camera, guys and gals running around and following all the different runners.

00:51:48.175 --> 00:52:04.360
And we watched the live feed and, honestly, they did a smashing job I mean really Really, and and it what it does, as is to be expected, it allows people who aren't going to be there to actually get a better feel of the race.

00:52:04.681 --> 00:52:07.871
Like they have the drones, you, you could see the runners coming up.

00:52:07.871 --> 00:52:09.222
It was.

00:52:09.222 --> 00:52:11.811
It was like a like watching tour de France.

00:52:11.811 --> 00:52:16.641
It was like a very professional thing where you felt like, oh, wow, I'm, I'm kind of there.

00:52:16.641 --> 00:52:41.114
So that I think that shift is a very interesting one that will also bring in some of what you're saying the changes that well, yeah, how do we introduce more of sponsors or running stores who just set up on the course but still keep the.

00:52:41.114 --> 00:52:44.364
You know the, the, the organization as it.

00:52:44.364 --> 00:52:47.253
You know that feeling of what it, what it's always been.

00:52:47.253 --> 00:52:49.204
It's like where does it start to transition?

00:52:49.224 --> 00:52:58.574
where suddenly it's like, oh, it's not that old school race anymore right, and I think that's what's happening right when, when you have like Ironman and UTMB doing, their sort of thing.

00:52:59.340 --> 00:53:13.706
And suddenly you've got big, big events like Western States pulling in and the Mountain Outpost guys to do all the all the fantastic coverage, which is truly awesome, but I think it's going to be a really interesting time, as we progress over the next couple of years, where we figure out OK.

00:53:13.706 --> 00:53:29.572
It's still, though, got to have the feel of being Western States old school race and other old school races too, without kind of overstepping that line, so I think it'll be interesting to see where that line eventually falls.

00:53:29.914 --> 00:53:30.335
Where can I?

00:53:30.536 --> 00:53:34.673
I want to keep it Western States but still make use of this modern technology to.

00:53:34.673 --> 00:53:37.226
I mean, it was brilliant watching the live stream.

00:53:37.226 --> 00:53:48.831
You get to see people at aid stations, you get to see the elite folks coming through and how they do their changes and what they look like as they're coming through and the tension is they're asking how far ahead they are from the next guy.

00:53:48.831 --> 00:53:53.315
And you see the next guy coming through the field, you know, and it just is brilliant TV.

00:53:53.717 --> 00:53:54.460
Yeah, yeah.

00:54:11.052 --> 00:54:12.773
It's fantastic watching, but yeah, how far?

00:54:12.773 --> 00:54:14.715
Yeah, yeah, this is western states, so we got to keep.

00:54:15.215 --> 00:54:18.557
We got to keep that vibe somehow right, yeah, and, yeah, and.

00:54:18.557 --> 00:54:25.300
And the organizations are really going to have to start looking at how, yeah, how big do they start to become?

00:54:25.300 --> 00:54:31.795
I mean, the, the, the lottery for western states is just absolutely bonkers.

00:54:31.795 --> 00:54:37.389
Just how many people try to get in and how many people have tickets, some people, I actually.

00:54:37.891 --> 00:54:38.192
I used to.

00:54:38.192 --> 00:54:46.070
I used to put my name in for a number of years and I had like I don't know, like 85 tickets or something, and then I never got pulled.

00:54:46.070 --> 00:54:50.385
And then a friend who had like three he's like they got pulled and I just said you know what?

00:54:50.385 --> 00:54:51.449
It's okay, I enjoy.

00:54:51.449 --> 00:54:53.206
I enjoy hanging out at Michigan bluff.

00:54:53.619 --> 00:54:55.802
Yeah, have you always been at Michigan.

00:54:55.802 --> 00:54:57.204
Bluff Is yeah, have you always been at Michigan?

00:54:57.224 --> 00:54:57.445
Bluff.

00:54:57.445 --> 00:54:57.885
Is that what?

00:54:57.885 --> 00:54:58.405
You've stayed there?

00:54:58.405 --> 00:55:00.148
Yeah, yeah, yeah, since 2011.

00:55:00.307 --> 00:55:01.750
Have you seen any kind of cool moments?

00:55:01.750 --> 00:55:06.275
Have you witnessed anything fun or interesting while hanging out at the aid station?

00:55:14.420 --> 00:55:15.420
I mean everything, like everyone coming through.

00:55:15.420 --> 00:55:15.942
I mean anything specific?

00:55:15.942 --> 00:55:16.442
I don't know, I haven't.

00:55:16.442 --> 00:55:28.635
I have a joke, which is now becoming old because I've been doing the announcing for such a long time, and it has to do with Jim Walmsley, because he's been the favorite every single time he's jumped into the race.

00:55:28.635 --> 00:55:40.264
To everyone who was out on Michigan Bluff I said okay, jim, some guy's coming.

00:55:40.264 --> 00:55:41.186
I think his name begins with a J, last name W.

00:55:41.186 --> 00:55:41.467
I don't know.

00:55:41.467 --> 00:55:42.188
I don't know who he is.

00:55:42.188 --> 00:55:53.746
He's a dark horse, but when he comes in I want everybody to hide and when he comes through, jump out and say, surprise, get away.

00:55:54.467 --> 00:55:55.789
No, but you know, I was just.

00:55:55.789 --> 00:55:57.932
That's the thing I love to do there.

00:55:57.932 --> 00:56:00.882
I just like I, I just I have fun and that's yeah.

00:56:00.882 --> 00:56:16.603
But but, yes, seeing seeing those, okay, actually here, this is it, the, the final call, the, the final cutoff at at michigan bluff that, to me, has always been, that's been, the most intense highlight.

00:56:16.603 --> 00:56:21.250
I mean seeing all those guys come through and whether they look awesome or don't look so great.

00:56:21.309 --> 00:56:28.001
Sometimes, when you see one of the favorites come through and and they look like hell, and you go, ooh, okay, well, that's going to, that's going to be interesting.

00:56:28.001 --> 00:56:39.981
But then, once you get to the middle of the pack and the back of the pack and you see those folks coming in and you know, and some of them, if they're struggling, you even sort of try to lift them up.

00:56:39.981 --> 00:56:42.648
I mean, I do when I'm on the mic and I'll just try to say, hey, everybody, let's give.

00:56:42.648 --> 00:56:48.740
Let's give this runner like, all of our love, because they need it right now and they got to get through and they got to get to forest hill.

00:56:48.740 --> 00:57:10.092
But when it's, uh, there's a horn, that's 20 minutes before the cutoff, 10 minutes, five minutes, and the the intensity just goes through the sky because we're telling the people there we're like your runner has to get past that point by this time.

00:57:10.092 --> 00:57:23.938
Yeah, and and and if they're not here yet, just, you gotta be ready, you know, gotta be ready for them and and for, for, for me, for me at least, I feel like I want to see all those runners make it through and we'll get a report, we'll get a report.

00:57:23.998 --> 00:57:37.304
Okay, there's five people who have gotten to the bottom Eldorado Creek, and they're coming up the hill to Michigan bluff and we're waiting and the anticipation is so intense, intense, and there's, actually there was.

00:57:37.304 --> 00:57:45.699
There was a gal who came up and she said, can, can you not be so intense because one of the crew members is crying because their person isn't here yet?

00:57:45.699 --> 00:57:46.764
And I was like, okay, I'm sorry.

00:57:46.764 --> 00:57:57.798
I said, I said, look, they're going to get here, it's going to be fun and even, and even if they don't make it, they're still amazing superheroes.

00:57:57.798 --> 00:57:59.480
I mean that's the whole thing.

00:57:59.480 --> 00:58:03.362
It's like they've gotten this far and that's amazing.

00:58:03.623 --> 00:58:08.347
Like, don't despair because this is the end of their day.

00:58:08.347 --> 00:58:16.632
Just revel with them in the effort that they put forth and that's your celebration.

00:58:16.632 --> 00:58:19.264
You know, don't get stuck.

00:58:19.264 --> 00:58:19.811
I mean, yes, I get all.

00:58:19.811 --> 00:58:22.079
You know, like, here we go, here we go, um.

00:58:22.079 --> 00:58:35.541
But but yeah, don't, don't think that just because they don't, they didn't achieve their goal, that it's all for nothing, so that that kind of changed that, that changed the atmosphere for the better, um, but yeah, watch.

00:58:36.043 --> 00:58:37.867
Yeah, you've still had a wonderful day out.

00:58:37.867 --> 00:58:42.297
Yeah, I mean, exactly, the race itself is the celebration In some respects.

00:58:42.297 --> 00:58:44.599
You've done all the training and you've got all the way through it.

00:58:44.599 --> 00:58:49.842
I mean that, I think, is something in of itself to to work through and the race is the celebration.

00:58:49.842 --> 00:58:55.047
And however far you go in the race is your day, and that's cool and I love that.

00:58:55.047 --> 00:58:56.088
I think it's fantastic.

00:58:56.088 --> 00:58:56.969
Yeah, yeah.

00:58:57.188 --> 00:59:05.954
Indeed, I've always been a way bigger fan of those folks who are fighting those big, big cutoffs than watching the winners.

00:59:05.954 --> 00:59:08.324
A lot of times people say, oh hey, do you know who's running in the race?

00:59:08.324 --> 00:59:12.056
And they're really talking about the people who are going to be in the front, and I go.

00:59:12.056 --> 00:59:13.918
You know what I mean.

00:59:13.918 --> 00:59:17.280
I know a few of the people who are going to be running, but I don't really pay attention to that.

00:59:17.280 --> 00:59:23.802
I spend more time really getting into, yeah, the middle of the race and the end of the race, especially the end of the race.

00:59:24.543 --> 00:59:27.985
It's a great place to be and I think I've said a couple of times on the podcast.

00:59:27.985 --> 00:59:43.172
You know, I would encourage anybody, whether you're a runner or not a runner, whoever you are, go and spend some time at the finish line of an ultra running race, especially one like Western States, where you've got the golden hour, obviously, and that is just insane in of itself.

00:59:43.172 --> 00:59:48.112
One of these days I'm going to go there just to go to the finish line and be a part of that whole thing.

00:59:48.112 --> 00:59:53.103
But yeah, go and spend some time at the end, at the, at the finish line of any ultra race.

00:59:53.304 --> 01:00:05.273
It's it's so uplifting and it's so emotional to see these people especially so uplifting and it's so emotional to see these people, especially in my world, the middle back of the pack world, to see folks who've been out there just battling all day long.

01:00:05.273 --> 01:00:06.536
They've put everything into it.

01:00:06.536 --> 01:00:11.527
They're coming up against the final cutoffs at aid stations and the finish line.

01:00:11.527 --> 01:00:13.139
It's just, it's so uplifting.

01:00:13.139 --> 01:00:20.159
It's such a great place to spend some time, be around the celebrations at the finish and just see the emotions coming through.

01:00:20.159 --> 01:00:21.742
What a fantastic place to be.

01:00:22.523 --> 01:00:29.003
Yeah, and and and also the fact that even the, even the elites, they're going to be there too.

01:00:29.003 --> 01:00:38.302
Like a lot of them, they, they don't, they don't like I make a joke that you know marathon road, you know runners, they come, they race and they go home.

01:00:38.302 --> 01:00:54.800
Yeah, but ultra, ultra people, we stay, we party, we cheer each other on and the majority of those folks, those fast, fast, fast folks, they'll be there at the end of the race to cheer those guys on too, which is what I think makes the whole ultra tribe like amazing to me.

01:00:54.800 --> 01:00:56.204
Yeah, yeah, and for me, the beer at the end helps immensely.

01:00:56.204 --> 01:00:56.766
How many other road racers.

01:00:56.786 --> 01:00:59.996
Do you know, finish me the beer at the end helps immensely I mean how?

01:00:59.996 --> 01:01:04.757
Many other road races, do you know, finish with a beer at the finish, or mid-race for some, for some of us.

01:01:05.780 --> 01:01:07.686
I like to do a beer at various aid stations.

01:01:07.766 --> 01:01:09.994
So yeah, um, I think that's wonderful.

01:01:09.994 --> 01:01:14.644
Well, victor, I have five quick fire questions for you if you're open to it.

01:01:14.644 --> 01:01:16.815
Just real quick answers, okay.

01:01:16.815 --> 01:01:20.735
Favorite trail race that you've ever run the dipsy, dipsy, brilliant.

01:01:20.735 --> 01:01:21.197
The quad.

01:01:22.199 --> 01:01:28.480
Well, no, the single dipsy again it's, it's the single dipsy, it's a trail race it's not an ultra, but it's no.

01:01:28.760 --> 01:01:36.380
But yeah, that's fine trail race is good uh one piece of gear that you couldn't live without during a race I was gonna say to say my shorts.

01:01:36.900 --> 01:01:46.302
Well that would be challenging my, my, my shoes, I mean I, I, I, I gear I might have for, for for the person who made a gear bag.

01:01:46.996 --> 01:02:00.331
I don't really have a special my bag, my victory bag, On the shorts thing, I, I, I was just at a race called called the Sticks in June, end of June, and there was a guy running there in a Speedo, so he didn't have shorts.

01:02:01.177 --> 01:02:01.699
So there you go.

01:02:02.114 --> 01:02:04.061
So shorts, you know, not always necessary.

01:02:04.684 --> 01:02:05.106
Exactly.

01:02:05.474 --> 01:02:08.463
I don't know how the chafing was with that.

01:02:08.885 --> 01:02:09.606
Squirrel's not butter.

01:02:09.606 --> 01:02:11.005
You got to use a lot of squirrel's nut butter.

01:02:11.074 --> 01:02:12.842
Plenty of yeah, squirrel's nut butter.

01:02:12.842 --> 01:02:21.318
If you could run any race in the world, what would you pick at the moment?

01:02:21.378 --> 01:02:23.726
tour de jones, tour de jones, yeah, second, go for you on that one, uh, two and a half.

01:02:23.726 --> 01:02:31.590
First time I went out there, they they canceled midway because of weather and then second time I went out, I I got really sick on the plane over.

01:02:31.590 --> 01:02:38.967
Oh no, so it it, yeah, it became, it became a uh, well, let's just, let's just experience it kind of event so I'd like to go back where it's.

01:02:46.875 --> 01:02:47.797
I'm in better spirits.

01:02:47.858 --> 01:03:00.512
But yeah, that, uh, that, that that course out there is just that's amazing spectacular over in that part of the world, over in the alps, there, just in, in, yeah, it's uh, the northern italy, south of france, and chameleon, switzerland, france, italy, the whole corner there is.

01:03:00.552 --> 01:03:02.639
Just insane, so so beautiful.

01:03:02.639 --> 01:03:03.782
All right, victor.

01:03:03.802 --> 01:03:19.706
Craziest thing you've ever seen or experienced personally during an ultra hallucinating the things I've seen when I, while I was hallucinating in you know doing, doing the 200 milers and especially the Tahoe 200.

01:03:19.706 --> 01:03:20.648
I mean, what did I see?

01:03:20.648 --> 01:03:30.184
I saw a house with people on the top having a party and I sat there thinking like oh, that's interesting.

01:03:30.184 --> 01:03:42.586
And then, at some point after the race was over, I had done a training run and I went through there and I realized there's no house here, nothing here.

01:03:42.586 --> 01:03:46.666
But what I saw was like a dream, vivid.

01:03:46.666 --> 01:03:49.103
It was a house, people on top having a party.

01:03:51.199 --> 01:03:52.344
I think that's quite cool actually.

01:03:52.344 --> 01:03:53.780
I've heard worse, that's for sure.

01:03:53.780 --> 01:03:56.056
But yeah, a house with a party is good.

01:03:56.056 --> 01:04:03.250
And lastly, future goals as a runner, if you're going to get back into that or I think you've already touched on this some as a business owner.

01:04:04.436 --> 01:04:06.038
Yeah, future goals.

01:04:06.038 --> 01:04:11.583
So this is kind of so, I would say, get back to Tour de Jeans.

01:04:11.583 --> 01:04:17.909
I really, really, really want to, but I've had this very interesting goal that I would love to try and do.

01:04:17.909 --> 01:04:22.916
I would love to do a um, a double western states.

01:04:22.916 --> 01:04:26.027
Oh, and I've actually spoken to craig.

01:04:26.027 --> 01:04:39.567
I've spoken to craig thornley, the race director, about it like an out and back it's so yeah, so start, start at the finish, go all the way to the start, but be an official entrant yeah be an official entrant for the race.

01:04:40.195 --> 01:04:42.163
Get there with just enough time.

01:04:42.163 --> 01:04:53.226
Give yourself a little bit, not like a day or, you know, to like okay, I went this way, but really to turn it more into a 200 miler by getting to the finish and like okay, here we go.

01:04:53.226 --> 01:04:56.958
I mean getting to the start and then saying, okay, here we go, let's go to the finish.

01:04:57.498 --> 01:04:59.501
Yeah, and then basically race back with support.

01:04:59.782 --> 01:05:04.166
Yeah, I think that would be kind of a fun, cool, weird thing to do Brilliant.

01:05:04.186 --> 01:05:05.327
Well, you heard it here first.

01:05:05.327 --> 01:05:10.012
Folks, if that becomes a thing you heard Victor say it here first Absolutely.

01:05:10.534 --> 01:05:16.965
We got the explanation, yes, and honestly I think Craig said, oh, that sounds like a fun, crazy idea.

01:05:16.965 --> 01:05:21.277
But then again I imagine, like people started to think like hey, this is something we could do.

01:05:21.277 --> 01:05:25.648
He might say oh no, like victor, what did you start?

01:05:27.438 --> 01:05:30.945
yeah, maybe not until it becomes official, but okay, right, I?

01:05:30.965 --> 01:05:32.086
love it now victor.

01:05:32.146 --> 01:05:40.909
One of the other things we do on the show here is encourage guests to pick a song to add to the free Spotify Choose to End your playlist.

01:05:40.909 --> 01:05:47.318
Typically, it's something to lift you up or some song that motivates you, or just something to keep you moving while you're out on the trail.

01:05:47.318 --> 01:05:55.827
Now, did you have a song that really speaks to you from a running perspective, and if so, what is it and why does it resonate with you?

01:05:55.827 --> 01:05:58.277
Why does it resonate with you.

01:05:58.297 --> 01:06:02.882
So I don't have a song that's actually that comes to me.

01:06:02.882 --> 01:06:04.905
That is a song that is somebody else's written.

01:06:04.905 --> 01:06:07.547
I do have a song that I wrote, yeah, and it's called Give it All.

01:06:07.588 --> 01:06:07.668
Away.

01:06:07.668 --> 01:06:46.398
Ok, it was really sort of thinking of this whole theme of you know, I was able to take something in with my experiences trail running and ultra running and then I'm at a point where, like now, I'm just sort of trying to give it back, so to give it all away.

01:06:46.398 --> 01:06:52.528
When I say give it all away in terms of the song, it's not just like, yeah, give it all away, but give something back.

01:06:52.528 --> 01:06:55.541
You take the love, you give the love back.

01:06:56.684 --> 01:06:57.025
Brilliant.

01:06:57.025 --> 01:07:01.621
I think that is totally applicable to the ultra scene and very commendable.

01:07:01.621 --> 01:07:04.831
And it's your own song, so I hope you like it.

01:07:04.972 --> 01:07:05.512
That's wonderful.

01:07:05.552 --> 01:07:14.643
We've never had somebody with their own song before, so that's a first and I absolutely love the context that you put around it and the perspective that you bring.

01:07:14.643 --> 01:07:35.181
So thank you for for picking that and for sharing your really incredible journey and your insights with us today, from the inception of Victory Sports Design and the impact that it's having on the ultra running community, to the unique challenges of Headlands 50k and your invaluable experiences at Western States.

01:07:35.181 --> 01:07:41.342
I mean it's clear to me at least that your contributions to the sport go way beyond your own personal achievements.

01:07:41.342 --> 01:07:45.880
Your dedication to making the sport more accessible, more enjoyable for runners.

01:07:45.880 --> 01:07:48.324
I think that's pretty inspiring.

01:07:48.324 --> 01:07:51.143
So thank you on behalf of everybody out there.

01:07:51.143 --> 01:07:51.876
Thank you.

01:07:52.137 --> 01:07:52.519
Thank you.

01:07:52.954 --> 01:07:56.934
Yeah, I think too, we're definitely going to appreciate your advice and your stories.

01:07:56.934 --> 01:08:00.822
I hope they deeply resonate with you guys out there listening.

01:08:00.822 --> 01:08:12.148
Victor, if folks have more, they want to go learn more about Victory Sports Design or the Headlands 50K if they're interested in heading out in August to participate in that.

01:08:12.427 --> 01:08:13.869
Or next year.

01:08:14.210 --> 01:08:14.751
Or next year?

01:08:14.751 --> 01:08:15.251
Yes, indeed.

01:08:15.251 --> 01:08:16.902
Where can they go to find more information?

01:08:17.354 --> 01:08:18.399
So Headlands 50K.

01:08:18.399 --> 01:08:27.747
I don't know if you'll have links when your podcast comes out, but yeah, headlands 50K and Victory Sport Design Perfect.

01:08:28.354 --> 01:08:33.564
So folks get out there, go on the internet, check out those sites if you will.

01:08:33.564 --> 01:08:45.707
While you're out there doing that, don't forget to subscribe if I can talk properly to this show as well, get notified each time a new episode comes out and, of course, follow, share and review.

01:08:45.707 --> 01:08:48.261
That would be very much appreciated.

01:08:48.261 --> 01:09:04.966
Doing any of those things really helps promote the podcast, which in turn helps get the word out and increases chances of other runners like you and I finding the information that awesome guests like Victor give up their time to come on here and share with us.

01:09:04.966 --> 01:09:19.342
You can find us on Instagram and Facebook and over at choosetoendurecom, so be sure to head over to any of those spots, check us out, send a message, say hello or suggest a topic for the podcast If you have a moment.

01:09:19.876 --> 01:09:22.064
I definitely love getting all those interactions.

01:09:22.064 --> 01:09:23.541
That's what this is all about.

01:09:23.541 --> 01:09:25.201
We're trying to share information.

01:09:25.201 --> 01:09:29.265
We're trying to provide things of value out to the community.

01:09:29.265 --> 01:09:34.287
So until next time, go buy a Victory Sports Design drop bag.

01:09:34.287 --> 01:09:41.929
Go sign up for the Headlands 50K so that you can continue to run long, run strong and keep choosing to endure.

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