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Alex Proctor

@proctor2k

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becoming a pro ultra runner
fuel/hydration: @precisionfandh
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By mile 27 I was bonked out of my mind. I planned on quitting at the first crewable aid station. My body was defying me. I was walking any uphill grade and stumbling down any downhill grade. I never trained harder for an objective. Where did it go wrong? I was so frustrated, wanting my dizziness to knock me completely over and out of consciousness so this nightmare would end and I’d have a reason to completely call it. In that moment, I leaned as hard as I could on the Lord in prayer. I remembered that day 41 will come and just tried to keep moving forward no matter the pace. Into the first crewed aid was a nice downhill that got my momentum going again. Upon arrival @corneliociprian blew by me putting me into 7th place. I saw my crew eagerly awaiting and put on an all time mask. I didn’t tell them anything. I followed the plan I wrote in our binder and requested my yerba mate from Sam 20 miles early. I chugged the liquid energy, threw my headlamp on, and as day turned to night, the darkness inside me turned to light. Legs and morale 180’d. Within a few miles I made up 4 places and found myself in 3rd place rolling into the mile 39.7 aid where Max was filling his bottles. I quickly linked up with Max and we shared the next 17 miles, working together to bridge the gap to Cody. At mile 55.4 I picked up my friend Dan as a pacer, we went around Max and started to throw down. We ended up running that 14 mile section faster than any runner ever beside @vincentbouillard . Sarah picked me up at mile 69 and we hiked up Sugarloaf Mountain eventually crossing paths with Cody. At this point his lead was 15-20 minutes near the summit. Through the rest of the night Sarah and Natalie paced me to my best 100 mile performance yet. I didn’t have the A+ day (I’d rate it B-B+) I expected but my crew and my competition willed me to an elite result with memories shared I’ll never forget. At UTMB’s North America Major, the Kodiak 100 miler, I crossed the finish line in 2nd place between @cody_poskin and @woah_max with a time of 17:23 (847 index). We qualified for UTMB again but not sure exactly what’s next. Perhaps a cheeky pivot to the backyard scene 👀 by @proctor2k
Scout Mountain Ultras 50 Miler 🫎⛰️ Win and Course Record (8:46:24 - 9:44/mi)🥇 10,589ft of vertical gain across 54 miles starting at midnight. Natalie and my mom are the two most important people in my life so I had plenty of motivation to get to that crewable aid station at mile 30.5 and the finish line to see them. This was the first trail race of mine that my mom’s been on the team for and she drove 20 hours from MN to make it happen. She’s the epitome of joy and perseverance and through my whole life, she’s shined her light before me, protecting me from the darkness, and has continued to lead me down the path of becoming the man I need to be. I really couldn’t have a better support system around me and I’m so happy to have displayed my hard work out in Pocatello on the Scout trails. There were quite a few rough moments for me during this training block, doubting whether or not I could keep up with all my responsibilities. At times, I fell well short of the standards I’ve set for myself but with God’s grace, love, and strength, I continued to show up and put the best step I had forward. Every step of this race felt like it had a purpose and I never left my foot off the gas once. It was an honor to run with Josh during the race and to finish on the podium with one of my best friends and training partners, Dan. Thank you to @slukenelson and the whole @scoutmountainultras team for the opportunity to do hard things in the beautiful mountains of southern Idaho. This race is an incredible example of hospitality-especially when your father-in-law emails support worrying about your whereabouts at the finish line ❤️ 📸: @cezaryna (1,3,5,6,7), @janaherzogphotography (2,4) Thank you for capturing these special moments! by @proctor2k
Antelope Island Buffalo Run 50 Miler 🦬🏝️ Win and Course Record (6:09:45- 7:24/mi)🥇 The previous best time was set back in 2011 by the great @dylanbo before super shoes, the high carb revolution, full GPS adoption, and Strava usage with a time of 6:15:36 😮‍💨 (give him all those resources back then and he’s probably smoking us all). Nonetheless, yesterday I led from the gun and controlled the race’s pace until mile 15.5 when Sam Collins blew by me with a surge. In talking with my coach @hawks_hayden a few days prior about race strategy, I was prepared to match moves given certain circumstances and this one by Sam I matched enough to keep a 1-2 min gap behind him for the next 15 miles. I picked up my pacer and good friend @trailswithzach at around mile 28 and began the first significant climb trying to gain ground on Sam. We eventually caught them at about mile 31 on the one tree hill climb to the Elephant Head aid and proceeded to run the 2.8 mile out and back. When we turned around, I was a bit stunned to see Sam/Spencer and now Finn/Mike so close to us- maybe 20-30 seconds back. Zach and I continued to run smoothly trying not to trip on the way back to the aid then sent it flying down on the Split Rock loop before the next big climb. The cramps had set in my legs a while ago but now it was awful on every uphill grade. Each step felt like I was locking up more by the minute. I thought I was done for. The pain progressively increased in my body, tightening/sharpening from mile 32 and onward and there was nothing I could do about it. Salt wasn’t working. Water wasn’t working. I prayed hard. I focused my gaze on God and trusted in the line I was riding. This was uncharted territory for both my mind and body. Riddled with fatigue and pain, my foot was forced to remain on the throttle. The competition wasn’t backing down anytime soon it seemed and that’s how I wanted it. Finn and Sam fought so hard and our collective effort out on that course was one I knew we were capable of. Thank you to everyone that made this possible both near and far 🫶 This result only took everything I had. 📸: @shitinthewoods #rabbitelitetrail by @proctor2k
October was pretty incredible. Came home to Minnesota, spent time with family, celebrated our friends’ wedding, cheered on friends at TCM. Drove to California, assembled an all-star squad, ran 100 miles, ate pizza, and played a lot of cards. Flew to Tennessee, played my role, witnessed greatness, strengthened friendships, established new relationships, and seized opportunities. Got back to Salt Lake City, accepted an invite to a backyard ultra, building community, training, meetings, podcasts, and shooting shots. I have confidence in the direction we’re headed and what’s to come. It feels weird to talk so publicly about ambitions and ongoing efforts to achieve far off goals. I do it so my intentions are clear and the story has no holes. I do it because I’m grateful for the gift of life. I do it so I can post my only Monopoly Deal wins against Natalie because somehow I only win once every 10 or so games. Real talk, I’m so fired up for Last Soul Ultra and the unknown. Working with a videographer to plan a film for it. Will definitely need sponsor support for that specifically. If you want more info on the opportunity, hit me up. by @proctor2k
Why you should run through doubt, not away from it - Ultra-runner @proctor2k on the @freedompactpod (Full episode drops tomorrow) . #ultrarunners #ultra #backyardultra #byu by @proctor2k
Tapping Theo in to cook Mark spaghetti at Big’s Turns out there’s another backyard ultra in Tennessee next February Will Chef Von make another appearance? Race Lord Laz will be ringing the bell at this one too 🔔 by @proctor2k
Spent the day on high altitude dirt roads and nerding out on ultra running with @jimmyelam Every time I drive up to Midway, I want to stay here longer. It would be a total dream to raise a family in Little Switzerland. I’m so grateful for Jimmy’s mentorship and his ability to thoughtfully help me figure out my identity as a runner in this sport. He’s someone I look up to for his strong character and how he’s carved out his own path doing what he loves. I love the people this sport has introduced me to and the relationships I’ve been able to develop through it. I hope to continue doing my part to move the sport forward and show up for what I love every day. Thank you to everyone for all the kind messages and the inquiries lately. I’m doing my best to respond in a timely manner and as thoroughly as I can. Thank you for all the questions and please continue to send them my way. I want to pass along every bit of advice I can to anyone wanting to learn. by @proctor2k
@proctor2k has some epic stories from Big’s Backyard 🤣 Pod drops tomorrow! #run #running #backyardultra #marathon by @proctor2k
There’s questions to be answered in February @lastsoulultra invite 📸: @shitinthewoods by @proctor2k
Back training again after two weeks of recovery time post Kodiak. Any guesses on the next race? Thank you to @precisionfandh for keeping the engine running efficiently and powering me through these efforts. For Kodiak, I stuck to the flow gel, carb mix, and salt capsules. Making fueling easy as possible. Less friction, more fun. by @proctor2k
I love running. I love this sport. I love to compete. I love a slow burn and a long story. I want to build something with a firm foundation and a high ceiling. If you see the vision, let’s talk. All Glory to God. by @proctor2k
In March of 2025, Proc and I sat on a podcast talking about our future plans. Each episode poking at this central idea of how to make our dreams a reality. Those, of course, were how to become pro ultra endurance and trail running athletes. This very episode captured the moment when my journey to Team USA began. We learned about the process together and what it would take to get here. That night I signed up for summit backyard, which would be the race that’d qualify me for the team. It’s strange looking back at us talk. We knew today was possible. We didn’t know how long it would take or what exactly it’d look like. But we were willing to go find out. I’m grateful for all those years of struggling in the unknown. It’s prepared me well for the race I love. by @proctor2k

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