Singletrack

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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Finn Melanson and Brett Hornig convene for another edition of the Long Run Archives. They talk about business ideas for trail running, the rise of breathing sensors in training and racing contexts, Grand Slam Track, the continued golden ticket chase at Tarawera, the final year of Pine to Palm, and the Barkley Marathons.

Timestamps:

• (0:00) - business ideas for trail running
• (17:43) - breathing sensors
• (35:28) - Grand Slam Track
• (44:45) - Nnormal
• (57:07) - Tarawera
• (68:49) - Pine to Palm
• (87:09) - Barkley Marathons
• (91:02) - records that won't be broken anytime soon

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:

• UCI Article
• TymeWear
• Beth McKenzie
• Andrew Thompson - Concepts for Success
• Andrew Thompson - Barkley Race Report 
• Follow Brett on Instagram, Strava, Youtube, Coaching, Patreon
• Follow Finn on Instagram, Strava, Youtube, and Patreon

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Caleb Olson returns to the show to discuss his dominant win at the Transgrancanaria Classic this past weekend. We dive into his conscious transition in racing style from hunter to race leader, the pack dynamics with Jon Albon and Josh Wade, the unique challenges of the TGC course, whether he feels different after such a significant career victory, and what might be next for him in 2025.

Timestamps:

• (2:35) - small talk, in-person recording debacle
• (5:27) - impact of Tom Evans not racing, being overlooked
• (8:45) - the psychology of dictating the race, how he made that shift
• (13:53) - working with Jack Kuenzle, training approach, being Strava "dim"
• (22:39) - staying motivated to lead the race, pack dynamic with Jon and Josh
• (38:52) - race mantras, the interest and courage to evolve as a pro
• (56:05) - unique challenges of the Transgrancanaria course
• (63:50) - final reflections, 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:

• Caleb's TGC Footage
• Follow Caleb on Instagram, Strava, Substack
• Follow Finn on Instagram, Strava, Twitter, Youtube, and Patreon

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Brett Hornig and Jeff Colt return to the show to recap highlights and takeaways from the Black Canyon 100K and 50K races in Arizona this past weekend. We talk about the rise of the 50K, "race shapers", evidence for high-carb failures, gear takeaways, moving the women's start before the men's race, and top performances from the likes of Seth Ruhling, Riley Brady, Tara Dower, and Will Murray.

Timestamps:

• (0:00) - 50K Recap
• (12:50) - Race Shapers
• (26:25) - High Carb Failures?
• (39:08) - Gear Stuff
• (48:20) - Riley Brady
• (66:23) - Joe McConaughy
• (74:42) - Seth Ruhling
• (80:27) - Tara Dower
• (90:34) - Livestream
• (96:02) - Moving The Women's Start?

Partners:

• Norda - one giant leap for trail-kind (https://nordarun.com/)
• Gorewear - use code SINGLETRACK30 at checkout on their website (https://www.gorewear.com) 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

Support the show

Tara Dower returns to the show to talk about life after setting the fastest known time on the Appalachian Trail, re-signing with Altra, building a high-performance team to support her ultrarunning goals, the Black Canyon 100K experience, and her outlook on this year’s Western States 100.

Timestamps

• 01:12 Setting Ambitious Goals
• 04:05 The Grind of The Black Canyon 100K
• 07:12 Bouncing Back from the AT
• 10:25 Building a High-Performance Team
• 13:46 Mindset Techniques for Success
• 15:46 Nutrition and Race Day Preparation
• 17:48 Navigating Media Attention
• 24:12 The Role of an Agent
• 26:01 Reflections on the Appalachian Trail
• 40:35 Choosing Durango: A Runner's Paradise
• 43:16 Mindset on the Start Line
• 53:37 Reflections on Performance and Improvement
• 01:02:19  The Golden Ticket Experience
• 01:05:41 Compartmentalizing Pressure and Expectations
• 01:08:50 Breaking Barriers in Ultra Running
• 01:12:25 Future Goals: Long Trails and New Adventures

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 Tara on Instagram, YouTube, Website, Girls On The Run
• Follow Finn on Instagram, Strava, Youtube, and Patreon

Support the show