In this episode of The Mile 99 Interview, we sit down with Mike Dimond, a hometown ultrarunner from Auburn, CA, who just punched his ticket to the 2025 Western States 100—not in the main lottery, but through the exclusive M45 Automotive Auburn residents raffle!
A Sacramento Metro firefighter, father, and long-time runner, Mike shares how living in the shadow of the Western States finish line shaped his dream, and how his name being drawn at the post-lottery raffle changed everything.
🔥 In This Episode:
- 🏠 Auburn Roots – Mike’s journey from where he grew up to making a home in the Endurance Capital of the World.
- 🚒 Balancing the Firehouse & the Finish Line – Insights into life as a Sac Metro firefighter and the delicate balance of career, family, and ultrarunning.
- 🏃♂️ Running Journey – From school sports to long miles on the trail, and how he first discovered the magic of Western States.
- 🎟️ The Lucky Draw – How the M45 Automotive local raffle gave him an unexpected shot at 100 miles in 2025.
- 🏋️♂️ Training Talk – Who’s helping him prep? What does his training look like? And how do work shifts factor in?
- 🧠 Mental Grit – How Mike deals with setbacks and tough races, and the mindset he’s building for the big day.
- 🥾 The Support Squad – Crew, pacers, and the power of local running groups and training partners in the Auburn area.
This episode is a testament to perseverance, community, and what can happen when preparation meets a little bit of lottery luck!
🔗 Resources & Mentions:
🎧 Whether you’re a Western States hopeful or just love a great story from the trail, this one will leave you fired up!
---
The Mile 99 Interview | Linktree
Your Hosts: Jessica Harris / Greg Larkin
The Mile 99 Interview is creating podcast episodes | Patreon
Intro/outro music: Joseph McDade - Elevation: https://josephmcdade.com/music/elevation
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.