Trail running is growing fast — but is the money for athlete deals keeping up? In this episode, athlete agent Kelly Newlon returns to the show to unpack the latest economics behind athlete-brand partnerships in 2025. From $10K rookie contracts to six-figure base deals, Kelly breaks down who’s getting paid, why it’s finally improving for pros, and which brands and races hold the most weight in negotiations.

We cover:

• How athlete compensation has shifted in the last two years
• The truth about social media “deliverables” vs. performance bonuses
• What brands actually value — and why some athletes still get left out
• The rise of non-endemic deals (cars, banks, healthcare)

If you’ve always been curious about what “contract season” really looks like in trail running, this is a great look inside.

Additional Episodes:

• #355 - Tara Dower Signs Ground-Breaking Deal with Altra (Our Analysis)
• #135 - Kelly Newlon | Real Athlete Diets, Crewing FKT Projects, Athlete Sponsorship 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 (bit.ly/3JVNIbL) to get 30% off your purchase.
• Naak - use code SINGLETRACK15 at checkout on their website (https://www.naak.com/) to get 15% off your purchase.
• Raide - Making equipment for efficient human-powered movement in the mountains (https://raideresearch.com/)
• deltaG Ketones - use code Singletrack20 at checkout on their website to get 20% off your next order (https://partners.deltagketones.com/SINGLETRACK20)

Events:

• Register for the 2026 Buffalo Run
• Register for 2026 Twisted Fork Trail Festival

Additional Links:

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

Support the show

Brett Hornig and Jeff Colt return to the show, sharing insights from the World Trail Championships in Canfranc, highlights from the inaugural year at The Mammoth, and their favorite internet finds of the week.

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 (bit.ly/3JVNIbL) to get 30% off your purchase.
• Naak - use code SINGLETRACK15 at checkout on their website (https://www.naak.com/) to get 15% 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

Support the show

Earlier this month, Jeff Garmire set a new self-supported fastest known time (FKT) on the Appalachian Trail: 45 days, 8 hours, 37 minutes. He shaved more than three hours off Joe McConaughy’s 2017 mark—long regarded as one of the most impressive endurance feats in ultrarunning.

With that context, I was excited to have Jeff on the podcast to unpack the experience. We cover the essentials—gear, logistics, nutrition, training—but also go deeper. Jeff shares his background and motivations, and we explore the financial and sponsorship side of attempting something that requires stepping away from the rest of your life for nearly seven weeks.

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 (bit.ly/3JVNIbL) to get 30% off your purchase.
• Naak - use code SINGLETRACK15 at checkout on their website (https://www.naak.com/) to get 15% off your purchase.
• Raide - Making equipment for efficient human-powered movement in the mountains (https://raideresearch.com/)

Additional Links:

• Follow Jeff on Instagram, Podcast, Trevor Project
• Follow Finn on Instagram, Strava, Youtube, and Patreon

Support the show

In this edition of the Long Run Archives, we talk about the rise of agents in ultra-trail running, our takeaways from UTMB week, the increasing allure of the fastest known time scene, our dream co-hosts on this show, and some cool tech that has arrived at Singletrack HQ (spoiler alert: Tymewear).

Chapters

• 00:00 The Role of Agents in Athletics
• 20:40 The Mahoosuc Traverse, personal projects vs racing
• 38:38 UTMB Highlights and Stats
• 01:07:58 The Appalachian Trail 
• 01:14:04 Influences and Inspirations in Ultra Running
  
  

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 15% off your purchase.
• Raide - Making equipment for efficient human-powered movement in the mountains (https://raideresearch.com/)

Additional Links:

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

Support the show

Tom Evans joins the show fresh off his victory at the 2025 UTMB.

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 15% off your purchase.
• Raide - Making equipment for efficient human-powered movement in the mountains (https://raideresearch.com/)

Additional Links:

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

Support the show

Ruth Croft joins the show fresh off her victory at the 2025 UTMB. With this win, she completed the trifecta of finals victories (adding to her titles at CCC and OCC). In this conversation, we briefly reflect on the race but also take some time to explore her background and the transformative decisions she’s made to reach this moment.

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 15% off your purchase.
• Raide - Making equipment for efficient human-powered movement in the mountains (https://raideresearch.com/)

Additional Links:

• Follow Ruth on Instagram, Strava
• Follow Finn on Instagram, Strava, Youtube, and Patreon

Support the show

Hillary Gerardi joins us in our Chamonix studio during UTMB week for a wide-ranging conversation. We talk about her skyrunning career, setting a FKT on Mont Blanc, the modern history of the Chamonix valley, differences between French and American culture, and the risks, uncertainties, and small windows of opportunity that define some of her most memorable mountain projects.

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 15% off your purchase.
• Raide - Making equipment for efficient human-powered movement in the mountains (https://raideresearch.com/)

Additional Links:

• Follow Hillary on Instagram, Strava
• Follow Finn on Instagram, Strava, Youtube, and Patreon

Support the show

Anton Krupicka returns to the show in person at our Chamonix studio, where we dive into his history with UTMB, his new role at La Sportiva, skyrunning, the Grand Teton, and the increasing appeal of backyard endurance projects.

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 15% off your purchase.
• Raide - Making equipment for efficient human-powered movement in the mountains (https://raideresearch.com/)

Additional Links:

• Follow Anton on Instagram, Strava, Substack
• Follow Finn on Instagram, Strava, Youtube, and Patreon

Support the show

Michael Versteeg is racing UTMB on Friday. We hosted him for a long-form conversation at our Chamonix studio and somehow didn’t spend much time talking about that fact at all. Instead, we covered topics like public lands, the Barkley Marathons, building houses, his deep connection to Cocodona, following curiosity wherever it leads, and the importance of checking obsession. Enjoy!

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 15% off your purchase.
• Raide - Making equipment for efficient human-powered movement in the mountains (https://raideresearch.com/)

Additional Links:

• Follow Michael on Instagram, Blog
• Follow Finn on Instagram, Strava, Youtube, and Patreon

Support the show

Fresh off a transformative victory at Western States earlier this summer, Abby Hall returns to the show ahead of UTMB. We discuss her decision to take on the sport's de facto 100-mile world championship, the afterglow winning one of ultrarunning's biggest races, her relentless pursuit of excellence at the sharp end of competition, and - of course - the importance of curating the perfect playlist for the journey around the rooftop of Europe.

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 15% off your purchase.
• Raide - Making equipment for efficient human-powered movement in the mountains (https://raideresearch.com/)

Additional Links:

• Follow Abby on Instagram, Strava
• Follow Finn on Instagram, Strava, Youtube, and Patreon

Support the show