Roots Running

Al and Sean chat the upcoming fall calendar of east coast races, and Alvah's prep for his second 100, Saddles, out in Prescott this weekend. The boys also explore dissenting opinions on the value of the WMTRC, along with recapping Mammoth and thoughts on the upcoming Bigs Backyard Individual World Championships.

The boys are back with a preview of an east coast classic coming this weekend, the Grindstone 100, along with a recap of some notable trail news from the end of the summer.

Summary In this episode of the Roots Running Podcast, hosts Sean Cate and Alva Ferguson discuss their personal updates, including Al's house purchase and the busy summer racing season. They recap the Burning River race, highlighting Sean's experience and the lessons learned from the event. Chapters 00:00 Welcome Back and Life Updates 02:44 Summer Racing Recap 05:26 Ultra Running Highlights...

Al and Sean hop on for rundown to process everything that transpired during this years highly anticipated WSER 100. The boys cover the mens and women's top ten, notable DNF's and drama. Also covered on the episode was news regarding John Kelly's FKT attempt, Phil Gore's new Backyard Ultra WR (117 yards) as well as thoughts and predictions for the classic upcoming Hardrock 100.

Sean and Al bringing you a preview of WSER 100 from the viewpoint of our beast coast favorites, notable east coast alumni racing on the big stage, and speculation on top men and women, potential outcomes plus all the drama leading up to this year’s race. We cannot wait to see how this most competitive 100 in North American plays out in just a few hours. If you enjoyed the show be sure to give us a...

Tanner Hoffarth jumped on the show this week give us the lowdown on the biggest city on the East Coast. The boys discuss Tanner's journey into trail running in New York City, the rise of running clubs, and how brand's use activations and events to test gear in NYC long before hitting the market. We learned all about the Soutbound 400, a relay from Canada to NYC and thoughtful dialogue abou...

Welcome to the Roots Trail and Ultra Running podcast! This week's guest, Lila Gaudrault, is a rising star in the New England trail scene. at just 22 years old and fresh out of a rigorous bachelors of nursing from University of New England, Lila opted out of running at a NCAA Division 1 program to focus on her true passion, trail and ultra running. After tying for 2nd place at the Vermont 100 l...

Sean and (back so soon!) guest host Ken Seal jump on for an episode of the Roots Rundown, a general conversation about the most significant trail and ultra news on the East Coast covering topics like John Kelly's ongoing Appalachian Trail FKT, Virginia's Old Dominion 100 which just took place, a race recap of Sunapee Scramble, and Ken's thoughts on what makes Substack such an excellent...

A couple months ago I (Sean) noticed a perfectly curated, simple instagram post recapping all the major ultra running events from the previous weekend. A couple clicks later I found myself on Substack reading the full edition of The Ultra Minute, a newsletter written and curated by Ken Seals. Ken was gracious enough to join us for a conversation about creating an audience, capturing the past prese...

On this edition of the rundown Alvah and Sean breakdown Al's experience at the Hellbender 100 mile outside of Ashville, NC. Alvah was able to buckle down and finish in the face of some pretty violent stomach issues, chafing, and blisters. Al's advice: respect the distance. The boys also shared more reflections on Cocodona, the validity of mandatory gear for races, and some hot (and lukewar...

Arlen Glick joins the fellas to talk all things BEAST coast, the recently released Aravaipa film 'The Chase' featuring Arlen as one of five runners, his decision to have ACL surgery after 12 years and 30,000 miles of running without an acl, and his love of fishing. Big thanks to Arlen for joining us for nearly two hours! We cannot wait to see the how he continues to demolish expectations and write...

Beast Coast Alumni and old friend Rachel Lemcke joins Sean for a conversation about the value of personalized one on one coaching for athletes of all levels, her approach to coaching and being more than just a training programmer, to her own journey as an athlete over the past year navigating health issues and identity as a competitive athlete. Check out Right Mind Running Company to learn more ab...

Roots Fam! Coming off a second place and golden ticket finish at the Canyons 100k, joining Sean on the podcast this week is none other than the YOUNG and Fit , Hans Troyer. Hans stormed onto the ultra scene in 2024 performing at an elite level in some of the most competitive races in the US. Sean and Hans chat about his experience with trail running culture, his passion for training and working ha...

In this episode, Sean Cate and Al discuss the evolution of trail running, focusing on how media coverage and technological advancements are shaping the sport. They delve into upcoming races, particularly the Promise Land and Canyons 100K, sharing personal insights and predictions about the competition. The conversation also highlights the importance of community when it comes to retail running sto...

Alvah and Sean welcome Caleb Bowen to the show this week! If you enjoyed the show please follow, save, give us a review and feel free to send any questions or comments our way either in the comments section of the podcast or via instagram. Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Caleb Bowen and His Journey 03:03 Growth of the Ultra Running Community in West Virginia 06:03 The Impact of Running on Local Com...

Alvah and Sean bring you the very first edition of the Roots Rundown. The fellas catch up on Al's recent 50 miler, thoughts on the Norda 005s, all the race recaps fro Chianti, Big Alta, and more. Let us know what you think and be sure to follow and leave a review if you enjoy the show! -Al & Sean

This episode of Roots is brought to you by hard work and determination.  Sean and Al are joined by Butch Slabach, a Virginia native coming hot onto the scene and throwing down some impressive times on classic Virginia ultra races, as well as out west with some of the best athletes in the sport. The fellas talk about Butch’s unorthodox intro into trail and ultra running, his time at the Virginia Te...

Joining the Roots Running pod, none other than THE Dr. David Horton. Not a single person that we know of has influenced more people to become true runners and ultra-runners as Horton. Not only that, Dr. Horton started this decades before youtube, social media, and podcasts. This episode features a sweeping view of the sport of ultra running from JFK 50 miler in 1979, winning the first two Hardrock...

We are stoked to bring you the very first episode of the Roots Running podcast, hosted by Sean Cate and Alvah Ferguson. This episode features a dive into the purpose of the podcast, what trail/ultra events Alvah and Sean are excited about in 2025 and a preview of what is to come. -We can only go up from here😎 Cheers to old friends and new beginnings! -Al & Sean

Tough fam! We apologize dearly for the whiplash, as our last episode led both all of us to believe we were continuing on with the WTGGT podcast with renewed vigor. The truth is, today's episode will be the final edition of When The Going Gets Tough. After reflecting on our passions and desires. Adam and I decided the best thing for us both would be to say no to a good thing (continuing WTGGT)...

This episode of When The Going Get’s Tough is brought to you by Lee Jarvis Coaching™️ Lee joined the boys this week to discuss his winter training block in anticipation of the Black Canyon’s 100k coming up February 8th, 2025. Lee shares insights into how his training differed on this block, and what his head space is going into the race.  Lee also shares advice for those interested in their first...

This episode of When The Going Get’s Tough is brought to you by blood, sweat and determination. Sean recaps his first week of the training program under Adam’s supervision and shares what went well and what will be tweaked. Short and sweet today.  Attached here is the document outlining Adam’s program for Sean if anyone is looking for a simple training plan that can easily fit into a busy schedule...

This episode of When The Going Get’s Tough is brought to you by blood, sweat and determination. Adam discusses the details of Sean’s weightlifting program he has to follow for 90 days, and if he succeeds, Adam will train for a marathon with Sean for the late summer/fall.  Attached here is the document outlining Adam’s program for Sean if anyone is looking for a simple training plan that can easily...

Adam and Sean reconnect for a much needed reflection on the 2024 season, discuss how their goals and expectations for last year held up to reality, and look ahead to the 2025.  We would like to thank everyone who supported us with their listenership this year. This year we took some big leaps forward and a few steps back, as is the natural rhythm of life. Overall we are really happy and proud to c...

Sean and Lee Jarvis sit down to debrief Sean’s performance at the Hellgate 100k this past weekend. The fellas sat down just one day post race to discuss what went well, how the training worked and what might have been done differently.  Sean placed 5th at this years Hellgate with an official time of 11:31:55, a small PR over his time from 2022.  What is more remarkable is that Sean spent less than...