Theresa Patton

Name: Theresa Patton

Location: Gainesville, FL

Favorite Athletic brew: Run Wild

Instagram: @theresapatton

 

After a terrible injury, doctors once told Theresa Patton that she might never run again.

 

Considering she’s now an ultra runner who has completed several 100-mile races, that may seem surprising, but she clearly wasn’t going to let the injury take away something she loves: the sport of running.

 

So she got to work. With months of work at physical therapy and a new team of doctors, she was able to start running again, ultimately pushing past her previous limits and going beyond even marathon distance.

 

“When doctors told me I might not be able to run anymore – [overcoming] that was a significant milestone,” Theresa says. “I feel like now things don’t seem as hard. If you can get over something really traumatic or recover from an injury, you can handle all the other stuff too. You can run 100 miles. I had a stress fracture in my femur a couple of years ago. That was a hard time for me, but got better before, so I knew I could do it again.”

 

Theresa loves to travel, and she often does so with adventure running groups where she can explore new landscapes on two feet in areas many traditional tourists may not see. That’s another one of the reasons why she loves the trail so much – the beautiful views, and being surrounded by nature.

 

Read on to learn more about Theresa’s racing career and what some of her bucket list ultra experiences are.

 

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Tell me a little bit about yourself and how fitness and sports came into your life.

 

I’m a hairstylist full-time. I guess I’ve always been a runner, but I used to just run to work out. Then I got into a really bad car accident, and the doctors told me they didn’t think I could run anymore.

 

I went to physical therapy for nine months, got a different doctor, and was finally able to run again. So I decided to try running some 5Ks, and now I run ultras!

 

It’s been a long journey, and it kind of transformed into something I never thought it would have. Now I’m developing a coaching business, so it’s grown into a much bigger passion than just getting some exercise.

 

I mostly trail run now. I used to do a lot of road races, and I was trying to get into all the big seven (marathons). But it just started to feel like work. Once I started trail running – it’s just such a different thing. You’re not pounding the pavement and trying to go fast all the time. You get to be outside and see a lot of different places.

 

I run with a traveling group called Race2Adventure. They go to different countries every year. It’s a fantastic way to see the world. So much fun!

 

 

 

When did that transformation from road running to trail running happen for you?

 

I ran my first marathon in 2015, and I’ve been running ultras now since around 2019. The first one signed up to do was in 2020, and it of course was canceled, because it was in April. It got rescheduled a few times, but when we were allowed to race again, I dove in. We have a big running community in Gainesville, and everybody goes out on group runs on the trail. It’s a good time and a great support group!

 

 

What do you like about the extreme distances?

 

It’s really the community. It’s a different sport. It can be very challenging, and then you get to go to some pretty cool remote places. But the trail running community is really supportive of each other, even when racing and competing against one another.

 

Everyone isn’t just out there for themselves. Everyone wants everyone else to succeed. When you’re running such a long distance, you’re having this unique experience with strangers, with the common goal of being able to complete whatever that distance is, whether it be a 50-miler or a 100-miler.

 

It’s knowing that you can do it and that others are there with you. I always encourage people to try it. Some people say they hate running because it’s hard or it can get boring. I always tell them that you don’t get bored when you’re out on a trail: You’re pushing through those extremes and cheering each other on.

 

 

 

What are some of your most memorable race moments?

 

When you get to the point when you know you’re gonna be able to finish, that’s always a memorable moment. It’s overwhelming almost, emotionally. You’re like, OK, I’m actually doing this!

 

There’s also the joy of finishing a 100-miler while it’s still dark out. But then again, there’s something about the sun coming back up again for the second time. It can be rejuvenating or a little like, oh, I just spent an entire day racing.

 

I’ve definitely been in some places where I’ve been nervous about the terrain. You’re worried you’ll slide backward down a hill or just fall off the side of a steep slope, but then you make it through those fears and realize it’s not that scary. There are definitely those moments where you just want to cry and stop and give up, but you get past it. You push through and everything in life seems a little less daunting.

 

During my first ultra, I was worried about sleep and that I was going to hit a root and fall down and that nobody would find me and that I’d be on the ground for hours alone. Your mind says all these horrible things. That was the first 100-mile race that I finished!

 

I recently did a race in Idaho that was very challenging. It started in the middle of the night at 2 a.m. I missed a time cut-off, so I didn’t get the “victory” part, but I knew that I was going as fast as I could. That was a moment of defeat, but I gave it everything I had. There was 11,000’ of climbing and descent. I kept trying to urge myself to go faster, but I simply couldn’t. I live in Florida so this was a new challenge for me.

 

That was the first time I've ever just missed a time cutoff – and I missed it by only 18 minutes. I thought I had more time, and I definitely wasn’t alone at the cutoff station. But it was a beautiful landscape, so it didn’t matter.

 

My favorite race is definitely the Yeti 100 Mile Endurance Run. It’s on the Virginia Creeper Trail in Virginia. That running community – they’re just so fun and inclusive. The trail is beautiful. It’s an out-and-back and out course that starts on White Top Mountain. It is a little repetitive, but you see the landscape at different times of the day, so it doesn’t really feel that way.

 

I ran it last year and had a sub-24-hour finish. I never thought I could do that! It was just a great moment – a beautiful, perfect day. The weather was great. You couldn’t ask for anything better!

 

 

 

Describe the ultra-running community to me – it seems like a very close-knit group!

 

I've shown up to races solo, and when you’re setting up your camping stuff, there’s always someone willing to help. There’s always someone else who is by themself too, and I’ve met so many people at these races that afterward we’ve stayed in touch and remained friends.

 

I think from the outside it may seem like a tight-knit group, but ultra runners genuinely want everyone to join the experience. I think that’s different. Sometimes road runners can be highly competitive. Trail runners focus a lot on the connection with nature and one another. It’s the shared experience that makes it different.

 

 

Do you have a crew/team that regularly supports you?

 

Sometimes. Our local running group will go with each other to races and pace or crew them. We just trade back and forth, who is available, who wants to go, who wants to stay up all night.

 

You can’t have a pacer at most races. Usually at a 100-miler, you can have a pacer after 60 miles, so you have to make it to that mark alone.

 

The crew also doubles as a safety person. When you’re on a mountain and it’s dark out and you’ve run 60 miles already, you don’t want you to fall off or something. So the pacer can help make sure you’re eating and drinking, and remind you to do things like put your jacket on when it’s cold out because your brain isn’t working well. They can help make sure you don’t miss your time cutoffs.

 

For shorter distances, you usually can have a crew. The last 50-miler I did, I went by myself, but someone could’ve come. They would’ve met me at certain checkpoints and provided hydration, food, socks, bug spray – whatever you needed along the way.

 

For a 100-miler, it’s more in-depth. Sometimes you’ll have multiple support people. There’s one person driving, one person pacing, one person keeping track of food and everything, or everyone’s taking turns. Part of the job also involves taking a nap because someone has to sleep or drive home the next day.

 

 

 

Speaking of naps, how do you rest during multi-day races?

 

When I first started getting into really long distances, I crewed for someone in a 125-mile race. He would just get so tired, he would be like, OK, I’m going to lay on the ground for like 3 minutes just to rest, and that’s what people do.

 

It’s good to practice taking 5-minute power naps. You don’t want to sit too long or it’s harder to get up. If you’re just so tired, just closing your eyes for a few minutes will actually make you feel better. For people who do multiple-day races, they can sleep for a few hours. I haven’t done one of those yet. I have not slept during any of my 100-milers. I’ll sit down for a few minutes, but I haven’t needed to sleep yet.

 

 

How did you find Athletic Brewing non-alcoholic beer and the Athletic Brewing Ambassador program?

 

I was at a restaurant and they had it on the menu. I was training and not drinking much, so I thought it’d be nice to have a beer. I had never seen Athletic Brewing before. I only knew about the other NA beers that are not very flavorful.

 

I drank a Run Wild and I was like, wow, this is actually really good! So I started buying it. I found it locally at Whole Foods and Walmart. Now our Publix has it. I saw the ambassador application open last year and thought it would be fun to share a great product with people.

 

At my last race, I had my ambassador shirt on, and so many people came up to me and told me how much they love Athletic, that they drink it in the middle of their races. One person even told me the shirt was making them thirsty!

 

The nice thing about Athletic is that you can still have a beer in every situation. If you’re trying to recover or train, Athletic has fewer calories and doesn’t have alcohol, so you’re still getting the flavor and satisfaction without having a beer.

 

 

 

What are some of your proudest achievements?

 

Overcoming my injury. When doctors told me I might not be able to run anymore, that was a significant milestone. I feel like now things don’t seem as hard. If you can get over something really traumatic or recover from an injury, you can handle all the other stuff too. You can run 100 miles. I had a stress fracture in my femur a couple of years ago. That was a hard time for me, but got better before, so I knew I could do it again.

 

 

Do you have any bucket list races, events, or achievements you'd like to attain one day?

 

I really like traveling, and I want to see as many countries and places as I can. I have a long list of races and ultras that I want to do. I’d like to do the Grand Slam of 200 Miles Races, which consists of the Cocodona 250, Tahoe 200, Bigfoot 200, and Moab 240 in the same year.

 

Next year, I’m going to Morocco with the Race2Adventure group. That’ll be a big bucket list item! They create trail runs, and they’re not like ultra length – usually about 5-12 miles per day – but you run multiple days in a row, then go to different cities. It’s a cool way to see new places.

 

 

What is your favorite recovery food?

 

After a long run, I usually have a burger and fries. But, actual recovery food … it’s still a burger and fries! It’s a habit. I go to one specific place in town, and that’s what I get: fries and a burger with beer mustard. If I don’t do a super long run, I get a fried fish sandwich.

 

 

What do you like to do on rest days?

 

I mostly  play with my two dogs. They get a lot of attention. They get to go on long hikes on rest days and play lots of fetch. I would like to say I do lots of yoga and stretching, but that’s a lie.

 

 

What gets you up and out of bed every day?

 

My puppy dogs, for sure! And coffee. I usually kind of pop right out of bed. I’m usually pretty happy about getting up and starting the day.

 

 

What does living a life #FitForAllTimes mean to you?

 

For me, it means continuing to work toward your goals. You don’t let things get in your way. You continue moving forward toward what you want or where you want to go. 

 

 

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