Roadside Grit: Vol State, Heart of the South, and Beyond with Lisa Decker and Shashi Reddy

HappyCast

Sometimes the hardest part of ultrarunning isn’t the miles—it’s just getting an episode recorded. After multiple attempts, the HappyCast crew finally sits down with Lisa Decker and Shashi Reddy to share their stories from two of Laz Lake’s infamous journey races: Vol State and Heart of the South. Both are 300+ mile tests of grit, resourcefulness, and pure stubbornness, and their experiences run the gamut from roadside naps to navigating storms and heat rash with Dollar General t-shirts.

Lisa takes us through the camaraderie of her “trauma bonded trash panda” crew at Vol State, while Shashi details the unpredictable game of Heart of the South—where runners don’t even know the starting line until the night before. Between road angels, the legendary “meat wagon” driver who refuses to let you quit, and the strange joys of eating soggy Subway sandwiches mid-race, the stories capture the feral, unpredictable beauty of these journey runs.

Since those finishes, Lisa and Shashi haven’t slowed down. Lisa went straight into the brutal heat of the Habanero 100, earning her first sub-30 finish, while Shashi found his way back to the trails at the 6-0 Ranch 50K. With both eyeing even bigger challenges ahead, this conversation is equal parts hilarious, inspiring, and a testament to what happens when runners embrace the chaos of the road.

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