Joe Hardin just ran 314 miles across Tennessee in July. Self-supported. No crew, no aid stations, no shade. He went nocturnal to escape the heat, slept on church porches and VFW walls, hit his lowest moment at a red bench covered in other runners' signatures at mile 186, and finished nine hours after he told Carl it would take four or five. The last 17 miles include a road called Cheese Grater Road, a series of bean fields, and three consecutive signs that all say one more mile. In Part 1, Doc and Joe cover how the Vol State works, what Oprah means in the context of a 314-mile race, the Bench of Despair and its candy, and the finish at The Rock on Sand Mountain. Plus, there's a Hiking Poll score of 47 (adjusted upward to 53 in Segment 2 for naming five prior HTR guests during the conversation), a run commute toolkit featuring a 12-liter zip pack, and the race that finally prompted Joe's buddy to say: maybe you're just not cut out for 100 milers; maybe you should sign up for something longer.

Part 2 drops in 10 minutes.

Show Notes

About the Guest


Joe Hardin is a self-taught mechanical design engineer, ultra-endurance runner, race director, woodworker, and podcaster from Lebanon, Indiana. Seven years sober, he discovered running after getting a gym membership for his first sobriety birthday and found a flyer for a local turkey trot on the door. A Billy Yang video introduced him to trail running, and a friend's suggestion — "maybe you're just not cut out for 100 milers, maybe you should sign up for something longer" — led him to the Vol State 500K. He recently completed that race: 314 miles across Tennessee in July, self-supported, with no crew and no aid stations. He is the founder of Odd Duck Running, which hosts inclusive community races in Boone County, Indiana, and RTB Awards, which makes handcrafted wooden finisher and podium awards for trail races across the country. His podcast is Beyond the Finish Line on the Everyday Athlete Podcast Network. His Instagram handle is @TrailTortoise.

What's Covered in Part 1


Trail Name — Trail Tortoise (Self-Appointed)

Trailblazer's Toolkit — Zip Run Commute Pack


The Hiking Poll — Score: 47 (Later Adjusted to 53)


The Vol State — Race Mechanics


Going Nocturnal


The Bench of Despair


The Rock — Cheese Grater Road and Three One More Mile Signs


How Joe Got Here — Maybe Not Cut Out for 100 Milers


Links & Resources



  • Odd Duck Running — Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oddduckrunning

  • RTB Awards — Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rtbawards

  • Beyond the Finish Line — Everyday Athlete Podcast Network: https://www.runtrivmag.com

  • Vol State 500K — Sign up at UltraSignup. Registration fills quickly.

  • Ultramarathon Man — Dean Karnazes. Joe's Off the Beaten Path recommendation.

  • Dirty Jar — YouTube. Trail running channel Joe discovered through HTR. Highly recommended.

  • Race to the Finish — Joey Metzger's foundation for immigrant visibility in trail running: https://www.racetothefinish.org

  • Shake the Frost — Tyler Childers. Joe's go-to song when everything is falling apart.


Connect with Hiker Trash Radio



  • Email: mailto:hikertashradio@gmail.com

  • Social: Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok — search Hiker Trash Radio.


Part 2 drops in 10 minutes. Leave a review on Apple Podcasts — it takes 60 seconds and makes a real difference.

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