The Trailhead

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The Trailhead isn't your typical trail running podcast—we're not dissecting splits or debating race strategies. Instead, hosts Zoë Rom and Brendan Leonard take you straight to the heart (and funny bone) of the sport, celebrating the people, stories, and quirks that make trail running so special. With a mix of humor, heart, and a little irreverence, we explore the personalities, people, artists, and everyday athletes who give the sport its soul—because trail running is about more than just the miles.

  1. 1 day ago

    What If the Hero's Journey Is the Wrong Story? With Heather Hansman

    Heather Hansman is an award-winning outdoor journalist, an Outside columnist, and the author of Downriver and the bestselling Powder Days. Her new book, Fierce Country: The Untold Story of Three Women Who Ignited America's Love for the Wild, is out now. In this conversation: the therapist who mapped the heroine's journey, and the very famous mythologist who told her women don't need one; Georgie White swimming Grand Canyon rapids in 1945 in tennis shoes and a couple of hard candies; why there always seems to be exactly one available spot at the top for a woman, and what that has to do with the way we talked about Rachel Entrekin winning Cocodona outright; topophilia, or what happens when the love of your life turns out to be a landscape; and whether the American myth of the lone tough guy summiting the mountain is, frankly, a pretty boring story. This episode is brought to you by LMNT. Go to drinklmnt.com/UltraSignup for a free sample pack with any order. Featured race: the Bear Canyon Trail Run in Sandy, Utah, on Saturday, October 10. Formerly the Corner Canyon Ultra, now with a new name and a new course. The 11 Mile Classic climbs over 4,000 feet in five miles, the 20 Mile Challenge runs that loop twice, and there's a 5K if you'd like to keep your quads. Every dollar raised goes to an individual or family facing serious hardship, nearly $70,000 to 13 recipients since 2013. Registration closes Wednesday, October 7. Sign up at UltraSignup.com. The Trailhead is part of the UltraSignup Podcast Network.

    What If the Hero's Journey Is the Wrong Story? With Heather Hansman

  2. 21 Jul

    Is Running a Religion? A 1,400-Mile Pilgrimage Around Ireland with Author Adharanand Finn

    Adharanand Finn is an award-winning journalist and the author of Running with the Kenyans, The Way of the Runner, and The Rise of the Ultra Runners, and his forthcoming book The Running Pilgrim chronicles the 1,400 miles he ran around Ireland in 68 days. In this conversation, Zoe and Brendan talk with Adharanand about what Kenyan, Japanese, and ultrarunning cultures taught him about community and staying in the moment, why a pilgrimage is basically an ultra with better theology, the science of why running with other people feels easier, ultrarunning's weird romance with suffering, and the definitive (and expanding) playlist of songs about running. This episode is brought to you by Running Warehouse, where you can find everything you need to survive summer running, from vests to socks to a frankly irresponsible number of gels. Shop through the link in our show notes. Featured race: The Oregon Outback 230 is a 230-mile point-to-point journey from the eastern Cascades to Lakeview, Oregon, through the largest dark sky sanctuary in the world, happening July 16 through 21, 2027, with a 120-hour cutoff. Registration closes July 1, 2027. Sign up at UltraSignup.com. The Trailhead is part of the UltraSignup Podcast Network.

    Is Running a Religion? A 1,400-Mile Pilgrimage Around Ireland with Author Adharanand Finn

  3. 7 Jul

    Race Photographer Anastasia Wilde on What 200-Milers Really Look Like

    Anastasia Wilde is a Missoula-based adventure photographer who has spent the last five years shooting the country's biggest 200-mile races like Bigfoot, Tahoe, Cocodona, and hiking up to eight miles into the backcountry with thirty pounds of gear to photograph runners at their most unfiltered. In this conversation, Anastasia tells us how a Costco camera kit and a suspiciously well-timed $500 raffle win turned a middle school music teacher into one of ultrarunning's most prolific race photographers, why the mid- and back-of-pack will tell a stranger with a camera things they haven't told their families, the memory card catastrophe at the Bigfoot finish line she still thinks about, whether AI will ever make any of us look good while running (no), and what it means to photograph someone crying alone at sunrise on their way to a five-year buckle. This episode is brought to you by LMNT and their new lemonade iced tea flavor. Get a free sample pack with any order at drinklmnt.com/UltraSignup. This week's featured race is the Machete Muertos 200 at Lake Perris, California, starting Wednesday, October 28. 200 miles, 44,000 feet of climbing, and a 96-hour cutoff at one of the toughest 200-milers in the country, part of Machete Madness's Día de los Muertos celebration. There's also a 100-miler, a 50-miler, and 10- and 20-mile ruck divisions, with free family camping, free professional photos, and no pacer fees. Registration closes Friday, October 16. Sign up at UltraSignup.com. The Trailhead is part of the UltraSignup Podcast Network.

    Race Photographer Anastasia Wilde on What 200-Milers Really Look Like

  4. 26 May

    A Longtime New York Times Music Critic on How Running Changed the Way He Listens

    Ben Ratliff is a former New York Times music critic, a writing professor at NYU, and the author of Run the Song: Writing About Running About Listening, longlisted for the National Book Award and named a finalist for the PEN/Diamonstein-Spielvogel Award for the Art of the Essay, which chronicles what he hears when he brings music into his near-daily runs through the Bronx. In this conversation, Zoë and Brendan talk with Ratliff about why running made him a better listener, and why the optimal-BPM running playlist is, by his lights, beside the point. He makes the case for listening as active attention rather than ambient wallpaper, explains why some of the slowest and quietest music turns out to be the most enlivening to run to, and pushes back on the idea that "good taste" is something you can buy. Along the way: defamiliarizing a song until it sounds brand new, the strange kinship between a long run and a long DJ set, and how a career critic ends up running to everything from jazz to Ice Spice. This episode is brought to you by Running Warehouse, where Zoë gets basically all her summer running gear, vests, socks, hats, shirts, and a frankly irresponsible number of gels, with fast shipping and a return policy run by actual humans. This week's featured race is the FCA Endurance Race in Oakwood, Georgia — a choose-your-own-adventure event on a flat, one-mile paved loop around the University of North Georgia's Oakwood campus. Pick your distance: a 5K, a 10K that detours onto dirt and a stretch of cross-country trail, or a timed race of two, four, six, twelve, or twenty-four hours, with some durations offering a 6 p.m. start so you can run straight into the night. It all happens Saturday, June 6, 2026, and registration stays open right through race day. Sign up at UltraSignup.com. The Trailhead is part of the UltraSignup Podcast Network.

    A Longtime New York Times Music Critic on How Running Changed the Way He Listens

  5. 28 Apr

    Why Your Brain Needs You to Run with Evolutionary Biologist David Raichlen

    David Raichlen is a professor of biological sciences at the University of Southern California whose research examines how human evolution, physical activity, and brain health are linked across the lifespan. In this conversation, Zoë and Brendan talk with David about what's actually happening in your brain when you go from couch to consistently active, why exercise might be the closest thing we have to a dementia preventative, and why his research on the runner's high, which famously involved humans, dogs, and ferrets, suggests it evolved as something more useful than feeling good.  They also get into what hunter-gatherers like the Hadza can (and can't) tell us about how to live, why "more is better" hits diminishing returns at the high end, the trouble with paleo prescriptions, and whether sitting really is the new smoking. Plus: Brendan tries to figure out if his rock-climbing mom or his golfing dad is doing better cognitive work than he is. This episode is brought to you by Running Warehouse, the one-stop shop for all things trail running, with gear guides and expert resources to help you figure out what actually works for you. Use code TRAILHEAD for free two-day shipping on orders over $50. Our featured race is the Sonoma Fall Classic, the inaugural fall festival in the heart of California wine country featuring a 100-miler, the original Lake Sonoma 50 returning to its 2008 point-to-point roots from South Lake Trailhead, a trail marathon, and four-person relays. Sixteen miles of buttery single track, sweeping lake views, swimmable water crossings, and free on-site camping. Registration closes Monday, October 12. Sign up at UltraSignup.com. The Trailhead is part of the UltraSignup Podcast Network.

    Why Your Brain Needs You to Run with Evolutionary Biologist David Raichlen

  6. 14 Apr

    Rochelle Bilow on Food, Running, and Romance Novels

    Rochelle Bilow is a romance novelist, food writer, French Culinary Institute graduate, former Bon Appétit editor, and current kitchen gear expert at Serious Eats, and she just came back to ultrarunning after nearly a decade away from the sport. In this conversation, Zoë and Brendan talk with Rochelle about what she learned cooking on a farm that culinary school never taught her, why she pivoted from heartbreak memoir to romance fiction, and what it's like to balance writing deadlines with ultra training (her answer: ask for a deadline extension).  They dig into why romance as a genre gets unfairly dismissed, what makes a great enemies-to-lovers arc, and the trail running romance novel she's currently writing. Plus: the $400 toaster that changed Rochelle's life, the truth about toaster oven air fryers, and the only correct way to clean a cloudy Vitamix. This episode is brought to you by LMNT. Stay on top of your electrolytes all day, not just on the run. Grab a free sample pack with any order at drinklmnt.com/UltraSignup.  Featured Race: Booneville Backroads Ultra — 10K to 100 miles through the Bridges of Madison County countryside in rural Iowa. New for 2026: a fully marked course and crew support allowed. Trail Sisters members can DM the race for a discount code. Race day is September 5th, registration closes August 28th. Sign up at UltraSignup.com. The Trailhead is part of the UltraSignup Podcast Network.

    Rochelle Bilow on Food, Running, and Romance Novels

  7. 31 Mar

    From Cattle Ranching to 100 Mile Races with "Beef Runner" Ryan Goodman

    Ryan Goodman grew up on a cattle ranch in Arkansas, studied beef cattle science at Oklahoma State University, and now manages WSU's beef cattle research program as Beef Cattle Operations Manager in Pullman, Washington, where he also teaches hands-on lab courses to the next generation of pre-veterinary students. Online, he goes by @BeefRunner. He also runs a lot of 100-mile races. In this conversation, Zoë and Brendan talk with Ryan about what six weeks of calving season: sleepless, high-stakes, completely indifferent to your training plan, taught him about finishing a hundred-miler, and why "one thing at a time" works as well in the Crazy Mountains of Montana as it does on a ranch at 2 a.m. They get into the complicated but more negotiable than you'd think relationship between ranchers and trail runners, the farm-versus-ranch distinction (I-35 is the line, roughly), why the heifers following you on BLM trail are curious not threatening, and Red Dirt music as the ultrarunning soundtrack you didn't know you needed. Also: cow tipping, the correct post-ultra meal, and whether Pullman counts as a town. This week's featured race is Mujeres and Marigolds, a women's only event with a 5k, 10k, 25k, 50k, and 100k relay! Thanks to TrailCon for supporting the podcast. Register now to attend!

    From Cattle Ranching to 100 Mile Races with "Beef Runner" Ryan Goodman

  8. 3 Mar

    What Running 150 Miles Across Iceland Taught Pavel Cenkl About the Planet

    Pavel Cenkl is a climate writer, ultrarunner, and Dean of Academics at Prescott College who has run hundreds of miles across Iceland, Scandinavia, and the Arctic through his project Climate Run. He grew up in the White Mountains, worked the AMC huts, started one of the first collegiate trail running teams in the U.S., and built a master's program combining movement, environmental philosophy, and ecology.  In this conversation, Zoë and Brendan talk with Pavel about what happens when you push yourself to the edge of exhaustion in landscapes that are literally shifting beneath your feet — disappearing glaciers, the vulnerability of being utterly alone in midnight sun, why "resilience over resistance" is a better framework for running and life, and the moment he screamed so loud on day three of his Iceland crossing that he scared a goose into flight and accidentally had a paradigm shift. This episode is brought to you by Precision Fuel and Hydration, use code TRAILHEAD26 for 15% off at PrecisionHydration.com. Our featured race is the White Lake Ultras on May 2nd in Tamworth, New Hampshire, a two-mile lakefront loop where you pick your poison: 6, 12, or 24 hours. Costumes encouraged. Register at UltraSignup.com. The Trailhead is part of the UltraSignup Podcast Network.

    What Running 150 Miles Across Iceland Taught Pavel Cenkl About the Planet
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About

The Trailhead isn't your typical trail running podcast—we're not dissecting splits or debating race strategies. Instead, hosts Zoë Rom and Brendan Leonard take you straight to the heart (and funny bone) of the sport, celebrating the people, stories, and quirks that make trail running so special. With a mix of humor, heart, and a little irreverence, we explore the personalities, people, artists, and everyday athletes who give the sport its soul—because trail running is about more than just the miles.

Information

  • Creator
    UltraSignup
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    99
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2022
  • Show Website
    The Trailhead

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