Matt Perry and I had a blast talking to Bethany Patterson earlier this week for the latest installment of our Views from the Treehouse podcast. Patterson had never run so much as a 5K until she took a fitness class at Liberty where the professor suggested she’d be a good candidate for running an ultramarathon. Amazingly, she finished a 50K at the end of that semester — the first race of her life. Four years later she landed on the cover of Ultra Running magazine for her exploits on the trails. Now the 39-year-old mother of three has a slew of ultra wins under her belt and a 7th-place finish at the 2016 Western States 100, one of the premiere ultras in the world. But you know what’s crazy? She might just be getting started.

Patterson in her natural habitat. Credit: Bethany Patterson

Don’t miss this interview with a crazy fast/strong/tough/accomplished Richmond athlete you need to know about.