Welcome to Rest Day, Freetrail's occasional news pod covering the latest happenings in trail running. This week we're joined by Tim Tollefson to talk through the following topics:

• Trail Runner of the Year voting process, results recap & stats
• Interpreting the results and what we can learn
• Confronting TROY criticism
• Free agency news: Hans Troyer, Will Murray, Theo Detienne, Ben Dhiman, etc.
• Road to trail news: Molly Seidel, Des Linden, & Shelby Houlihan
• Tim's Transcendent Truth
• A lot more!

Chapters

03:26 – Introduction and Overview of Trail Runner of the Year 06:30 – Voting Process and Community Engagement 09:12 – Nationality Diversity in Rankings 11:52 – Distance Dynamics: Long, Short, and Mid-Distance Athletes 14:46 – Significance of Major Races and Championships 18:03 – The Rise of 200-Mile Racing and Its Recognition 20:58 – Criticism and Community Feedback on Rankings 42:19 – The Rise of 200-Mile Races 44:39 – Criticism and Integrity in Trail Running 47:00 – The Fragmentation of Trail Running 50:34 – Free Agency News and Athlete Transfers 59:51 – Emerging Athletes and New Partnerships 01:03:04 – The Complexities of Doping in Sports 01:09:35 – Tim's Transcendent Truth

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Will Murray is a pro trail runner living in Bellingham, WA. He was one of the breakout stars of the 2025 season, finishing 2nd at the Black Canyon 100k and winning the Javelina Jundred in a new course record time. Entering the 2026 season in partnership with Brooks, Will is poised to continue the momentum into a new year and towards the Western States 100 - his main goal for the season. This is his first time on the podcast.

Chapters:

04:15 – Introduction and Personal Insights 06:59 – Recognition as #8 Ultra Runner of the Year 09:40 – Athletic Roots and Trail Running Discovery 12:26 – Mathematical Mindset in Running 14:59 – Cultivating Clarity in High-Pressure Situations 20:52 – Psychological Strength and Self-Talk 23:25 – Relationship with Social Media 26:01 – Injury Just Before Western States 33:08 – Training Evolution and Strategies 36:51 – Mindset and Preparation for Javelina 39:37 – Race Dynamics and Internal Dialogue 42:48 – Celebrating Success and Future Aspirations 45:58 – Joining Brooks and Team Dynamics 50:44 – Future Goals and Upcoming Races Follow Will on Strava REGISTER FOR THE BIG ALTA REGISTER FOR GORGE WATERFALLS

Sponsors:

• Grab a trail running pack from Osprey
• Use code FREETRAIL25 for 25% off your first order of NEVERSECOND nutrition at never2.com
• Go to ketone.com/freetrail30 for 30% off a subscription of Ketone IQ

Freetrail Links: Website | Freetrail Pro | Patreon | Instagram | YouTube | Freetrail Experts

Dylan Links: Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn | Strava

Today we welcome the #1 Trail Runners of the Year, Jim Walmsley and Katie Schide, both Americans who currently reside in France. This is the second time each has won our prestigious award and they've both been featured all four years of TROY's existence.

Jim's season was anything but straight forward. He started with a big win at Chianti by UTMB in the spring before an injury prevented him from defending his win at the Western States 100. Luckily, he bounced back in a big way, winning OCC in August and then the Long Trail World Championship in September - the second individual gold medal of his career.

On the other hand, Katie is crowned TROY for the second year in a row. She started with a win at Madeira Island Ultra Trail before winning and setting a new course record at the Hardrock 100 in July. Only three weeks later she was second at Sierre-Zinal before winning the Long Trail World Championship in September.

This episode is part of Freetrail's annual Trail Runner of the Year Rollout -- an opportunity to reflect on the 2025 season and celebrate the athletes who performed the best according to the global trail running community. We're proud to partner with All Conditions Gear to bring the awards to life.

REGISTER FOR THE BIG ALTA

REGISTER FOR GORGE WATERFALLS

Sponsors:

• Grab a trail running pack from Osprey
• Use code FREETRAIL25 for 25% off your first order of NEVERSECOND nutrition at never2.com
• Go to ketone.com/freetrail30 for 30% off a subscription of Ketone IQ

Freetrail Links: Website | Freetrail Pro | Patreon | Instagram | YouTube | Freetrail Experts Dylan Links: Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn | Strava

Today we welcome the #2 Trail Runners of the Year, Ruth Croft of New Zealand and Francesco Puppi of Italy.

We start with Ruth who is unquestionably one of the best to ever do it. This season, she started with a huge victory at Tarawera, another at the MaXi Race 60k, all building towards UTMB where she won in what felt like a flawlessly executed performance. In doing so, Ruth became only the second person to win all three of the UTMB world final events, showing her career-long consistency and range across distances.

Francesco Puppi posted the best season of his career. Nine races with six victories including impressive wins at both the Canyons 100k in April and CCC in August — the two best 100k performances of the year in the only to 100k races of his career.

This episode is part of Freetrail's annual Trail Runner of the Year Rollout -- an opportunity to reflect on the 2025 season and celebrate the athletes who performed the best according to the global trail running community. We're proud to partner with All Conditions Gear to bring the awards to life.

REGISTER FOR THE BIG ALTA REGISTER FOR GORGE WATERFALLS Sponsors:

• Grab a trail running pack from Osprey
• Use code FREETRAIL25 for 25% off your first order of NEVERSECOND nutrition at never2.com
• Go to ketone.com/freetrail30 for 30% off a subscription of Ketone IQ

Freetrail Links: Website | Freetrail Pro | Patreon | Instagram | YouTube | Freetrail Experts Dylan Links: Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn | Strava

This episode is part of Freetrail's annual Trail Runner of the Year Rollout -- an opportunity to reflect on the 2025 season and celebrate the athletes who performed the best according to the global trail running community. We're proud to partner with All Conditions Gear to bring the awards to life.

Today we welcome the #3 Trail Runners of the Year, Caleb Olson of the USA and Sara Alonso of Spain.

Caleb established himself as one of the best long course athletes in the world, starting his season with a huge win and CR at Transgrancanaria before focusing his attention on the Western States 100 where he won in the second fastest time ever. To close the year, Caleb posted a dominant victory at Australia's GPT100 -- also winning the World Trail Majors overall.

Sara Alonso was arguably the strongest short course athlete on the women's side in 2025, finishing 2nd in the Golden Trail World Series with strong wins at Kobe Trail and Zegama. She also finished 4th at OCC and 2nd place at the Short Trail World Championship.

REGISTER FOR THE BIG ALTA

REGISTER FOR GORGE WATERFALLS

Sponsors:

• Grab a trail running pack from Osprey
• Use code FREETRAIL25 for 25% off your first order of NEVERSECOND nutrition at never2.com
• Go to ketone.com/freetrail30 for 30% off a subscription of Ketone IQ

Freetrail Links: Website | Freetrail Pro | Patreon | Instagram | YouTube | Freetrail Experts Dylan Links: Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn | Strava

This episode is part of Freetrail's annual Trail Runner of the Year Rollout -- an opportunity to reflect on the 2025 season and celebrate the athletes who performed the best according to the global trail running community. We're proud to partner with All Conditions Gear to bring the awards to life.

Today we welcome the #4 Trail Runners of the Year, Abby Hall and Elhousine Elazzaoui.

Elhousine, our reigning 2024 Trail Runner of the Year, posted another amazing season, winning the Golden Trail World Series for the second year in a row, including victories at Zegama, Broken Arrow, Tepec Trail, and Golden Trail Final.

Abby's major highlight was winning one of our sport's most significant events, the Western States 100. She also posted top-5 finishes in two Golden Ticket events, and finished the year with an overall win and CR at McDowell Mountain Frenzy.

Note: Elhousine joined us from the Sahara desert without great wifi connection. We've cleaned it up as best as we could.

REGISTER FOR THE BIG ALTA REGISTER FOR GORGE WATERFALLS Sponsors:

• Grab a trail running pack from Osprey
• Use code FREETRAIL25 for 25% off your first order of NEVERSECOND nutrition at never2.com
• Go to ketone.com/freetrail30 for 30% off a subscription of Ketone IQ

Freetrail Links: Website | Freetrail Pro | Patreon | Instagram | YouTube | Freetrail Experts Dylan Links: Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn | Strava

This episode is part of Freetrail's annual Trail Runner of the Year Rollout -- an opportunity to reflect on the 2025 season and celebrate the athletes who performed the best according to the global trail running community. In 2025, we're proud to partner with All Conditions Gear to bring the awards to life.

Today we welcome the #5 Trail Runners of the Year, Tom Evans and Nina Engelhard. Tom enjoyed a perfect, undefeated season including winning the 2025 UTMB. Nina might be the biggest breakout star in the sport, winning double Gold Medals in both the Vertical and the Classic disciplines at the Trail and Mountain Running World Championships in September.

Note: We were unable to schedule with Nina, so her portion is a collection of segments from her recent long form appearance on the podcast. Listen to her full episode here.

REGISTER FOR THE BIG ALTA

REGISTER FOR GORGE WATERFALLS

Sponsors:

• Grab a trail running pack from Osprey
• Use code FREETRAIL25 for 25% off your first order of NEVERSECOND nutrition at never2.com
• Go to ketone.com/freetrail30 for 30% off a subscription of Ketone IQ

Freetrail Links: Website | Freetrail Pro | Patreon | Instagram | YouTube | Freetrail Experts

Dylan Links: Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn | Strava

For the fourth year in a row, Corrine Malcom returns for our end-of-season retrospective podcast to summarize the year in trail running. It was another incredible season with so many amazing athletes and performances - we do our best to encapsulate everything in this episode.

The Docket:

00:00 Celebrating Trail Running Traditions 12:21 Trail Runner of the Year: Women's Picks 20:40 Trail Runner of the Year: Men's Picks 33:00 Trail Performances of the Year 39:06 Rookies of the Year 45:18 Key Storylines of 2025 50:58 The Bill Dooper Spirit Award: Celebrating Contributions Beyond Performance 56:29 Predictions for 2026: The Future of Trail Running 01:05:11 Personal Highlights of 2025 and 2026 Goals

REGISTER FOR THE BIG ALTA REGISTER FOR GORGE WATERFALLS Sponsors:

• Grab a trail running pack from Osprey
• Use code FREETRAIL25 for 25% off your first order of NEVERSECOND nutrition at never2.com
• Go to ketone.com/freetrail30 for 30% off a subscription of Ketone IQ

Freetrail Links: Website | Freetrail Pro | Patreon | Instagram | YouTube | Freetrail Experts Dylan Links: Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn | Strava

Asker Jeukendrup is a sport scientist whose work has been massively influential, especially in the world of endurance nutrition. His resume is incredible, working with many of the top athletes, teams, brands, and research institutions during his remarkable career. In addition to his academic, consulting, and speaking work, Asker is a co-founder of Neversecond -- a leading supplier of feuling and recovery products in endurance sport and an important partner of Freetrail. This is Asker's first appearance on the podcast. Timestamps:

04:15 What Makes You You? 09:28 Founding NeverSecond: A Science-First Approach 12:37 The Carbohydrate Revolution in Endurance Sports 15:09 Understanding Carbohydrate Absorption and Ratios 17:44 Nutrition Strategies for Varied Trail Running Distances 22:29 Gut Training: Assessing and Improving Carb Tolerance 27:49 Fasted Runs and Fat Metabolism 36:04 The Role of Carbohydrates in Performance 40:43 Understanding Nutrition for Racing Performance 45:15 Cooling and Its Impact on Nutrition Absorption 48:55 The Sodium and Electrolyte Debate 51:49 Caffeine: Benefits and Cautions 52:15 The Future of Health Monitoring in Athletes 59:47 Personal Stories and Lessons from Elite Athletes 1:00:15 Looking Ahead: The Future of Nutrition in Sports

Asker's consultancy REGISTER FOR THE BIG ALTA REGISTER FOR GORGE WATERFALLS Sponsors:

• Grab a trail running pack from Osprey
• Use code FREETRAIL25 for 25% off your first order of NEVERSECOND nutrition at never2.com
• Go to ketone.com/freetrail30 for 30% off a subscription of Ketone IQ

Freetrail Links: Website | Freetrail Pro | Patreon | Instagram | YouTube | Freetrail Experts Dylan Links: Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn | Strava

This is a recording from a live panel conducted at The Running Event - the running industry's largest trade show. One of the big trends in running is the growth of trail running as a sub-category, something that is felt palpably at TRE. To contextualize this growth, I'm joined by two fantastic guests:

• David Callahan, Co-CEO of UltraSignup

• Stephen Holmberg, Founder of Insight Accelerator

We talk about the following topics:

• Growth trends in the sport
• Trail Culture as a growth driving phenomenon
• Cultural impact vs. commercial impact - the realities of the size of the market
• How people are discovering and experiencing the sport
• The impact of star athletes on the business of trail
• Marketplace dynamics (tariffs, inflation, competition, etc.)
• Q&A!

LEARN MORE ABOUT TRAILCON REGISTER FOR THE BIG ALTA REGISTER FOR GORGE WATERFALLS Sponsors:

• Grab a trail running pack from Osprey
• Use code FREETRAIL25 for 25% off your first order of NEVERSECOND nutrition at never2.com
• Go to ketone.com/freetrail30 for 30% off a subscription of Ketone IQ

Freetrail Links: Website | Freetrail Pro | Patreon | Instagram | YouTube | Freetrail Experts Dylan Links: Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn | Strava