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Text us your thoughts about this episode or ideas for future episodes!David Laney is a professional trail runner for Craft Sportswear based in Bellingham, WA preparing for the 2022 UTMB.Sponsors:This episode is brought to you by Gnarly Nutrition. Use code Singletrack20 at checkout to get 20% off your next order.Timestamps:(0:59) - background at Craft Sportswear(4:11) - current training and racing stoke level versus years past (6:19) - differences between now and 2015-2016 years at UTMB(8:36) - break from UTMB in years past (10:18) - whether he’s ready for a performance like the ones he had in 2015 or 2016(12:03) - gear for race dayLinks:Follow David on InstagramGet coached by DavidAdditional Episodes You May Enjoy:#109 - Jim Walmsley | 2022 UTMB Pre-Race InterviewSupport the show

Text us your thoughts about this episode or ideas for future episodes!Jim Walmsley is a professional trail runner for Hoka based in the French Alps preparing for the 2022 UTMB.Discounts:Rabbit - use code Singletrack20 at checkout on their website (https://www.runinrabbit.com/discount/SINGLETRACK20) to get 20% off your next orderHVMN - use code Singletrack20 at checkout on their website (https://hvmn.com/SINGLETRACK20) to get 20% off your next orderTimestamps:(0:20) - willingness to publicly set goals and be held accountable to those goals(2:18) - experience so far uprooting from Flagstaff, AZ to live and train in the French Alps(8:38) - whether there was ever any scenario for Jim where training for UTMB in the United States this summer made sense(11:27) - whether he is primarily racing the clock or racing his competitors at this year’s UTMB(14:40) - whether anything less than a win at this event would be a disappointment (17:03) - whether he is the American man best suited to win UTMB(18:19) - whether he enjoys following competitors and the media circus in the leadup to these events(20:28) - how he feels heading into this year’s UTMB compared to prior years(22:02) - whether he’s as excited about ultra running as he was 5-6 years ago(25:43) - whether he has a set timeline for how much longer he wants to compete in the sportLinks:Follow Jim on Instagram Follow Jim on Strava Watch Walmsley Part 1 Presented by Wahoo and HokaSupport the show

Text us your thoughts about this episode or ideas for future episodes!Jordan Hamm is a Sports Marketing Specialist and serves as the Trail Athlete Manager at Brooks Running based in Seattle, WA. This is another episode in our mini-series providing insights to the athlete-sponsor relationship in trail running.  Discounts:Rabbit - use code Singletrack20 at checkout on their website (https://www.runinrabbit.com/discount/SINGLETRACK20) to get 20% off your next orderHVMN - use code Singletrack20 at checkout on their website (https://hvmn.com/SINGLETRACK20) to get 20% off your next orderLinks:Brooks Running Connect with Jordan on LinkedInFollow Jordan on InstagramTimestamps:(4:36) - how Jordan got started at Brooks Running and became their Trail Athlete Manager(7:23) - market trends that have led Brooks to invest more in trail running in recent years (9:59) - what a typical day looks like as a Trail Athlete Manager(12:03) - how important athletes are in the marketing a shoe brand(16:53) - the process of scouting for and recruiting athletes to the Brooks team(21:55) - monitoring Strava segments to scout for and recruit runners(24:54) - how much emphasis Brooks places on athletic performance versus social media performance(29:15) - whether Jordan would recommend aspiring sponsored trail runners to focus more on athletic performance or personal brand building(30:52) - breakdown of full-time versus part-time athletes on the Brooks roster(36:35) - whether there's enough or some publicly available information for trail athletes to access and use as part of their negotiation with brands(43:41) - distinction between athletes as independent contractors and employees(46:56) - whether contract NDAs hurt or help athletes and the brands (48:48) - whether the presence of NDAs indicates that athletes are getting a bad deal(50:18) - whether Brooks will experiment with building a co-located trail running team in the future(55:45) - Brooks events and athletes to watch out for in 2022 and beyond(57:43) - Scott Jurek's current role at Brooks Additional Episodes You May Enjoy:#106 - David Kilgore | How On Is Building Their Trail Running Team#99 - Robert Muecke | How Adidas Terrex Is Building Their Trail Running Team#98 - Steff Gardner | How Salomon Is Building Their North American Trail Running TeamSupport the show

Text us your thoughts about this episode or ideas for future episodes!Lindsay Webster is a professional endurance athlete based in Sutton, Quebec.  Widely regarded as one of - if not the greatest - obstacle course racers of all-time, Lindsay made waves earlier this year following her decision to retire from the sport she has dominated for many years in order to focus on skyrunning.In this conversation we talk about how her background contributed to her excellence in endurance sports, her decision to become a full-time professional athlete in her mid-20s, her reasons for leaving OCR and getting into skyrunning, what the future looks like for her in the trail and ultrarunning world, and more. Discounts:Rabbit - use code Singletrack20 at checkout on their website (https://www.runinrabbit.com/discount/SINGLETRACK20) to get 20% off your next orderHVMN - use code Singletrack20 at checkout on their website (https://hvmn.com/SINGLETRACK20) to get 20% off your next orderLinks:Follow Lindsay on InstagramTimestamps:(4:23) - background, influence growing up with an Olympian(9:45 - becoming a full-time professional athlete in her mid-20s(12:44) - motivation and goal-setting after hitting all your biggest targets(17:29) - whether she will ever return to OCR(24:59) - choosing between skyrunning, golden trail, and other event series(27:06) - lessons so far from skyrunning(31:25) - lifestyle while traveling on the skyrunning circuit(35:48) - explaining OCR organizations(39:05) - similarities and differences in professionalism between OCR and trail running(42:29) - opportunities and challenges for OCR over the next few years(45:10) - OCR media(46:27) - miscellaneous questionsAdditional Episodes You May Enjoy:#97 - Sophia Laukli | Beijing OIympics Experience, Broken Arrow Skyrace, Trail Racing Future#70 - Jazmine Lowther | 2022 Canyons 100K Course Record, Western States Golden Ticket, UTMB Aspirations#31 - Dani Moreno | Sub Ultra Trail Racing, Golden Trail Series, Overcoming Burnout, Female ParticipationSupport the show

Text us your thoughts about this episode or ideas for future episodes!David Kilgore serves as the Trail and Ultrarunning Athlete Manager for On Running. In this conversation we talk about how he got his role at the company, his advice for navigating the negotiation process as a potential sponsored athlete, whether athletes can focus on both performance and social media, and whether the time is ripe for the formation of brand-sponsored trail running teams.Discounts:Rabbit - use code Singletrack20 at checkout on their website (https://www.runinrabbit.com/discount/SINGLETRACK20) to get 20% off your next orderHVMN - use code Singletrack20 at checkout on their website (https://hvmn.com/SINGLETRACK20) to get 20% off your next orderTimestamps:(4:00) - Alaska Cirque Series race, Cyclon program(8:27) - how David got into his role at On Running and helped build their trail and ultrarunning team(11:00) - how David thinks about scouting for and recruiting athletes to the On Running team(13:36) - advice for how prospective sponsored athletes should reach out to brands like On(16:36) - How athletes can understand their value to the brand and negotiate contracts better(25:02) - the percentage of athletes that are full-time versus part-time on the On team roster(27:45) - whether athletes can perform well and do social media well at the same time(34:31) - thoughts on whether we will see trail running teams form any time soon(38:28) - whether current and future athletes will need to take trail and ultrarunning full-time(41:15) - miscellaneous questions Links:Follow David on InstagramHudson River 50Additional Episodes You May Enjoy:#99 - Robert Muecke | How Adidas Terrex Is Building Their Trail Running Team#98 - Steff Gardner | How Salomon Is Building Their North American Trail Running TeamSupport the show

Text us your thoughts about this episode or ideas for future episodes!Michael McKnight is a professional trail runner for Salomon based in Logan, UT. You may recognize Michael as one of the top athletes on the 200 mile racing scene and we do talk a bit about that towards the end of the episode, but this conversation delves a fair bit into the philosophical as well as Michael reflects on being outspoken on social media on a whole array of issues, managing a coaching business through turbulent economic times, and the takeaways from working on the corporate side of the sport in many capacities. We also talk about and build up some hype for Michael’s next project - and what I believe is one of the most unique events our sport has seen in a while - a head to head battle for the Arizona Trail FKT taking place in October.Discounts:Rabbit - use code Singletrack20 at checkout on their website (https://www.runinrabbit.com/discount/SINGLETRACK20) to get 20% off your next orderHVMN - use code Singletrack20 at checkout on their website (https://hvmn.com/SINGLETRACK20) to get 20% off your next orderTimestamps:(3:06) - experience and takeaways working for Altra in customer service, events, and athlete management(18:32) - motivations for the move from Altra to Salomon, getting into coaching(28:19) - living and training in Logan, UT(34:53) - social media, being outspoken about certain hot topics in our sport(41:31) - specializing, building a career around 200 mile races(47:00) - whether a playbook is forming for how to run 200 milers(52:51) - Arizona Trail FKT showdownLinks:Follow Michael on InstagramGet coached by Michael for 200 mile racesAdditional Episodes You May Enjoy:#73 - Joe McConaughy | Cocodona 250 Win, Long Trail FKTs, Coaching Ultra RunnersSupport the show

Text us your thoughts about this episode or ideas for future episodes!In this episode of the Long Run Archives I am joined by co-host Brett Hornig and special guest Jeff Colt to discuss and debate a whole slew of trail and ultrarunning topics and current events.Discounts:Rabbit - use code Singletrack20 at checkout on their website (https://www.runinrabbit.com/discount/SINGLETRACK20) to get 20% off your next orderHVMN - use code Singletrack20 at checkout on their website (https://hvmn.com/SINGLETRACK20) to get 20% off your next orderTimestamps:(2:32) - introductions(8:30) - unique trail running sponsorships(19:07) - what makes for a good trail race culture(28:18) - why some of the best ultra runners use road shoes in trail races(37:55) - significance of USATF in trail and ultra running(52:19) - whether we'll see Joey Gray against Kilian Jornet ever again(59:05) - the role of specialty run stores in growing the sport of trail running(66:36) - the next wave of trail and ultra running content we want to see Links:Follow Brett on InstagramFollow Jeff on InstagramGet coached by Trails and TarmacPrescription RoastingLoyal CoffeeAdditional Episodes You May Enjoy:#94 - Long Run Archives #5 | Western States Reactions, Zach Miller Return, Arizona Trail Duel#72 - Long Run Archives #4 | Cocodona 250, Mammoth Trail Fest, Super Shoe Influences, Strava Finds#62 - Long Run Archives #3 | Betting In Ultrarunning, Next Great Trail Running Towns, Golden Ticket Series Ideas#53 - Long Run Archives #2 | Ultrarunning Analytics, Elite DNF Debate, 3:47 Downhill Mile, Magda What If#43 - Long Run Archives #1 | Jim Walmsley What Ifs, Black Canyon 100K Preview, Full-Time UltrarunningSupport the show

Text us your thoughts about this episode or ideas for future episodes!Lindsay Dakota is a Co-Founder of Naked Sports Innovations. You're probably familiar with their running bands, but maybe not as familiar with their running vests or their new trail racing shoe. Maybe you also also noticed athletes like Adam Peterman and Camille Herron crossing the finish line of this year's Western States 100 using their gear. Regardless, if you're a long-time listener of Singletrack, you know our first love on this show is chatting with the entrepreneurs building on top of and around the world of trail and ultra running and we return to those roots in this episode.Lindsay and I talk about what it's like running a gear company in our sport, the opportunities he saw to innovate on existing trail running gear, the outside influences he brings to our world, general commentary on building and marketing a vision from 0 to 1, and all sorts of stuff around Naked's current and future lines of products. I hope you enjoy.Sponsors:Kodiak Cakes - use Singletrack15 at checkout to get 15% off your next order.InsideTracker - use this link to get 20% off your next order.Timestamps:(4:55) - inspiration to be an entrepreneur in the trail running world(8:05) - the historical timeline and evolution of running bands and vests(13:54) - building a new trail running gear company and carving out a niche against established, well-known brands(15:33) - the biggest areas of opportunity for innovation in trail running gear(19:34) - thoughts on competition and their innovations being absorbed by bigger brands(24:30) - the zero to one process for getting a trail running gear brand off the ground(26:25) - typical day for the Co-Founder(28:33) - marketing the brands through athletes(32:48) - changing demographics of the sponsorship landscape (36:40) - Naked's current and future product line(43:36) - innovation from new versus established running gear companies(50:33) - miscellaneous questionsLinks:Connect with Lindsay on LinkedInNaked Sports InnovationsNative Women Running TeamVerna VolkerAdditional Episodes You May Enjoy:#3 - Jimmy Daly | Social Media, Content Creation, Branding For Trail Runners#7 - Mark Gainey | Co-Founder of Strava, Trail Running, Athlete Creators#8  - Larissa Rivers | Trail Running Stores, Sports Marketing, Strava#11 - Matt Taylor | Tracksmith, Brand Marketing, Growing The Sport Of Trail Running#20 - Zoe Rom | Trail Runner Magazine, Running Journalism, Diversity TalksSupport the show

Text us your thoughts about this episode or ideas for future episodes! I am joined by Brett Hornig and Leah Yingling in this episode to preview the 2022 Speedgoat 50K. 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 and male podium finishers this year.Thanks to our sponsor, Kodiak Cakes, for making it possible. Use code Singletrack15 at checkout to get 15% off your next order.Timestamps:(3:46) - commentary on race changes this year(19:29) - analyzing course profile and performance demands(31:57) - analyzing women's field, podium predictions(55:06) - analyzing men's field, podium predictionsLinks:Follow Brett on InstagramFollow Leah on InstagramGet coached by Trails and TarmacAdditional Episodes You May Enjoy:#92 - 2022 Western States 100 Preview | Analysis, Storylines, Predictions#64 - 2022 Canyons 100K Preview | The Last Western States Golden Ticket RaceSupport the show

Text us your thoughts about this episode or ideas for future episodes!This episode bundles all of the pre-race interviews we did for the women’s field at the 2022 Speedgoat 50k by UTMB taking place this coming Saturday, July 23rd at Snowbird Ski Resort outside of Salt Lake City, UT.Thanks to our sponsor, Kodiak Cakes, for making it possible. Use code Singletrack15 at checkout to get 15% off your next order.Timestamps:(0:34) - Erika Flowers (North Face)(20:34) - Hillary Allen (Brooks)(33:22) - Jennifer Lichter (North Face)(52:52) - Addie Bracy (Nike)(62:30) - Alissa St Laurent (Salomon)Links:Follow Erika Flowers on InstagramFollow Hillary Allen on InstagramFollow Jennifer Lichter on InstagramFollow Addie Bracy on InstagramFollow Alissa St Laurent on InstagramSupport the show