Taylor, Alex, and Reese jump right in this week with topics ranging from personal philosophies on eating food off of the ground to personal stitches. They also chat about the Adidas Terrex Agravic TT as well as sacrifices they are willing to make for races depending on duration and terrain.GUEST: Nike ACG’s poster child, Christian Allen, joins Taylor to talk about his versatility as an athlete, faith, and his big goals in 2026.

Nick Harris-Fry from The Run Testers joins Thomas for this episode of the Drop to talk all things running shoes, YouTube, The Run Testers, and for the first time ever, we do a live review of the Hoka Cielo X1 3.0.

The team went down to Florida and brought the coldest temperatures in a hundred years along with them for The Donna Marathon Weekend. We recap our races and the Winter GRIT party and our time at Waffle House, among many other things. Thanks to everyone that came out, we had an amazing time despite the unseasonable temps.

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Four Points by Sheraton @ Jax Beach

We had the best time ever at The Donna Marathon Weekend and the Four Points is just steps away from the start and finish line, literally the closest we've ever been to a race. With oceanside rooms in a quiet setting, it's the best place to get a good night's rest before a race. It's a bonus that they just remodeled and their happy hour is top notch. Reserve your room here: https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/jaxbf-four-points-jacksonville-beachfront/overview/

SOAR

If you don't know, Soar makes some of the best running apparel in the world. Like, the whole world. They take design and performance seriously, utilizing cutting edge fabrics that exceed the highest standards for running gear. We love all their winter apparel and their warm weather singlets are unbeatable. Check out their X-Race collections, which are perfect for al the upcoming spring marathons:

Men’s XRace collections

https://www.soarrunning.com/collections/x-race

Women’s XRace collections

https://www.soarrunning.com/collections/womens-x-race

PILLAR

Collagen Repair is designed to support tendons, ligaments, and connective tissue - the stuff that takes a beating when you’re running day after day. PILLAR Collagen Repair is a smart addition to your routine, ensuring you stay healthy when you're working your hardest. If you want to try PILLAR, you can head to pillarperformance.shop or TheFeed.com/pillar and enter code BITR for 15% off first-time purchases.

SWIFTWICK

You already know that Swiftwick makes our favorite socks for running, from training to race day. We wear them pretty much every day, whether it's the Flite XT crew or the low cut no-show. Get yourself ready for the new year and save 15% off your first purchase with code BELIEVE15: https://swiftwick.com

This week, the Trail Trio discusses considerations for choosing race day footwear - which proves to be much more difficult to come to a consensus than one would think.

Guest: Cade Michael is an up and coming trail runner who has taken some big swings this past year! He’s looking to improve on those results and continue to establish himself as one of the USA’s top prospective athletes in 2026.

Nikhil Jain is the Director of Footwear Product Line Management at Brooks Running. Thomas and Meg had the opportunity to talk all things Glycerin Flex with him at The Running Event.

We're bringing the listeners into the mix as we answer a handful of questions, including our picks for best and worst marathon medals. We also recap our snow day(s) here in Baltimore and Alex Honnold doing weird things on tall buildings before covering the just-released Hoka Cielo X1 3.0, a lighter and even more energetic race-day shoe.

Shop the Gorewear sale and save another 15% off by using code BITR15: https://alnk.to/e7anCxh (affiliate link)

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PILLAR
If you’re training hard, traveling to races, or just stacking miles week after week, you know how easy it is for your immune system to take a hit. That’s why we’ve been reaching for PILLAR Ultra Immune C. It contains a high dosage of Vitamin C (about 16-17 oranges worth in one scoop), which helps fight off illness and protects your body from the stress of intense training. Head to pillarperformance.shop or TheFeed.com/pillar and enter code BITR for 15% off first-time purchases.

LMNT
It's winter, but we're still training and sweating. Which means we still need our LMNT, with 1,000 mg of sodium and key electrolytes. If you haven't had their hot flavors yet, you need to get in on it, because they make the perfect winter treat. Order today and get an 8-count LMNT Sample Pack with any purchase, so don't miss out: http://drinklmnt.com/thedrop

Taylor and Reese prepare themselves for gross winter weather to hit by trading thoughts about the treadmill. Likewise, they chat about the upcoming Merrell Agility Peak 6.

Guest: Cole Zucker is the founder of Kila, an insole company that's built on the premise of run performance. Taylor and Cole talk about Cole's background in the lighting industry and how his experiences helped launch Kila.

Meg is back from the Move Her Mind Summit (and podium finish at the Rose Bowl Half), so we get a recap of all of that. Meanwhile, Thomas took some R&R in Charleston while Robbe got into some weird Baltimore stuff as usual. We also cover jumping beans, chicken pox, dark web stuff, and more, including the Adidas Prime X Evo and Adidas Evolution.SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS!PILLARRecently, we’ve been taking PILLAR Triple Magnesium, and it’s been a game-changer for our sleep and recovery. WE take it about 30 minutes before bed each night which gives us great sleep and helps us recover better so we're ready to train again tomorrow. If you want to try PILLAR, you can head to pillarperformance.shop or TheFeed.com/pillar and enter code BITR for 15% off first-time purchases!SWIFTWICKYou already know that Swiftwick makes our favorite socks for running, from training to race day. We wear them pretty much every day, whether it's the Flite XT crew or the low cut no-show. Get yourself ready for the new year and save 15% off your first purchase with code BELIEVE15: https://swiftwick.com

Reese is on assignment in Arizona to check out the course for her upcoming race, Black Canyon 100k. She gives the details on her trip, her training, and even a GOAT sighting on the trail. Taylor and Reese then try to sort out the whole "gravel running" conversation and talk about if it's a worthy category to get excited about.Guest: Teva athlete Michael Wardian returns to the show to catch up with Taylor. They mull over a bunch of topics ranging from his busier-than-ever schedule, Burrito League, sandals, and his upcoming world record attempt of 7x50k in 7 days on 7 continents.SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS!LMNTThe Lemonade Salt has returned for good, so make sure you grab the greatest flavor on the planet for all your trail running needs. You'll be getting 1,000 mg of sodium plus other key electrolytes that will restore balance to your life after any hard effort. You'll also get an 8-count LMNT Sample Pack with any purchase, so don't miss out: http://drinklmnt.com/dirtdivision

The first rule about The Drop is that you don't talk about The Drop. Mostly because your friends will think less of you. On this episode, we give a hagiography of Brad Pitt, Robbe tries to trap a mouse, and we cover all the exciting stuff that happened at the Houston Marathon last weekend. We almost lost one of our listeners, but luckily a doctor was on hand to bring him back to us. Thankful for that and for you if you're still reading this. Eventually we get around to the Mizuno Neo Zen 2, a fine update to an already great shoe. SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS!PILLARIf you’re training hard, traveling to races, or just stacking miles week after week, you know how easy it is for your immune system to take a hit. That’s why we’ve been reaching for PILLAR Ultra Immune C. It contains a high dosage of Vitamin C (about 16-17 oranges worth in one scoop), which helps fight off illness and protects your body from the stress of intense training. Head to pillarperformance.shop or TheFeed.com/pillar and enter code BITR for 15% off first-time purchases.LMNTIt's winter, but we're still training and sweating. Which means we still need our LMNT, with 1,000 mg of sodium and key electrolytes. If you haven't had their hot flavors yet, you need to get in on it, because they make the perfect winter treat. Order today and get an 8-count LMNT Sample Pack with any purchase, so don't miss out: http://drinklmnt.com/thedrop