Singletrack

Emkay Sullivan is a professional trail runner for Craft based in Reno NV ahead of her race at the Black Canyon 100K on February 10th. In this conversation we talk about going full-time on trail running, making the jump to the 100K distance, why 2024 represents the start of her versatility era, and some reflections on the Sub Hub Podcast and highlights from covering that part of the sport.

Timestamps:

• (0:32) - full time pro trail running
• (2:03) - reflecting on 2023 season, moving up in distance, versatility era
• (14:14) - black canyon preparation, possible race outcomes, golden ticket considerations
• (19:35) - sub hub podcast, sub ultra scene highlights

Sponsors:

• Naak - use code SINGLETRACK15 at checkout on their website (https://www.naak.com/) to get 15% off your purchase.
• Rabbit - use code Singletrack20 at checkout on their website (https://www.runinrabbit.com/) to get 20% off your next order.
• Brooks Running - check out their High Point clothing collection and new and improved Cascadia 17 shoe at this link (https://www.brooksrunning.com/singletrack).

  Links:

• Follow Emkay on Instagram, Strava, Subhub Podcast
• Follow Finn on Instagram, Strava, Youtube

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Rachel Drake is a professional trail runner for Nike based in Portland, Oregon. Ahead of her race at the Black Canyon 100K on February 10th, we talk about using the road marathon as a vehicle for trail speed, the value in collaborating with competitors to reach your potential, the appeal of Black Canyon and a golden ticket to Western States, as well as her experience in the Hong Kong trail scene last month.

 Timestamps:

• (2:07) - marathon as a vehicle for trail speed
• (5:09) - collaborating with competitors
• (9:36) - race schedule, staying inspired
• (14:29) - Hong Kong trail running scene
• (17:42) - Black Canyon discussion

Sponsors:

• Naak - use code SINGLETRACK15 at checkout on their website (https://www.naak.com/) to get 15% off your purchase.
• Rabbit - use code Singletrack20 at checkout on their website (https://www.runinrabbit.com/) to get 20% off your next order.
• Brooks Running - check out their High Point clothing collection and new and improved Cascadia 17 shoe at this link (https://www.brooksrunning.com/singletrack).

  Links:

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

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Hayden Hawks is a professional trail runner sponsored by Hoka, Coros, and Precision, based in Cedar City, UT. In this conversation, we discuss his recovery from injury and surgery midway through the last season, the tools and knowledge he has incorporated into his ultrarunning routine over the past nine months, his training approach and visualization strategies for the upcoming race at Black Canyon, and some reflections on how his career has developed to date.

Timestamps:

• (0:46) - bounce back from injury and surgery
• (4:17) - training changes, load management
• (16:50) - nutrition changes
• (25:17) - making the choice early in career to go ultra versus sub ultra
• (31:50) - seasonal racing volume 
• (36:11) - Black Canyon 100K discussion 
• (48:17) - miscellaneous topics, final thoughts

Sponsors:

• Naak - use code SINGLETRACK20 at checkout on their website (https://www.naak.com/) to get 20% off your purchase.
• Rabbit - use code Singletrack20 at checkout on their website (https://www.runinrabbit.com/) to get 20% off your next order.
• Brooks Running - check out their High Point clothing collection and new and improved Cascadia 17 shoe at this link (https://www.brooksrunning.com/singletrack).

 Links:

• Follow Hayden on Instagram, Strava, Website
• Follow Finn on Instagram, Strava, Youtube

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🗣️ “The more I’m exposed to better athletes and better people and their unique things, the more obsessed they are. The more it drives their day-to-day, it drives their minute-to-minute, and nothing else kinda matters.”

Widely recognized as one of America’s best middle-distance runners in the 2010s, Ben Blankenship joins the Singletrack Podcast to talk about his move into ultra-trail running, racing the Rabid Raccoon 100 miler in March, the nature of obsession and the willingness to push limits at the top of the sport, the allure of the dirtbag runner lifestyle, and his experience at the 2015 UTMB watching the likes of David Laney, Tim Tollefson and Zach Miller throw down.

Timestamps:

• (1:21)  - witnessing the 2015 UTMB with Nike Trail 
• (5:17) - running background, the opportunities he seized to build a career
• (9:46) - the psychological builds of elite runners, bougie versus dirtbag distinctions
• (17:02) - how to watch running 
• (21:10) - grappling with a running career at a crossroads
• (24:03) - being coached by Ryan Hall, trail running training 
• (30:04) - Rabid Raccoon 100, testing the ultra scene, Grayson Murphy's influence
• (36:47) - Endless Mileage Project

Sponsors:

• Naak - use code SINGLETRACK20 at checkout on their website (https://www.naak.com/) to get 20% off your purchase.
• Rabbit - use code Singletrack20 at checkout on their website (https://www.runinrabbit.com/) to get 20% off your next order.
• Brooks Running - check out their High Point clothing collection and new and improved Cascadia 17 shoe at this link (https://www.brooksrunning.com/singletrack).

 Links:

• Follow Ben on Instagram, Strava, Twitter, Endless Mileage Project
• Follow Finn on Instagram, Strava, Youtube

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Sam Parsons returns to provide an update on Tinman Elite, a professional running team based out of Boulder, CO. We get into the challenges of building, maintaining, and growing the team, influencing the greater professional culture in running, and reflections on Sam’s athletic mortality and what the future might hold for him.

Note - Earlier this month we reposted a conversation with Sam from November 2021 that queues this one up nicely. Go check it out, if you haven't already. 

Timestamps:

• (0:48) - there's still no co-located ultra-trail running team 
• (3:24) - the wins and losses for Tinman Elite over the last 2 years
• (9:06) - why it's still worth it
• (11:54) - the dark side of discipline
• (19:26) - the requirements to keep at it in yours 30s
• (29:20) - changing the culture of pro running
• (34:38) - rivalries in running, recruiting runners with fire
• (44:34) - stock up or stock down, the next road runner to go to trail, next steps

Sponsors:

• Naak - use code SINGLETRACK20 at checkout on their website (https://www.naak.com/) to get 20% off your purchase.
• Rabbit - use code Singletrack20 at checkout on their website (https://www.runinrabbit.com/) to get 20% off your next order.
• Brooks Running - check out their High Point clothing collection and new and improved Cascadia 17 shoe at this link (https://www.brooksrunning.com/singletrack).

 Links:

• Follow Sam on Instagram, Strava
• Follow Tinman Elite on Instagram, YouTube, Website 
• Follow Finn on Instagram, Strava, Youtube

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Zach Miller is a professional trail runner for the North Face. In this conversation, we cover this latest thoughts on training, racing, and UTMB.

Timestamps:

• (1:06) - UTMB Thoughts
• (35:56) - Training, Racing, Career Thoughts
• (89:53) - Miscellaneous Topics, Next Steps

Sponsors:

• Naak - use code SINGLETRACK20 at checkout on their website (https://www.naak.com/) to get 20% off your purchase.
• Rabbit - use code Singletrack20 at checkout on their website (https://www.runinrabbit.com/) to get 20% off your next order.
• Brooks Running - check out their High Point clothing collection and new and improved Cascadia 17 shoe at this link (https://www.brooksrunning.com/singletrack).

Links:

• Follow Zach on Instagram, Strava, IRunFar
• Follow Finn on Instagram, Strava, Youtube

Support the show

Way back in November 2021 when this show was just getting off the ground, we did an episode with Sam Parsons - a professional runner and cofounder of the Tinman Elite team based in Boulder, CO.

At the time, I was surprised that we had not seen the formation and widespread existence of a truly professionalized, co-located team in the trail running world. So I reached out, he gave me an hour, and I tried to fit in as many questions as I could about how they operate, what’s worked, what hasn’t, and what it would take to create something similar in our community.

I have never done an episode re-run before, but I’m doing it now because (a) it’s been over 2 years and we’re in a similar position to where we were in 2021, (b) the show didn’t have many listeners when the original episode aired so there was little to no reach for the message, and (c) this re-run may queue up a potential part 2 later this winter.

Lastly, I’m well aware of the unique challenges that our sport presents for this idea to work, but I’m still convinced it’s a good idea. So, I hope that in the coming months and years a band of motivated people run with this idea and make something happen.
 
 Timestamps

• (1:46) - the story of Tinman Elite
• (4:01) - speculating on the potential for trail running teams 
• (7:09) - the Tinman playbook for recruiting team members
• (12:17) - how Tinman coordinates training, racing schedules
• (17:34) - why aspiring pro runners still default to the roads and track
• (22:54) - how Sam would grow the sport of trail running
• (26:47) - Adidas internship
• (32:17) - brand marketing inspirations for running teams
• (34:08) - how Tinman creates content for social media
• (46:08) - lessons from Tinman for the next trail running team

Sponsors:

• Naak - use code SINGLETRACK20 at checkout on their website (https://www.naak.com/) to get 20% off your purchase.
• Rabbit - use code Singletrack20 at checkout on their website (https://www.runinrabbit.com/) to get 20% off your next order.
• Brooks Running - check out their High Point clothing collection and new and improved Cascadia 17 shoe at this link (https://www.brooksrunning.com/singletrack).

 Links

• Follow Sam Parsons and Tinman Elite 
• Follow Finn on Instagram, Strava, Youtube

Support the show

Trail Tea is back! In this edition, I am once again joined by Jack Kuenzle, Dan Curts, and Abby Levene. There is a fair bit of profanity used in this episode, so you are forewarned on that front. And one issue to be aware of before listening - I neglected to catch an audio issue with Dan’s microphone early in the episode that persists and ultimately, gets worse through the end of the conversation. I looked into possible fixes in post-production, but could not find an adequate solution.  We will make sure the 3rd edition (and all future editions of TT, for that matter) have immaculate audio quality.

Timestamps:

• (2:33) why Jack is not racing UTMB next year, general thoughts on whether to opt out of the UTMB system
• (62:06) doping in trail running, genetic predetermination of success in the sport
• (81:05) debating the value of trail running media 

Sponsors:

• Naak - use code SINGLETRACK20 at checkout on their website (https://www.naak.com/) to get 20% off your purchase.
• Rabbit - use code Singletrack20 at checkout on their website (https://www.runinrabbit.com/) to get 20% off your next order.
• Kodiak Cakes - use code Singletrack15 at checkout on their website (https://kodiakcakes.com/singletrackpodcast) to get 15% off your next order.
• Brooks Running - check out their High Point clothing collection and new and improved Cascadia 17 shoe at this link (https://www.brooksrunning.com/singletrack).
• Oladance - use code ST at this link (https://oladance.com/ST) to get $30 off the Oladance OWS2 headphones.

Links:

• Follow Jack on Strava and Instagram
• Follow Abby on Strava and Instagram
• Follow Dan on Strava and Instagram
• Follow Finn on Instagram, Strava, Youtube

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I am joined by co-hosts Brett Hornig and Leah Yingling to recap the year in mountain ultra trail running. We cover our favorite storylines, biggest changes in the sport, the rookie athletes that burst onto the scene, runners that had "comeback" type seasons, our thoughts certain candidates inside TROY and UROY voting, unsung performances and runners of the year, personal highlights, and our predictions for 2024.

Timestamps:

• (1:44) - top storylines of 2023
• (11:02) - rookies of the year
• (18:18) - comeback runners of the year
• (24:03) - unsung performances of the year
• (40:01) - internal TROY and UROY placement debates
• (47:48) - biggest changes in ultra-trail running this year
• (57:31) - predictions for 2024

Sponsors:

• Naak - use code SINGLETRACK20 at checkout on their website (https://www.naak.com/) to get 20% off your purchase.
• Rabbit - use code Singletrack20 at checkout on their website (https://www.runinrabbit.com/) to get 20% off your next order.
• Kodiak Cakes - use code Singletrack15 at checkout on their website (https://kodiakcakes.com/singletrackpodcast) to get 15% off your next order.
• Brooks Running - check out their High Point clothing collection and new and improved Cascadia 17 shoe at this link (https://www.brooksrunning.com/singletrack).
• Oladance - use code ST at this link (https://oladance.com/ST) to get $30 off the Oladance OWS2 headphones.

Links:

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

Support the show

Jennifer Pharr Davis is perhaps best known in our community for her two fastest known times set on the Appalachian Trail in 2008 and 2011. The latter record, in my humble opinion, stands as one of the most important and influential feats in the ultra-endurance community during the 2010s.

Jennifer is also the author of an excellent book called 'The Pursuit of Endurance', which profiles well-known athletes from the long-distance Fastest Known Time (FKT) scene, including Scott Jurek, Heather Anderson, David Horton, and Warren Doyle.

During this conversation, we gain insights from Jennifer on the state of the FKT world. We discuss whether the current media attention, regulations, and styles that drive many modern athletes are a net positive for this space. And Jennifer also shares how she approached the trail and provides updates on what she's currently involved in.

Sponsors:

• Naak - use code SINGLETRACK15 at checkout on their website (https://www.naak.com/) to get 15% off your purchase.
• Rabbit - use code Singletrack20 at checkout on their website (https://www.runinrabbit.com/) to get 20% off your next order.
• Kodiak Cakes - use code Singletrack15 at checkout on their website (https://kodiakcakes.com/singletrackpodcast) to get 15% off your next order.
• Brooks Running - check out their High Point clothing collection and new and improved Cascadia 17 shoe at this link (https://www.brooksrunning.com/singletrack).
• Oladance - use code ST at this link (https://oladance.com/ST) to get $30 off the Oladance OWS2 headphones.

Links:

• Follow Jennifer on Instagram, Personal Website, Pursuit of Endurance Book
• Follow Finn on Instagram, Strava, Twitter, Youtube, and Patreon

Support the show