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What if the way to your best performance is to just stop obsessing about where you are in the field?
Holly Ranson shares the mindset shift that turned a tough race day into a golden-ticket breakthrough, and why the real performance edge might be learning how to stay present when every instinct says to calculate, chase, and panic. From Tarawera to Western States, Holly opens up about the difference between racing for a result and racing with freedom. She breaks down how a last-minute decision, a stacked women’s field, and a deliberate focus on enjoyment changed everything, and why the same course felt terrible one year and magical the next.
You’ll hear:
- The exact mental tools Holly uses to pull herself back into the moment, including her “be here now” and “helpful thoughts only” cues.
- Why outcome-obsessed racing can leave you tense, scared, and performing below your ability.
- What it really takes to get into Western States, from the lottery system to golden tickets and why her entry was so hard-won.
- How Holly prepared for one of the world’s most iconic ultra races while working full-time and doing a PhD.
- The reality of funding an elite running career in Australia, and why many top athletes end up looking overseas for support.
Holly also traces her path from sailing and triathlon into ultras, including the races that quietly changed everything: 12-hour and 24-hour national records. She talks honestly about the pressure, the post-race blues, the importance of recovery, and how strength training, fuelling, and expert guidance are changing the way she approaches running in her late 30s. This conversation is as much about life as it is about running. If you’ve ever felt like racing, training, work, and everything else is too much at once, Holly’s perspective on consistency, patience, and process will hit home. Essential listening if you love trail and ultra running, want practical mindset tools, or need a reminder that progress is built long before race day.
Holly Ranson is an Australian ultra runner, firefighter, and PhD candidate with a background in nutrition, dietetics, and psychology. She’s represented Australia in timed ultra events, won national records, and earned her place at Western States through a golden-ticket race at Tarawera.
Timestamps
03:39 - Tarawera: racing for enjoyment and winning the golden ticket.
06:36 - Letting go of outcomes instead of pretending not to care.
11:08 - Simple mental cues: be here now and helpful thoughts only.
14:52 - What Western States is and why entry is so difficult.
18:06 - Course recon, race nerves, and arriving prepared for Western States.
21:06 - How Holly funded the trip and why sponsorship is still a challenge.
24:33 - Holly’s PhD on social influences and firefighters’ eating behaviour.
27:40 - Leaving work, changing structure, and what daily life looks like now.
33:04 - Western States race highlights.
39:22 - Where Holly’s grit came from and what sailing taught her.
41:17 - From triathlon to cycling to finding longer endurance events.
45:17 - The 12-hour Dust Till Dawn race and a national record.
47:01 - Moving to 24-hour racing and making the Australian team.
48:56 - Why Holly says consistency matters more than natural talent.
53:27 - The reality of sponsorship, brand partnerships, and overseas opportunities.
59:57 - What running means to Holly in everyday life.
64:41 - How training and recovery have changed in her late 30s.
67:25 - Advice for female athletes starting later or building slowly.
69:14 - What Holly would say to younger runners about patience and evidence-based guidance.
Get in touch!!
With Holly on instagram
With the show Her Pace Podcast
Music Credit:
Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):
