Ann Trason is widely considered the greatest female ultrarunner of all time — 14 Western States wins, 20 world records, a career that rewrote what was possible. But this episode isn't about any of that.

It's about who Ann is at 65. With rheumatoid arthritis attacking her joints. Using a walker. Refusing surgery after spiral fractures. And training right now to climb Aconcagua, the highest peak in the Western Hemisphere, by December 2027.

Ann joined Mark Vega on Run Long After 60 for a rare on-camera conversation — warm, funny, honest, and deeply human. She talks about patience and acceptance as the tools that actually get you through hard things. She talks about living in the now moment — not as a philosophy, but as the only practical way to manage a body that's fighting itself. And she talks about why, after years away from the spotlight, she's back — on her own terms, with her walker, her Crazy Ladies Running Club, and her bucket list very much alive.

This one will stay with you.

In this episode:

• What rheumatoid arthritis actually feels like — and why Ann says her body (and her walker and trekking poles) are just tools to get her where she wants to go
• The now moment: what ultrarunning taught her, and how it applies to the hardest chapters of life
• Her return at Across the Years — 112 miles with a walker, a turtle night light, and Ken Michaels blowing her cover on Facebook
• The spicy decision — refusing surgery for spiral fractures while wearing a plunger hat
• Hiring her first coach ever at 65: watching Ryan Mitchell climb Everest at 19 on YouTube, tracking down coach Alan Arnette, and two Zoom calls in two days
• Aconcagua: the dream, the team, the porter(s), the 100 mph winds, and why this isn't about the summit
• The Crazy Ladies Running Club — how a walker stuck in a creek started something wonderful
• Dick Collins, Roger Daniels, Gard Leighton — the legends who shaped Ann and why their stories deserve to be told
• What she'd say to anyone in their 60s who thinks their best days are behind them
• The unicorn emoji — what it actually means

"I'm not magical. But I believe in magic. When I send that emoji, I'm saying — still believe in magic. Still reach for that rainbow."

Run Long After 60 is hosted by Mark Vega and celebrates athletes over 60 who refuse to stop, slow down, or be defined by their age. New episodes drop weekly. Subscribe wherever you listen. Follow on YouTube for the full video interview.