In this episode of Run Long After 60, I speak with Kevin Fleeger — a 2x Cocodona 250 finisher and one of the most deliberate athletes I’ve met — about what it means to get smarter with age.

Kevin didn’t begin ultrarunning until 59. In May 2025, fourteen runners started Cocodona 250 in the 60–69 age group. Only three finished. Kevin was the first finisher in that division.

But this conversation isn’t about drama. It’s about judgment.

Kevin shares what he learned from stepping off the mountain at Moab 240 by choice. From a mile 192 DNF at Southern States 200. From managing sleep, nutrition, and multi-day effort without ego.

He builds systems. He laminates spreadsheets. He eliminates idle time at aid stations. And at 66, he has eleven races on the calendar for 2026 — including Arizona Monster 300.

We talk about:

• Discovering trail running at 59
• Building toward 200- and 250-mile races
• DNFs as information, not failure
• Sleep strategy and race efficiency
• Planning 1100 race miles in a single year
• Why experience can be an advantage after 60

Kevin isn’t reckless.
He isn’t loud.
He is calculating.

If you’ve followed last year’s Cocodona 60–69 division, you’ll recognize the two other finishers who’ve joined this podcast: Stephanie Irving (Episode 1) and Paul James Johnson (Episode 14). It’s an honor to have all three represented here.

Whether you’re chasing your first ultra or simply trying to stay adaptable with age, this conversation is about staying in the game — intelligently.

Run Long After 60 is produced as a video-first podcast.

If you’re listening on audio, this episode includes visual elements that deepen the storytelling. You can watch the full video version on YouTube at Run Long After 60.

🎧 Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeart, or Amazon to follow the journey.

📍 Hosted by Mark Vega

In this episode of Run Long After 60, I speak with Miriam Gilbert — known to many as “UltraMiriam” — about what it means to run healing miles in your late 60s.

Miriam’s story begins long before the trails. As a child, she faced serious health challenges. As an adult, she became a caregiver. Running didn’t enter her life as competition — it entered as restoration. Over time, endurance became both therapy and testimony.

At 67, Miriam is not chasing podiums. She’s chasing wholeness. Her miles carry memory, resilience, and a quiet strength that doesn’t need to announce itself.

We talk about:

• Starting and continuing ultrarunning later in life
• Caregiving, survival, and identity beyond the label
• Running as emotional and physical healing
• Mental endurance vs. physical endurance
• Why movement can be medicine
• Aging as sharpening — not shrinking

Whether you’re navigating recovery, supporting someone you love, or wondering if it’s too late to start again, this conversation will meet you where you are.

🎥 Run Long After 60 is produced as a video-first podcast.
If you’re listening on audio, this episode includes visual elements that deepen the storytelling. You can watch the full video version on YouTube at Run Long After 60.

🎧 Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeart, or Amazon to follow the journey.
📍 Hosted by Mark Vega

In this episode, Troy shares how endurance sport reshaped his life after major health setbacks, Achilles reconstruction, and doctors telling him to stop running. We discuss DNF lessons, 70,000-calorie races, fueling strategy, faith, aging, and why choosing to live like an athlete changes everything.

Troy also opens up about mediating billion-dollar disputes involving Native Nations and how ultrarunning has made him better under pressure.

This is a conversation about durability, humility, identity, and staying in the game long after 60.

🎧 New episodes weekly
📍 Hosted by Mark Vega

In this episode of Run Long After 60, I speak with Lauri Rottmayer — The Aging Rebel — about what it really means to start chasing distance later in life.

Lauri is training for her first ultra in her 60s, and she shares the unfiltered reality: the mental resistance that shows up early in long runs, the discipline required to keep going, and the wisdom of choosing durability over ego.

A former Marine, Lauri brings a grounded, life-affirming approach to fitness and aging — one that rejects shrinking, fear-based narratives and instead embraces movement, strength training, sleep, and consistency.

We talk about:

• Running long after 60
• Mental resilience and self-talk
• Why strength training matters more than ever
• Finishing versus racing
• And how aging can be a gift — if you choose to open it

Whether you run, walk, hike, or are just thinking about starting again, this conversation will meet you where you are.

🎧 New episodes weekly
📍 Hosted by Mark Vega

In this episode of Run Long After 60, I’m joined by Ruperto Romero — a Southern California trail legend whose accomplishments are extraordinary, and whose presence is defined by humility, generosity, and deep respect for the sport.

Ruperto was open about feeling self-conscious being on camera and speaking English — and then proceeded to be superb. Thoughtful. Honest. Grounded. At one point, his kids step into the room to help show off his trophies, and the pride runs both ways: they’re proud of him, and he’s proud of them — and of the life he’s built through running, family, and consistency.

Ruperto is 62 years old. He has completed 69 ultramarathons. He’s finished 65 of them. And 59 of those finishes were podiums. Those numbers are real — but this conversation isn’t about chasing stats. It’s about how you carry yourself through decades of effort.

We talk about discovering trail running in his late 30s, racing without ego, and learning — sometimes the hard way — when to push and when to protect the body. Ruperto shares what it was like entering his first 100-mile race with almost no knowledge of fueling or pacing… and finishing in the Top 10 anyway. We talk about grief, purpose, and how family has always been part of his running story — whether crewing, pacing, or simply believing.

His relationship with the Angeles Crest 100 is historic: podiums across decades, two overall wins years apart, and earning the rare Eagle buckle when you run the race 10 years in a row. But what stands out most is his perspective — why DNFs can be acts of wisdom, why the fire to compete doesn’t fade with age, and how excellence matures instead of disappearing.

This is a quiet, powerful conversation. No hype. No chest-beating. Just lived experience, respect for the miles, and a reminder that legends don’t always announce themselves.

As this audio episode is published, Ruperto is toeing the line at the Sean O’Brien 100K — and I’ll be out too. The only time I'll be on the course with him. He may come in first. I may come in last. And that feels exactly right.

Run Long After 60 is a show about people who continue doing hard things because movement, challenge, and curiosity still matter.

Note: These early episodes were originally recorded for video. Audio quality may vary slightly from episode to episode, but the conversations remain intact and unedited.

🎧 New episodes weekly
📍 Hosted by Mark Vega

In this episode of Run Long After 60, I’m joined by ultrarunner, mountain servant, and joyful disruptor Cliff Matthews — known to many on the trails as Young Lazy Deadhead.

Cliff is one of those rare people who trains hard, listens deeply, and shows up when it matters. He’s run long miles, rucked longer ones, paced countless friends, served in search and rescue, and quietly helped hold together parts of the trail community when no one else stepped forward. And when it’s time to race, Cliff flips a switch and enters what he calls Wheee! Mode — a philosophy rooted in joy, grit, presence, and mountain play.

This conversation could have gone on for days. Cliff and I are both talkers — and listeners — and what unfolds is a wide-ranging, heartfelt exchange about service, endurance, and meaning. We talk about helping others finish their dreams, including being part of the moment that helped Gunhild Swanson reach the Western States finish line with seconds to spare. We talk about joining the search for Caballo Blanco, carrying the emotional weight of the Bataan Memorial Death March year after year, and keeping grassroots trail traditions alive when they’re at risk of fading.

Cliff shares his perspective on celebrating DNFs, attempting and finishing everything from classic 100s to 200-mile races, and why joy matters just as much as toughness. We also talk about life shifts — caring for his aging mother, changing priorities, and how running sometimes takes a backseat without ever losing its place in the heart.

This episode is about training hard, serving others, and remembering why we do this in the first place. It’s about laughter, long stories, shared silence, and the kind of wisdom that only comes from showing up over and over again.

Congratulations to Cliff on his selection for Hardrock 2026 — a return to one of his favorite places, in full Wheee! Mode.

Run Long After 60 is a show about people who continue doing hard things because movement, challenge, and curiosity still matter.

Note: These early episodes were originally recorded for video. Audio quality may vary slightly from episode to episode, but the conversations remain intact and unedited.

🎧 New episodes weekly
📍 Hosted by Mark Vega

In this episode of Run Long After 60, I’m joined by runner and comeback story Jim Glenn — known to many as @rebuiltrunnah, and affectionately claimed here as the Robo Runner.

Jim lives in New Hampshire and runs with two knee replacements and one hip replacement. Born bow-legged and in pain for much of his life, he was told repeatedly that running wasn’t in the cards. Decades later, after multiple surgeries and a complete rebuild of his lower body, Jim is running again — not cautiously, but joyfully. He’s racing regularly, has completed marathons, and has logged more than 70 races since returning to the sport.

This conversation is unlike any other. Jim describes, in precise and honest detail, what it actually feels like to run with artificial joints — the clicking, the mechanics, the strange sensation of your brain not quite recognizing that your legs are moving. We talk about tibial oscillation, co-contraction, balance, proprioception, and how learning to run again at 61 really does feel like starting from scratch.

But this episode isn’t about hardware. It’s about freedom.

We talk about the moment Jim realized pain no longer controlled his life, about running with his daughter, about winter miles in New Hampshire, and about the quiet confidence that comes from reclaiming movement after being told “no” for so long. His smile — especially now — says everything.

This is one of the most hopeful episodes in the catalog. Not because it promises miracles, but because it shows what’s possible when curiosity, gratitude, and persistence meet modern medicine and a willing spirit.

Run Long After 60 is a show about people who continue doing hard things because movement, challenge, and curiosity still matter.

Note: These early episodes were originally recorded for video. Audio quality may vary slightly from episode to episode, but the conversations remain intact and unedited.

🎧 New episodes weekly
📍 Hosted by Mark Vega

In this episode of Run Long After 60, I’m joined by ultrarunner, retired trial lawyer, and master storyteller Paul James Johnson.

Paul is 69 years old and has discovered that his true stride — both physically and mentally — lives in races of 200 miles and beyond. He’s started the Cocodona 250 four times, finished it three, and is already lining up for another run in 2026. Along the way, he’s found a rhythm that blends endurance, intellect, and imagination.

Paul calls his approach the Art of Distraction — a skill he believes is essential for surviving and thriving in massive efforts. Rather than fighting the distance, he leans into curiosity. He turns races into narrative projects, researches courses deeply, records his own audio notes to coach himself on trail, and uses story as a way to move forward when fatigue sets in.

We talk about what it’s like to bring a lawyer’s problem-solving mindset into ultrarunning, how research becomes memory deep into a race, and how storytelling can keep you engaged when the miles stretch endlessly ahead. Paul shares lessons learned from runner’s lean, glute issues, aging inside 200-mile races, and the constant recalibration required to stay healthy and upright.

We also talk about running with his son and crew chief C.J., why he loves inaugural races, and what keeps drawing him back to events like Cocodona, Across Florida 200, and the Thai 500. Somewhere along the way, Paul invites me to pace him at Cocodona 2026 — an offer I gladly accept during the conversation.

This episode is thoughtful, funny, and relentlessly curious — proof that at 69, you can still come in hot, find new gears, and keep chasing the next big adventure.

Run Long After 60 is a show about people who continue doing hard things because movement, challenge, and curiosity still matter.

Note: These early episodes were originally recorded for video. Audio quality may vary slightly from episode to episode, but the conversations remain intact and unedited.

🎧 New episodes weekly
📍 Hosted by Mark Vega