Travis McCalla - "That sense of belonging"

Podcast host Alison interviews Travis, a veteran whose running story spans childhood trauma, military service, alcoholism, sobriety, and ultra-distance racing.

Travis describes hating running in high school, escaping an abusive home by joining the Marine Corps in 1997, developing a heavy drinking habit, later joining the Army Reserve in 2006, and seeking help in 2014 because he feared dying.

After getting sober, deployments and a 2017 convoy crash in Germany revealed health issues, prompting him to start running, progressing quickly from 5Ks to marathons, 50 milers, and 100 milers.

He became focused on multi-day, unsupported “journey runs,” especially the Fool’s Ultra (now 420 miles across New York), his favorite race.

He shares lessons on belonging, consistency, embracing discomfort, planning resupplies and sleep, safety gear for dark runs, shoes, fueling, recovery, music, a key injury perseverance story, a 160-mile DNF at Infinitus 250, advice to start simple and volunteer, his mantra “you’ve been through worse,” and future goals after a 2026 deployment.

Travis McCalla - https://www.facebook.com/travis.mccalla1


Races Mentioned
The Fool's Ultra 420
Infinitus 250
Battleship 12k
Arizona Monster 300
Coca Dona 250

Shout Outs
Joshua Swank
Christie
Andy Weinberg