In this special fourth appearance, Wes Plate returns to HappyCast with a full breakdown of the inaugural Copper Kings 100—Montana’s newest hundred-mile race and his most ambitious project yet. With co-hosts Stephanie and Andrew, Wes opens up about what it took to bring this dream to life: from months of preparation and a jam-packed U-Haul to navigating stormy skies, deadfall-filled trails, and the high-stakes logistics of a remote mountain race. Spoiler: not even a lightning storm during the race briefing could shake this crew.

Stephanie recaps her experience captaining the Our Lady of the Rockies aid station—a mountaintop post where she and a team of volunteers (including both her and Wes’s moms) kept runners alive with mashed potatoes, heated bathrooms, and the occasional mid-hallucination pep talk. Between walking every runner up the hill, managing drop bags and puke blankets, and making sure no one missed the cutoff, this became a spiritual checkpoint for runners and crew alike.

With 90 finishers out of 105 starters and only one DNS, the Copper Kings 100 defied all expectations for a first-year race. Wes reflects on what went right, what he learned, and how much this community has grown around a course that winds through solitude, scenery, and suffering. Whether you’re an aspiring race director, a trail runner dreaming of Montana, or just here for stories about flamingo costumes and blowing up propane heaters, this episode is packed with heart, hustle, and humor.

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