Harvey Lewis | The Mind Behind the Ultras

Ultrarunning eventually becomes a mental problem. The body hurts, the race stops going to plan, and the question becomes what the best ultrarunners understand about continuing when quitting makes sense.

Harvey Lewis has spent 30 years figuring that out. In part two of our conversation in Ohio, we get into the mental strategies behind Backyard Ultra, why different races require different mindsets, the failures that changed how Harvey competes, and what decades of Badwater, journey runs, and 200-milers have taught him about going farther than he thought possible.

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Thumbnail photo by Romain Mayambi

Topics / Timestamps

• 00:00 Harvey Lewis Intro
• 01:15 The Mental Game of Ultrarunning
• 10:47 Learning How Not to Quit
• 14:06 Different Mindsets for Different Races
• 16:55 Pilgrimages and Journey Runs
• 23:31 What Failure Taught Harvey Lewis
• 30:33 What the Best Ultrarunners Understand

Resources / Links

2. Salt Lake Foothills Trail Races
3. Borderlands.cc
4. High Tones

Related Episodes

1. Ultra Running isn't Just Running

Presented by Kiprun.

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