Finn Melanson Podcasts

Christina Henderson serves as the Executive Director for the Running Event, the premier trade show for the running industry which takes place annually at the end of November in Austin, TX. At the time of this recording, we were just a few weeks away from the 2023 edition, so I figured this would be a good time to chat with Christina and get a bette…

Sam Renouf is the Founder and CEO of the Professional Triathletes Organization. In this conversation, we talk about the challenges of professionalizing and mainstreaming endurance sports, pro athlete welfare, generating more casual fans for sports like trail running, and we get into some of the details of the PTO’s relationship with Ironman. Sponso…

Seth Ruhling is a professional trail runner for The North Face based in Boulder, CO. Seth joins the podcast fresh off his 2nd win at the JFK 50 this past Saturday and we spend a fair bit of time breaking down the performance, but we also get into some good discussion around his overall racing style, his career progression towards the upper echelon …

Lindsey McDonald is a trail runner for the Aravaipa Racing Team based in Flagstaff, AZ preparing for the 2023 Ultra Trail Cape Town 100K. Sponsors: Naak - use code SINGLETRACK15 at checkout on their website (https://www.naak.com/) to get 15% off your purchase. Rabbit - use code Singletrack20 at checkout on their website (https://www.runinrabbit.com…

Marianne Hogan is a pro trail runner for Salomon based in Montreal, Quebec preparing for the 2023 Ultra Trail Cape Town 100K. Sponsors: Naak - use code SINGLETRACK15 at checkout on their website (https://www.naak.com/) to get 15% off your purchase. Rabbit - use code Singletrack20 at checkout on their website (https://www.runinrabbit.com/) to get 20…

Eurotrack is back! Katie recaps her Grand Raid win and her decision to return to the Western States 100 next year, and then we do a retrospective on the 2023 European ultra trail scene offering our opinions on top performances, favorite moments, rookies of the year, emerging trends and from all of that, some of our predictions for 2024. Timestamps:…

Steve Brammar is the Co-Race Director for the Hong 100K and one of the key architects of the World Trail Majors, which launches today. Listen to our conversation to get all the details about what it is, how it works, and what it means for the trail running community. Timestamps: (1:51) World Trail Majors announcement, race schedule (8:04) World Tra…

In this episode, Kristian Morgan goes into detail about what it takes to pursue and set the fastest known time on the Appalachian Trail. If you're interested in this scene either as a fan of long trail attempts or as an athlete curious about making a similar attempt one day, you won't want to miss this conversation. Kristian is equal parts informat…

Finn Melanson, Brett Hornig, and special guest Jamil Coury talk about the news of Eric Senseman's retirement, the end of the Kauai 50, whether Ryan Hall is getting into ultra trail running, the UTMB Whistler debacle, and a recap of the Javelina Jundred. Please note that this episode was recorded on the morning of November 1st. Since that time new i…

Jeff Pelletier is an outdoor adventure filmmaker and competitive ultrarunner who recently took 2nd place in an unusually thrilling finish (for a race of this distance) at the Moab 240 earlier this month and runs a popular YouTube channel linked below cataloging all of his activity in the sport. In this conversation, we talk about the emerging world…

Finn Melanson, Brett Hornig, and Leah Yingling provide in-depth analysis, commentary, and predictions for the competition at this year’s 2023 Javelina Jundred. Timestamps: (1:09) - course strategy, weather conditions, historical performance data, competitive race context (38:37) - women's field preview, storylines, analysis, predictions (66:05) - m…

To round out our 2023 Javelina Jundred pre-race athlete interviews, we talk with Brett Hornig, Heather Jackson, and a virtual athlete roundtable of Joe McConaughy, Blake Slattengren, and Ryan Raff - all of whom are seeking golden tickets to next year's Western States 100. Timestamps: (1:15) - Brett Hornig (24:20) - Heather Jackson (48:04) - Virtual…

To kick-off our 2023 Javelina Jundred coverage, we interview Preston Cates, Tara Dower, and Riley Brady who are all seeking golden tickets to next year's Western States 100. Timestamps: (1:04) - Preston Cates Interview (25:09) - Tara Dower Interview (43:45) - Riley Brady Interview Sponsors: Naak - use code SINGLETRACK15 at checkout on their website…

Caleb Olson is an ultra-trail runner based in Draper, UT who recently won the Grindstone 100K which simultaneously earned him an auto-qualifier to next year’s CCC and a golden ticket to next year’s Western States 100. In this episode, we talk about Caleb’s Grindstone race report, mountaineering background, upward trajectory in the sport, the up-and…

Jonathan Albon is a professional trail runner for the North Face based in Romsdal Norway who recently won the prestigious CCC race in Chamonix, France earlier this summer and in the process punched his ticket to next year’s Western States. This conversation covers his early outlook for Western States, his training methodology, and various miscellan…

Brad Stulberg has authored many books in the emerging interdisciplinary research field of performance science including his latest, Masters of Change. In this conversation, we tie many of the key takeaways back to the world of mountain ultra trail running specifically discussing topics like willpower depletion, whether talent needs trauma, the bene…

Scott McCoubrey has influenced many of the most pivotal moments in our sport's recent history. In this conversation, Scott shares fascinating stories from his days hanging out with Krissy Moehl, Hal Koerner, and Scott Jurek on the 2000s Seattle trail running scene, his role in the genesis of sponsored trail athletes, growing the competitive racing …

Jim Walmsley joins the podcast to talk about the major takeaways from his UTMB win, the impacts of moving to France last year, how he's managed his career to date and his path to going full-time pro, as well as his thoughts on whether the UTMB system works for elite athletes in our sport. Timestamps: (1:01) - preparing for a golden ticket chase at …

Finn Melanson and Brett Hornig recap the 2023 Ultra Trail Du Mont Blanc - the live coverage, major takeaways, top athlete performances, the possible futures of the event, and listener takes. Sponsors: Feetures - use code Singletrack20 at checkout on their website (https://feetures.com/) to get 20% off your next order. Kodiak Cakes - use code Single…

Finn Melanson and Brett Hornig provide in-depth analysis, commentary, and predictions for the women's field lining up at the 2023 CCC in the UTMB World Series Finals. Sponsors: Feetures - use code Singletrack20 at checkout on their website (https://feetures.com/) to get 20% off your next order. Oladance - use code ST at this link (https://oladance.…

Finn Melanson and Brett Hornig provide in-depth analysis, commentary, and predictions for the men's field lining up at the 2023 CCC in the UTMB World Series Finals. Sponsors: Feetures - use code Singletrack20 at checkout on their website (https://feetures.com/) to get 20% off your next order. Oladance - use code ST at this link (https://oladance.co…

Finn Melanson and Brett Hornig provide in-depth analysis, commentary, and predictions for the women's field lining up for the 2023 Ultra-Trail Du Mont Blanc. Sponsors: Feetures - use code Singletrack20 at checkout on their website (https://feetures.com/) to get 20% off your next order. Oladance - use code ST at this link (https://oladance.com/ST) t…

Finn Melanson and Brett Hornig provide in-depth analysis, commentary, and predictions for the men's field lining up for the 2023 Ultra-Trail Du Mont Blanc. Note - we will be releasing our women's field preview tomorrow evening (Sunday, 8/27) as well as our CCC previews on Monday and Tuesday of next week. Stay tuned! Sponsors: Maurten - head over to…

Eric LiPuma is a professional trail runner for Adidas Terrex preparing for the 2023 CCC in Chamonix, France. Sponsors: Maurten - head over to their website (https://www.maurten.com/) and shop for gels, bars, and drink mixes. Kodiak Cakes - use code Singletrack15 at checkout on their website (https://kodiakcakes.com/singletrackpodcast) to get 15% of…

Sabrina Stanley is a professional trail runner for Adidas Terrex preparing for the 2023 UTMB in Chamonix, France. Sponsors: Maurten - head over to their website (https://www.maurten.com/) and shop for gels, bars, and drink mixes. Kodiak Cakes - use code Singletrack15 at checkout on their website (https://kodiakcakes.com/singletrackpodcast) to get 1…

Tim Tollefson is a professional trail runner for Craft preparing for the 2023 UTMB in Chamonix, France. Sponsors: Maurten - head over to their website (https://www.maurten.com/) and shop for gels, bars, and drink mixes. Kodiak Cakes - use code Singletrack15 at checkout on their website (https://kodiakcakes.com/singletrackpodcast) to get 15% off you…

Ruth Croft is a professional trail runner for Adidas Terrex preparing for the 2023 UTMB in Chamonix, France. Sponsors: Maurten - head over to their website (https://www.maurten.com/) and shop for gels, bars, and drink mixes. Kodiak Cakes - use code Singletrack15 at checkout on their website (https://kodiakcakes.com/singletrackpodcast) to get 15% of…

Pau Capell is a professional trail runner for the North Face preparing for the 2023 UTMB in Chamonix, France. Sponsors: Maurten - head over to their website (https://www.maurten.com/) and shop for gels, bars, and drink mixes. Kodiak Cakes - use code Singletrack15 at checkout on their website (https://kodiakcakes.com/singletrackpodcast) to get 15% o…

Dakota Jones is a professional trail runner for Nnormal preparing for the 2023 CCC in Chamonix, France. Sponsors: Maurten - head over to their website (https://www.maurten.com/) and shop for gels, bars, and drink mixes. Kodiak Cakes - use code Singletrack15 at checkout on their website (https://kodiakcakes.com/singletrackpodcast) to get 15% off you…

Eszter Csillag is a professional trail runner for Hoka preparing for the 2023 UTMB in Chamonix, France. Sponsors: Maurten - head over to their website (https://www.maurten.com/) and shop for gels, bars, and drink mixes. Kodiak Cakes - use code Singletrack15 at checkout on their website (https://kodiakcakes.com/singletrackpodcast) to get 15% off you…

Jennifer Lichter is a professional trail runner for the North Face preparing for the 2023 OCC in Chamonix, France. Sponsors: Maurten - head over to their website (https://www.maurten.com/) and shop for gels, bars, and drink mixes. Kodiak Cakes - use code Singletrack15 at checkout on their website (https://kodiakcakes.com/singletrackpodcast) to get …

Courtney Dauwalter is a professional trail runner for Salomon preparing for the 2023 UTMB in Chamonix, France. Sponsors: Maurten - head over to their website (https://www.maurten.com/) and shop for gels, bars, and drink mixes. Kodiak Cakes - use code Singletrack15 at checkout on their website (https://kodiakcakes.com/singletrackpodcast) to get 15% …

Caitlin Fielder is a professional trail runner for Salomon preparing for the 2023 OCC race in Chamonix, France. Sponsors: Brooks Running - check out their High Point clothing collection and new and improved Cascadia 17 shoe at this link (https://www.brooksrunning.com/singletrack) Maurten - head over to their website (https://www.maurten.com/) and s…

Tyler Green is a professional trail runner for Nike preparing for the 2023 UTMB race in Chamonix, France. Sponsors: Brooks Running - check out their High Point clothing collection and new and improved Cascadia 17 shoe at this link (https://www.brooksrunning.com/singletrack) Maurten - head over to their website (https://www.maurten.com/) and shop fo…

Ben Dhiman is a Hoka-supported trail runner preparing for the 2023 UTMB race in Chamonix, France. Sponsors: Brooks Running - check out their High Point clothing collection and new and improved Cascadia 17 shoe at this link (https://www.brooksrunning.com/singletrack) Maurten - head over to their website (https://www.maurten.com/) and shop for gels, …

Tom Evans is a professional trail runner for Adidas Terrex preparing for the 2023 UTMB race in Chamonix, France. Sponsors: Brooks Running - check out their High Point clothing collection and new and improved Cascadia 17 shoe at this link (https://www.brooksrunning.com/singletrack) Maurten - head over to their website (https://www.maurten.com/) and …

On August 4th, 2023 I set an unsupported fastest known time on the 100 mile wilderness section of Maine's Appalachian Trail. In an effort to pay it forward to anyone interested in testing their limits on this route in the future, I recorded this trip report with Xander Keiter, who is a fellow HMW enthusiast and owner of the fastest known supported …

Bernd Heinrich is a Professor Emeritus of Biology at the University of Vermont where he made major contributions in the study of the physiological, ecological, and behavioral adaptations of animals and plants to their physical environments. He’s also regarded as one of the best American ultramarathoners of all time. In the early to mid 1980s, for e…

In this episode, I'm joined by Latt Mansor, Research Lead at HVMN. Latt holds a PhD in Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics from the University of Oxford, where his research focused on the metabolism of the type 2 diabetic heart in hypoxia. He also holds an M.A. (Columbia University) and B.Sc. (Hons) (University of Nottingham) in Biotechnology. He is a…

In this episode, I'm joined by Meghan Hicks from IRunFar to reflect on the Hardrock 100 and Western States 100, the history and long-term trajectory of their race coverage and business model, and other media development topics. Sponsors: Rabbit - use code Singletrack20 at checkout on their website (https://www.runinrabbit.com/discount/SINGLETRACK20…

In this episode, I'm joined by David Hedges and Jack Kuenzle. You may have already seen it in the news, but David recently set a new supported and overall FKT on the Nolan's 14 route in Colorado, finishing in a time of 39 hours, 6 minutes and 40 seconds. Jack joins the conversation as a member of his crew and pacing team and together we break down …

Finn Melanson, Brett Hornig, and Jeff Colt recap the 2023 Hardrock 100 - the live coverage, major takeaways, top athlete performances, the possible futures of the event, and listener takes. Sponsors: Rabbit - use code Singletrack20 at checkout on their website (https://www.runinrabbit.com/discount/SINGLETRACK20) to get 20% off your next order Feetu…

Mallory Richard writes a regular column for IRunFar called “Running The Numbers”, which uses quantitative data to talk about trail and ultrarunning. We discuss the pros and cons of the current athlete ranking systems in our sport, interesting performance insights from the UTMB and Golden Trail World Series events, and other interesting topics like …

We are back with cohost Katie Schide for another edition of our Eurotrack mini-series covering relevant happenings at the Western States 100, Lavaredo 120K, Mount Blanc 90K, and the 80K Trail World Championships last month before looking ahead to some of the European runners toeing the line at the Hardrock 100 this weekend. Sponsors: Rabbit - use c…

Josh Rowe, a Performance Nutritionist for Maurten, joins the show to talk about all things ultra running nutrition. Timestamps: (1:02) - Exploring Unknowns in Ultra Endurance Nutrition (8:32) - Bicarbonate and Liquid Calorie Strategies (14:54) - Endurance Race Fueling and Hydration (24:31) - Exploring Carbohydrate and Gut Training (38:10) - Hydroge…

Finn Melanson and Brett Hornig recap the 2023 Western States 100 - the live coverage, major takeaways, top athlete performances, the possible futures of the event, and listener takes. Timestamps: (1:20) - when ultrarunning livestreams will become more entertaining than in-person viewing (16:12) - analyzing Courtney Dauwalter's record performance (3…

Jon Rea returns to the Singletrack Podcast to discuss his preparation and outlook for the 2023 Western States 100. Sponsors: Rabbit - use code Singletrack20 at checkout on their website (https://www.runinrabbit.com/discount/SINGLETRACK20) to get 20% off your next order Feetures - use code Singletrack20 at checkout on their website (https://feetures…

Brett Hornig and Mike McMonagle join the podcast to provide an in-depth preview of the 2023 Western States 100. We analyze the course, talk about what it's going to take to be successful, note some of the interesting storylines around the event, and yes, make our predictions for the female top 10 finishers this year. Sponsors: Rabbit - use code Sin…

Adam Merry returns to the Singletrack Podcast to discuss his preparation and outlook for the 2023 Western States 100. Sponsors: Rabbit - use code Singletrack20 at checkout on their website (https://www.runinrabbit.com/discount/SINGLETRACK20) to get 20% off your next order Feetures - use code Singletrack20 at checkout on their website (https://feetu…

Arlen Glick returns to the Singletrack Podcast to discuss his preparation and outlook for the 2023 Western States 100. Sponsors: Rabbit - use code Singletrack20 at checkout on their website (https://www.runinrabbit.com/discount/...) to get 20% off your next order Feetures - use code Singletrack20 at checkout on their website (https://feetures.com/)…