The 3 Most Embarrassing Moments of My Running Career

I usually post about the wins online, like the race finishes, the PRs and the highlights. But I'll be honest: these three moments are pretty embarrassing, and I've never talked about them before.

They get progressively worse, ranked from number 3 to number 1. You've been warned... and promise me you won't judge me for these, lol.

3. I forgot all of my gels (Clearwater Half Marathon)

I flew to Florida for the Clearwater Half Marathon. I'd been training for it and really wanted to set a PR, and when I got there, I realized I had left all of my running gels back in Dallas.

Luckily, I was able to find some at a store. They weren't the exact kind I like, but they got the job done. It was a good reminder that mistakes happen, and sometimes you just have to roll with the punches.

2. I forgot my shoes (Leadville 100, 2025)

Leadville starts super early, at 4 a.m., so I was up in the middle of the night getting ready. I walked out of the house in my slides, and we got about 15 minutes down the road before I realized I didn't have my running shoes.

We had to turn around and go back for them, and we made it to the start line just 5 minutes before the race started. Not exactly the calm, relaxed start you want before running 100 miles at altitude.

1. I crapped my pants (Day 104 of my Guinness World Record)

For my Guinness World Record, I ran a half marathon on a treadmill every day for 153 days. Along the way, I had to restart runs multiple times, either because a camera died without me noticing or because I had to get off the treadmill to use the bathroom. Either way, the run didn't count, and I had to start over from the beginning.

By Day 104, I was sick and tired of starting over. So when I had to go about 10 miles into the run, I made a decision: I wasn't getting off that treadmill. I crapped my pants instead.

Luckily, I was wearing half tights, so nothing got on the treadmill, and only one of my witnesses noticed. And yes, I finished the run.

The point

On social media, the journey can look like it only goes up and to the right, always getting better. That's just not reality. Mistakes happen, failures happen, and every once in a while it's good to laugh at yourself.

Want the stories where things went (mostly) right? Here are the 5 hardest physical challenges I've ever done, and my 100-mile race gear checklist, which includes shoes.