Today on the podcast is Asher Oates!

Asher is the #1 returner from Tennessee, ranked 24th in the nation by Milesplit.

Asher is a senior out of Independence High School in Tennessee. Just yesterday, he ran 14:44 for 5K XC, soloing a PR gun to tape in only his second meet of the season.

He is the defending Tennessee state champion for cross-country in Division 1 Class AAA. He also got 20th at Footlocker Nationals in 2024.

Even more exciting though, is that Asher is on the U20 U.S. Mountain/Trail Team, where he will represent the United States at the World Mountain & Trail Championships in Spain later this month. Such an amazing opportunity. We talk all about what that means for him. And, really, overall, my chat with Asher today was one of the deepest I have ever had on the show.

We talk so many things, from what it means to have the opportunity in Spain, to going to altitude camp in Boulder for 6 weeks with Paul Stafford this past summer, where he got to meet some of the top pros and mental performance coaches in the running space.

We also talk a little bit about the exit of Footlocker Nationals and the new era of high school national meets at Balboa Park.

One key theme in our chat today was definitely the mental game. As you will pick up on in our conversation, there is a level of poise and confidence that Asher carries with himself. He is surgical in the way that he approaches the process of training, the process of racing. Today, we truly peel back the layers of how he has developed such a mindset over his career. And, get some pen and paper out because, man, there were so many good insights. The man is a philosopher, for real.

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Other than that, sit back, relax, and enjoy my conversation with Mr. Asher Oates.