Meet The Nation 339 - Rachel Grabow

In this 'Meet the Nation' episode of Ten Junk Miles, host Scott interviews Rachel Grabow, a software engineer and ultrarunner from outside Dallas, Texas. Rachel shares her journey into running, starting with a treadmill run that led to signing up for a half marathon, then a full marathon, and eventually becoming deeply involved in trail running and ultras. She's completed four 100-mile races, including the Badger, and is working toward running a marathon or ultra in every U.S. state, with a goal of qualifying for the Western States Lottery. She candidly discusses her DNF at Rim to River due to poor course preparation, lack of crew, and unexpected road collapses, and outlines lessons learned for her return. Rachel also reveals a surprising teenage story of flipping her Mercury Sable, and shares her desert island picks: the book 'Catch-22', the album 'Zombies on Broadway' by Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness, and the film 'The Royal Tenenbaums'. She recommends Mike Rouse, a former prison runner turned Ironman and Western States finisher, as a compelling guest for future episodes. The conversation blends humor, vulnerability, and deep passion for the running community, with a lighthearted nod to AI risks and the absurdity of autonomous crypto mining.