At just 21 years old, Kaylee Frederick has already established herself as one of the most exciting young ultrarunners on the East Coast. She ran her first 100 miler at 16 years old, and when she was 18 became the youngest ever finisher of The Badwater 135.
In 2026, she won the Eastern States 100 outright, setting a new women's course record in brutally hot conditions. She also completed the Pennsylvania Triple Crown, finishing as the overall fastest person and Queen of the Mountain.
But Kaylee's story goes well beyond race results.
In this episode, Kaylee talks about discovering running as a kid, finding ultrarunning at 14, losing her father at age six, and how those experiences shaped the person and runner she has become.
She opens up about depression, anxiety, therapy, faith, and learning to deal with the negative voices in her head. We also get deep into her Eastern States race including the moment she realized she was leading the entire field and the wild final miles when she was convinced someone was right behind her.
Most importantly, Kaylee talks about a simple goal that has become central to her life:
She doesn't want to just survive. She wants to actually live.
Episode Photo Credit Phil Cuppernell
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