Singletrack

Des Linden joins us live in Olympic Valley the week before the 2025 Western States 100 for a wide-ranging conversation about her deepening relationship with the trail and ultrarunning scene. In this episode, we dig into Des's recent adventures off-road — from training with Ruth Croft in New Zealand, to participating in the Western States Training Camp last month, to her pacing duties this yea...

We’re live in Olympic Valley, CA for a special Western States Week edition of Long Run Archives, with pro trail runner Hayden Hawks joining regular co-hosts Brett Hornig, Jeff Colt, and Finn Melanson in the Singletrack Podcast studio for a wide-ranging, spirited conversation on the state of trail and ultrarunning, as well as Hayden's status in the sport. Partners: Norda - check out the 005: t...

Marianne Hogan is one of the fiercest and most resilient athletes in the world of ultra-trail running. With podium finishes at both Western States and UTMB, she’s already proven she can perform on the sport’s biggest stages. But that elusive win — that signature victory — still hangs just out of reach. Live from our Olympic Valley studio in the week leading up to the 2025 Western States 100, Maria...

In this special live episode of the Singletrack Podcast, we sit down with Abby Hall in our Olympic Valley studio just days before the 2025 Western States 100. Abby’s path back to the start line of this iconic race is anything but typical—and it’s a story of resilience, determination, and a little bit of fate. After enduring a traumatic injury in 2023 that sidelined her from the sport she loves, Ab...

Finn Melanson, Brett Hornig, and Leah Yingling provide in-depth analysis, commentary, and predictions for the competition at this year’s women's field at the Western States 100. With big names like Katie Schide (2024 Champion) and Courtney Dauwalter (2023 Champion) not returning, the fight for the win is wide open. Tune in as we break it all down and get you hyped for race day.  Partners: Nor...

Rod Farvard joins the Singletrack Podcast live from our Olympic Valley, CA studio during Western States race week to discuss what it really takes to compete at the highest level in trail and ultrarunning—and why he may be the biggest threat to the Western States crown in 2025. In 2024, Rod turned heads by going toe-to-toe with one of the sport’s greatest athletes, Jim Walmsley, at the Western Stat...

Note - we had audio issues during parts of this episode. Working to resolve those ahead of our remaining shows this week. Thanks for your patience! Finn Melanson, Brett Hornig, Jeff Colt and Leah Yingling provide in-depth analysis, commentary, and predictions for the competition at this year’s Cocodona 250. Partners: Norda - check out the 005: the lightest, fastest, most stable trail racing shoe e...

Dylan Bowman returns to the Singletrack Podcast for a wide-ranging, in-person conversation from our Olympic Valley, CA studio just days before the 2025 Western States 100. As the founder of Freetrail and a key figure behind TrailCon, Dylan has spent the last few years shaping the conversation around what trail and ultrarunning can—and should—become. In this episode, we dive deep into the evolution...

Sally McRae joins the Singletrack Podcast live from our Olympic Valley, CA studio in the days leading up to the 2025 Western States 100 for a powerful and wide-ranging conversation. In this episode, we explore what it really takes to go pro in trail and ultrarunning—beyond the podiums, Strava segments, and sponsorship deals. Sally shares the lesser-told story of building a sustainable career in th...

Jeff Colt and Mike McMonagle join Finn Melanson on the Singletrack Podcast for another edition of the Long Run Archives. In this episode, the trio reflects on the latest lineup changes at the Western States 100, the current status of Unbreakable 2, the influence of BPN's Backyard Ultra, and the impact of the Wilderness Act. Timestamps: (0:00) - Western States 100 Lineup News (32:57) - High Mi...

Joey Berriatua joins Finn Melanson on the Singletrack Podcast to reflect on his time with Tinman Elite, share his journey through the professional running scene, and explore why trail running might be his future path. Related Episodes: #26 (Sam Parsons | How To Build A Trail Running Team)  #289 (Sam Parsons | The Trials and Tribulations of Pro Running Timestamps: 01:00 Tinman Elite Reflections 24:...

Brett Hornig and Mike McMonagle join Finn Melanson on the Singletrack Podcast for another edition of the Long Run Archives. In this episode, the trio reflects on a retroactive controversy surrounding a runner's time penalty (instead of DQ) at this year's Black Canyon 100K, the majesty of UTMB Snowdonia, the sustainability of pro ultrarunning, and whether there will be a "next venue&...

Brett Hornig and Jeff Colt join Finn Melanson on the Singletrack Podcast for another edition of the Long Run Archives. In this episode, the trio reflects on the evolving media landscape in ultrarunning, using the wildly popular Cocodona 250 as a case study to examine its impact on race organizers, athletes, and fans. They also share personal takeaways and recap the key storylines from this year’s...

Tom Hooper joins the show to publicly announce and analyze the men's and women's long trail teams that will represent the USA at the World Trail Championships in Canfranc, Spain, this September. Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction and Background 02:09 Selection Race Controversies, The Future of Selection Races 08:05 Team Composition: Women's Team Overview 12:16 Team Composition: Men&apos...

Finn Melanson, Brett Hornig, and Leah Yingling provide in-depth analysis, commentary, and predictions for the competition at this year’s Cocodona 250. Timestamps: (0:00) - Cocodona 250 hype, general conversation (27:58) - Course analysis (45:41) - Women's field preview (72:56) - Men's field preview Partners: Norda - check out the 005: the lightest, fastest, most stable trail racing shoe...

This is a crossover podcast from the Conversational Pace YouTube channel (hosted by my good friend, Brett Hornig) in which we talk about my gear, nutrition, and overall strategy for the 2025 Cocodona 250. Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 2:21 Gear from 2024 you won’t be using in 2025 6:58 Starting pack of choice 13:04 Starting shoe of choice 18:09 Gaiters or no gaiters? 19:34 Need to be fit enough to play t...

Brett Hornig and Leah Yingling return to the Singletrack Podcast to preview the final golden ticket chase for the 2025 Western States 100 at this weekend’s Canyons 100K in Auburn, CA. Six golden tickets are up for grabs, with standout athletes like Marianne Hogan, Anthony Costales, Hannes Namberger, Katie Asmuth, and Erin Clark adding serious depth to the competition. They discuss recent administr...

Brett Hornig and Jeff Colt return to the Singletrack Podcast for another edition of the Long Run Archives. Timestamps: 00:00 Gorge Waterfalls Race Recap 25:11 Katie Schide and Germain Grangier Move To On 39:20 Dez Linden's Transition to Ultra Running 46:11 LeBron James and the Five-Minute Mile Debate 54:50 Unbreakable 2: The Anticipation of a Sequel 01:12:20 The Evolution of Ultra Running and...

Drew Darby and Rob Fisher join the show to unpack the making of The Finisher , our new documentary chronicling Jasmin Paris’ historic completion of the 2024 Barkley Marathons. We reflect on the creative process, the unique storytelling challenges of the Barkley, and what we learned along the way. Timestamps: (0:00) – Background, intros (2:53) – Why Barkley is a media nightmare (and dream) (7:03) –...

John Kelly returns to the Singletrack Podcast, this time to reflect on the 2025 Barkley Marathons and the insights he has gained from the notorious event over the past decade. He then dives into announcing and discussing his plans to attempt the fastest known time on the Appalachian Trail later this year. Timestamps: (0:00) - the difficulty of the 2025 Barkley Marathons course (1:36) - the importa...

We've got another classic edition of the Long Run Archives on deck, but it's been a minute. We've been fully immersed in all things Barkley Marathons, working hard to bring a few key projects to the finish line. Two big shoutouts here: First, The Finisher , a long-form documentary about Jasmin Paris’ three-year journey to become the first female finisher at the Barkley. Huge credit...

In this episode, I'm joined by ultrarunning filmmaker Dylan Harris for a special conversation. Dylan is the director of an upcoming film called "The Chase", which tells the story of the epic six-way battle for victory at the 2024 Cocodona 250, featuring Jeff Browning, Harry Subertas, Michael Versteeg, Joe McConaughy, Arlen Glick, and Michael McKnight. We've had almost all of th...

Finn Melanson and Brett Hornig convene for another edition of the Long Run Archives. They talk about business ideas for trail running, the rise of breathing sensors in training and racing contexts, Grand Slam Track, the continued golden ticket chase at Tarawera, the final year of Pine to Palm, and the Barkley Marathons. Timestamps: (0:00) - business ideas for trail running (17:43) - breathing sens...

Caleb Olson returns to the show to discuss his dominant win at the Transgrancanaria Classic this past weekend. We dive into his conscious transition in racing style from hunter to race leader, the pack dynamics with Jon Albon and Josh Wade, the unique challenges of the TGC course, whether he feels different after such a significant career victory, and what might be next for him in 2025. Timestamps...

Brett Hornig and Jeff Colt return to the show to recap highlights and takeaways from the Black Canyon 100K and 50K races in Arizona this past weekend. We talk about the rise of the 50K, "race shapers", evidence for high-carb failures, gear takeaways, moving the women's start before the men's race, and top performances from the likes of Seth Ruhling, Riley Brady, Tara Dower, and...