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Singletrack

Finn Melansonwww.runsingletrack.com

Singletrack is a podcast covering the professional trail and ultrarunning scene.

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Episodes

Candice Burt | 200 Mile Racing Scene, Athlete Sponsorship Models, Long Distance FKTs

Text us your thoughts about this episode or ideas for future episodes! Candice Burt is the Founder of Destination Trail, a trail running events company that puts on popular races like the Moab 240, Tahoe 200, and Bigfoot 200. Timestamps: 1:37 - Arizona Trail, interest in long trail FKT scene, remarking on Heather Anderson’s recent unsupported FKT 23:15 - athlete sponsorship discussion, working with brands, content angles on the social platforms, spring energy comments 45:30 - being a female busi...

Jun 05, 20241 hr 10 minSeason 1Ep. 314

Michael Versteeg | Reflections On The Soul Of Ultrarunning

Text us your thoughts about this episode or ideas for future episodes! Michael Versteeg joins the show for a wide-ranging conversation about ultrarunning. Timestamps: (0:52) - the story behind 2021 Cocodona 250 race report, Arizona trail running ambassadorship, countercultural tendencies (15:11) - more Cocodona 250 discussion - the direction the race is headed in, popularity, what makes it special, 2024 experience racing the likes of Harry, Jeff Browning, Arlen, Joe McConaughy, etc (34:26) - dis...

May 27, 20243 hr 29 minSeason 1Ep. 313

Caley Fretz | Is This An Extinction-Level Moment For Endurance Sports Journalism?

Text us your thoughts about this episode or ideas for future episodes! Caley Fretz is the Co-Founder and Editor-In-Chief of Escape Collective, a member-funded independent cycling media company. As Caley says in his LinkedIn bio, he's “used everything learned over a decade in journalism to build a more sustainable media company”. And that’s what we discuss in this episode - whether his experiences in the cycling space translate over to what current operations and the future of media look like in ...

May 20, 20241 hr 8 minSeason 1Ep. 312

Finn Melanson | 2024 Cocodona 250 Recap

Text us your thoughts about this episode or ideas for future episodes! This episode is dedicated to my crew: Julia Campanelli, Sherman, Ned Melanson, Jeremiah Mullane, Joey Campanelli, Caleb Olson, Morgan Olson, and Scott Hickenlooper. Without you all, this wouldn't have been possible. I'm forever grateful. - Finn Timestamps: 02:02 - The Physical and Mental Challenges of a 200-Mile Race 09:06 - The Importance of Crew Support and Nutrition 23:29 - Overcoming Isolation and Low Moments in the Race ...

May 12, 20241 hr 34 minSeason 1Ep. 311

Ansel Dickey | Documenting Jim Walmsley's Quest To Win UTMB

Text us your thoughts about this episode or ideas for future episodes! Ansel Dickey joins the show to talk about his experience making “Walmsley”, what it was like getting to know and work with Jim, what it’s like working as a creative in the endurance sports industry, and his role as a Race Director for Vermont Overland. Sponsors: Naak - use code SINGLETRACK20 at checkout on their website ( https://www.naak.com/ ) to get 20% off your purchase. Rabbit - use code Singletrack20 at checkout on thei...

May 03, 20241 hr 24 minSeason 1Ep. 310

Long Run Archives #17 | Canyons 100K Highlights, Jim Walmsley Returning To UTMB?, Spring Energy Controversy

Text us your thoughts about this episode or ideas for future episodes! Brett Hornig and Jeff Colt join Singletrack to riff on the latest news in the ultra-trail running world. Timestamps: (1:42) - Canyons 100K Highlights (32:35) - Regional Trail Team Competitions (Like Boulder vs Salt Lake) (52:36) - UTMB Americas Major Moving From Canyons To Kodiak In 2025 (63:49) - Merrell's Campaign To Get Trail Running In The Olympics (78:39) - Jim Walmsley Returning To UTMB In 2024? (93:31) - Spring Energy ...

Apr 30, 20241 hr 48 minSeason 1Ep. 309

2024 Canyons 100K Preview | Analysis, Storylines, Predictions

Text us your thoughts about this episode or ideas for future episodes! Finn Melanson, Brett Hornig, and Leah Yingling provide in-depth analysis, commentary, and predictions for the competition at the 2024 Canyons 100K. Timestamps: (0:00) - course strategy, weather conditions, historical performance data, competitive race context (30:22) - women's field preview, storylines, analysis, predictions (66:07) - men's field preview, storylines, analysis, predictions Sponsors: Naak - use code SINGLETRACK...

Apr 22, 20241 hr 50 minSeason 1Ep. 308

Jeff Browning | Cocodona 250 Insights, Competitive Longevity, Ultrarunning History

Text us your thoughts about this episode or ideas for future episodes! Jeff Browning joins the show to talk about his history in the sport, competitive relevance over the last two decades, and insights on his training and preparation leading into the 2024 Cocodona 250. Timestamps: (0:00) - Wasatch 100 Reflections (11:49) - Competitive Relevance of Older Ultrarunners (29:19) - Patagonia Days (36:55) - 200 Mile Racing Discussion, 2024 Cocodona 250 Specifics Sponsors: Naak - use code SINGLETRACK20 ...

Apr 17, 20241 hr 20 minSeason 1Ep. 307

Simon Freeman | Behind The Print - Like The Wind Magazine

Text us your thoughts about this episode or ideas for future episodes! Simon Freeman is the Co-Founder of Like The Wind Magazine. In this episode, we talk about differences in running culture across the globe, the nuts and bolts of building and maintaining a media brand in the sport, and conclude with some of his insights on the professional scene in Iten, Kenya. Timestamps: (0:26) - US Tour, Differences In Running Cultures Across The World (9:03) - Inspirations for Like The Wind Magazine, Fulfi...

Apr 08, 20241 hr 37 minSeason 1Ep. 306

Jasmin Paris | Achieving "The Impossible" At The 2024 Barkley Marathons

Text us your thoughts about this episode or ideas for future episodes! Jasmin Paris returns to the Singletrack Podcast to talk about her historic, limits-defying finish at the 2024 Barkley Marathons. Timestamps: 1:59 The Story Behind the Gear 6:57 Sponsorship Status, The Green Runners, Promoting Sustainability 10:13 Hardrock 100, Future Races and Travel 13:31 Harnessing the Media Spotlight 23:25 Discovering the Barkley After The 2019 Spine, Laz Remarks 29:14 Mock Barkley Courses In Training 37:4...

Apr 01, 202447 minSeason 1Ep. 305

Jared Campbell | 2024 Barkley Marathons Insights

Text us your thoughts about this episode or ideas for future episodes! Jared Campbell is a 4-time finisher of the Barkley Marathons, a past winner of the Hardrock 100, the creator of the Running Up For Air series, and the genius behind classic FKT routes like the Wasatch Ultimate Ridge Linkup and Millwood 100. Timestamps: (1:39) - Barkley Marathons Insights (52:09) - Wasatch FKT Scene, Under-The-Radar Cool Races (66:19) - Environmental Discussion Sponsors: Naak - use code SINGLETRACK20 at checko...

Mar 30, 20241 hr 29 minSeason 1Ep. 304

2024 Barkley Marathons Recap | Jasmin Paris Makes History, Five Runners Finish, Lazarus Lake Report

Text us your thoughts about this episode or ideas for future episodes! This episode was recorded in-person at Brooks HQ in Seattle, Washington with Joe McConaughy at the Brooks Trail Team training camp shortly after the 2024 Barkley Marathons. We recount Jasmin Paris’ finish and the historical significance of that moment for our sport, the impact of 5 finishers this year, what makes Barkley so interesting, Joe’s race recap with training, nutritional, and racing insights for future editions, and ...

Mar 26, 20241 hr 18 minSeason 1Ep. 303

Long Run Archives #16 | Lululemon FURTHER Recap, Multi-Day Race Strategy, Ultrarunning Research

Text us your thoughts about this episode or ideas for future episodes! Brett Hornig and Leah Yingling join Singletrack to recap the Lululemon-backed FURTHER event which took place outside of Palm Springs, CA about a week ago. It was equal parts interesting from performance, research, technology, marketing, and lifestyle standpoints and we touch on a lot of that in this episode through the lens of Leah’s experience logging 400 miles over the 6-day event and Brett helping crew her during that time...

Mar 17, 20241 hr 42 minSeason 1Ep. 302

Christian Meier | Pro Trail Running vs Pro Cycling, Norwegian Training Methods, Finding New Athletic Peaks

Text us your thoughts about this episode or ideas for future episodes! Christian Meier is a professional trail runner for Salomon and an entrepreneur based in Girona, Spain. In this discussion, Christian shares insights on the contrasting levels of professionalism in cycling and trail running. He delves into the integration of Norwegian training techniques into ultra-trail running, achieving excellence across diverse sports disciplines, and his diverse array of business endeavors beyond his athl...

Mar 15, 20241 hr 21 minSeason 1Ep. 301

Automating Ultrarunning Hydration Strategy And Execution | Meridith Cass (Nix Biosensors)

Text us your thoughts about this episode or ideas for future episodes! Meridith Cass - the Founder-CEO of Nix BioSensors - joins the show to talk about the self-health movement, the latest technology behind hydration intelligence, and the prospect of completely automating your hydration strategy and execution at an ultra-trail race like the Western States 100. One thing to note before we get started - Singletrack has no financial partnership with Nix, but if you’re interested in trying out their...

Mar 07, 202446 minSeason 1Ep. 300

Paul Huddle | UTMB Whistler, Ironman Group Influence, Future of Trail Running

Text us your thoughts about this episode or ideas for future episodes! Paul Huddle is the Senior Director of Global Trail Running Operations for the Ironman Group. Beyond that, Paul is a former elite triathlete, he got a silver buckle at the 1997 Western States 100, he’s been a race director, and he’s worked extensively in endurance sports media. In this conversation, we talk about the ongoing controversy surrounding one of the Ironman Group’s newest races (UTMB Whistler), the Ironman Group’s im...

Mar 01, 20241 hr 18 minSeason 1Ep. 299

Eurotrack #4 | Transgrancanaria Preview

Text us your thoughts about this episode or ideas for future episodes! We are back with cohost Katie Schide for another edition of Eurotrack this time to provide in-depth analysis, commentary, and predictions for the competition at the 2024 Transgrancanaria 126K. Timestamps: (0:34) - general thoughts about Transgrancanaria (9:22) - course analysis for Transgrancanaria (26:54) - race stats from Aid Station Fireball (33:31) - women's field analysis, storylines, predictions (44:15) - men's field an...

Feb 20, 202457 minSeason 1Ep. 298

Long Run Archives #15 | Black Canyon 100K Recap, Golden Ticket Outlooks, Doping In Trail Running

Text us your thoughts about this episode or ideas for future episodes! Brett Hornig, Jeff Colt, and Corrine Malcolm join Singletrack to riff on the latest news in the ultra-trail running world. In this conversation, we share our takeaways from the 2024 Black Canyon 100K, talk about the entirety of the Western States 100 golden ticket series including some early takes on the Canyons 100K race later this spring, and spend the rest of the time talking about the implications of Stian Angermund’s pos...

Feb 14, 20241 hr 39 minSeason 1Ep. 297

Mary Kate Shea | Building World-Class Running Events, Pro Athlete Recruitment, Boston Marathon Insights

Text us your thoughts about this episode or ideas for future episodes! Mary Kate Shea, serving as the Senior Director of Pro Athletes for road race events at the Boston Athletic Association, holds a pivotal role in recruiting and facilitating the experience of hundreds of professional runners at marquee events like the Boston Marathon, BAA 10K, and BAA 5K annually. With her extensive expertise in pro athlete recruitment, event management, sponsorship, and sports marketing, I found it compelling ...

Feb 07, 20241 hr 12 minSeason 1Ep. 296

2024 Black Canyon 100K Preview | Analysis, Storylines, Predictions

Text us your thoughts about this episode or ideas for future episodes! Finn Melanson, Brett Hornig, and Leah Yingling provide in-depth analysis, commentary, and predictions for the competition at the 2024 Black Canyon 100K. Timestamps: (1:09) - course strategy, weather conditions, historical performance data, competitive race context (34:01) - women's field preview, storylines, analysis, predictions (68:51) - men's field preview, storylines, analysis, predictions Sponsors: Naak - use code SINGLE...

Feb 03, 20241 hr 47 minSeason 1Ep. 295

Adam Merry | 2024 Black Canyon 100K Pre-Race Interview

Text us your thoughts about this episode or ideas for future episodes! Adam Merry is a professional trail runner for Saucony based in Boulder, CO ahead of his race at the Black Canyon 100K on February 10th. In this conversation, we catch up on the second half of his 2023 season, all the details around his race prep, the state of the Boulder boys and the new podcast they have dropping today (linked here in the show notes). Timestamps: (1:53) - second half of 2023 (9:55) - 2024 Black Canyon 100K (...

Feb 02, 202422 minSeason 1Ep. 294

Emkay Sullivan | 2024 Black Canyon 100K Pre-Race Interview

Text us your thoughts about this episode or ideas for future episodes! Emkay Sullivan is a professional trail runner for Craft based in Reno NV ahead of her race at the Black Canyon 100K on February 10th. In this conversation we talk about going full-time on trail running, making the jump to the 100K distance, why 2024 represents the start of her versatility era, and some reflections on the Sub Hub Podcast and highlights from covering that part of the sport. Timestamps: (0:32) - full time pro tr...

Feb 02, 202427 minSeason 1Ep. 293

Rachel Drake | 2024 Black Canyon 100K Pre-Race Interview

Text us your thoughts about this episode or ideas for future episodes! Rachel Drake is a professional trail runner for Nike based in Portland, Oregon. Ahead of her race at the Black Canyon 100K on February 10th, we talk about using the road marathon as a vehicle for trail speed, the value in collaborating with competitors to reach your potential, the appeal of Black Canyon and a golden ticket to Western States, as well as her experience in the Hong Kong trail scene last month. Timestamps: (2:07)...

Feb 02, 202430 minSeason 1Ep. 292

Hayden Hawks | Return To Racing, Training and Nutrition Lessons, Western States Vision

Text us your thoughts about this episode or ideas for future episodes! Hayden Hawks is a professional trail runner sponsored by Hoka, Coros, and Precision, based in Cedar City, UT. In this conversation, we discuss his recovery from injury and surgery midway through the last season, the tools and knowledge he has incorporated into his ultrarunning routine over the past nine months, his training approach and visualization strategies for the upcoming race at Black Canyon, and some reflections on ho...

Feb 01, 202457 minSeason 1Ep. 291

Ben Blankenship | American Olympian Enters The Ultrarunning Scene

Text us your thoughts about this episode or ideas for future episodes! 🗣️ “The more I’m exposed to better athletes and better people and their unique things, the more obsessed they are. The more it drives their day-to-day, it drives their minute-to-minute, and nothing else kinda matters.” Widely recognized as one of America’s best middle-distance runners in the 2010s, Ben Blankenship joins the Singletrack Podcast to talk about his move into ultra-trail running, racing the Rabid Raccoon 100 mile...

Jan 26, 202440 minSeason 1Ep. 290

Sam Parsons | The Trials And Tribulations Of Professional Running

Text us your thoughts about this episode or ideas for future episodes! Sam Parsons returns to provide an update on Tinman Elite, a professional running team based out of Boulder, CO. We get into the challenges of building, maintaining, and growing the team, influencing the greater professional culture in running, and reflections on Sam’s athletic mortality and what the future might hold for him. Note - Earlier this month we reposted a conversation with Sam from November 2021 that queues this one...

Jan 20, 202452 minSeason 1Ep. 289

Zach Miller | UTMB Thoughts, Training and Racing Reflections, 2024 Plans

Text us your thoughts about this episode or ideas for future episodes! Zach Miller is a professional trail runner for the North Face. In this conversation, we cover this latest thoughts on training, racing, and UTMB. Timestamps: (1:06) - UTMB Thoughts (35:56) - Training, Racing, Career Thoughts (89:53) - Miscellaneous Topics, Next Steps Sponsors: Naak - use code SINGLETRACK20 at checkout on their website ( https://www.naak.com/ ) to get 20% off your purchase. Rabbit - use code Singletrack20 at c...

Jan 12, 20241 hr 40 minSeason 1Ep. 288

How To Build A Professional Trail Running Team (November 2021)

Text us your thoughts about this episode or ideas for future episodes! Way back in November 2021 when this show was just getting off the ground, we did an episode with Sam Parsons - a professional runner and cofounder of the Tinman Elite team based in Boulder, CO. At the time, I was surprised that we had not seen the formation and widespread existence of a truly professionalized, co-located team in the trail running world. So I reached out, he gave me an hour, and I tried to fit in as many quest...

Jan 07, 202459 minSeason 1Ep. 287

Trail Tea #2 | UTMB Issues, Doping Discussions, Media Outlooks

Text us your thoughts about this episode or ideas for future episodes! Trail Tea is back! In this edition, I am once again joined by Jack Kuenzle, Dan Curts, and Abby Levene. There is a fair bit of profanity used in this episode, so you are forewarned on that front. And one issue to be aware of before listening - I neglected to catch an audio issue with Dan’s microphone early in the episode that persists and ultimately, gets worse through the end of the conversation. I looked into possible fixes...

Dec 30, 20231 hr 44 minSeason 1Ep. 286

2023 Year In Mountain Ultra-Trail Running | Awards, Highlights, Storylines, Predictions

Text us your thoughts about this episode or ideas for future episodes! I am joined by co-hosts Brett Hornig and Leah Yingling to recap the year in mountain ultra trail running. We cover our favorite storylines, biggest changes in the sport, the rookie athletes that burst onto the scene, runners that had "comeback" type seasons, our thoughts certain candidates inside TROY and UROY voting, unsung performances and runners of the year, personal highlights, and our predictions for 2024. Timestamps: (...

Dec 22, 20231 hr 14 minSeason 1Ep. 285
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