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From Pro Triathlete to Trail Running Cowboy // Eli Hemming // Ep 92
Eli Hemming: From Olympic Triathlon to Trail Ultras, UTMB Goals, and the Joshua Tree Traverse
Ryan Maguire sits down with Eli Hemming, former elite professional triathlete turned trail runner, for a wide-ranging conversation about reinvention, endurance, and what drives an athlete when the Olympic dream doesn't pan out the way you planned.
Eli grew up in triathlon literally from birth. His mom was a triathlete and swim coach, and he was racing by age seven. What started as something social and skill-based eventually evolved into elite draft-legal Olympic-distance racing on the international circuit. He came within reach of the Tokyo Olympics before a broken foot derailed his qualification, and when he looked ahead at another four-year grind toward Paris, with all the travel and time away from family it would require, he decided it wasn't worth it.
What came next surprised even him. A race in Buena Vista, Colorado cracked open a new world, and trail running took hold fast. He found a coach in David Roche, started stacking results, and eventually ended up toeing the line against Roche himself at the Broken Arrow Skyrace, a moment that captures just how quickly his trajectory shifted.
Ryan and Eli also get into his relationship with his wife Tabor, their shared Adidas sponsorship, and a Joshua Tree traverse FKT attempt the two are chasing together. They dig into what makes Joshua Tree such a singular and strange place to run, and why the project matters to both of them personally.
On the racing front, Eli's 2026 calendar includes Black Canyon 100K and a return to Desert Rats 100K, where Ryan first spotted him, to earn his way into UTMB week races. UTMB itself is the long-term goal, even though he's only raced up to 100K so far. His best trail performance to date? OCC during UTMB week in Chamonix, and he lights up talking about the atmosphere there.
The conversation also gets honest about the harder parts of moving up in distance, overheating issues, a fried hypothalamus affecting heat regulation, fueling and hydration mistakes, and how his training philosophy is evolving around high volume without necessarily high mileage, muscular endurance work, and staying adaptable.
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By Ryan Maguire
5
77 ratings
Eli Hemming: From Olympic Triathlon to Trail Ultras, UTMB Goals, and the Joshua Tree Traverse
Ryan Maguire sits down with Eli Hemming, former elite professional triathlete turned trail runner, for a wide-ranging conversation about reinvention, endurance, and what drives an athlete when the Olympic dream doesn't pan out the way you planned.
Eli grew up in triathlon literally from birth. His mom was a triathlete and swim coach, and he was racing by age seven. What started as something social and skill-based eventually evolved into elite draft-legal Olympic-distance racing on the international circuit. He came within reach of the Tokyo Olympics before a broken foot derailed his qualification, and when he looked ahead at another four-year grind toward Paris, with all the travel and time away from family it would require, he decided it wasn't worth it.
What came next surprised even him. A race in Buena Vista, Colorado cracked open a new world, and trail running took hold fast. He found a coach in David Roche, started stacking results, and eventually ended up toeing the line against Roche himself at the Broken Arrow Skyrace, a moment that captures just how quickly his trajectory shifted.
Ryan and Eli also get into his relationship with his wife Tabor, their shared Adidas sponsorship, and a Joshua Tree traverse FKT attempt the two are chasing together. They dig into what makes Joshua Tree such a singular and strange place to run, and why the project matters to both of them personally.
On the racing front, Eli's 2026 calendar includes Black Canyon 100K and a return to Desert Rats 100K, where Ryan first spotted him, to earn his way into UTMB week races. UTMB itself is the long-term goal, even though he's only raced up to 100K so far. His best trail performance to date? OCC during UTMB week in Chamonix, and he lights up talking about the atmosphere there.
The conversation also gets honest about the harder parts of moving up in distance, overheating issues, a fried hypothalamus affecting heat regulation, fueling and hydration mistakes, and how his training philosophy is evolving around high volume without necessarily high mileage, muscular endurance work, and staying adaptable.