The Maine Shakeout

Send us Fan Mail James had an outstanding high school career at Bangor high school and continued that at the University of Maine, where he was a distance runner. After graduating in 2025, James continued to run; and most recently ran a 32:05 at 2026 10K Beach to Beacon, placing as the 10th fastest Maine male in the race. Today we will talk to James about his running journey, what motivates him to continue to run, and his incredible development over the past 10 years. Another great shakeout with an incredible guy.

Send us Fan Mail Welcome back to The Maine Shakeout ! Today’s guest is Brad…and we didn’t even know his last name until today! But we do know his purpose, and that’s far more important. His cause; Bradcrazy’s Hundo for the Homeless. Using running to bring attention to the homeless crisis in Bangor. A great chat with a very inspirational local. https://www.gofundme.com/f/bradcrazys-hundo-for-the-homeless

Send us Fan Mail WE'RE BACK! After a few weeks of family time, Andrea and Lindsey are back with new conversations to share... What happens when you discover, maybe a little later than expected, that you’re really, really good at something? Steven Fritzsche didn’t follow the traditional path we often associate with elite distance runners. But somewhere along the way, running became more than running. A first half marathon turned into a win. A win turned into faster times. And eventually, Steven became a 2:25 marathoner and a Sugarloaf Marathon champion. But maybe the most interesting part of Steven’s story isn’t how good he’s already become. It’s the question of whether he’s even close to his ceiling yet.

Send us Fan Mail Today we’re joined by Maine ultra-runner Lila Gaudrault — a rising star on the New England trail scene and fresh off an incredible finish at the Cocodona 250. From winning her first 50K at 18 years old to balancing elite racing with work as a home hospice nurse, Lila’s story is as inspiring as it is impressive. We’ll talk ultra running, mental toughness, and her unforgettable 250-mile journey from Deep Canyon Ranch to Flagstaff, Arizona.

Send us Fan Mail OUR FIRST EVER REPEAT GUEST! "Have I really just run 300 miles? Honestly, it felt impossible — until I decided to do it." 🏃‍♂️💥 On the pod, Jason shared what that journey actually looked like: signing up based off a dream — desert heat, rattlesnakes, sleepless nights, and a full-on mental battle. Every step, every challenge pushed him further than he thought possible. It wasn’t about beating anyone else. It was about facing his own limits and seeing what level of mental toughness he truly had deep within. That mindset — that mental toughness — is what carried him across the finish line. And maybe that’s the point. It’s not about running 300 miles. It’s about proving to yourself that you’re capable of more than you think. Nothing worth doing is easy… but it’s always worth it.

Send us Fan Mail Michael Westphal grew up on Great Cranberry Island and went on to become one of the state’s top distance runners. In his prime, he was running miles in the low 4s and marathons in the 2:20 range, competing with some of the best runners in New England. But Michael’s story took a turn when he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in his 50s — a condition that affects movement and coordination and could have easily ended his running career for good. Instead, he did something remarkable. Michael returned to running, discovered that movement actually helped manage his symptoms, qualified again for the Boston Marathon decades after his first appearance there, and has since used his running to raise awareness and money for Parkinson’s research. His story is about grit, resilience, and the power of putting one foot in front of the other — no matter what life throws your way.

Send us Fan Mail Today’s guest is someone near and dear to my heart- Sadie Harrow. A Bangor High graduate and now a collegiate distance runner continuing to build on one of the most steady and inspiring progressions you’ll see in our sport. Sadie’s story isn’t an overnight success. It’s about what happens when you trust the process, stay consistent, and allow development to unfold over years- not weeks. Always solid efforts but one may not have predicted what was to come. There were no short cuts, no sudden breakthroughs. Just steady, patient success. Year after year, Sadie continued to show up, put in the work, trust the training and stay positive. She never chased trends - she simply did what was right for her. And over time, the results consistently followed. Her 6:13 became a 5:05 and that low 21 became a 17:45. She continues to improve at the collegiate level. She never rushed her development, and because of that, she never peaked early. She built a foundation that supports her growth years later. Today, we’ll talk about that journey, the importance of trusting the process and why the best runners aren’t the ones who improve the fastest- they’re the ones who improve the longest.

Send us Fan Mail Today, we’re joined by one of Maine’s most accomplished and respected ultrarunners, Jason Begonia. Jason has built a reputation not just for racing long — but for chasing the edges of what’s possible. From grueling 200 mile efforts to ambitious backyard record attempts across some of the toughest terrain in the Northeast, he represents a unique blend of grit, strategy, and mental durability. In a sport where success often comes down to patience, precision, and the ability to suffer well, Jason has consistently shown what it means to endure. How does he reach these wild distances?... it's simple. When it gets hard he just tells himself, "One. more. loop." Great shakeout with another local legend.

Send us Fan Mail Mike Wilcox, the owner of Wilcox Wellness & Fitness in Bangor & Brunswick, chats with us about body movement. Mike has over 20 years of experience training people of all ages and abilities to help them move “better” - whatever that “better” may be for them . Anecdotally, Andrea would say at least 50% of local runners over the age of 40 have at one time or another walked into the doors of Wilcox…many with the same story. “I was talking to so and so runner, and they said their running has just improved immensely since they started coming to Wilcox.” Andrea was one of those people, she has been training at Wilcox since 2012. Join us as we talk about moving better to live better with Mike Wilcox.

Send us Fan Mail Greg Legier, better known as @runningtomaine on social media, or "Dude" on the trails, is an ultra-runner, marathoner, FKT chaser, and an all-around endurance machine. He has logged everything from backyard ultras to 100-mile races — all while balancing work, life, and training right here in Maine. What we love about Greg is that he doesn't just share the highlight reels- he talks about the tough days, the DNFs, the mental battles, and what it really takes to keep pushing your limits year after year. A great shakeout with a great guy.

Send us Fan Mail Happy New Year and welcome back to "The Maine Shakeout.” Officially heading into year 3 of "shaking it out." We have chatted with incredible athletes – pros, high school champs, ridiculous ultra runners, race directors of international races, sports experts…all these Maine folks are next level achievers. But most of us, we are normal. We aren’t achieving super human results or breaking records. We are just asking ourselves to get to that next workout, whatever and however it might look like. And today, we are talked to women just like that. Morgan Mazzei and Tracy King are members of the Sweaty Mamas running group in Bangor. And yes, that’s exactly what they are. Moms who run. We talk about the importance of belonging and they let us into why they believe that everyone needs a running group.

Send us Fan Mail Today, we dove into the cutting-edge world of motion science with the owners of Maine Athletic Health Center. If you're a runner and tired of guesswork in your training or rehab, this is for you—we explored how precise measurements can transform your stride, prevent injuries, and boost performance. Pat and Ethan, owner and operators of Maine Athletic Health Center leave us with the best quote, "Without data, you're just another person with an opinion."

Send us Fan Mail Today, we are chatted with Anna Connors, arguably the most decorated track athlete to graduate Bangor High School. She is a multiple state champion in the 100m, 200, and 400, she set state records in the 55m and 200m, and competed at New Balance Nationals where she won the Rising Stars 400m. She was named Gatorade Girls Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year in Maine. She now competes at UConn, where she didn’t just quietly join the team. She has already set a school record in the 300m! Anna is an absolute rock star of a human. It's her MaineTality that fuels her to find continued success in the sprinting world. Another phenomenal shakeout where we learned about the sprinting world.

Send us Fan Mail Meet Glendon, aka Buck, Rand. He is a true ambassador of the sport. A local Brewer/Orrington native, he has spent the majority of his life running. Like most of us do, he found track and cross country on accident. Getting "cut" from that basketball team changed Glendon's life. From the first track practice, running 11 miles in basketball shoes - to creating the local running group SUB5. Glendon is definitely the heart of our local running community. Whether it was representing his "orange wave" pride by setting school records, inspiring his teammates to find that next gear, or creating events like Festival of Champions to foster the future of youth running in our state, Glendon has done it all. He left us inspired to give back to the running community. Cheers to another great episode. As the wise Glendon Rand says, "Let the coaches coach. Let the kids be kids." Keep running fun.

Send us Fan Mail Today, we are chat with Alyssa Elliot, a rockstar multi-sport athlete at UConn. Alyssa is a Bangor high school graduate, where she was a particularly dominant force in the long and triple jump. She has set school, facility, and conference records. She is a state Champion and hold the title “Performer of the Meet” by winning three individual events. She has gone on to compete in both the Heptathlon and Pentathlon at UConn. She was the 2023 Big East Indoor Pentathlon champion and the 2024 Outdoor Heptathlon champion. Today, we are going to delve into how a high school athlete decides to compete in multi-sport, how that transition occurred, her success at UConn, and her process in overcoming a broken foot last year- another great shakeout!

Send us Fan Mail In this episode we chat with Bangor High School legend, Daniel McCarthy. He is currently a senior at Georgetown University. The McCarthy family has 3 children, all of whom ran for Bangor High. Dan is a powerhouse runner once in high school and now in college. He provides insight of how to manage running at an elite level through several injuries, he is really a gem. Another great shakeout with one of our favorite Bangor graduates!

Send us Fan Mail Jennifer Britz is, simply put, a badass. She’s the 2022 world snow shoe champion, multiple ultra trail running podium finisher, MDI XC coach, mom of three — and uses the mountains of Acadia as her training ground. For perspective, she climbs, on average, 750,000 ft per year — just from her trail runs. She also holds the fastest known time (FKT) for the Acadia Round, which is a 35 mile trail run over every peak in Acadia. Jenn will make you want to ditch work, throw on your running shoes, and head for the mountains. Another inspiring shakeout!

Send us Fan Mail Kelton Cullenberg, a Doctor of Physical Therapy since 2017, is a dedicated leader in Maine’s running community. He founded Steady State Health in 2020, a runner-focused physical therapy and coaching clinic, and launched Find Your Steady State in 2024, a training and data platform for runners and coaches. In 2025, he created the Maine Distance Project to provide post-college athletes with the supportive training environment he wished he’d had. Another great shakeout!

Send us Fan Mail Join us as we talk about our most recent adventure... The Ironman Lake Placid. We signed up for this thing nearly a year ago and have barely talked about it as if it were some basic 5K, mostly because we didn't really want people knowing what we were up to in case it didn't unfold as planned. We share about our training, our "why" we signed up and how the day went. Another great episode full of laughs and all things running.

Send us Fan Mail Today, we’re thrilled to sit down with William Cobb, the trailblazing force behind Back 40 Events. From the iconic Pineland Farms Trail Festival to gritty backyard ultras like Last Man Standing, Will has built a legacy of unforgettable trail races that showcase Maine’s stunning landscapes and vibrant running community. Join us as we explore his journey, the passion fueling Back 40, and what it takes to create epic running experiences in the Pine Tree State. Wonderful shakeout with Will.