The Highball to Thurmond Trailblazers are a passionate group of runners, adventurers, and community builders who are here to inspire, connect, and grow the HB2T race experience. Whether they’re sharing their training journey, answering questions from first-time participants, or helping build excitement for race day, our Trailblazers play a key role in making this event more than just a race—it’s an unforgettable adventure. Keep an eye out for them at events, online, and on the trails as they help bring the Highball to Thurmond spirit to life!
Looking for inspiration? Listen to the Trailblazer playlist on your next training run!
David B. – 50K Ruck – White Oak, WV
Instagram: @DDABROWNI
David got his former Navy Supervisor involved in rucking!
I love to run, walk, hike, ruck, or anything that keeps me moving forward in the great outdoors. I was born and raised in West Virginia, but have lived in Florida, North Carolina, Virginia, and Bahrain. I am a Navy Veteran, happily married, with three grown kids and 5 grandkids. Family is everything.
I am super excited to promote and ruck the Highball to Thurmond Ultra. West Virginia has such a deep history and there are lots of opportunities for great views on this course. I have ran many races, but this is my first Ultra. I am looking forward to seeing you there and sharing a great experience.
I want to get the rucking community more involved in this event. It is super exciting to see a Ruck category. Hoping to see this trend continue.
Sarah H. – 50K – Greensboro, NC
IG: @Ultra_mother_runner02024
Strava: Sarah Hampton
Sarah is the President of Greensboro Running Club!
I am a plus size, back-of-the-pack, run-walker. I have an amazing husband, Jeffrey, who supports me and encourages me to keep pushing the boundaries and attempting (outrageous) goals and we have an amazing son, Lincoln (aka Chicken). Lincoln has been part of my running career since before he was born and I still push him in the stroller on most of my runs under 10 miles!
Originally from NYC, I moved to North Carolina with Jeffrey in 2015 and started running in 2018 with absolutely no goals and no idea what I was getting myself into. I found a local run group and eventually was introduced to the idea of joining a training program with the local Fleet Feet store. I signed up and trained for 12 weeks for my first ever 5k marathon! I completed the training, finished my race, and was hooked!
I have completed an unimaginable amount of 5k’s and 10k’s, 11 half marathons, 2 full marathons (Chicago and NYC), and 1 ultra (HB2T). I started running trails in 2022 on a whim, completing the Trivium NC Trail Series, and by 2023 I was training for my first ultra, Highball to Thurmond 55K!
In 2024, I DNF-ed a lot and one of them was HB2T 50K. 2025 is my redemption year and I am coming to conquer HB2T and cross that finish line!
I am also training for the Thumb Coast Ultra 50K in April and the Berlin Marathon in Sept (one of my other DNF’s from 2024).
Never in my wildest dreams did I ever envision a box on my life bingo card to be a runner, let alone a runner who completes these types of distances!
Amanda H.-G. – 50 Mile – Bainbridge, PA
Instagram: @onebadrunningmama
Strava: Amanda Heisey-Gallagher
Amanda is an Emergency Room Assistant Nurse Manager!
My name is Amanda. I am a lover of all things outdoors! I started running probably 10 years or so ago because I wanted to run a 5k in honor of my brother! Somewhere along the way I found ultras and the trail. I have a special love for the trail and can spend hours out there, which I do because I am like the tortoise and usually bringing up the rear. I stop to smell the roses and am a sucker for any waterfalls found on the trail. I have been searching for the perfect first 50 miler and Highball to Thurmond seems to check all my boxes. I have a friend a who challenged me several months ago to a 50 miler so it’s time to pay up. This is the perfect area because he completed his first 100 miler in the same region. It only seems fitting to be in WV. I love a challenge. I love the running community.
There is nothing I would rather do on a Sunday morning than wake up early and beat my body for 50 miles for the fun of it and also to try to beat the train.
Bring on the fun!
Grace L. – 50 Mile – Fairmont, WV
Instagram: @grace.lenhart
Strava: Grace Lenhart
Grace is running her first 100K this fall in Northern Michigan at Wolverine State 100!
I started running in 2018 just to see if I could. Little did I know that it would change my entire life.
I did just about every sport you could think of in my early life but never took a strong liking to any of them. By the time I got to college, I spent most of my time in the library trying to earn my Industrial Engineering degree. Before I knew it, I was in the adult world with a real job, husband, and house. I had lost all priority of my health, both physical and mental. Once I settled in to adult life, I took the leap into fitness and health. My journey resulted in losing 100 lbs in one year and falling in love with running.
My first goal was a half marathon in Keyser, WV and I’ve never looked back since. My husband has asked me, “What’s the limit?” I always respond with, “I’ll let you know when I find it.”
I’ve raced in 7 states and 2 countries. I’ve done 6 marathons, 3 ultras, and countless other races. This journey has taken me to places that I would have never expected.
Through my journey I want to show others that running is a place for everyone, regardless of pace or distance.
The Highball to Thurmond race has a special place in my heart since it was my first ultra in 2022 (50k). The course runs through historic landscapes and ends in the ghost town of Thurmond. The New River Gorge area has so much to offer and really hosts this race as a hidden gem of the Appalachian Mountains.
Dan. I – 50K – Manassas, VA
Strava: Dan Isenberg
Dan is a fisheries biologist!
I have been competitively running since high school. I continued to compete in college. However, after college road running was no longer something I enjoyed doing. After moving to Maryland and having very easy access to a vast amount of trails I just started running them. Eventually the running bug took hold again and I just kept going for longer and longer runs, just trying to see what I could see on the trails. I signed up for my first ultra to run it for a friend’s birthday about four years ago and that was it.
I have run Highball to Thurmond the past two years and it is now a planned family vacation for the race. I don’t think twice about signing up for it anymore.
It is a great race for beginners to experts and you will always see something new.
Michael P. – 50 Mile – Columbus, OH
Instagram: @_michael_pawlus_
Strava: Michael Pawlus
Look for Michael at Ohio Backyard Ultra on March 22!
I was never very athletic growing up. I was literally the last kid picked during gym class. As a result, I put athletic endeavors and pursuits into a bucket that was for other people and not for me. It felt like a space that was inaccessible for me.
When I found trail running and ultra running it was like finding the key to a locked room.
It felt welcoming and supportive instead of intimidating. Aside from now having an athletic outlet I found so many additional benefits. The community has been generous and uplifting. I have also found that ultra running not only challenges me physically but also mentally and in turn rewards me along those same dimensions. Finding my way to places that few will ever get to, and seeing and standing before these views carved out of nature that leave me in awe is spiritually rewarding. At some point, it becomes easier to list what trail running hasn’t provided for me since it gives me so much.
I am so excited for the 50 Miler at Highball to Thurmond. I am looking forward to all the new views I will see and all the new friends to make. I’m excited about the mix of terrain and adapting and challenging myself along all the different segments. I am really motivated to catch the train and share that ride back with everyone else who made their way to the finish line and swap stories from the collective adventure we were all a part of. I feel like the best races are like a guided tour of the some of the beautiful parts of our world and an experience to look back on, and this race absolutely feels like one of those races.