A 52K ultramarathon becomes something much bigger than a race. Niall's Blue Stack ultra breakdown is a raw, deeply personal reflection on endurance, grief, family, and the moment you realize the hardest part of the course might not be the hills at all.What starts as a race day story turns into a journal of resilience under pressure - from the calm before the start line, to the wrong turns, brutal bogland, crew stops, and the tiny moments of support that keep you moving when your body starts to break down. If you've ever wondered what it really feels like to cover 50 kilometers on a trail through Donegal, this episode gives you the unfiltered answer.You'll hear Niall talk through the full emotional and physical arc of the day: the pre-race rituals that mattered more than expected, why he ran by feel instead of pace, how fresh shoes changed everything at the halfway point, and what happens when a race shifts from performance to pure survival. He also shares the quiet conversations and roadside encounters that made the miles mean more than the finish time.We break down the mindset shifts that carried him through - preparation versus adaptability, pain versus perspective, and why the finish line was never really the point. Along the way, Niall reflects on family, loss, uncertainty, and the unexpected peace that can come from staying with difficult feelings instead of outrunning them.This is an episode about endurance, yes - but more than that, it is about becoming the kind of person who keeps showing up. Essential listening if you love running stories, mental resilience, or honest conversations about getting through a hard season one step at a time.

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