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Brett Hornig and Jeff Colt join Finn Melanson on the Singletrack Podcast for another edition of the Long Run Archives. In this episode, the trio reflects on the evolving media landscape in ultrarunning, using the wildly popular Cocodona 250 as a case study to examine its impact on race organizers, athletes, and fans. They also share personal takeaways and recap the key storylines from this year’s event. Finally, the conversation explores the (hypothetical) emergence of teams built specifically to win marquee races, speculates on the future of ultrarunning events, and wraps up with a discussion of interesting naming trends within the sport.

Timestamps:

• 01:21 Cocodona 250: A Fan's Perspective
• 05:27 The Impact of Media on Ultra Running
• 30:21 Future of Cocodona and Elite Participation
• 38:56 Influence of Cam Hanes
• 41:56 Pacing Dynamics in Ultra Running
• 57:41 Crew Dynamics and Fairness in Racing
• 01:08:35 Project Cocodona and The Concept of Brand-Funded Teams
• 01:31:15 The Future of Ultra Running Events, Innovative Relay Concepts in Ultra Running
• 01:35:49 Exploring Name Trends in Ultra Running
• 01:46:44 Marketing Strategies for Trail Running Regions
  
  
  

Partners:

• Norda - check out the 005: the lightest, fastest, most stable trail racing shoe ever made (https://nordarun.com/)
• Gorewear - use code SINGLETRACKPOD30 at checkout on their website to get 30% off your purchase.
• Naak - use code SINGLETRACK15 at checkout on their website (https://www.naak.com/) to get 20% off your purchase.
• Raide - Making equipment for efficient human-powered movement in the mountains (https://raideresearch.com/)

Additional Links:

• Follow Jeff on Instagram, Strava, Youtube
• Follow Brett on Instagram, Strava, Youtube, and Coaching
• Follow Finn on Instagram, Strava, Twitter, Youtube, and Patreon

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Tom Hooper joins the show to publicly announce and analyze the men's and women's long trail teams that will represent the USA at the World Trail Championships in Canfranc, Spain, this September.

Timestamps:

• 00:00 Introduction and Background
• 02:09 Selection Race Controversies, The Future of Selection Races
• 08:05 Team Composition: Women's Team Overview
• 12:16 Team Composition: Men's Team Overview
• 16:39 Building a Strong Team
• 19:47 Advice for Future Athletes, Future Race Selection Process

Partners:

• Norda - check out the 005: the lightest, fastest, most stable trail racing shoe ever made (https://nordarun.com/)
• Gorewear - use code SINGLETRACKPOD30 at checkout on their website to get 30% off your purchase.
• Naak - use code SINGLETRACK15 at checkout on their website (https://www.naak.com/) to get 20% off your purchase.
• Raide - Making equipment for efficient human-powered movement in the mountains (https://raideresearch.com/)

Additional Links:

• Follow Team USA 
• Follow Finn on Instagram, Strava, Youtube

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Finn Melanson, Brett Hornig, and Leah Yingling provide in-depth analysis, commentary, and predictions for the competition at this year’s Cocodona 250.

Timestamps:

• (0:00) - Cocodona 250 hype, general conversation
• (27:58) - Course analysis
• (45:41) - Women's field preview
• (72:56) - Men's field preview

Partners:

• Norda - check out the 005: the lightest, fastest, most stable trail racing shoe ever made (https://nordarun.com/)
• Gorewear - use code SINGLETRACKPOD30 at checkout on their website to get 30% off your purchase.
• Naak - use code SINGLETRACK15 at checkout on their website (https://www.naak.com/) to get 20% off your purchase.
• Raide - Making equipment for efficient human-powered movement in the mountains (https://raideresearch.com/)

Additional Links:

• Follow Leah on Instagram,  Strava, Twitter
• Follow Brett on Instagram, Strava, Youtube
• Follow Finn on Instagram, Strava, Youtube

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This is a crossover podcast from the Conversational Pace YouTube channel (hosted by my good friend, Brett Hornig) in which we talk about my gear, nutrition, and overall strategy for the 2025 Cocodona 250.

Timestamps:

• 0:00 Intro
• 2:21 Gear from 2024 you won’t be using in 2025
• 6:58 Starting pack of choice
• 13:04 Starting shoe of choice
• 18:09 Gaiters or no gaiters?
• 19:34 Need to be fit enough to play the game
• 22:00 What makes the first day interesting
• 24:13 Day two
• 25:36 Lighting choices
• 27:33 Day two shoes
• 33:24 Poles
• 35:08 Significant mid-race gear pivots from last year
• 40:28 Final miles of the course
• 47:52 The 2025 Cocodona crew

Partners:

• Norda - check out the 005: the lightest, fastest, most stable trail racing shoe ever made (https://nordarun.com/)
• Gorewear - use code SINGLETRACKPOD30 at checkout on their website to get 30% off your purchase.
• Naak - use code SINGLETRACK20 at checkout on their website (https://www.naak.com/) to get 20% off your purchase.
• Raide - Making equipment for efficient human-powered movement in the mountains (https://raideresearch.com/)

Additional Links:

• Follow Brett on Instagram, Strava, Youtube
• Follow Finn on Instagram, Strava, Youtube

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Brett Hornig and Leah Yingling return to the Singletrack Podcast to preview the final golden ticket chase for the 2025 Western States 100 at this weekend’s Canyons 100K in Auburn, CA.

Six golden tickets are up for grabs, with standout athletes like Marianne Hogan, Anthony Costales, Hannes Namberger, Katie Asmuth, and Erin Clark adding serious depth to the competition.

They discuss recent administrative updates surrounding the event—including its new status as a "super" golden ticket race, the lack of a live stream, and its recently revoked designation as the Americas Major in the UTMB World Series. 

They also break down how the course and weather could impact the outcome before diving into the women’s and men’s fields and sharing their podium picks and golden ticket predictions.

*Note - we recorded this episode 9 days before the race, so we apologize in advance for not being able to factor last-minute entrants between then and now into our analysis and predictions.

Partners:

• Norda - check out the 005: the lightest, fastest, most stable trail racing shoe ever made (https://nordarun.com/)
• Gorewear - use code SINGLETRACKPOD30 at checkout on their website to get 30% off your purchase.
• Naak - use code SINGLETRACK20 at checkout on their website (https://www.naak.com/) to get 20% off your purchase.
• Raide - Making equipment for efficient human-powered movement in the mountains (https://raideresearch.com/)

Additional Links:

• Follow Leah on Instagram,  Strava, Twitter
• Follow Brett on Instagram, Strava, Youtube
• Follow Finn on Instagram, Strava, Youtube

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Brett Hornig and Jeff Colt return to the Singletrack Podcast for another edition of the Long Run Archives.

Timestamps:

• 00:00 Gorge Waterfalls Race Recap
• 25:11 Katie Schide and Germain Grangier Move To On
• 39:20 Dez Linden's Transition to Ultra Running
• 46:11 LeBron James and the Five-Minute Mile Debate
• 54:50 Unbreakable 2: The Anticipation of a Sequel
• 01:12:20 The Evolution of Ultra Running and Regional Competitions
• 01:27:28 The Rise of 200-Mile Races and Their Competitiveness

Partners:

• Norda - check out the 005: the lightest, fastest, most stable trail racing shoe ever made (https://nordarun.com/)
• Gorewear - use code SINGLETRACKPOD30 at checkout on their website to get 30% off your purchase.
• Naak - use code SINGLETRACK20 at checkout on their website (https://www.naak.com/) to get 20% off your purchase.
• Raide - Making equipment for efficient human-powered movement in the mountains (https://raideresearch.com/)

Additional Links:

• Follow Jeff on Instagram, Strava, Youtube
• Follow Brett on Instagram, Strava, Youtube, and Coaching
• Follow Finn on Instagram, Strava, Twitter, Youtube, and Patreon

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Drew Darby and Rob Fisher join the show to unpack the making of The Finisher, our new documentary chronicling Jasmin Paris’ historic completion of the 2024 Barkley Marathons. We reflect on the creative process, the unique storytelling challenges of the Barkley, and what we learned along the way.

Timestamps:

• (0:00) – Background, intros
• (2:53) – Why Barkley is a media nightmare (and dream)
• (7:03) – Do we have a film? Short form vs long form
• (16:29) – Timelines, pressure, and hindsight
• (30:27) – Barkley surprises from behind the camera
• (36:26) – Crafting the behind-the-scenes narrative
• (42:02) – Untold themes we could’ve explored
• (47:05) – Indie filmmaking: the pros and cons
• (61:36) – Reflections on key characters
• (71:46) – Final takeaways + what’s next

Partners:

• Norda - check out the 005: the lightest, fastest, most stable trail racing shoe ever made (https://nordarun.com/)
• Gorewear - use code SINGLETRACKPOD30 at checkout on their website to get 30% off your purchase.
• Naak - use code SINGLETRACK20 at checkout on their website (https://www.naak.com/) to get 20% off your purchase.
• Raide - Making equipment for efficient human-powered movement in the mountains (https://raideresearch.com/)

Additional Links:

• Follow Drew on Instagram, LinkedIn, Website
• Follow Rob on LinkedIn, Website
• Follow Finn on Instagram, Strava, Youtube, and Patreon

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John Kelly returns to the Singletrack Podcast, this time to reflect on the 2025 Barkley Marathons and the insights he has gained from the notorious event over the past decade. He then dives into announcing and discussing his plans to attempt the fastest known time on the Appalachian Trail later this year.

Timestamps:

• (0:00) - the difficulty of the 2025 Barkley Marathons course
• (1:36) - the importance of a "pipeline" of Barkley finishers
• (10:13) - the intentions of Lazarus Lake and Carl Laniak
• (14:58) - Barkley is not an orienteering event
• (23:00) - Brett Maune course record reflection
• (25:02) - whether Barkley will still be relevant after the Laz era
• (26:10) - Appalachian Trail FKT announcement
• (33:30) - the difficulty of beating the current fastest known time
• (37:21) - Appalachian Trail influences
• (43:14) - opportunities for improvement in the record approach
• (46:28) - building out support team
• (50:53) - how much it takes to prepare
• (01:04:15) - mental performance strategy
• (01:06:22) - final thoughts

Partners:

• Norda - check out the 005: the lightest, fastest, most stable trail racing shoe ever made (https://nordarun.com/)
• Gorewear - use code SINGLETRACKPOD30 at checkout on their website to get 30% off your purchase.
• Naak - use code SINGLETRACK20 at checkout on their website (https://www.naak.com/) to get 20% off your purchase.
• Raide - Making equipment for efficient human-powered movement in the mountains (https://raideresearch.com/)

Additional Links:

• Follow John on Instagram, Strava, Website
• Follow Finn on Instagram, Strava, Youtube, and Patreon

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We've got another classic edition of the Long Run Archives on deck, but it's been a minute. We've been fully immersed in all things Barkley Marathons, working hard to bring a few key projects to the finish line.

Two big shoutouts here:

First, The Finisher, a long-form documentary about Jasmin Paris’ three-year journey to become the first female finisher at the Barkley. Huge credit and gratitude to Jules Campanelli, Drew Darby, and Rob Fisher, who worked tirelessly to bring this piece to life. We wrapped it up in great form last week.

Second, we turned around a 2025 Barkley recap vlog to get a window in this year’s event as quickly as possible. That’s now live on the Singletrack YouTube channel, thanks to the excellent work of my friend and colleague, Roo Smith.

Anyways, in this edition of the Long Run Archives, Brett and I chat all things Big Alta, Chianti, Barkley, and Crown King before closing with the best stuff we found on the internet this week. Enjoy!

Timestamps:

• (1:33) - Big Alta
• (25:14) - Chianti
• (41:41) - Barkley Marathons
• (64:06) - Courtney Dauwalter + Crown King
• (76:42) - Best Stuff We Found On The Internet

Partners:

• Norda - check out the 005: the lightest, fastest, most stable trail racing shoe ever made (https://nordarun.com/)
• Gorewear - use code SINGLETRACKPOD30 at checkout on their website to get 30% off your purchase.
• Naak - use code SINGLETRACK20 at checkout on their website (https://www.naak.com/) to get 20% off your purchase.
• Raide - Making equipment for efficient human-powered movement in the mountains (https://raideresearch.com/)

Additional Links:

• Hypershell
• Follow Brett on Instagram, Strava, Youtube, Coaching, Patreon
• Follow Finn on Instagram, Strava, Youtube, and Patreon

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In this episode, I'm joined by ultrarunning filmmaker Dylan Harris for a special conversation.

Dylan is the director of an upcoming film called "The Chase", which tells the story of the epic six-way battle for victory at the 2024 Cocodona 250, featuring Jeff Browning, Harry Subertas, Michael Versteeg, Joe McConaughy, Arlen Glick, and Michael McKnight. We've had almost all of these guys on the pod before — some of my favorite characters in the sport — and it was incredible to see how this film captured the unique blend of their personalities and racing styles at a premier multi-day event like Cocodona.

In this conversation, Dylan and I start and finish by discussing the potential for more content like this in the ultrarunning space, which was awesome. But even more so, we spend the bulk of our time diving deep into each of the featured athletes, adding another compelling layer of insight to the film’s storytelling.

Timestamps:

• (2:05) - Unbreakable inspirations, making more films with good storytelling prioritized
• (19:26) - Arlen Glick, Michael Versteeg, Joe McConaughy, Michael McKnight, Jeff Browning reflections
• (85:17) - final thoughts

Partners:

• Norda - check out the 005: the lightest, fastest, most stable trail racing shoe ever made (https://nordarun.com/)
• Gorewear - use code SINGLETRACKPOD30 at checkout on their website to get 30% off your purchase.
• Naak - use code SINGLETRACK20 at checkout on their website (https://www.naak.com/) to get 20% off your purchase.
• Raide - Making equipment for efficient human-powered movement in the mountains (https://raideresearch.com/)

Additional Links:

• "The Chase" Film Tour
• Dylan Harris
• Inaugural Year, The Long Way Home
• Follow Finn on Instagram, Strava, Youtube, and Patreon

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