The Trail Network Podcast

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. Her achievements include multiple podium finishes and top 10 placements at some of the most challenging races globally. Highlights include four top 10 finishes at the Western States Endurance Run, a second-place finish at CCC in 2023, and two sixth-place finishes at UTMB in 2022 and 2024. Emily's infectious enthusiasm and positivity shine through in her approach to life and running, making this conversation not only inspiring but also a delightful experience. Tune in to enjoy this vibrant and uplifting episode with the one and only Emily Hawgood. What we talked about: 1:35- Recapping Emily’s summer of racing 8:10- Her introduction to the sport of trail running 18:00- How she grew up with running being focused on fun 26:00- Her introduction to ultrarunning 32:00- Respecting the mountains 42:30- The incredible improvements in the women’s fields in ultrarunning 50:45- Her involvement with coaching 57:00- Her focus on her nutrition and how it impacts training 1:02:00- Message to her younger self about going after the things you want in life 1:14:25- What’s next for Emily A special thank you to Osprey for supporting this episode. Go to Osprey.com to check out their products! This podcast is edited and produced by the Sandyboy Productions Podcast Network.

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 home. We hope that you enjoy the episode! A special thank you to Osprey for supporting this episode. Go to Osprey.com to check out their products! This podcast is edited and produced by the Sandyboy Productions Podcast Network.

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 recent coaching relationship with Jason Koop. We hope that you enjoy this episode! A special thank you to Osprey for supporting this episode. Go to Osprey.com to check out their products! This podcast is edited and produced by the Sandyboy Productions Podcast Network.

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- Getting into coaching while still competing 20:00- The value of trail running and how it benefits your road running 24:10- Her plans for her future of running 29:40- How running has made an impact on her whole personal running 43:30- Eyeing the course record for Leadville 100 and how the race played out A special thank you to Osprey for supporting this episode. Go to Osprey.com to check out their products! This podcast is edited and produced by the Sandyboy Productions Podcast Network.

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! What we talked about: 1:50 - Catching up with Tara post race 4:40 - Devon getting the call to pace Tara 7:40 - Devon’s history with Hardrock 9:35 - Tara’s race plan 14:40 - Breaking down some of the sections of the course 17:25 - Stomach issues she has during races and fueling strategies she learned in this race 26:30 - Her mindset when she’s feeling sick during the race so early on 28:20 - Getting to the Ouray aid station 31:10 - Her mindset at this point of her race and if she was still competing to podium 32:25 - Picking up Devon as a pacer and her thoughts at this point 36:05 - Her competitiveness that both helped and hurt her during the race 39:10 - The journey up Handies Peak 46:50 - Leaving the Burros aid station and heading to Sherman 56:25 - The final segments and making some passes 60:20 - Coming down the finishing chute 61:45 - Devon’s takeaways from Hardrock 64:20 - What’s next for Tara and Devon 68:10 - Each of their outlets outside of running A special thank you to Osprey for supporting this episode. Go to Osprey.com to check out their products! This podcast is edited and produced by the Sandyboy Productions Podcast Network.

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. We also want to take a moment to dedicate this episode to Maddie Giegold. Maddie Giegold was a friend to us all and unfortunately passed away in the last couple weeks. Maddie, we love you, we miss you, and thank you for everything that you've given us. A special thanks to Osprey for their support. The Trail Network Podcast is edited and produced by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sandyboy Productions Podcast Network⁠⁠

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 Podcast is edited and produced by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sandyboy Productions Podcast Network⁠⁠

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 off on the track by 2 minutes and 50 seconds. Her day was one of rising above countless challenges and willing her body to the finish line, for reasons far beyond herself. Stef Flippin is a professional trail and ultra runner for Gu Energy labs and lululemon, physician, coach, and podcast host. She had the privilege of being a coach and holistic mentor for GU’s and Rising Hearts’ diversity runners at this year’s edition of Western States. Stef and Alex formed a lasting bond over the last year as a result of Alex’s journey to Western States. We hear about Alex’s history in ultrarunning, Alex and Stef’s coaching relationship, her WSER build, her involvement with Trail Sisters in Arkansas, the partnership between Rising Hearts and Gu Energy Labs, and ultimately, how Alex’s day at Western States played out. A special thanks to Osprey for their support. What we talked about: 2:35- Alex’s introduction to trail running 7:45- Stefanie’s relationship with Gu and passion for coaching 11:10- What was different for Alex for Western States versus her first 100 miler 15:35- Stefanie’s experience tailoring Alex’s training for Western States 20:00- What Alex’s training block looked like going into Western States 27:30- Being involved with the Trail Sisters organnization 34:50- Alex recapping her race start to finish 51:30- Alex’s crew during the race 55:00- When cutoffs came into play 1:06:30- Stefanie’s view of Alex’s finish 1:12:30- Running with Purpose 1:14:35- What’s next for Alex The Trail Network Podcast is edited and produced by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sandyboy Productions Podcast Network⁠⁠

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 mattered at the end. He speaks of his self-belief, running in the moment, and shooting your shot. We know you're gonna love this one! A special thanks to Osprey for their support. What we talked about: 2:25- Rod’s recap of the race 5:35- Tim’s reflections on the race 21:15- Rod's races leading into Western States 23:35- Tim and Rod recapping and reflecting on Rod's whole race 51:10- Jim’s final pass 1:01:25- Hayden catching Rod and Tim’s perspective on that 1:10:10- Rod’s dream to win the race The Trail Network Podcast is edited and produced by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sandyboy Productions Podcast Network⁠⁠

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, a skunk encounter, and more! We hope you enjoy this special episode. A special thanks to Osprey for their support.