THE ARTISTS WHO IMMORTALIZED OUR STORY
If you’ve been part of the Epic Ultras tribe for a while, this name already hits you in the chest:
Mile 90 Photography
And behind that name, the heartbeat of it are two absolute warriors of our beloved sport:
Rick & Kristi Mayo
Not just photographers.
Not just fans of the sport.
But accomplished ultrarunners with resumes and grit that could match any runner they ever pointed a lens at.
Rick with Leadville, Western States…a lifetime’s worth of scars and triumphs.
Kristi with her own deep catalog of trail miles, grit, and that unmistakable fire in her eyes!
They don’t just shoot our sport —
They understand it.
They live it.
They bleed it.
And long before Mile 90 became the signature photographic force in Midwest ultrarunning…
Epic Ultras had the honor of hiring them for their very first ultra event!
FlatRock 50 & 25K’s — September 2012.
At the very beginning of launching our brand. Before the fame. Before the iconography.
We saw the spark in 2011…the instinct, the hunger…that rare ability to capture the moment where pain and beauty collide. So we took the chance. And they delivered like “absolute pros” from day one.
But here’s the part the world never saw, the part that defines who they really are:
When the blizzard hit at our Inaugural Prairie Spirit…
When FlatRock turned to mud, chaos, and swirling hell…
When the course demanded more bodies and hands than anyone planned for…
Rick and Kristi didn’t just take photos
They fully stepped into the arena to help cover our hides.
Hauling drop bags.
Picking up runners.
Securing the course.
Doing whatever the mission required, no questions asked.
Because that’s who they are.
That’s why they’ll always be part of our tribe.
That’s why the ENTIRE ultrarunning community respects them so damn much!!!
Today?
Their work is everywhere.
UltraRunning Magazine.
Race banners.
International features.
Profile pics runners still use a decade later…because Mile 90 captured the exact moment many runners discovered what they were truly made of.
They didn’t just document ultrarunning.
They helped define the look and soul of an entire era.
And now…the part so many of you have been waiting for:
We’re actively working with Rick & Kristi to bring back the entire Mile 90 / Epic Ultras Photo Archive
Over 25,000 photos
Every Epic Ultras event from 2012–2015
Every smile, every grimace, every broken-in-half finish line
Every warrior moment you’ve forgotten…or never saw
That history belongs to YOU, the runners, the crews, our staff, the warriors who helped build our tribe.
And we’re bringing it home.
Stay tuned.
Because the fire is only getting hotter…
And the story of Epic Ultras 2.0 is only beginning to re-emerge!