The Freetrail Podcast with Dylan Bowman

Latest Episodes:

Tom Evans & Nina Engelhard | #5 Trail Runner of the Year Jan 06, 2026

Show notes

This episode is part of Freetrail's annual Trail Runner of the Year Rollout -- an opportunity to reflect on the 2025 season and celebrate the athletes who performed the best according to the global trail running community. In 2025, we're proud to partner with All Conditions Gear to bring the awards to life.

Today we welcome the #5 Trail Runners of the Year, Tom Evans and Nina Engelhard. Tom enjoyed a perfect, undefeated season including winning the 2025 UTMB. Nina might be the biggest breakout star in the sport, winning double Gold Medals in both the Vertical and the Classic disciplines at the Trail and Mountain Running World Championships in September.

Note: We were unable to schedule with Nina, so her portion is a collection of segments from her recent long form appearance on the podcast. Listen to her full episode here.

Sponsors:

Grab a trail running pack from Osprey
Use code FREETRAIL25 for 25% off your first order of NEVERSECOND nutrition at never2.com
Go to ketone.com/freetrail30 for 30% off a subscription of Ketone IQ

Dylan Links: Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn | Strava

Trail Running Year in Review 2025 | Athletes, Performances, FKTs, Rookies, Storylines, 2026 Predictions & More Dec 22, 2025

Show notes

For the fourth year in a row, Corrine Malcom returns for our end-of-season retrospective podcast to summarize the year in trail running. It was another incredible season with so many amazing athletes and performances - we do our best to encapsulate everything in this episode.

The Docket:

00:00 Celebrating Trail Running Traditions 12:21 Trail Runner of the Year: Women's Picks 20:40 Trail Runner of the Year: Men's Picks 33:00 Trail Performances of the Year 39:06 Rookies of the Year 45:18 Key Storylines of 2025 50:58 The Bill Dooper Spirit Award: Celebrating Contributions Beyond Performance 56:29 Predictions for 2026: The Future of Trail Running 01:05:11 Personal Highlights of 2025 and 2026 Goals

Grab a trail running pack from Osprey
Use code FREETRAIL25 for 25% off your first order of NEVERSECOND nutrition at never2.com
Go to ketone.com/freetrail30 for 30% off a subscription of Ketone IQ

Asker Jeukendrup | Endurance Nutrition Masterclass Dec 18, 2025

Show notes

Asker Jeukendrup is a sport scientist whose work has been massively influential, especially in the world of endurance nutrition. His resume is incredible, working with many of the top athletes, teams, brands, and research institutions during his remarkable career. In addition to his academic, consulting, and speaking work, Asker is a co-founder of Neversecond -- a leading supplier of feuling and recovery products in endurance sport and an important partner of Freetrail. This is Asker's first appearance on the podcast. Timestamps:

04:15 What Makes You You? 09:28 Founding NeverSecond: A Science-First Approach 12:37 The Carbohydrate Revolution in Endurance Sports 15:09 Understanding Carbohydrate Absorption and Ratios 17:44 Nutrition Strategies for Varied Trail Running Distances 22:29 Gut Training: Assessing and Improving Carb Tolerance 27:49 Fasted Runs and Fat Metabolism 36:04 The Role of Carbohydrates in Performance 40:43 Understanding Nutrition for Racing Performance 45:15 Cooling and Its Impact on Nutrition Absorption 48:55 The Sodium and Electrolyte Debate 51:49 Caffeine: Benefits and Cautions 52:15 The Future of Health Monitoring in Athletes 59:47 Personal Stories and Lessons from Elite Athletes 1:00:15 Looking Ahead: The Future of Nutrition in Sports

Asker's consultancy REGISTER FOR THE BIG ALTA REGISTER FOR GORGE WATERFALLS Sponsors:

Grab a trail running pack from Osprey
Use code FREETRAIL25 for 25% off your first order of NEVERSECOND nutrition at never2.com
Go to ketone.com/freetrail30 for 30% off a subscription of Ketone IQ

The Trail Ahead: Consumer & Industry Trends Shaping Trail Running (TRE Live Panel) Dec 16, 2025

Show notes

This is a recording from a live panel conducted at The Running Event - the running industry's largest trade show. One of the big trends in running is the growth of trail running as a sub-category, something that is felt palpably at TRE. To contextualize this growth, I'm joined by two fantastic guests:

David Callahan, Co-CEO of UltraSignup

Stephen Holmberg, Founder of Insight Accelerator

We talk about the following topics:

Growth trends in the sport
Trail Culture as a growth driving phenomenon
Cultural impact vs. commercial impact - the realities of the size of the market
How people are discovering and experiencing the sport
The impact of star athletes on the business of trail
Marketplace dynamics (tariffs, inflation, competition, etc.)
Q&A!

LEARN MORE ABOUT TRAILCON REGISTER FOR THE BIG ALTA REGISTER FOR GORGE WATERFALLS Sponsors:

Grab a trail running pack from Osprey
Use code FREETRAIL25 for 25% off your first order of NEVERSECOND nutrition at never2.com
Go to ketone.com/freetrail30 for 30% off a subscription of Ketone IQ

Rod Farvard | Life On The Path Dec 12, 2025

Show notes

Rod Farvard is a pro trail runner for HOKA living in Mammoth Lakes, CA. Among other things, Rod is a past champion of the Canyons 100k and a runner up of the Western States 100. We recorded this in person at Freetrail HQ in Marinwood, CA, 24hrs removed from a long run together on my home trails.

Topics discuss:

Feelings approaching the end of the year
Finding and embracing "Your Path" in life
Sacrifice as being a necessary element of being On The Path
Focusing on UTMB after years committed to Western States
Evaluating his 9th place performance in 2025 and where there's room for improvement
Supported FKT attempt on the John Muir Trail
Switching coaches
Goals for 2026
A lot more!

Read Rod's Blog

Vote for Trail Runner of the Year

Vote for Trail Performance of the Year

Sponsors:

Grab a trail running pack from Osprey
Use code FREETRAIL25 for 25% off your first order of NEVERSECOND nutrition at never2.com
Go to ketone.com/freetrail30 for 30% off a subscription of Ketone IQ

Rest Day | Western States & Hardrock Lotteries, The Running Event, CIM Results, & Rachel Entrekin x Norda Dec 08, 2025

Show notes

Welcome to Rest Day, Freetrail's occasional news pod covering the latest happenings in trail running. This week, we're joined by Corrine Malcolm to talk through the following topics:

Western States & Hardrock Lotteries
Courtney Daulwalter & Christian Allen rip CIM
Thoughts from The Running Event
Broken Arrow x ACG partnership
Rachel Entrekin signs with Norda
Debut of Trail Team of the Year

Vote for Trail Runner of the Year Vote for Trail Performance of the Year REGISTER FOR THE BIG ALTA REGISTER FOR GORGE WATERFALLS Sponsors:

Grab a trail running pack from Osprey
Use code FREETRAIL25 for 25% off your first order of NEVERSECOND nutrition at never2.com
Go to ketone.com/freetrail30 for 30% off a subscription of Ketone IQ

Zach Miller | Art vs. Science, Hardrock, Bill Dooper, & World Champs Dec 04, 2025

Show notes

Zach Miller is a legendary trail runner, splitting time between Oregon and Colorado. He is one of the most beloved and most decorated athletes of the last decade, not only because of his results but in how he approaches the sport.

This is a companion podcast for a new film that Freetrail released this week, documenting Zach's race at the 2025 Hardrock 100. The film is entitled A Lap For Bill - a moving tribute to his late friend Bill Dooper.

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction and Current Life Updates 02:54 The Intersection of Construction and Athletics 06:10 The Art vs. Science Debate in Sports 08:56 Reminiscing About Early Racing Days 12:03 The Impact of Bill Dooper 15:06 Reflections on Hardrock and Future Goals 32:48 The Toughness of Zach Miller 34:34 The Essence of Competition 40:11 Reflections on the World Championships 50:32 Inspiration and Future Goals

Salomon's Film About Bill Dooper REGISTER FOR THE BIG ALTA REGISTER FOR GORGE WATERFALLS Sponsors:

Grab a trail running pack from Osprey
Use code FREETRAIL25 for 25% off your first order of NEVERSECOND nutrition at never2.com
Go to ketone.com/freetrail30 for 30% off a subscription of Ketone IQ

Emergency Pod: Broken Arrow, ACG, & Trail Running's Largest Prize Purse Dec 03, 2025

Show notes

This is an emergency episode recorded in San Antonio, TX at The Running Event. We're here to breakdown the recently announced new multi-year partnership between the Broken Arrow Skyrace and All Conditions Gear (ACG) and the exciting details contained in the rollout.

Our guests today provide perspectives from three distinct angles:

Brendan Madigan: Broken Arrow Race Director
Todd Simpson: ACG Global Marketplace & Strategy
Bailey Kowalczyk: All Conditions Racing Department Athlete

Topics discussed:

High level details of the partnership
Why ACG is excited about trail running
The $150k prize purse
What this means for current and future generations of pro trail runners
Other areas of investment: Adaptive athletes, inclusivity, women/mothers, spectators, etc
The importance of TRE
The state of specialty retail
The 2026 TrailCon
A lot more!

Sponsors:

Grab a trail running pack from Osprey
Use code FREETRAIL25 for 25% off your first order of NEVERSECOND nutrition at never2.com
Go to ketone.com/freetrail30 for 30% off a subscription of Ketone IQ

Dylan Links: Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn | Strava

The Lives of Modern Professional Trail Runners | TrailCon Live Panel - Sally McRae, Jim Walmsley, Hayden Hawks, Hillary Allen, & Tabor Hemming Nov 25, 2025

Show notes

Today's panel is entitled The Lives of Modern Professional Trail Runners, recorded live at the 2025 edition of TrailCon -- a two-day trail running festival, conference, and trade show hosted in Palisades Tahoe, CA in the days between Broken Arrow and Western States.

Our panelists today:

Sally McRae (Moderator)
Jim Walmsley (HOKA)
Hayden Hawks (HOKA)
Hillary Allen (Brooks)
Tabor Hemming (Adidas TERREX)

LEARN MORE ABOUT TRAILCON

Sponsors:

Grab a trail running pack from Osprey
Use code FREETRAIL25 for 25% off your first order of NEVERSECOND nutrition at never2.com
Go to ketone.com/freetrail30 for 30% off a subscription of Ketone IQ

Dylan Links: Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn | Strava

Rest Day | Gorge x ACG, Pacific Trails Cancellation, JFK & Ultra Trail Cape Town Preview Nov 21, 2025

Show notes

Welcome to Rest Day, Freetrail's occasional news pod covering the latest happenings in trail running. This week, we're joined by Adam Merry to talk through the following topics:

Pacific Trails by UTMB Cancellation
Gorge Waterfalls new multi-year partnership with All Conditions Gear
David Kilgore's departure from the Team Manager role at On
JFK & Ultra Trail Cape Town previews

Fabrice Perrin's LinkedIn Post

Sponsors:

Grab a trail running pack from Osprey
Use code FREETRAIL25 for 25% off your first order of NEVERSECOND nutrition at never2.com
Go to ketone.com/freetrail30 for 30% off a subscription of Ketone IQ

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