Singletrack

Latest Episodes:

Betting In Ultrarunning, Next Great Trail Running Towns, Golden Ticket Series Ideas (Long Run Archives #3) Apr 09, 2022

Show notes

Timestamps:

(1:45) - greatest seasons ever in ultrarunning (Ann Trason, 1998)
(5:13) - grand slam, what used to be competitively important in ultrarunning
(9:19) - states with the least and most golden ticket winners
(15:48) - easier to make money in ultrarunning during the Montrail Cup years?
(24:35) - how and where the golden ticket series should be expanded
(28:36) - improvements in ultrarunning media coverage
(38:55) - hot take removing sponsor spots for more golden ticket spots
(41:53) - a separate elite field race for Western States?
(44:19) - are Missoula, MT and Salt Lake City, UT the next great trail towns?
(48:05) - if a brand paid for it, where would you live year round for training?
(50:59) - do altitude tents work?
(54:46) - you need a recruitment strategy to build a trail town
(56:40) - indicators for/how pro contracts should be awarded in ultrarunning
(61:32) - whether to actively recruit from the college ranks for pro ultrarunning
(65:55) - betting in ultrarunning
(69:40) - kierin racing in Japan
(76:22) - does betting increase the number of fans of ultrarunning?
(78:14) - strava find of the week
(83:56) - whether pro athletes have competitive advantage using shoe prototypes

Links:

Additional Episodes You May Enjoy:

Long Run Archives #1 | Jim Walmsley What Ifs, Black Canyon 100K Preview, Full-Time Ultrarunning
Long Run Archives #2 | Ultrarunning Analytics, Elite DNF Debate, 3:47 Downhill Mile, Magda What If

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Tim Tollefson: Mammoth Trail Fest, 2022 Western States 100, Running Sponsorships, Running Psychology (Sunday Conversation) Apr 01, 2022

Show notes

Tim Tollefson a professional runner for Hoka based in Mammoth Lakes, CA.
Tim probably needs no introduction, but of course he is one of the most decorated mountain ultra trail runners of all time, most notably with podium finishes at the 2015 CCC, 2016 UTMB and then again at the 2017 UTMB which most ultra historians would say was the most competitive 100 miler ever in our sports history.
In this conversation, we talk about his focus these days on the Western States 100, his new role in the sport as a Race Director for the Mammoth Trail Fest taking place this September, his thoughts on athlete-brand relationships, and the importance of training for mental aspects of the sport.
Timestamps:

(2:30) - introducing the Mammoth Trail Fest
(6:26) - festival type format for ultra racing
(7:46) - exciting features of the Mammoth Trail Fest
(9:46) - race permitting, economic benefits
(12:38) - affiliating with a larger race series
(15:16) - relationships with fellow race directors
(17:33) - inspiration for race directing
(19:07) - going full-time on race directing
(21:38) - whether work gets in the way of running
(24:30) - creating stability for professional runners
(27:16) - whether performances improve going full-time
(30:34) - brainstorming the training day to day of a full-time runner
(33:34) - improvements to the athlete-brand relationship
(39:02) - the black box of athlete contracts
(41:47) - curiosity for UTMB
(46:44) - whether the Western States - UTMB double is possible
(51:50) - how training will look different for the 2022 Western States 100
(56:40) - whether false humility is an issue in our sport
(60:48) - identifying and acting on mental burnout
(64:26) - whether the psychological works quiets the mind
(67:59) - mental approach continued

Links:

Additional Episodes You May Enjoy:

#52 - Mike Foote | Race Directing, Skyrunning Speculation, Future Of Ultrarunning Events, UTMB Influences
#51 - Anton Krupicka | Trail Running Culture, Pro Athlete Lifestyle, Influence, Self-Reflection
#50 - Tom Evans | Pro Ultrarunning Playbook, UTMB 2022, Trail Running Teams

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Chris Chavez: Citius Mag, Building A Running Media Company, Creating Running Fans (Sunday Conversation) Mar 31, 2022

Show notes

Chris Chavez is the founder of Citius Mag, a road running and track and field media company providing original running news, analysis, videos, newsletters, podcasts and humor to fans of the sport.
At the start of 2022, Chris made the decision to leave this long-time position as a writer at Sports Illustrated in order to go “all-in” on Citius Mag.
Chris and I talk about building a running media company, his mission for Citius Mag, and what the operation looks like.
Given his perspective on the sport, we also spend quite a bit of time talking about the entertainment value of running, whether it can go mainstream, what it will take to increase the number of fans, and more.
If you like the blending of running and business, running and media, or running and community - you will enjoy this episode. I hope to have Chris on the pod again soon because we only covered about half the topics I had on tap for us.
Timestamps:

(1:08) - overview of Citius Mag
(3:28) - the inspiration for Citius Mag
(8:44) - balancing Sports Illustrated and Citius Mag for years
(12:25) - skills that helped him go all-in on Citius Mag
(15:15) - what he's able to do with Citius Mag now that he's all-in
(21:04) - business models for Citius Mag
(26:07) - what the Citius Mag team looks like
(30:00) - the long-term vision for Citius Mag
(32:52) - whether running could get more mainstream fans
(41:02) - whether running leaders are in alignment about how to grow
(46:32) - what running will look like 10 years from now
(50:01) - advice for the trail and ultrarunning media

Links:

Additional Episodes You May Enjoy:

#1 - Dylan Bowman | Future Of Trail Running, Pro Athlete Opportunities, Freetrail
#3 - Jimmy Daly | Social Media, Content Creation, Branding For Trail Runners
#20 - Zoe Rom | Trail Runner Magazine, Running Journalism, Diversity Talks
#26 - Sam Parsons | How To Build A Trail Running Team

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Ask Me Anything #2 | Reality TV For Ultrarunning, Burning Man For Ultrarunning, Binge-Watching Ultras Mar 26, 2022

Show notes

Last week I once again lit the beacons and let folks know I'd do another AMA if there were enough questions. In this second edition, I answer the following questions:

What does the East Coast need to do to progress trail running?
What is on your trail running media wishlist?
What can we do to make ultrarunning events more exciting to follow or watch?
What is something you would like to see changed in our sport?
What else is on your ultrarunning wishlist?

Timestamps:

(0:17) - the biggest issue for the east coast trail running scene
(1:56) - the competitive advantages of east coast trail running
(3:05) - rural locations over metro locations for training
(4:18) - combining reality tv format with underdog narrative for new ultrarunning content
(5:36) - someone influential needs to make more films of east coast races and FKTs
(8:03) - a new member of the media crew at ultra races
(9:17) - more data for race commentators and fans to use
(10:39) - stop putting the sport of ultrarunning down
(12:25) - burning man for ultrarunning

Additional Episodes You May Enjoy:

#19 - Ask Me Anything | Golden Ticket Series, Professional Trail Runners, Ultra Training

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Buzz Burrell: Modern FKT Movement, FKT.com Sale To Outside Mag, Trail Running Business (Sunday Conversation) Mar 20, 2022

Show notes

In this episode we talk with Buzz Burrell, a co-founder of fastestknowntime.com, a tracking website that has been cataloging the modern FKT movement here in the United States and abroad, to my knowledge, for the better part of the last decade. While there is no governing body for FKT certification, fastestknowntime.com has acted as the informal arbiter of these records.

We spend the majority of the conversation getting into the details about the recent sale of fastestknowntime.com to Outside Magazine earlier this month.

But there’s a lot more to Buzz that’s interesting that we delve into at various points. For example, he’s been trail and ultra running since the late 1960s and has set a wide array of fastest times and first attempts at many classic routes here in the United States including the Colorado Trail and John Muir Trail. And in addition to his work on the FKT site, he has also been an athlete manager for La Sportiva and Brand Director for Ultimate Direction and will be joining Ultrarunning Magazine next month as a regular columnist.
Timestamps:

(1:50) - what it was like being in the trail and ultra scene before it was popular
(5:18) - slow growth on the professional side of trail and ultra running
(11:13) - whether the growth of the FKT community is good
(19:07) - description of fastesknowntime.com
(21:09) - the inspiration for building the website
(23:12) - whether there were always business aspirations for the website
(24:42) - the pros and cons of full-time versus part-time investment
(30:06) - why the website was sold in 2022
(34:39) - the assets that Outside Magazine was most interested in
(36:29) - audience numbers for the website
(37:40) - improvements coming to the website
(39:48) - whether the people working on the site should be community experts
(42:46) - objections to the sale to Outside Magazine
(45:36) - the realities of social media and content businesses in trail running
(50:42) - requests for startups in the trail and ultra running space
(51:58) - favorite guests on the FKT podcast
(55:59) - Lazarus Lake

Links:

Additional Episodes You May Enjoy:

#7 - Mark Gainey | Co-Founder of Strava, Trail Running, Athlete Creators
#8 - Larissa Rivers | Trail Running Stores, Sports Marketing, Strava
#3 - Jimmy Daly | Social Media, Content Creation, Branding For Trail Runners

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Sarah Keyes: Northeast Trail Running Scene, Whiteface Mountain Races Directing, ITRA (Sunday Conversation) Mar 17, 2022

Show notes

Sarah Keyes is an ultra runner, race director, and trail running community organizer (among many other roles) based in Saranac Lake, NY.
In this conversation, we talk about the trail running and overall mountain sports scene in the Adirondack Mountains, her role as race director of the Whiteface Mountain events, her role at ITRA, how to get more involved in our sport beyond training and racing, and much much more.
Timestamps:

(1:13) - trail running background
(4:58) - thoughts on training and racing out of her car
(9:57) - lifestyle in the Adirondack Mountains
(18:00) - the influence of Olympic cities and towns like Lake Placid, NY
(22:08) - race directing the Whiteface Mountain series
(28:48) - brainstorming other cool mountain races in the northeast
(34:11) - sorting out all the the championship events in trail running
(43:48) - understanding the role ITRA plays in our sport
(52:28) - what motivates Sarah to get involved in our sport at deeper levels
(54:13) - how to get more active in your own trail running community

Links:

Additional Episodes You May Enjoy:

#52 - Mike Foote | Race Directing, Skyrunning Speculation, Future Of Ultrarunning Events, UTMB Influences
#37 - Corrine Malcolm | State Of The Sport, Ultra Running Commentary

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Jasmin Paris: 2022 Barkley Marathons Reflections (Sunday Conversation) Mar 14, 2022

Show notes

Jasmin Paris is professional trail runner for Inov-8 based in the United Kingdom.
Her racing resume is significant with an overall win at the 2019 Spine race, a fastest known time on the Bob Graham Round, a top-10 finish at 2016 UTMB, and way more. Most recently, she completed 3 laps, also known as a “Fun Run”, at the vaunted Barkley Marathons in Tennessee’s Frozen Head State Park.
Due to Jasmin’s media schedule, we only had 20 minutes to chat but we covered good ground including what inspired her to line up for Barkley, what her physical and mental preparation looked like, the keys to completing a fun run, whether she has plans to return next year or beyond, and what other events and routes in the United States interest her.
Timestamps:

(1:32) - will Jasmin return to Barkley soon?
(1:52) - what inspired her Barkley attempt
(4:12) - what her training looked like for Barkley
(6:47) - sleep deprivation training?
(8:32) - mentally preparing for Barkley
(10:46) - whether her mental toughness is innate or trained
(12:57) - balancing high-level ultra training and performance with work and parenting
(14:38) - the keys to completing 3 laps at Barkley
(17:11) - what she would do differently next time around
(18:44) - other United States races and routes that appeal to her

Links:

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Coaching Call #3 | Injury, Recovery Process, SkiMo Cross Training Mar 14, 2022

Show notes

Timestamps:

(1:26) - recap of February training accomplishments
(8:02) - injury discussion
(16:01) - how to think about next steps and future training
(25:00) - Skimo and other alternative sports during recovery
(30:44) - increasing popularity of Skimo among American ultra runners
(38:26) - standing is training?
(43:56) - March and April training outlook for Canyons

Links:

Additional Episodes You May Enjoy:

#41 - Coaching Call #2 | Canyons 100K Progress, Training Partners, Coaching A Trail Team
#30 - Coaching Call #1 | Setting The Table For The Canyons 100K
#17 - Ryan Ghelfi | Post Sponsorship Athlete Life, Trail Running Teams, UTMB, FKT Scene

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Patreon

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Garrett Heath: Switch To Trail Running, Pro Lifestyle, Running Teams, Brooks Beasts (Sunday Conversation) Mar 11, 2022

Show notes

Garrett Heath is a professional runner for Brooks.
Garrett has demonstrated impressive range over the last couple of decades and with world-class PRs in events from the 1500m to the 10k, he has been a threat every time he steps on a starting line. As a three-time champion of the famed Edinburgh XC race, his gutsy racing style has carried him to victory over some of the world’s most legendary runners including Mo Farah.
I reached out to Garrett a couple of weeks ago after seeing an announcement that he was making the switch to trail running. Maybe it’s up for debate, but in my mind he is the highest level track athlete to ever cross over. The dude is legit.

In this conversation, we cover all the basics - what motivated him to make the change, why now, whether he will be coached and who his training partners will be, and what his race schedule will look like in 2022.

Given his background with the famed Brooks Beasts training group in Seattle, we also have a long back and forth about what it would take to build similar type of team in the ultra world. We get his perspective on being a full-time runner, the pros and cons of the lifestyle, and whether he recommends it. And we talk about perceptions of the trail and ultra world outside our bubble and what it might take to recruit more professional athletes like Garrett into the sport.

Timestamps:

(2:01) - running background
(4:00) - motivation to switch to trail running
(8:03) - why now for trail running
(11:03) - tentative 2022 racing schedule
(13:26) - coaching and training partners
(17:33) - training camps
(20:35) - Brooks support
(23:00) - Brooks Beasts, full-time running discussion
(40:05) - conditions to build a trail running team
(46:46) - outside perceptions of trail and ultra running

Links:

Additional Episodes You May Enjoy:

#39 - Hillary Allen | Brooks Running, Out And Back, Recovery Process Mindset, 2022 UTMB
#40 - Lee Sackett | Brooks Running, Running Industry Careers, Running Culture Talk
#42 - Sarah Cummings | Wasatch Trail Scene, Brooks Running, JFK 50, Lessons From Injury

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Patreon

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Ultrarunning Analytics, Elite DNF Debate, 3:47 Downhill Mile, Magda What If (Long Run Archives #2) Mar 10, 2022

Show notes

Timestamps:

(1:39) - ideas to make ultra races easier to analyze and fun to follow
(12:59) - should elite ultra runners be penalized for DNFs?
(22:43) - Strava find of the week: 3:47 downhill mile
(32:38) - what if Magda Boulet had switched to ultra running during her prime?
(40:33) - what if Sally McRae didn't get a golden ticket to Western States in 2014?
(50:39) - new 50K world record

Links:

Additional Episodes You May Enjoy: