The Trail Network Podcast

In this special New Year’s episode, hosts Hilary Yang, Leah Yingling, Rachel Drake, and Katie Asmuth come together on New Year’s Eve to reflect on the highs, lows, and lessons of the past year. From creative endeavors and unexpected turns to balancing race calendars with life outside the sport, the hosts share personal insights and what they’re carrying forward into 2025. It’s a heartfelt, honest...

In this episode, hosts Hilary Yang and Katie Asmuth sit down with Tim Tollefson, elite trail runner, race director, and advocate for public lands. Tim shares insights into his life as an athlete, entrepreneur, and partner, while reflecting on the impact of Mammoth Trailfest and the broader trail running community. Plus, Hilary and Tim drop a big announcement toward the end of the podcast that you...

In today’s episode, Leah Yingling and Hilary Yang share their reactions to being selected for the 2025 Hardrock 100, reflecting on the years of effort it took to secure their spots in the iconic race. They discuss what the event means to them, their thoughts on the course and culture, and how ultrarunning continues to evolve. A special thank you to Osprey for supporting this episode. Go to Osprey....

Welcome back to the Trail Network Podcast ! Host Katie Asmuth kicks off this special episode alongside her guest and co-host for the day, Dani Moreno. As neighbors and friends in Mammoth Lakes, Katie and Dani bring a unique perspective to this reflective conversation about 2024. Together, they take a month-by-month journey through the year, sharing their favorite races, memorable highlights, and p...

In this episode, Rachel Drake and Leah Yingling dive deep into Rachel’s phenomenal performance at the historic JFK 50 Mile, where she not only took the win but shattered the course record. Leah and Rachel talk about the race and the training leading into it. You won’t want to miss it! This podcast is supported by Osprey. Head over to Osprey.com to find the perfect pack for you!

In this episode, Rachel, Leah, Hilary, and Katie catch up a on all things running and life. Topics we discuss: Strategies for running in the winter Rachel’s training as she prepares for the JFK 50 Mile How to put your ego aside in training Tips for balancing work and training Rachel’s goals and mindset heading into the JFK race

Today on the podcast, Hilary Yang is joined by Hellah Sidibe and Scott Jurek to recap Hellah’s race with Scott pacing at this year’s Javelina Jundred. Hellah Sidibe is a former professional soccer player who found running during a low point in his life, and he’s been running ever since. He’s had a run streak since May 2017 which he documents through his  Youtube channel  where he has almost 300k s...

Today, Hilary Yang and Leah Yingling sit down and chat with Lauren Peretz. Lauren just finished third place at this past Javelina 100 miler in a blazing fast time of 15 hours and 50 seconds. Lauren's also a physician and a mother as well as being a super fast runner and she's found an impressive life balance as she pursues being as fast as she possibly can in a sport that just keeps getting faster...

Today on the show, we welcome Riley Brady, a coach, bike mechanic, and ultra runner living in Boulder, Colorado. They just won the Javelina Jundred miler in a blistering time of 14 hours and 19 minutes, coming in seventh overall. We talked about lessons learned from their previous two Javelina performances, nutrition changes, heat strategies, and so much more. Enjoy this episode with Riley, it's a...

In this episode of the Trail Network podcast, host Leah Yingling welcomes her good friend Lorna Mann, joining from London. Lorna is a passionate trail runner and mountain lover, known for her enthusiasm for park runs, cutoff chasing, and dreaming of the OCC. Together, they discuss Lorna's journey into trail running, exploring the challenges and triumphs of pursuing a five-year goal. This conversat...

In this fun episode, we dive into your burning questions and share our insights on a variety of topics! Some topics include: Katie’s return to running Training professionally and balancing a full time career navigating safety while trail running Menstrual cycles Pregnancy and training/racing Efficiency at aid stations Most memorable races Summit snacks A special thank you to Osprey for supporting...

In this special episode of the Trail Network Pod, all four co-hosts—Hilary Yang, Rachel Drake, Leah Yingling, and Katie Asmuth—come together for a rare and exciting conversation. We start off by catching up on our summers, sharing stories that highlight the adventures, misadventures, and the ups and downs we've experienced over the past few months. As we reflect on our individual journeys, we disc...

Today's host, Katie Asmuth, chats with Rachel Drake and Anna Gibson, who recently had an epic collaboration at the Mammoth Trail Fest. Both raced for a podium spot, and in this episode, they share their thoughts and experiences during the event. Listeners will get a step-by-step account of what unfolded, along with insights into their backgrounds. Enjoy! Key topics: Goals and expectations goin...

In this episode of the Trail Network Podcast, Rachel Drake welcomes her husband, Tyler Green, and close friend, Leah Yingling. Tyler and Leah reflect on their experience at the Run Rabbit Run Hundred Miler, where Leah secured an impressive second place finish, and Tyler followed closely in fourth. Together, they also achieved a commendable second place in the team category as "Team Greenling&...

In this episode, Hilary sits down with the remarkable Emily Hawgood for an engaging conversation that delves into her trail running career, her upbringing in Zimbabwe, and her recent race experiences. Emily's joyful approach to life profoundly influences both her racing and her general outlook. Emily, a cherished friend of Hilary’s, boasts an impressive record in the world of ultra marathons....

In this week's episode, Leah Yingling is joined by co-host Katie Asmuth as they debrief all things UTMB this year. It was an incredible year to follow the race, with many breakthroughs on the women's side and some impressive underdog performances on the men's side. They discuss Leah's experience crewing for her husband Mike, as well as Katie's experience following the race from...

Today, Leah Yingling and Hilary Yang are joined by Lucy Bartholomew in Chamonix ahead of this week's UTMB. Lucy will be lining up at her second UTMB. She placed 10th here last year in the women's field in a really exciting race. In this episode, we get to chat with Lucy about her buildup to UTMB, what she learned last year, her entire history over the last 12 years in the sports, and her r...

Today, Katie Asmuth interviews Mary Denholm, who is this year's Leadville 100 champion. She was 16 minutes off Ann Trason's 30 year old course record at Leadville. And, this was her debut 100 miler, such an incredible performance! This interview is packed with gems and Mary has so much wisdom to share with the listeners - enjoy! What we talked about: 2:05- Mary’s history in running  10:15-...

Today, Katie Asmuth chats with Tara Dower and Devon Yanko. Devon paced Tara at the Hardrock 100 just a couple of weeks ago. They were very real and honest while sharing their story about what Tara went through during that race, what Devon went through to get her through that race, and generally their takeaways and life lessons learned. We think you're gonna enjoy this one. It was a real treat!...

This week, Leah Yingling and Hillary Yang catch up on where they've been and what they've got on the horizon. They chat about Hilary's upcoming plans for her first 200 mile race, which is this week at the Bigfoot 200. They talk about the Here for the Women's Race T-shirt and Women's Trail Running Fund initiative. And we hear a little bit about Leah's next month in Europe. W...

In this episode, hosts Rachel Drake and Katie Asmuth catch up on life after a busy few weeks! Rachel shares with us about how she is settling into living in Salt Lake City and recovering from Western States. Katie fills us in on her recent backpacking trip and her experience being at Hardrock 100. This is a fun one, friends - enjoy! A special thanks to Osprey for their support. The Trail Network P...

On this week’s episode, we chat with Alex Staten and Stefanie Flippin. Alex is a trail and ultra runner from Fayetteville, Arkansas, a Diné and Mexican woman, and this year’s Gu Energy Labs and Rising Hearts athlete in the Western States Endurance Run. If you followed along with Golden Hour at Western States, you followed Alex’s journey from Olympic Valley to Placer High, where she missed the cut...

Today, Katie Asmuth and Hilary Yang interview Rod Farvard and Tim Tollefson (Rod's pacer at Western States). Rod had a magical day at Western States, running head-to-head with the legend, Jim Walmsley, for a second place finish, making him the third fastest person to run Western States in 51 years with a finish time of 14:24 and 15 seconds. And as you probably know, those seconds really matter...

In this conversation, Rachel and Leah recap their Western States 100-mile race. They discuss their strategies during the race, including pacing and managing splits. They also talk about their experiences at aid stations and how they stayed focused and composed throughout the race. The conversation covers themes such as goal setting, pacing, and staying calm under pressure... plus some puke stories...

This episode is made possible by Arc’teryx. Today, you're about to listen to two legends in ultra running, Clare Gallagher and Brittany Peterson, who give a play-by-play recount of their historic 2019 Western States battle for first and second, a race that many people, myself included, believe changed ultra running forever. Today's episode is hosted by Katie Asmuth! Arc’teryx took their ob...