Marathon Journal Feature Profile
When you first look at Ashley Paulson, you might think you have her completely figured out. With her bright, infectious energy, vibrant personality, and self-described aesthetic as a “girl who just loves to move,” it is easy to assume her path through the endurance world has been paved with effortless, natural talent and sunny days. But beneath the radiant exterior lies one of the most ferocious, calculated, and resilient engine-builders in modern ultrarunning—a competitor who quietly breaks limits while everyone else is watching the glitter.
I’ve had the privilege of crossing paths with Ashley personally a handful of times across the global running community—from the chaotic energy of the Boston Marathon expo to the stunning backdrop of the Sydney Marathon. Every single time, regardless of the stakes or the pressure, she is exactly the same: an absolute force of positive energy, completely grounded, and deeply connected to the running community. The more I learned about her actual journey, the more I realized how much the running world needs to hear the truth of how she built herself. I felt incredibly lucky when she agreed to sit down with me on the podcast to pull back the curtain and share her raw story.
A Lifestyle Built, Not Born
Ashley didn’t grow up as a hyper-focused, elite track star. Instead, moving her body was simply an integrated necessity of daily life, modeled by her family.
“I didn’t run in high school for track or cross country,” Ashley shares. “I would just run in the morning to move my body because I saw my dad do it. He ran marathons and it was inspiring. Growing up, moving wasn’t a chore. It was just something we did, like brushing our teeth. My PE when I was homeschooled was literally ‘Sweating to the Oldies’ with Richard Simmons. I built myself this way. Everyone can do that if that’s your goal.”
At age 19, after being told a marathon was simply “too hard” for her, her stubborn streak kicked in. She signed up just to prove she could—igniting a 26-year love affair with the long haul that spans over 140 marathons.
Stacking the Little Things: Motherhood and the $20 Class
How does a mother transition from casual marathons to earning a professional racing card in her 30s? The answer isn’t a secret, high-tech training camp; it’s consistency born from economic survival and meticulous time management.
Shortly after having her twins, Ashley began teaching community fitness classes to support her young family.
“We were starving for money,” she explains. “They were paying $20 or $25 a class, which was a crazy good deal for us. I’d teach four classes a day. Tired or not, it didn’t matter. You have to give every class that same energy because it’s their only time to work out. I just blocked out how tired I was.”
That daily grind built an unshakable, deep aerobic base. When she later threw herself into triathlons, she didn’t even know how to swim properly or the difference between a mountain bike and a road bike. But she kept showing up. Six months after giving birth to her fourth child, she earned her professional racing card.
“I love to stress to people: it’s not too late,” Ashley says. “You don’t have to be a collegiate athlete. I really dialed it in during my 30s when I didn’t know what I was doing. Those little teeny things you do for a decade stack up into big things you’d never guess.”
Running Through the Noise
For many parents, stepping away to train triggers immense guilt, but Ashley found creative ways to integrate her family into her passion. She utilized a double stroller for her twins, brought toys to the local track, and maximized strict 40-minute nap windows to get the work done.
She also famously raced through her pregnancies, completing 19 races while pregnant with her youngest son, Max, including full marathons and Ironmans.
“People gave me such a hard time back then,” she recalls. “They’d say, ‘Why are you jostling the baby?’ I’m like, do you not understand how strong our bodies are? It is meant to move. Imagine once the baby is born—you’ve got your full lung capacity back and all that extra blood flow! Mamas, get out there and move if your doctor says it’s okay.”
100 Miles of Connection
That brings us to her most recent mind-boggling feat: running 100 miles on a treadmill at the bustling Boston Marathon Expo, capturing a world record in the process. While running 100 miles on a stationary belt sounds like a mental nightmare to most runners, for Ashley, the setting was the fuel. She explicitly chose the high-energy environment because she wanted to interact with the community.
Throughout the grueling endeavor, Ashley purposefully maintained a pace where she could actively talk to spectators, answer questions, and swap stories.
“People were sharing their stories—they’re crying, I’m crying, they’re laughing, I’m laughing,” she says. “It was beautiful. My outside 100-mile world record was 12 hours and 19 minutes. On a treadmill, I could have put my head down, not answered questions, and gone faster. But I chose the enjoyment of connecting with people. If I can get the record and fill my cup by hearing their stories, I choose that any day.”
She stood on that treadmill for half a day, supported by her husband, Matt, a dedicated crew, and a room full of strangers who showed up at 3:00 a.m. just to cheer her on. She crossed the “finish line” having consumed 90 grams of carbohydrates and 300 calories every single hour, smiling through the pain.
The Terrifying Road Ahead
Now 44 years old, Ashley is proving that aging isn’t a limitation—it’s an expansion of capacity. She is currently in the middle of her most terrifying, ambitious year yet. Her upcoming schedule is nothing short of legendary:
- The Triple Crown of 200s: Cruising through 200-mile destination trail races, starting with Tahoe 200, followed by Bigfoot 200, and Moab 240, eyes completely set on breaking the overall Triple Crown record.
- Badwater 135: Returning to the scorching 135-mile pavement of Death Valley. She already holds the women’s course record; this time, she’s hunting the men’s overall course record.
- Antarctica 100: Heading to the bottom of the world to try and break the world record for the coldest 100-miler, pairing it with her Badwater attempt to conquer both the hottest and coldest races on Earth in a single year.
- The Olympic Marathon Trials: Shifting gears immediately from slow, grueling ultra-distances right back down to blazing fast marathon paces to chase a trials qualifier.
It is an absurdly packed calendar that would break most human beings, but it perfectly encapsulates Ashley’s personal “Why.”
“It’s terrifying,” Ashley admits openly. “Is something going to blow up in my face? I don’t know. But what do I have to lose? Sure, I might have to post on social media that I failed my goal, but look how much further I came just because I tried. Why not see? Why not just see what your body can do?”
Listen to the Full Conversation & Catch the Clips
Catch the full audio interview with Ashley Paulson on the premier episode of Your Story, Your Why, dropping this Thursday on The Marathon Running Podcast audio feed.
Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and right here on MarathonJournal.com. Want to see the face behind the voice? Head over to our Instagram @RunningPodcast and @MarathonJournal_ to watch video highlights and behind-the-scenes clips from our chat!
Want to share your running journey? We want to hear the raw, unfiltered truth behind your miles. Head to our submission tab to tell us your ‘Why’ and be featured next. Email us at contact@marathonjournal.com
