What happens when you trade the high-stress world of Tesla for a career in Sales Engineering? For Sierra DeGroff, it meant finding the mental space to become one of the most dominant forces in the ultra-running community.
In this episode of the Dirt & Vert Podcast, we sit down with the 2026 Umstead 100 Female Champion to deconstruct her journey from a Michigan track athlete to the top of the ultra podium. Sierra gets real about her transition from the marathon distance to the grueling world of 100-milers, sharing the "nitty-gritty" of her Umstead race strategy and the nutrition plan that kept her fueled for a first-place finish. We explore the central theme of her career: how improving her work-life balance didn't just make her happier—it made her faster.