Ultra running promises performance, progress, and control. But for a lot of people, it’s filling a gap that normal life doesn’t. This episode explores what ultra running actually gives people and why it becomes something they need, not just something they do.

Joshua Landvatter and Kaden Coleman are attempting four 100-mile races in one summer. They both have real lives, real responsibilities, and no interest in chasing podiums. What comes out of this conversation is something deeper than training or racing, and it reframes what this sport really is.

This one’s for runners who feel like comfort isn’t enough and are looking for something more.

Please give us a follow, rate the podcast, and give a review.

If you’re new to Borderlands, start here.

00:00

1. Salt Lake Foothills Trail Races
2. Josh Rosenthal on IG
3. Borderlands.cc
4. La French Trail
5. High Tones
6. Subwhatever

1. Ultra Running isn't Just Running

Presented by Kiprun.

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Borderlands explores trail running through culture, media, and the forces shaping it.

Watch on YouTube

Read on Substack

Why do some people keep going when everything says stop? If you’ve ever hit a breaking point in endurance sports and wondered what actually determines whether you quit or keep moving, this conversation is for you. This episode explores the real mechanics of the ultrarunning mindset, beyond training or toughness.

Matt Johnson has spent a lot of time at that edge, where the body is failing and the decision gets simple but brutal. Instead of motivation, this conversation gets into what actually happens in that moment, the thoughts, patterns, and behaviors that allow someone to keep going when stopping feels inevitable.

This one’s for runners and endurance athletes trying to understand what really happens at their limit. Follow the show for more conversations like this.

Please give us a follow, rate the podcast, and give a review.

1. Salt Lake Foothills Trail Races
2. Josh Rosenthal on IG
3. Borderlands.cc
4. La French Trail
5. High Tones
6. Subwhatever

1. Ultra Running isn't Just Running

Presented by Kiprun.

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Borderlands explores trail running through culture, media, and the forces shaping it.

Watch on YouTube

Read on Substack

Listen on any podcast platform

Belong one Wylder, our community layer - iOS or Android

More at borderlands.cc

Nobody plans to become an ultra runner. There’s no clear path into the sport, no obvious starting point, and most people don’t grow up anywhere near it. So how do people actually find their way here?

In this conversation, Josh sits down with Emory Atterberry, founder of Hyperlyte Liquid Performance, and rising ultrarunner Cade Michael to explore how three people from the same unlikely place all ended up in the sport. What emerges is a deeper look at rebellion, isolation, and why some people feel pulled toward something harder.

This one’s for anyone trying to understand where ultrarunners really come from. Subscribe for more conversations that go deeper into the culture of the sport.

Please give us a follow, rate the podcast, and give a review.

• 00:00 The Journey to Becoming an Ultramarunner
• 01:34 The Journey to Ultrarunning
• 12:55 The Spirit of West Texas
• 15:58 Transitioning from Football to Ultra Running
• 25:16 The Mosaic of Inspiration in Running
• 33:12 The Journey to Ultrarunning: Growth and Transformation

1. Hyperlyte Liquid Performance
2. Salt Lake Foothills Trail Races - May 30
3. Josh Rosenthal on IG
4. Borderlands.cc
5. La French Trail
6. High Tones
7. Subwhatever

1. Ultra Running isn't Just Running

Presented by Kiprun.

----

Borderlands explores trail running through culture, media, and the forces shaping it.

Watch on YouTube

Read on Substack

Listen on any podcast platform

Belong one Wylder, our community layer - iOS or Android

More at borderlands.cc

Trail running is growing fast, but is it actually scaling? If you’ve ever felt like the sport looks bigger than it is, or struggled to follow it as a fan, this episode breaks down why. This is for runners and industry insiders trying to understand what’s really happening beneath the surface of trail running’s growth.

Josh unpacks the difference between participation and fandom, why brand investment is propping up the pro layer, and what’s missing for the sport to become something people actually follow. Western States and UTMB become the proving ground for a bigger question that could define the future of trail running.

This one’s for the runners who love the sport and want to understand where it’s actually headed.

Please give us a follow, rate the podcast, and give a review.

• 00:11 - The Illusion of Growth in Trail Running
• 02:05 - Understanding the Growth of Trail Running
• 03:33 - The Emergence of Fandom in Sports
• 06:58 - The Disconnect Between Fans and Athletes
• 08:18 - The Evolution of Running Culture
• 10:38 - The Importance of Fandom in Sports

1. Salt Lake Foothills Trail Races 
2. Josh Rosenthal on IG
3. Borderlands.cc
4. La French Trail
5. High Tones
6. Subwhatever

1. Ultra Running isn't Just Running
2. Why Trail Running Feels Like Skateboarding but Isn't

Presented by Kiprun.

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Borderlands explores trail running through culture, media, and the forces shaping it.

Watch on YouTube

Read on Substack

Listen on any podcast platform

Belong one Wylder, our community layer - iOS or Android

More at borderlands.cc

Trail running and running culture go beyond training plans, races, and performance. Raziq Rauf explains why running isn’t just a sport, but a reflection of identity, place, community, and modern running culture.

Raziq is the author of This Is Running and writes the newsletter Running Sucks. In this episode, we talk about running as culture, not just competition: place, community, creativity, solitude, fashion, consumerism, and why a run can change the person who started it. We also get into Haruki Murakami, narrative writing, run clubs, The Speed Project, and the strange modern shift from running as a sport to running as a lifestyle.

This episode is for runners who care about the meaning of the sport, not just the metrics.

Please give us a follow, rate the podcast, and give a review.

• 00:00 - The Deeper Meaning of Running
• 01:12 - The Meaning of Running
• 15:19 - The Evolution of Running Culture
• 16:43 - Shifting Perspectives on Running Culture
• 25:02 - Running as a Radical Act
• 30:50 - The Intersection of Running and Self-Improvement
• 43:01 - Exploring Creativity in Running
• 46:05 - The Solitude of Running and Creativity

1. Raz Rauf on IG
2. Running Sucks
3. This Is Running, Raz's new book
4. Thumbnail photo by Carly Palmour
5. Josh Rosenthal on IG
6. Borderlands.cc
7. La French Trail
8. High Tones
9. Subwhatever

1. Ultra Running isn't Just Running
2. Why Trail Running Isn't Skateboarding

Presented by Kiprun.

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Find us at Borderlands.cc and sign up for the newsletter.

Want to run in the Salt Lake area? Check out the Salt Lake Foothills Trail Races happening May 30, 2026.

And if you haven't checked out Wylder yet, it's worth a look. iOS or Android

Kiprun used to feel like an entry-level running brand, not one serious runners would put in the same conversation as the best trail running shoes in the sport. If you’re curious how a brand changes that perception and what it looks like when a running company genuinely reinvents itself this episode is for you.

Josh sits down with Inky Steve to break down the shift they’re seeing at Kiprun through the Kipsummit Max, Kipsummit Race, and the broader portfolio now taking shape under Decathlon. They get into stigma, design, price, performance, and why this feels less like a one-off good shoe and more like a brand returning with a completely different level of intent.

This one’s for runners who care about shoes, design, and where the culture is moving.

Please give us a follow, rate the podcast, and give a review.

• 00:00 - The Rise of Kiprun
• 04:33 - The Transformation of Kiprun Shoes
• 09:37 - The Evolution of Trail Running Shoes
• 15:27 - Running Shoes and Innovations
• 18:58 - Kiprun's Kipsummit Race Shoe
• 21:06 - The Evolution of Trail Running Shoes

1. Kiprun Kipsummit Race
2. Kiprun Kipsummit Max
3. Josh Rosenthal on IG
4. Borderlands.cc
5. La French Trail
6. High Tones
7. Subwhatever

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Find us at Borderlands.cc and sign up for the newsletter.

Want to run in the Salt Lake area? Check out the Salt Lake Foothills Trail Races happening May 30, 2026.

And if you haven't checked out Wylder yet, it's worth a look. iOS or Android

Ultra running reveals what happens when race plans fail, training falls apart, and things don’t go the way we want. Running helps strip away all the things we distract ourselves with and forces us to stand face to face with them.

In this conversation with Mike Kratzer, a former DJ turned runner, we explore what happens when there’s nothing left to hide. From quitting drinking without rock bottom to rejecting the sameness of modern running culture, this is about what running reveals when you stop trying to be someone and just are.

This one’s for runners who enjoy running culture and thinking about running on a deeper level beyond performance.

Listen, and if this resonates, share it with someone who needs it.

Presented by Kiprun.

Please give us a follow, rate the podcast, and give a review.

• 00:15 - Exploring the Essence of Running
• 06:07 - The Transition from Music to Running
• 11:18 - The Decision to Quit Drinking
• 23:26 - Exploring Influencers and Individuality in Running
• 31:36 - The Evolution of Running and Creativity

1. The confusing case of Camille Herron’s alleged Wikipedia edits
2. Borderlands.cc
3. Mike Kratzer on IG
4. Josh Rosenthal on IG
5. La French Trail
6. High Tones
7. Subwhatever

1. Ultra Running isn't Just Running
2. Mike Kratzer + Tom Reynolds at UTMB
3. 20 Minutes with Mike Kratzer
4. Nils Arend, TSP Founder

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Find us at Borderlands.cc and sign up for the newsletter.

Want to run in the Salt Lake area? Check out the Salt Lake Foothills Trail Races happening May 30, 2026.

And if you haven't checked out Wylder yet, it's worth a look. iOS or Android

Why do people run 100 miles and keep coming back to ultra running even after it hurts, slows them down, and offers no obvious reward? If you’ve ever been curious about ultra running or felt the pull toward doing something hard without fully understanding why, this conversation is for you.

In this episode, Billy Yang helps unpack what draws people into ultra running and what they’re actually searching for out there. It’s less about racing and more about identity, suffering, and the deeper reasons people choose to keep going.

For runners and anyone trying to understand why we choose hard things.

Please give us a follow, rate the podcast, and give a review.

• 00:00 Why Would ANYONE Run 100 Miles
• 05:55 The Journey of the Soul in Ultra Running
• 09:01 The Power of Storytelling in Sports
• 16:08 Exploring the Stories Behind the Sport
• 23:02 Why Do We Keep Going Back to the 100 Mile Starting Line
• 28:11 Reframing Your 'Why'
• 30:30 Ultra Running is the Great Equalizer

• The Why by Billy Yang
• "Nike Boys" Doc
• I Finally Conquered 100 Miles

• Nils Arend, TSP Founder
• Scott Jurek, Has Ultra Running Become too Polished?

Presented by Kiprun.

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Find us at Borderlands.cc and sign up for the newsletter.

Want to run in the Salt Lake area? Check out the Salt Lake Foothills Trail Races happening May 30, 2026.

And if you haven't checked out Wylder yet, it's worth a look. iOS or Android

Trail running culture is starting to look a lot like skateboarding—crews, aesthetics, a more raw identity.

But if you’ve ever wondered whether that comparison actually holds up, this episode breaks it down.

There’s a reason the connection feels right—and a deeper reason it might not be. This isn’t about dismissing what’s happening in running, but trying to understand what it actually is.

This episode is for runners who care about the culture of the sport, not just the miles.

Please give us a follow, rate the podcast, and give a review.

Presented by Kiprun.

• 1:20 Culture and Identity in Trail Running
• 4:19 The Shift from Results to Experience
• 06:41 The Intersection of Trail Running and Authority
• 10:21 The Intersection of Skate Culture and Trail Running

• Tommie Runz | 5 Loops
• SLC PUNK

• Is Ultrarunning Losing Its Charm?
• Is Ultrarunning Changing?

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Find us at Borderlands.cc and sign up for the newsletter.

Want to run in the Salt Lake area? Check out the Salt Lake Foothills Trail Races happening May 30, 2026.

And if you haven't checked out Wylder yet, it's worth a look. iOS or Android

Many runners come to ultrarunning through performance, but what happens when running comes after everything else falls apart? This episode explores how sobriety, loss, and identity shape the path into ultrarunning and what it actually looks like to rebuild a life from the ground up.

Josh sits down with Tommie Runz to trace the arc from heavy drinking and personal collapse to running across the desert from Los Angeles to Las Vegas, and eventually into ultrarunning. The conversation moves through early sobriety, community, and the tension between commitment and loss, including missing his best friend’s funeral during that run revealing how change actually happens over time.

For runners interested in the deeper reasons people come to the sport. Follow the show for more conversations like this.

Please give us a follow, rate the podcast, and give a review.

Presented by Kiprun.

Chapters

1. 00:00 The Impact of Personal Loss on Running
2. 01:19 The Relationship Between Sobriety and Running
3. 02:38 Community Support and Accountability
4. 05:43 Transitioning from Road to Trail Running
5. 06:54 The Experience of Running Javelina
6. 09:31 The Future of Tommy Runs
7. 16:25 The Journey to 100 Miles
8. 18:13 Cutting in Line: The Western States Experience
9. 18:15 Trail Running: A New Era of Competitors
10. 19:02 Training for the Mountains: Strategies and Challenges

Tommie Runz on Instagram

Western States

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Find us at Borderlands.cc and sign up for the newsletter.

Want to run in the Salt Lake area? Check out the Salt Lake Foothills Trail Races happening May 30, 2026.

And if you haven't checked out Wylder yet, it's worth a look. iOS or Android