Trail Society

Latest Episodes:

Episode 117: Western States Winner Abby Hall and the Freedom of Owning Ambition Jan 20, 2026

Show notes

What does it really look like to pursue excellence over a decade — through injury, uncertainty, quiet rebuilds, and breakthrough moments that seem sudden only from the outside?

In this episode of Trail Society, host Corrine Malcolm sits down with one of her closest friends and most compelling athletes in the sport: Abby Hall. Fresh off her 2025 Western States 100 victory, Abby reflects on the long road that led there — and why the “messy middle” matters just as much as the podium.

This conversation is less about one race and more about a philosophy: making it "cool to care," showing up honestly, and staying in it when things don’t go to plan.

Together, Corrine and Abby dig into the rhythms of professional running beyond the highlight reels — from late-day training runs and household logistics to mindset shifts, team alignment, and the vulnerability of saying “I want to win.”

Whether you’re chasing podiums, consistency, or just a deeper connection to why you run, this episode offers a powerful reminder: there’s no one right way to do this — but there is value in doing it fully.

It’s a thoughtful, funny, deeply human conversation about longevity, grit, and what it means to grow alongside a sport that’s also growing up.

Support our partners:

This episode is brought to you by rabbit. If you're looking to treat yourself after the holidays or upgrade your winter running kit, head to www.runinrabbit.com and use code TRAILSOCIETYJAN in January for 10% off.

Trail Society is newly a part of the Feisty Media podcast network. Learn more about Feisty, a women's sports and health media and education company, at feisty.co

Courses and Coaching: https://livefeisty.com/courses/

@feisty_media

@trail.society

Episode 116: Reflecting on 2025, ReFUEL study updates, and Looking Ahead Dec 30, 2025

Show notes

Episode 116 is a year end reflection with Corrine Malcolm, Keely Henninger, and Hillary Allen, released just ahead of the New Year. The conversation opens with lighthearted check ins on holiday routines, winter training, and how each host plans to ring in 2026. From there, the episode moves into results, news, and science, including a detailed discussion of new findings from the ReFUEL study examining menstrual recovery, estrogen exposure, and ovulation in endurance athletes with functional hypothalamic amenorrhea and oligomenorrhea. The hosts unpack what it actually means for cycles to return, why multiple consecutive cycles matter, and how this research informs coaching, athlete health, and family planning conversations.

The second half of the episode is a wide ranging reflection on the year that was. Corrine, Keely, and Hillary look back on major themes from Trail Society in 2025, including athlete contracts, travel and racing highlights, fertility, resilience, fatigue, recovery, and women's sports milestones. They reflect on favorite conversations and guests, moments that surprised them, trends they are ready to leave behind, and ideas they hope shape the future of the sport. The episode closes with personal roses and thorns from the year, Society Slam listener questions, and an exciting announcement about what's coming next: a short break, a new weekly format in 2026, and even more long run listening ahead.

Sponsors

This episode is brought to you by rabbit. If you're looking to treat yourself after the holidays or upgrade your winter running kit, head to www.runinrabbit.com and use code HOPPYHOLIDAYS in December for 10% off.

Citations

Mallinson, R. J., et al. (2025). Multiple eumenorrheic cycles are necessary to observe a significant increase in estrogen exposure and ovulation in exercising women with functional hypothalamic oligo/amenorrhea undergoing a nutritional intervention: Insights from the REFUEL study. PM & R: The Journal of Injury, Function, and Rehabilitation. https://doi.org/10.1002/pmrj.70024

Episode 115. The Science of Resilience: Why Environment Matters More Than Toughness Dec 16, 2025

Show notes

Episode 115 is a winter roundtable with Corrine Malcolm, Keely Henninger, and Hillary Allen that explores how resilience in endurance sport is built not in isolation, but through people, culture, and environment. We open by checking in on winter training realities across snow, mud, rain, and darkness, and how community helps athletes keep showing up during the hardest part of the year. The episode also covers standout performances from CIM, including a historic day for women chasing the Olympic Trials standard, updates in women's sport science and leadership, and notable moments across trail, road, and skimo.

At the heart of the episode is a deep dive into new research by Chen et al. (2024), which challenges the idea that resilience is an innate trait. Instead, the study shows how grateful team climates foster individual gratitude and long-term psychological resilience. Hillary breaks down the science behind coaching environment, gratitude, and burnout prevention, connecting it to real-world trail running experiences. Together, the hosts reflect on where resilience actually comes from, how grit is often confused with adaptation, and what coaches, teammates, and communities can do to create environments where athletes grow braver rather than smaller. The episode closes with Society Slam listener questions and examples of organizations doing it right when it comes to supporting athletes through pregnancy, setbacks, and long-term participation in sport.

A huge shoutout to our sponsor rabbit! Check them out at www.runninrabbit.com with code HOPPYHOLIDAYS for 10% off in December!!

Episode 114. UTCT Deep Dive: Training, Travel Chaos, and Race Week Curveballs Dec 02, 2025

Show notes

Episode 114 takes us to Cape Town as Corrine gives a full UTCT race recap, reflecting on why she returned to the Deep South, the big-volume training block leading in, and the challenges of racing after travel sickness and time zone chaos. We talk pacing through the first 50 kilometers, fueling decisions, and what makes a night start feel uniquely disorienting. The conversation touches on heat training, mental reframing, and the honest emotional landscape of managing expectations when things out of your control land in your lap during race week.

We also round up an exceptionally fast weekend of racing across the globe including standout results from the JFK 50 Mile, the competitive UTCT podium battles, and record-breaking runs at the Quad Dipsea. Wrapping with recovery plans, what is coming next, and a Society Slam covering ultralight waterproof jacket recommendations and the wide range of pregnancy running experiences, this episode brings together community, science, and the real-life messiness of training and performing.

Thank you to our sponsor, rabbit, for making this happen! If you want to snag any new colder weather run gear you can hop on over to www.runinrabbit.com and use code → HOPPYHOLIDAYS for 10% off.

Episode 113: Redefining Pregnancy and Sport with Dr. Margie Davenport Nov 18, 2025

Show notes

In Episode 113 we sit down with Dr. Margie Davenport, Professor of Kinesiology and Director of the Program for Pregnancy and Postpartum Health at the University of Alberta. Margie has spent more than two decades advancing the science of exercise during pregnancy and postpartum, collaborating with organizations including FIFA, Sport Canada, ACSM, and the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada. She walks us through the transformative cardiovascular, metabolic, and biomechanical adaptations that make pregnancy "the ultimate stress test," while explaining how exercise supports both maternal and fetal health.

We also dig into her recent work on long-duration training during pregnancy, postpartum return-to-run recommendations, pelvic floor considerations, and the complex intersections of REDs, mental health, breastfeeding, and musculoskeletal injury risk. Margie's research dispels longstanding misconceptions and offers evidence-based guidance for athletes who want to stay active through every stage of pregnancy and return to sport with confidence. This is an essential conversation for anyone who cares about the science of women's health and performance.

Follow Margie here: @pregnancyandexercise

Big shout out to our sponsor, rabbit, for helping us with this scholarship. If you want to snag any new colder weather run gear you can hop on over to www.runinrabbit.com and use code → FALLTRAIL10 for 10% off.

Episode 112: Javelina Jundred Recap: Crewing, Community, and Getting More Women to the Start Line Nov 04, 2025

Show notes

In Episode 112 of Trail Society, Corrine, Keely, and Hillary head to the desert for the Javelina Jundred. Keely was on the ground with the rabbit x Trail Society scholarship athletes, Clarivel Vega and Daisy, crewing, pacing, and celebrating their powerful performances. From first trail race jitters and high and low moments, to late-night grit, the weekend was a reminder that showing up for one another can make all the difference.

The crew dives into what it means to create access, not just by giving out scholarships, but by building community and support systems that help women get to the start line and stay in the sport. They also discuss cut-off times in ultra races and how expanding the times may impact finish rates and access to women. They also recap some of the record-breaking performances from Javelina's golden ticket chase and reflect on how mentorship and representation can spark the next generation of trail runners.

Episode 111: Discipline or Disorder? The Psychology of REDs in Ultra-Endurance Athletes with Jill Colangelo Oct 21, 2025

Show notes

In this episode of Trail Society, Corrine, Keely, and Hillary sit down with researcher Jill Colangelo to unpack their newly published review, "Exploring the Presentation of REDs in Ultra Endurance Sport." This conversation dives deep into the intersection of low energy availability (LEA), disordered eating (DE), and exercise dependence (EXD), issues that are all too common yet rarely discussed openly in the ultra-endurance community.

Many athletes are unknowingly underfueling, especially for efforts lasting over two and a half hours, and whether this is intentional or unintentional, the consequences can be profound. The discussion explores how extreme training volumes, psychological pressures, and cultural norms around toughness and body image make ultra athletes uniquely vulnerable to both the physiological and psychological components of Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (REDs).

Together, Jill and Keely break down what current research tells us, and what's still missing, about fueling, recovery, and mental health in endurance athletes. They also tackle one of the hardest questions for athletes and coaches alike: how do we tell the difference between being disciplined and being disordered?

This episode challenges assumptions, questions long-held beliefs about "grit" in sport, and offers a more compassionate lens on what it means to truly care for the athlete's body and mind.

Follow Jill here:

www.jillcolangelo.com

Sponsors:

HUGE thanks to our sponsor rabbit for helping us with this scholarship. Shop their fall looks with 10% off using CODE → HOPTOBER10 at https://www.runinrabbit.com/

Citations:

Colangelo, J., Smith, A., Henninger, K. et al. Exploring the presentation of REDs in ultra endurance sport: a review. J Eat Disord 13, 210 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40337-025-01381-0

Episode 110: Scholarship Spotlight: Clarivel Vega on Finding Belonging Oct 07, 2025

Show notes

In this episode of Trail Society, Corrine, Keely, and Hillary break down an action-packed World Mountain and Trail Running Championships, where Team USA came away with hardware and Hillary surprised us all with a double, competing in both the vertical and the long trail events. Hilly shares what it was like to rock the Team USA kit, how she pivoted from preparing for a one-hour climb to suddenly taking on an 80km ultra, and what she learned from the experience.

The crew also highlights the story of Clarivel Vega, this year's 30km Javelina Trail Society Scholarship recipient. A first-generation Latina and lifelong runner, Clarivel has found strength, resilience, and belonging in the running community after growing up without family support for her sport and managing a chronic illness. From her roots in Santa Ana with Keep Runnin Santa Ana to her new adventure on the trails, her story is a powerful reminder of why representation matters and why we're committed to getting more underrepresented runners to the start line.

HUGE thanks to our sponsor rabbit for helping us with this scholarship. Shop their fall looks with 10% off using CODE → HOPTOBER10 at https://www.runinrabbit.com/

Episode 109: Taking Space on the Trails: A Conversation with Scholarship Winner Daisy Martinez Sep 23, 2025

Show notes

Episode 109 of Trail Society features an inspiring conversation with Daisy Martinez, the rabbit x Trail Society 100K scholarship winner whose story embodies resilience and representation. A Mexican American ultrarunner from Los Angeles, Daisy started trail running in 2016 and has since transformed personal challenges into fuel for her running journey. As a teen parent and now single mother, she credits the endurance and grit she built while raising her son with helping her push through the mental and physical demands of ultrarunning. Diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 2023, Daisy has been learning how to continue pursuing the sport she loves while managing the realities of an autoimmune disease.

Beyond her personal racing goals, Daisy is driven by a deep commitment to community. She co-founded Chingonas on the Run to empower women, especially women of color, to take up space in trail running and the outdoors. From racing her first ultramarathons, to training for Javelina 100K, Daisy embraces each challenge as a way to learn, grow, and inspire others. Through her scholarship, she hopes to show what's possible when passion meets support, and to blaze a trail for more underrepresented runners at start lines everywhere. We are so excited to see what she can do at Javalina!

Follow Daisy on instagram here: @elementsofdaisy

HUGE thanks to our sponsor rabbit for helping us with this scholarship. Shop their fall looks with 10% off using CODE → TRAILHOP10 at https://www.runinrabbit.com/

Articles:

2025 Canadian guideline for physical activity, sedentary behaviour and sleep throughout the first year post partum: https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/bjsports/59/8/515.full.pdf

Episode 108: Supporting Athlete-Mothers, Record Women's Participation & Ruth Croft's Triple Crown at UTMB Sep 09, 2025

Show notes

In this episode of Trail Society, Corrine Malcolm, Keely Henninger, and Hillary Allen dive into one of the biggest weeks in trail running, the 2025 UTMB Finals. From brutal weather and historically high dropout rates to some of the closest top-10 finishes ever, the crew breaks down all the drama across OCC, CCC, and UTMB. They highlight standout wins from Jim Walmsley, Ruth Croft, and Francesco Puppi, celebrate trailblazing performances from athletes representing countries new to the UTMB stage, and reflect on the growing but still uneven women's participation numbers. Beyond the race results, they explore what it means for athletes to double between UTMB, Hardrock, and upcoming World Championships, and touch on the ever-buzzing brand scene in Chamonix. Beyond the race, the crew highlights systemic challenges in sport: Strava and For All Mothers+ awarded $2,000 grants to 50 athlete-mothers to cover childcare costs and training expenses, directly addressing the "motherhood penalty" that prevents so many women from competing at the highest level. Tune in for a mix of insights, stories from the ground, and the unique perspective only this crew can bring.

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