Mika Thewes (7× 200-Mile Winner) | What It Really Takes to Run 200 Miles | Season 3 EP 37

What does it really take to run 200 miles? In Season 3, Episode 37 of Pushing Horizons: Step by Step, I'm joined by Mika Thewes, one of the most experienced athletes in 200-mile ultrarunning and a seven-time winner at the distance. In 2026, Mika won both the Mammoth 200 and Tahoe 200, finishing second overall in both races. But her journey began very differently. When she started running in 2010, she struggled to run even two miles without stopping. Within a few years, she progressed from marathons to 50-mile ultramarathons, 100-mile races, and eventually her first 200-miler at Bigfoot in 2015. Since then, she's spent more than a decade learning what it takes to survive and compete across multiple days on the trails. In this episode, we talk about: Mammoth 200 and Tahoe 200: Her victories, growing experience, and the pressure of competing at the front of the field. The early days of 200-mile ultrarunning: What racing was like in 2015, when athletes were still figuring out nutrition, sleep, and race strategies. Mental resilience: How Mika handles exhaustion, difficult moments, and the temptation to stop. Nutrition and sleep deprivation: Why fueling mistakes can destroy a race and how she manages the challenges of racing for days. Training for 200 miles: Why consistency, easy running, and building an aerobic foundation matter more than chasing quick improvements. Failure and DNFs: Why even finishing a race doesn't always mean achieving your goals. Problem-solving: Learning to distinguish between discomfort you can manage and situations where continuing becomes dangerous. The future: Her unfinished business at Cocodona 250 and Tor des Géants, and why she continues chasing her potential. One of the most interesting things Mika shares is that training for a 200-mile race isn't necessarily that different from training for 100 miles. What changes is everything you have to manage once you're out there. After more than a decade of racing, Mika still believes she hasn't reached her full potential. And that's what makes this conversation about more than just running 200 miles. It's about learning, adapting, dealing with failure, and continuing to push your own limits. 🎙️ Pushing Horizons: Step by Step — Season 3, Episode 37 What It Really Takes to Run 200 Miles | Mika Thewes Available on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and other major podcast platforms. Keywords: Mika Thewes, Mammoth 200 2026, Tahoe 200 2026, Mika Thewes interview, 200 mile ultramarathon, 200 mile training, ultrarunning podcast, trail running podcast, 200 mile race nutrition, sleep deprivation ultrarunning, mental toughness running, endurance running, Bigfoot 200, Cocodona 250, Tor des Géants, ultramarathon training, women's ultrarunning, ultra endurance athletes, Pushing Horizons Step by Step