DFL Before DNF

If you've ever wondered why luxury running brands suddenly started appearing in ultrarunning—a sport built on dirtbag ethos, thrift-store gear, and anti-status culture—this episode explores the tension behind it. Josh unpacks where the idea of luxury collides with traditional ultrarunning culture, what actually defines a luxury running brand, and why some runners see it as evolution while others s...

If you've ever spent too much money on trail running shoes and wondered whether any of them are actually worth it, this episode is for you. I sit down with Inky Steve, a guy who has tracked 44 pairs of running shoes across 6,000 miles on Strava, to get his most honest verdicts on the shoes he'd recommend to his best friend, the ones he regrets, and the models brands should have never stopped makin...

Trail running doesn’t have journlists and no one’s holding the sport accountable. I think memes might be the closest thing we’ve got and that’s just one of the 10 things on my mind this week.. This week I pulled up a chair with a pile of gear and just talked: race season fandom, scrappy brands worth knowing, the shoes I'm fired up about right now, and the two-hour long run philosophy I'm using in...

If you've ever wondered how running brands like Ciele Athletics reshaped the culture of modern running, this episode explores the moment performance gear started becoming identity. Jeremy Bresnen, cofounder of Ciele Athletics, walks through the brand’s origin story—from a hats-only startup in Montreal to one of the most recognizable names worn by runners across road, trail, and ultra distances. Al...

If you've ever wondered what it takes, mentally, physically, and emotionally, to push the human body further than most people can imagine, this one's for you. I sit down with Camille Herron, one of the most decorated ultra runners alive, to talk about what keeps her going when everything falls apart, the two-hour long run training philosophy that changed how she prepares for 100-mile races and bey...

If you've ever wondered how ultra running nutrition changes when races stretch beyond a single day, this episode reframes race day nutrition to better address multi-day endurance races. Jesse Rich, nutritionist to elite ultrarunners, explains why traditional fueling advice breaks down during multi-day endurance efforts. As sleep deprivation, calorie deficits, and digestive fatigue accumulate, runn...

If you've been following the recent surge in ultra running records , Anne Flower’s name has suddenly been everywhere from the Leadville 100 course record to a 50-mile world record and a dominant win at Javelina Jundred. But her rise isn’t sudden. Anne has been grinding for years while building a demanding career as a physician in Colorado Springs. She reflects on her training philosophy, how she a...

If you’ve been following ultra trail running , Francesco Puppi has long been a name serious fans recognize—but his 2025 wins at CCC, The Canyons 100K, and Chianti 47K put him squarely on the radar of the broader American audience. Puppi brings a rare mix of mountain strength and marathon speed, making him a contender whenever he toes the line. In this episode, we talk about his racing philosophy,...

If you’ve noticed the rise of running apparel that reflects the culture and spirit of the sport—not just performance metrics—designer and runner Alex Zono is part of that shift. Recorded at Paris Fashion Week, Alex joins Josh Rosenthal and Sam Lohse to talk about designing gear for runners who love the sport from dirtbag trail adventures to racing at the front of events like Black Canyon 50K. He s...

If you’ve noticed the rise of high-end running apparel , you may also feel the tension it creates inside a sport rooted in dirtbag simplicity. Recorded at Paris Fashion Week, Josh Rosenthal sits down with Inky Steve, Sam Lohse, Mike Kratzer, and Simon Freeman (co-founder of Like the Wind ) to unpack why fashion-forward running brands are gaining momentum, what actually happens at Paris Fashion Wee...

If you’ve ever wondered how the running industry shapes the gear ultrarunners depend on, this episode explores why paying attention to the business behind the sport actually matters. Paul Mellor, founder of creative agency Mellor&Smith and producer working on a new documentary about Barkley Marathons creator Lazarus Lake, joins Josh to unpack how outdoor brands compete for attention, why Nike’...

If you spend time around ultra running , you’ve probably felt the tension around run influencers. They can be annoying in the moment—film crews at races, cameras everywhere—but they’re also inspiring thousands of people to start running, many of whom just needed that final push to move. Ultra runner and content creator Tommy Lewis joins Josh to talk about the strange reality of influencer culture...

If you've ever crossed a finish line and felt something you couldn't quite name, or dropped out of a race and carried it with you longer than you expected, this conversation is going to land. In the final installment this trilogy with Laz, the two sit on Laz's porch in Tennessee working through three artifacts: a pack of cigarettes, Hemingway's Old Man and the Sea, and the question underneath all...

Ultra running is professionalizing fast. Bigger prize money, more sponsors, and smoother finishes. Laz Lake is the counterbalance to all of it, and this conversation is about why that matters. In part two of this trilogy at Laz's Tennessee farm, the two go deep on what makes Laz unlike anyone else in the sport: untouched by modernization, unbothered by fame, charging $1.60 for race entry while the...

If you've ever wanted to understand how Lazarus Lake thinks, not just the Barkley Marathons legend, but the man behind every race he's ever designed, this is the episode you've been waiting for. Josh spent a day at Laz's home in Tennessee walking the trails of Big's Backyard Ultra and talking through his entire race catalog: Big's and Little's Backyard, the Barkley Marathons, the Fall Classic, Rac...

Ultra running has changed dramatically over the past few decades, but Dean Karnazes still believes the heart of the sport is simple. In this episode, Josh sits down with one of ultra running’s most recognizable figures to talk about the philosophy that’s guided him through decades of running: at the end of the day, it’s still just a pair of shoes and a place to run. Dean reflects on the impact run...

Scott Jurek represents a generation of ultratrail runners who either had day jobs or were true dirtbag trail runners. Scott and Josh Rosenthal dive into the 'good old days' of trail running when a lot of the gear was DIY like punk rock or skateboarding. Presented by Kiprun . Scott Jurek and Y2K DIY: Ultrarunners, Punk Rock, and Skateboarding Runners have it easier with gear advances Athlete mental...

The Speed Project is one of the most unusual events in running—an unsanctioned, no-rules relay that sends teams roughly 340 miles from Los Angeles to Las Vegas (and now across Europe from Chamonix to Marseille). Josh sits down with founder Nils Arend on a rugby field in Albi, France at midnight to talk about how TSP began and why it has become something far bigger than a race. What started as an e...

Monday, 22 Dec 2025 marks a new beginning for Borderlands' podcast presented by Kiprun . We've had a helluva a run and now I'm doubling down on the things I believe will take us to the next level. Tune in to find out. ---- Borderlands.cc | Podcast Network Sign up: analog*Borderlands [new]letter Wylder is now available on iOS + Android . Salt Lake Foothills Trail Races | 30 May 2026

Ultra running rarely comes with ordinary stories, but Allie Gibbons’ recent season pushed the boundaries of what most people think is possible. In this episode, Josh sits down with Allie to talk about running nearly 300 miles across Chile’s Atacama Desert during The Speed Project while 22 weeks pregnant , where she not only finished but won as the first female. They discuss the physical and emotio...

Josh Rosenthal and Inky Steve explore the future of running gear, discussing innovations in shoe design, the impact of cultural elements like movies on running, and the competitive landscape of brands in the industry. [Presented by Kiprun ] They share insights from the TRE event, highlight the rise of smaller brands, and reflect on their experiences with various running products, including the Nak...

I still consider myself a trail runner even though I never run on trails. I'm trail runner-ish. There are a lot of people bringing light into the world through running. Let's talk about a few of them - Tommy Lewis, Josh Lynott, Nils Arend, Dean Karnazes, and more. Presented by Kiprun . Yes, we're presented by Kiprun but I also think they are the next big running brand coming out of France. Salomon...

At the beginning of 2025 did an episode where we looked at a bunch of brands and trends in trail running and evaluated if we were optimistic about their future (buy) or pessimistic (sell) [Presented by Kiprun ] In this episode I review my predictions and assess if they were right or wrong on these topics: Satisfy Aravaipa Ketones ---- Borderlands.cc | Podcast Network Sign up: analog*Borderlands [n...

The Dude Abides and would probably never wear trail running shoes. But we love this movie too much so Josh asked Inky, what shoes go best with The Big Lebowski? Slides. Super chill running recover slides. There's a boom in them right now. You see them popping up all over the place and there's actually some innovation happening. But at the end of the day, The Dude would wear the hell out of some re...

Mike Herrera and MxPx have been playing for 30 years. I was there from the beginning so I was stoked to do this interview with an all time great and hero of mine. [Presented by Naked Sports Innovations ] Mike knows a thing or two about endurance and keeping on when life and circumstances get you down. Enjoy. ---- Borderlands.cc | Podcast Network Sign up: analog*Borderlands [new]letter Wylder is no...