Singletrack

Latest Episodes:

Dan Curts: Chasing The Pro Running Dream, Sub-Ultra Focus, Northeast Trail Culture (Sunday Conversation) Dec 28, 2022

Show notes

In our last episode of 2022 we are talking with Dan Curts, a professional trail runner based in Norwich, VT.
This is a wide-ranging conversation in which we talk about the disillusionment that can come about in the collegiate and post-collegiate track and road running worlds, how Dan ultimately landed in the sub-ultra trail racing scene, building a running team in the Northeast and the pros and cons of being an aspiring pro trail runner in this part of the country, and the highs and lows of the past year trying to make it in the sport.

Sponsors:

Rabbit - use code Singletrack20 at checkout on their website (https://www.runinrabbit.com/discount/SINGLETRACK20) to get 20% off your next order
HVMN - use code Singletrack20 at checkout on their website (https://hvmn.com/SINGLETRACK20) to get 20% off your next order

Timestamps:

(1:55) introduction to the trail running scene, specialities, career highlights to date
(4:55) running as a vehicle for educational and career opportunities
(9:26) pros and cons of collegiate running
(13:22) motivations to continue pursuing competitive running post-collegiately
(20:57) trail running inspirations
(23:04) Northwoods Athletics running team
(29:26) the pressure for aspiring east coast trail runners to head west to make it professionally
(41:43) lessons of building a running team, reflecting more on the northeast trail scene
(52:46) the highs and lows of the last year trying to make it as a pro trail runner
(61:21) whether brands are more interested in ultra or sub ultra trail athletes right now
(65:23) interesting relationships, conversations with contemporaries in the sport
(70:01) racing culture differences across running disciplines
(75:41) 2023 racing plans

Guest Links:

Follow Dan on Strava
Follow Dan on Instagram
Northwoods Athletics

Additional Episodes You May Enjoy:

#54 - Garrett Heath | Switch To Trail Running, Pro Lifestyle, Running Teams, Brooks Beasts
#26 - Sam Parsons | How To Build A Trail Running Team
#12 - Jack Kuenzle | FKT Scene, Sponsored Trail Runners, Brand Relationships

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Rod Farvard | UTMB Reflections, New Ultrarunning Perspectives, Doi Inthanon Trials And Tribulations Dec 23, 2022

Show notes

Rod Farvard is a professional trail runner based in Mammoth Lakes, CA. He returns to the podcast to reflect on his racing, training, and life events in the second half of 2022.
Sponsors:

Rabbit - use code Singletrack20 at checkout on their website (https://www.runinrabbit.com/discount/SINGLETRACK20) to get 20% off your next order
HVMN - use code Singletrack20 at checkout on their website (https://hvmn.com/SINGLETRACK20) to get 20% off your next order

Timestamps:

(0:53) - reflections on UTMB performance
(5:25) - perspective change on ultrarunning
(12:36) - traumatic events leading into Doi Inthanon
(27:53) - what Rod is hungry for in 2023

Links:

Additional Episodes You May Enjoy:

#123 - Rod Farvard | 2022 UTMB Pre-Race Interview
#167 - Golden Ticket Talks | Rod Farvard, Canyons 100K 4th Place Male

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2022 Year In Mountain Ultra Trail Running | Ultrarunner Of The Year Analysis, Favorite Storylines, Interesting Trends, Future Predictions Dec 19, 2022

Show notes

I am joined by co-hosts Brett Hornig and Leah Yingling to recap the year in mountain ultra trail running.
We cover our personal highlights, favorite storylines, biggest changes in the sport, the rookie athletes that burst onto the scene, runners that had "comeback" type seasons, our thoughts on all the voting systems out there for ultra runners and trail runners, how we made our own decisions when it came to ranking top athletes, our men's and women's top-10 picks for UROY, and predictions for 2023.
Timestamps:

(1:29) - personal highlights from 2022
(4:53) - favorite storylines of 2022
(12:23) - big changes in the sport this year
(19:22) - newcomer/rookie athletes that stood out this year
(25:07) - comeback runners of the year
(27:17) - thoughts on the Ultrarunner of the Year (UROY) system and the new "Trail Runner of the Year" (TROY) award
(42:03) - what factors influenced our rankings for UROY
(57:03) - picks for 2022 top-10 women's UROY
(74:54) - picks for 2022 top-10 men's UROY
(89:26) - predictions for 2023

Sponsors:

Rabbit - use code Singletrack20 at checkout on their website (https://www.runinrabbit.com/discount/SINGLETRACK20) to get 20% off your next order
HVMN - use code Singletrack20 at checkout on their website (https://hvmn.com/SINGLETRACK20) to get 20% off your next order

Links:

Follow Leah Yingling on Instagram and Strava
Follow Brett Hornig on Instagram and Strava
Follow Finn Melanson on Instagram and Strava

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Imagining "Battle Of The Brands" For Mountain Ultra Trail Running Dec 16, 2022

Show notes

What if there was a dedicated event series where brands like Hoka, Salomon, North Face, and Adidas Terrex had the opportunity to showcase the strengths of their teams and exclusively compete against each other across the primary mountain ultra trail running distances?
In this episode, I am joined by Dani Moreno, as well as frequent co-hosts Brett Hornig and Leah Yingling, to reflect on Dani's idea for a regular "Battle of the Brands" in our sport. We discuss how teams would be organized, the race distances that would be included, how scoring would work, which teams appear to be the strongest right now, whether athletes, fans, and brands would be interested in this idea, and what we learned about our sport through the research process for this idea.

Timestamps:

(1:09) - explaining the idea of "Battle of the Brands - the number of runners, events, and brands, how you win, etc
(5:52) - what makes this idea exciting
(9:30) - brand teams that have the best chance of winning in 2022
(18:51) - discussion of proposed Salomon, Hoka, North Face, and Adidas Terrex teams
(48:34) - whether athletes would be interested in racing this event
(62:48) - whether fans would be interested in following this event
(69:09) - what we learned about the sport in the research process for this hypothetical event

Sponsors:

Rabbit - use code Singletrack20 at checkout on their website (https://www.runinrabbit.com/discount/SINGLETRACK20) to get 20% off your next order
HVMN - use code Singletrack20 at checkout on their website (https://hvmn.com/SINGLETRACK20) to get 20% off your next order

Links:

Battle of the Brands Athlete Spreadsheet
Follow Dani Moreno on Instagram and Strava
Follow Leah Yingling on Instagram and Strava
Follow Brett Hornig on Instagram and Strava
Follow Finn Melanson on Instagram and Strava

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Ties In Ultrarunning, Pacers At Western States, Best Free Agent Runners of 2022, ITRA National League Confusion (Long Run Archives #8) Dec 09, 2022

Show notes

We talk about Brett’s new Youtube channel, the first place tie at Ultra Trail Cape Town, UTMB Thailand, the timing of the 2023 World Trail Championships, the idea of no pacers at Western States, and contract season for pro runners.
Sponsors:

Rabbit - use code Singletrack20 at checkout on their website (https://www.runinrabbit.com/discount/SINGLETRACK20) to get 20% off your next order
HVMN - use code Singletrack20 at checkout on their website (https://hvmn.com/SINGLETRACK20) to get 20% off your next order

Timestamps:

(1:04) - introducing Brett’s new Youtube channel
(11:49) - whether Ultra Trail Cape Town has become the premier end of season ultra
(22:58) - golden tickets up for grabs at UTMB Thailand
(29:48) - discussing the tie at Ultra Trail Cape Town
(44:04) - trying to make sense of the newly announced “ITRA National League”
(52:39) - next year’s World Mountain Running Championships
(63:50) - talking about contract negotiation season for professional ultrarunners
(72:35) - impressive free agents that could be signed by brands for 2023
(73:48) - Strava find of the week
(77:15) - debating pacers at Western States

Links:

Additional Episodes You May Enjoy:

#140 - Long Run Archives #7 | Olympic Ultra Running, UTMB World Series, Race Coverage Ideas, Agents
#104 - Long Run Archives #6 | Future of Trail Running Content, USATF Debates, Unusual Athlete Sponsorships, Joe Gray Versus Kilian Jornet
#94 - Long Run Archives #5 | Western States Reactions, Zach Miller Return, Arizona Trail Duel
#72 - Long Run Archives #4 | Cocodona 250, Mammoth Trail Fest, Super Shoe Influences, Strava Finds
#62 - Long Run Archives #3 | Betting In Ultrarunning, Next Great Trail Running Towns, Golden Ticket Series Ideas
#53 - Long Run Archives #2 | Ultrarunning Analytics, Elite DNF Debate, 3:47 Downhill Mile, Magda What If
#43 - Long Run Archives #1 | Jim Walmsley What Ifs, Black Canyon 100K Preview, Full-Time Ultrarunning

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Finn Melanson On The Everyday Ultra Podcast Dec 05, 2022

Show notes

This is a special episode where I am on the other side of the microphone, so to speak. Joe Corcione from the Everyday Ultra Podcast had me on his show about a month ago and I agreed to repost the conversation here as well. We talk about how I got into trail running, how I got into the media corner of our sport, the pitch for Salt Lake City, and end on some philosophical notes.
Discounts:

Rabbit - use code Singletrack20 at checkout on their website (https://www.runinrabbit.com/discount/SINGLETRACK20) to get 20% off your next order
HVMN - use code Singletrack20 at checkout on their website (https://hvmn.com/SINGLETRACK20) to get 20% off your next order

Timestamps:

(4:03) - my story getting into trail and ultrarunning
(23:39) - how and why I started Singletrack
(58:59) - pitching the Salt Lake City trail scene
(65:11) - self-actualization, final thoughts

Links:

Everyday Ultra Podcast

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2022 Ultra Trail Cape Town Preview | Analysis, Storylines, Predictions Nov 21, 2022

Show notes

In this episode, I am joined by Brett Hornig and Leah Yingling to preview the 2022 Ultra Trail Cape Town 100K. We analyze the course, talk about what it's going to take to be successful, note some of the interesting storylines around the event, and make our predictions for the female and male top-5 finishers this year.

Timestamps:

(0:30) - catching up with Leah and Brett on their recent performances at the 80K World Championships and Javelina Jundred
(4:44) - initial impressions about Ultra Trail Cape Town before we did our research, got to know the course/people/scene
(7:49) - thoughts on why Cape Town has stayed relevant despite the growth of UTMB World Series, etc
(16:16) - schedule, live coverage, race features, etc
(24:37) - course analysis
(36:52) - women’s field contenders, storylines, predictions
(52:48) - men’s field contenders, storylines, predictions
(72:46) - 100 mile and 55K race contenders, storylines
(79:35) - final thoughts

Links:

Additional Episodes You May Enjoy:

#165 - Elov Olsson | 2022 Ultra Trail Cape Town Pre-Race Interview
#164 - Ragna Debats | 2022 Ultra Trail Cape Town Pre-Race Interview
#163 - Nicole Bitter | 2022 Ultra Trail Cape Town Pre-Race Interview
#162 - Robbie Simpson | 2022 Ultra Trail Cape Town Pre-Race Interview
#161 - Olivia Amber | 2022 Ultra Trail Cape Town Pre-Race Interview
#160 - Hillary Allen | 2022 Ultra Trail Cape Town Pre-Race Interview
#159 - Jared Hazen | 2022 Ultra Trail Cape Town Pre-Race Interview
#158 - Drew Holmen | 2022 Ultra Trail Cape Town Pre-Race Interview
#157 - Anton Krupicka | 2022 Ultra Trail Cape Town Pre-Race Interview

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Ragna Debats | 2022 Ultra Trail Cape Town Pre-Race Interview Nov 21, 2022

Show notes

Ragna Debats a professional trail and ultra runner for Merrell based in Spain preparing for her race at the Ultra Trail Cape Town 100 miler this weekend.
Timestamps:

(0:23) - entry into trail and ultrarunning
(3:18) - competing at an elite level in mid-40s
(4:44) - keys to success at races like TGC, Istria, and Nice Cote D'Azure this year
(6:16) - motivation to race Cape Town this year
(9:33) - expectations, goals for the race
(10:24) - working with Merrell, barefoot running

Links:

Follow Ragna on Instagram

Additional Episodes You May Enjoy:

#162 - Ragna Debats | 2022 Ultra Trail Cape Town Pre-Race Interview
#161 - Olivia Amber | 2022 Ultra Trail Cape Town Pre-Race Interview
#160 - Hillary Allen | 2022 Ultra Trail Cape Town Pre-Race Interview

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Elov Olsson | 2022 Ultra Trail Cape Town Pre-Race Interview Nov 21, 2022

Show notes

Elov Olsson is a professional trail and ultra runner for Hoka based in Sweden preparing for his race at the Ultra Trail Cape Town 100 miler this weekend.
Timestamps:

(0:23) - entry into trail and ultra running
(1:40) - lifestyle in Sweden
(3:22) - friendship with the Coconino Cowboys
(4:43) - training since the 100K World Championships
(6:29) - returning to Cape Town after a podium finish a few years ago in the 100K
(7:46) - goals, expectations for the race
(8:53) - race day gear

Links:

Additional Episodes You May Enjoy:

#162 - Robbie Simpson | 2022 Ultra Trail Cape Town Pre-Race Interview
#159 - Jared Hazen | 2022 Ultra Trail Cape Town Pre-Race Interview
#158 - Drew Holmen | 2022 Ultra Trail Cape Town Pre-Race Interview

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Nicole Bitter | 2022 Ultra Trail Cape Town Pre-Race Interview Nov 21, 2022

Show notes

Nicole Bitter is a professional trail and ultra runner for Altra based in Austin, TX preparing for her race at the Ultra Trail Cape Town 100K this weekend.
Timestamps:

(0:26) - balancing two professional careers
(2:00) - reflecting on barely missing golden ticket at Javelina
(4:37) - handling a quick turnaround from Javelina to Cape Town
(6:36) - international racing experience
(7:40) - training for mountainous races in Austin
(9:28) - goals for Cape Town
(11:00) - whether she’ll race for another golden ticket in the winter/spring
(11:57) - race day gear

Links: