What it’s like to be Ballin’ with an Ultramarathoner
May 16th, 2026, will go down as one of my favorite running memories. It’s a memory I’ll treasure because of the people and the friends who drove from Baton Rouge and the Mississippi Gulf Coast to come run Ballin’ on Belrose with us.
Ballin’ on Belrose is such a unique event. Runners climb the same hill 11 times, and every time they reach the top, they remove a number from their running bib and place it into the bin of their favorite charity. The top five charities with the most completed laps receive donations ranging from $5,000 to $15,000.
As I mentioned, we had friends travel from Baton Rouge and Mississippi to Daphne, Alabama to be part of this incredible event, and it was phenomenal. One of those amazing people was Bethany Madson.
Full disclosure, before this event, I had only chatted with Bethany through text messages. Bethany had been a guest on the Run Your Story Podcast, but because of scheduling conflicts, our Chief Booking Officer, Scott Thornhill, was the one who conducted her interview. Up to this point, I had only known Bethany through social media and by listening to her story on the podcast.
When I mentioned Ballin’ on Belrose to Bethany, I figured that for an ultramarathoner who has set numerous course records, running 11 laps up a hill would be no big deal. And honestly? It wasn’t. Bethany happily came to be part of the event, and she absolutely crushed it.
She tackled that hill over and over again like it was nothing, and it was incredibly impressive to watch. Meanwhile, I had the honor of walking alongside my running bestie, Cherinna, who was battling a back injury and fought through every single step to conquer Belrose 11 times. What a champion.
Together, Cherinna and I cheered on our teammates, took pictures, yelled encouragement, and lovingly smack-talked our teammate, Clint Pagan, who is not only incredibly fast but also the ultimate hype man. If we couldn’t beat him, we were definitely going to out-vibe him every chance we got.
One of the coolest moments of the day was getting to witness Bethany take Overall Female. We were still out completing our laps when we saw it happen. We yelled and cheered as we dropped another lap into the Ainsley’s Angels of South Alabama bin.
We were beyond excited for Bethany. Our teammate had just won Overall Female, and we couldn’t have been prouder. But what happened next is what truly stood out to me the most.
The after-party was honestly a 10/10 experience with white tablecloths, bougie drinks, snacks, and great company. Bethany had already been up since 4 a.m. after driving in from Baton Rouge to run with us. She had every right to call it a day, relax at the party, or head home.
But she didn’t.
Bethany, along with her running coach, came back out and joined us while we finished our laps. That meant Bethany ended up doing more than 11 laps. Clint even joined us for another lap, too.
We had the BEST time talking about everything from racing goals to sports bras. Cherinna shared how Bethany’s icy-hot patch advice from her podcast interview came in clutch during the race, and naturally, we needed more details about her favorite sports bra because, as women runners, that information is pure gold.
We also talked about Bethany’s future goals and even started discussing a girls’ weekend at Oak Mountain.
At one point, Bethany shared how much our cheering meant to her, and honestly, that blew my mind. Cherinna and I had joked that this event was our “mini Cocodona 250.” Sure, we weren’t tackling multi-day distances or crazy desert weather, but the atmosphere felt similar. Watching an athlete of Bethany’s caliber take on Ballin’ on Belrose gave me the same feeling I had while watching six of our podcast guests run Cocodona 250 — especially seeing Rachel become the overall winner and overall female champion.
I couldn’t have been prouder. These aren’t just phenomenal athletes, they are extraordinary human beings.
Bethany didn’t have to come back and walk those hills with us. She had already completed her race. She had every reason to celebrate her victory, relax at the after-party, or head home. But instead, she chose to give more. She poured back into the running community.
That moment will stick with me for the rest of my life because Bethany didn’t care about being the Overall Female winner nearly as much as she cared about her teammates.
Since Ballin’ on Belrose, Bethany has become a dear friend. We text regularly, and we’re even planning a girls’ weekend with some other running friends just to spend time together on the trails and enjoy being present with one another.
Because of running, and because of this podcast, I’ve made friendships that can only be described as gifts from Heaven above. These friendships are treasures, and these are the people who help me become a better version of myself.
Thank you, Bethany Madson, for allowing me to Ball on Belrose with you.
Oh, and did I mention that our Ainsley’s Angels Chapter of South Alabama won 5th place overall and brought home $5,000? A HUGE thank you to Manci’s Run Club for showing up BIG for our chapter.
Dick’s House of Sport Mobile also provided some fun gifts for our thank-you bags, and we are incredibly grateful for the support. We hope everyone who ran with us this year had an amazing time.
I also want to give a special thank you to Bras Across the Causeway, who won $10,000 at Ballin’ on Belrose and generously donated half of their winnings to Ainsley’s Angels of South Alabama to help purchase a chariot.
Be on the lookout for this chariot at the Bras Across the Causeway 5K, and please check out the incredible work they do throughout the Mobile and Baldwin County communities.
