Regiment Elite Heidi Williams is among the list of Regiment Elite who will be taking on the Vermont Ultra Beast this year. As is customary for this year's roster of brave attendants, it is how her turn to be in the spotlight!

Hello! Tell us a little bit about yourself!

Heidi Williams , age 56 , single , living in Punta gorda fl and saftey Harbor FL. I have 1 son ,Chandler 20 , pre-med at UF smile emoticon , love that kid! I've been in the salon business for over 35 years , and I am currently the distributor for Turbosuper foods performance and recovery powder , gel shots and bars .. great product !!! I will bring some for all of us in the Ultra Beast :) This product is imported from Aulstrailia and is wonderful , I am working on a discount for all of our T3s .

What made you want to sign up for this event in the first place?

I've been an athlete most of my life. Gymnastics , tennis, running, swimming, Gorucks and of course OCR's (and my favorite) T3s, to name a few. The Ultra Beast was a challenge for me in the beginning, so why not try it, master it and come back for more? Every race has its challenges, and this one is no different. I love Vermont and the mountains, the only downfall with this race is the mountains. The obstacles are a breeze compared to the steep incline of the slopes. Resistance training has helped me with this . The Ultra is just one more race to conquer!

The stats for this event are grim. Only about 10% make it. What are you doing to ensure you fall in this rare percentile of finishers?

I have stepped up my running to lots of Ultras from 50ks to over 50 milers to increase my endurance. I have also stepped up my training at the gym (Prime_8 fitness in clearwater FL ) with Parrish McCade . He has increased my upper body strength so I can master the monkey bars , rings , pipes and most of all the tougher obstacles on the course. The log carry , bucket carry and sandbag carries are a breeze now thanks to him :). Throw in some heavy Rucking over bridges and in stairwells along with training with my son in the UF Swamp and doing the stadium stairs with the wreck bags. That will get your ass in gear!

What is the biggest challenge you think you will face out on the course?

One of the biggest challenges for me was the Tarzan ropes under the bridge. I hope I do better on those this year and of course that stretch of the Mountain I named 'The Bitch'. It's a never ending stretch of mountain that goes on forever and ever .... If you're with Neil, bring a trek pole and some extra food, this is where he gets really hungry :)

After this, what are your other goals?

I will be competing in the Ultimate Suck the weekend before the Ultra and from that on to The OCR World and World's Toughest Mudder. After those races I'm gonna concentrate on the Peak 100 and of course sign up for a T3 and hopefully if I have time run the Boston Marathon again with my brother!