The Freetrail Podcast with Dylan Bowman

Latest Episodes:

Nick Thompson | The Atlantic CEO & 50k Age-Group Record Holder Dec 11, 2024

Show notes

Nick Thompson is the CEO of The Atlantic, the famous American magazine and digital publisher founded in 1857. Before that, Nick was an Editor at both Wired and The New Yorker, developing a reputation for his great reporting, unique perspectives, and impactful stories across a range of subject matter.

In addition to his amazing professional career, Nick has also been a committed runner for life, a talented marathon runner, who is now dabbling in trail and ultrarunning. Back in 2021, Nick set an age group American record for 50k running 3:04, famously at the same time that Des Linden broke the Women's world record at the distance. Now, Nick is experimenting with trail and ultra running, doing a few 50 milers and a 100k, with at least some curiosity about the 100 mile distance. I've been a massive admirer of Nick's for a while. A media guy who is also a runner, Nick is an inspiration for me and I'm honored to have him on the show.

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MOSTLY HARMLESS STORY & FOLLOWUP

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Lauren Gregory | Rookie of the Year Dec 03, 2024

Show notes

Lauren Gregory is a pro athlete for Nike Trail living in New England. This season, Lauren had a big breakthrough in her professional career, notching three top-10 performances in Golden Trail World Series races, including an amazing 2nd place finish at the World Final in October. She has a huge career ahead of her and we're excited to host her on the podcast.

Topics discussed:

Lauren's background and history with sport
Her bronze medal from the 2017 Junior Mountain Running World Championship
Winning an NCAA Cross Country National Championship
Signing with Nike and the realities of going pro
The Trail Team and how it's onboarded new athletes to trail running
The advantages and disadvantages of living on the East Coast
Her coach Ben True, and he's influenced her training
Her 2024 season and reasons for the success
Goals for the future
A lot more!

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Sponsors:

Use code freetrail10 for 10% off Speedland Footwear
Grab a trail running pack from Osprey
Use code FT15 for 15% off Gnarly Nutrition
Go to ketone.com/freetrail30 for 30% off a subscription of Ketone IQ

Dylan Links: Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn | Strava

Aaron Lutze | Contract Season & The Pro Athlete Blueprint (REPLAY) Nov 21, 2024

Show notes

Aaron Lutze is a creator and sports marketing savant. He's also a dear friend and mentor who has had an enormous impact on my career as an athlete and content creator. Aaron recruited me to Red Bull and acted as my manager for many years. He's recognized as one of the best sports marketers in the industry. Now, Aaron and I co-host another podcast called Second Nature where we talk about the Outdoor Industry, endeavoring to help people build brands, businesses, and careers in the space.

In this conversation, we talk about the past and present of athlete partnerships, the reasons brands sponsor athletes, the value of creating longform content, audience vs. community, the future of athlete partnerships, and a lot more!

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Get your next favorite pack at Osprey.com or at your favorite local retailer.

Dylan Links: Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn | Strava

Courtney Olsen | 50-Mile World Record Holder Nov 13, 2024

Show notes

Courtney Olsen is a pro runner for HOKA living in Bellingham, WA. She is also the brand new World Record holder for the 50-mile distance, something she was able to achieve last weekend at Tunnel Hill in Southern Illinois. Finishing in a time of 5:31:56, Courtney managed to lower the existing record held by Ann Trason for 33 years by nine minutes. This is her first appearance on the podcast.

Topics we discuss:

Courtney's background and history with sport
Her struggles with depression and finding purpose in her 20s
The Bellingham Distance Project, a training group she helped to found 10 years ago
Her passion for art and writing
Her experience at lululemon's FURTHER event where she was there supporting Devon Yanko
Her huge podium performance at Comrades
A deep unpacking of her WR at tunnel hill
Look ahead to the 100k World Championship next month
And a lot more!

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Sponsors:

Use code freetrail10 for 10% off Speedland Footwear
Grab a trail running pack from Osprey
Use code FT15 for 15% off Gnarly Nutrition
Go to ketone.com/freetrail30 for 30% off a subscription of Ketone IQ

Dylan Links: Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn | Strava

Kilian Jornet | Zegama, Sierre-Zinal, & Alpine Connections Nov 08, 2024

Show notes

Kilian Jornet is one of the greatest athletes of all-time across all sports. His athletic accomplishments are staggering across trail running, alpinism, and ski mountaineering. This season he won Zegama for the 11th time, Sierre Zinal for the 10th time, and then completed a 1200km traverse of the Alps -- a personal project he called "Alpine Connections."

Some topics we discuss:

Kilian and Emelie's expanding family and lessons from parenthood
The value of exposing kids to a life of adventure
Zegama, a race that Kilan has now won 11 times over 17 years
Kilian's training, including a fascinating discussion around belief, circadian rhythm and stress management
Sierre Zinal, exploring how we maintain high performance as we get older
Alpine Connections, talking about the vision, the complexities, flow state experiences, and artistic influences inherent in the project.
Kilian's future goals including some exciting potential races in 2025
A lot more

READ KILIAN'S MTNATH BLOG Sponsors:

Use code freetrail10 for 10% off Speedland Footwear
Grab a trail running pack from Osprey
Use code FT15 for 15% off Gnarly Nutrition
Go to ketone.com/freetrail30 for 30% off a subscription of Ketone IQ

Dylan Links: Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn | Strava

Max Jolliffe | Moab 240 Champion on Addiction, Sobriety, Run Streaking, and Finding Purpose Oct 23, 2024

Show notes

Max Jolliffe is a pro runner for Satisfy living in Southern California. Max has only been in the sport for a couple years, accumulating experience and discovering his talent. Last week, Max had his biggest athletic breakthrough, winning and setting a new CR at the Moab 240. Max has a powerful personal story and it was great to get to know him in this conversation.

Topics discussed:

Max's struggles with addiction
Getting clean and discovering purpose through running
Run streaking and why he started 3+ years ago
Max's tattoos and tattoo culture
Discovering running talent and chasing goals
The value of jumping in the deep end
Max's sponsors Satisfy & Cadence
Learnings from TDS
The Moab 240 comeback victory
A lot more!

The Beach Kid -- Film about Max's race at TDS

Follow Max on Strava

Subscribe to Woah Max on YouTube

Sponsors:

Use code freetrail10 for 10% off Speedland Footwear
Grab a trail running pack from Osprey
Use code FT15 for 15% off Gnarly Nutrition
Go to ketone.com/freetrail30 for 30% off a subscription of Ketone IQ

Dylan Links: Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn | Strava

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Tim Tollefson | Trail Running Optimism Oct 18, 2024

Show notes

Tim Tollefson is a pro runner for Craft Sportswear, living in Mammoth Lakes, CA. He is also the Founder and Race Director of Mammoth Trail Fest. Tim is just eclipsing his tenth year as a trail runner where he's been one of the best athletes in the world. Approaching his 40th birthday, Tim is in a bit of a transition, still motivated to compete at the top while building the foundation for his next chapter. Tim is a longtime friend and our careers are unfolding in similar ways, making this a really fun conversation.

Topics discussed:

Creativity and craftsmanship
The practical physical and mental realities of aging
The importance of continuous self-work
Living in alignment with personal values
Burning clean fuel vs dirty fuel metaphorically
Tim's 2024 season including his DNF at UTMB
The rapid changes in the sport and increasing competition
Tim's relationship with UTMB championship Vincent Bouillard
Mammoth Trail Fest's growth
The idea of pursuing your life's work
The controversy and peaceful resolution of the Golden Trail race in Mammoth
Tim's personal development
Goals for 2025
A lot more!

Craft's film about Tim's 2024 UTMB

Sponsors:

Use code freetrail10 for 10% off Speedland Footwear
Grab a trail running pack from Osprey
Use code FT15 for 15% off Gnarly Nutrition
Go to ketone.com/freetrail30 for 30% off a subscription of Ketone IQ

Dylan Links: Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn | Strava

Caleb Olson | Fastest Western States Debut, Mountaineering, & The SLC Trail Scene Oct 10, 2024

Show notes

Caleb Olson is a professional trail runner for Nike living in Salt Lake City, UT. In the last couple years, Caleb has had a remarkable streak of high performance, including qualifying for the World Championships, winning a Golden Ticket, and running 14:40 at Western States -- the fastest debut in the race's history. This is his first appearance on the podcast.

Topics discussed:

Caleb's mountaineering exploits
The current momentum in the SLC trail scene
His history of being self-coached and why that might change soon
The importance of good partners in life and sport
Adapting to professional racing and rising to the occasion
Caleb's strong 2023 season and signing with Nike
His 2024 season including his amazing WS debut
Lessons around desire, motivation, and a lot more!

Sponsors:

Use code freetrail10 for 10% off Speedland Footwear
Grab a trail running pack from Osprey
Use code FT15 for 15% off Gnarly Nutrition
Go to ketone.com/freetrail30 for 30% off a subscription of Ketone IQ

Dylan Links: Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn | Strava

Tara Dower | Appalachian Trail FKT Holder Sep 30, 2024

Show notes

Tara Dower is a trail runner and thru-hiker from Virginia. Last week, Tara Dower managed to lower the overall Fastest Known Time on the Appalachian Trail (AT), previously held by the legend Karel Sabbe, by 13hrs. This is her first appearance on the podcast.

Topics discussed:

- Tara's background

- Her failed attempt to thru hike the AT in 2017 and her struggles with anxiety

- Her relationships with former record holders like Karl Meltzer & Jenn Pharr-Davis

- Her decision to go southbound instead of northbound

- Doing Hardrock only three weeks before the attempt

- Her slow start and need to make up a lot of time

- We talk about her crew known as chump change and her crew chief Rascal

- The saying that "the trail provides" and what that means practically

- Compare and contrast her strategy with Karrel Sabbe's

- The character of the trail itself, what makes the AT different

- We talk about the practical tactics of sleep and self care

- A lot more!

Subscribe to Tara's YouTube

Follow Tara on Strava

Sponsors:

Use code freetrail10 for 10% off Speedland Footwear
Grab a trail running pack from Osprey
Use code FT15 for 15% off Gnarly Nutrition
Go to ketone.com/freetrail30 for 30% off a subscription of Ketone IQ

Dylan Links: Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn | Strava

Jean-Marc Djian | Trail Running Shoe Dog, VP of Footwear SATISFY Sep 26, 2024

Show notes

Jean-Marc Djian is the brand new VP of Footwear for SATISFY and one of the OG shoe dogs of trail running. Jean-Marc worked at Salomon for almost 20 years, pioneering trail running footwear during an important moment for the sport. After Salomon, Jean-Marc went to The North Face where he was able to significantly improve the brand's footwear offering. We talk about his career and learnings from both brands and look ahead to the goals for SATISFY.

Topics discussed: