Borderlands Trail and Ultra Running

Borderlands Pod Network
Borderlands Pod Network
  • 4.4 (94)
  • Running
  • Updated Semiweekly

Borderlands Trail and Ultra Running is a storytelling podcast for ultra runners who love this sport deeply, the iconic races, the legendary athletes, the gear, and the culture that makes all of it worth caring about. Hosted by Josh Rosenthal, founder of Borderlands Trail Running, this show exists to collect the ultra running stories that define the sport, from spending a day at Laz Lake's home to deep conversations with Scott Jurek, Dean Karnazes, Camille Herron, and the everyday runners doing extraordinary things out on the trails. This podcast covers the full world of ultra and trail running: race coverage and analysis of marquee events including Western States Endurance Run and UTMB, honest trail running shoes reviews and ultra running gear breakdowns from someone who has tested 44 pairs over 6,000 miles, and big conversations about where the sport is headed, including what dirtbag runners bring to a sport that's growing fast. This show gives ultra runners the stories, perspectives, and gear knowledge to go deeper into a sport they already love while celebrating what makes trail and ultra running unlike anything else. We'll answer questions like: - Who is Laz Lake, and why does everyone in ultra running revere him? - What makes the Barkley Marathons the hardest race in the world? - How does Western States Endurance Run work, and why is it so hard to get in? - What are the best trail running shoes and ultra running gear right now? - Who are the greatest ultra runners of all time? - What does dirtbag running culture actually mean? - How is ultra running changing, and is that a good thing? - What does it take to run a 100 mile ultra marathon? - What should ultra runners eat during training and on race day? If you want the stories, the gear, and the culture that make ultra and trail running the most addictive sport on earth, you're in the right place.

  1. 3d ago

    Why the World’s Biggest Trail Race Happened in France

    UTMB is the biggest trail race in the world, but why did it happen in France? The easy answer is Mont Blanc. The better answer has more to do with culture, timing, and the kind of endurance tradition that was already there long before UTMB existed. Josh talks with Doug Mayer, founder of Run the Alps and author of The Race That Changed Running, about the deeper conditions that made UTMB possible, from old mountain races and ski mountaineering to the Pellettis’ execution and the way places like Vallorcine turned the race into something people gather around, not just run. Please give us a follow, rate the podcast, and give a review. If you’re new to Borderlands, start here. Resources / LinksRun the AlpsSalt Lake Foothills Trail Races Josh Rosenthal on IGBorderlands.ccSubwhatever Related EpisodesUltra Running isn't Just Running Presented by Kiprun. ---- Borderlands explores trail running through culture, media, and the forces shaping it. Watch on YouTube Read on Substack

    Why the World’s Biggest Trail Race Happened in France

  2. 5d ago

    With Tara Dower | Built Different

    Ultra running rewards obsession, but Tara Dower seems wired for something beyond results. She wants to solve hard problems, chase the best competition, run faster, and keep finding out what she’s capable of. Tara joins me to talk Western States, her planned Pacific Coast Trail attempt, why she hasn’t raced UTMB, learning from Karl Meltzer, and her evolution with Altra from the Lone Peak to the new Vanish Carbon 3. Underneath it all is a bigger question: as Tara becomes one of the defining athletes of modern ultra running, what parts of herself does she want to keep? For ultra runners interested in the people shaping where the sport goes next. Please give us a follow, rate the podcast, and give a review. If you’re new to Borderlands, start here. This episode is in partnership with Altra for the release of its new super road shoe the Vanish Carbon 3 - a light, responsive, and efficient race day shoe made for PRs. Topics / Timestamps00:00 Introduction02:54 Tara Dower Has Always Been Stubborn07:07 The Problem Solving Mind of Tara Dower09:06 Results vs. A Life of Interesting Running13:38 Why Tara Dower Hasn't Raced UTMB17:54 The Problem with Pro Trail Running20:07 Why Ultrarunners Want to Run Fast | Altra Vanish Carbon 330:31 What Speedgoat Taught Tara36:40 What Tara Dower Wants Her Legacy to Be Resources / LinksAltra Vanish Carbon 3Tara Dower Lives Between Two Worlds by Bryce CarlsonSalt Lake Foothills Trail Races Borderlands.ccThumbnail Photo by Pete Schreiner Related EpisodesUltra Running isn't Just Running Presented by Kiprun. ---- Borderlands explores trail running through culture, media, and the forces shaping it. Watch on YouTube Read on Substack

    With Tara Dower | Built Different

  3. Aug 17

    Karl Meltzer | Speedgoat, UTMB, and Trail Running’s Boom

    Trail running has exploded into a global business, and Karl Meltzer somehow ended up at the center of it. HOKA turned his Speedgoat nickname into one of trail running’s defining shoes, Red Bull paid him to chase the Appalachian Trail record, and UTMB eventually bought the race he created. Karl came up when ultrarunning was tiny and has watched the money, brands, athletes, and races transform around him. Josh and Karl talk about the strange experience of becoming valuable to an industry that barely existed when he started, selling Speedgoat to UTMB, his relationship with HOKA, and what someone who has lived through the entire boom thinks about where trail running goes from here. Please give us a follow, rate the podcast, and give a review. If you’re new to Borderlands, start here. Resources / LinksSalt Lake Foothills Trail Races Borderlands.ccLa French Trail Related EpisodesUltra Running isn't Just Running Presented by Kiprun. ---- Borderlands explores trail running through culture, media, and the forces shaping it. Watch on YouTube Read on Substack

    Karl Meltzer | Speedgoat, UTMB, and Trail Running’s Boom

  4. Aug 13

    Harvey Lewis | The Mind Behind the Ultras

    Ultrarunning eventually becomes a mental problem. The body hurts, the race stops going to plan, and the question becomes what the best ultrarunners understand about continuing when quitting makes sense. Harvey Lewis has spent 30 years figuring that out. In part two of our conversation in Ohio, we get into the mental strategies behind Backyard Ultra, why different races require different mindsets, the failures that changed how Harvey competes, and what decades of Badwater, journey runs, and 200-milers have taught him about going farther than he thought possible. Please give us a follow, rate the podcast, and give a review. If you’re new to Borderlands, start here. Thumbnail photo by Romain Mayambi Topics / Timestamps00:00 Harvey Lewis Intro01:15 The Mental Game of Ultrarunning10:47 Learning How Not to Quit14:06 Different Mindsets for Different Races16:55 Pilgrimages and Journey Runs23:31 What Failure Taught Harvey Lewis30:33 What the Best Ultrarunners Understand Resources / LinksSalt Lake Foothills Trail Races Borderlands.ccHigh Tones Related EpisodesUltra Running isn't Just Running Presented by Kiprun. ---- Borderlands explores trail running through culture, media, and the forces shaping it. Watch on YouTube Read on Substack

    Harvey Lewis | The Mind Behind the Ultras

  5. Aug 10

    Harvey Lewis | The Man Behind the Ultras

    Harvey Lewis is one of ultrarunning’s most accomplished endurance athletes, but the more interesting question might be how a high school civics teacher from Ohio became capable of doing any of this. Badwater, Backyard Ultras, Barkley, 250-mile runs. Harvey has built an extraordinary career without making running his entire life. I spent a morning with Harvey at his home in Ohio, days before his 16th consecutive Badwater, trying to understand what makes Harvey Harvey. We talk about the dreamer and engineer he inherited from his parents, the teachers who changed his life, how running and teaching grew together, and why the hardest races have become something closer to pilgrimages. The conversation ends somewhere more personal, with Harvey remembering the person he still imagines waiting for him when things get hard. Thumbnail photo by Romain Mayambi Please give us a follow, rate the podcast, and give a review. If you’re new to Borderlands, start here. Topics / Timestamps2:17 Harvey Lewis' Origins6:33 Harvey Lewis' Parents: The Dreamer and the Engineer18:39 Running and Teaching30:59 Running as Pilgrimage Resources / LinksTINAR Race Series | RegisterBorderlands.ccLa French TrailSubwhatever Related EpisodesUltra Running isn't Just Running Presented by Kiprun. ---- Borderlands explores trail running through culture, media, and the forces shaping it. Watch on YouTube Read on Substack

    Harvey Lewis | The Man Behind the Ultras

  6. Aug 4

    Ciele Athletics and the Rise of Running Culture

    Ciele helped change what running looked like, but the more interesting story is what sat underneath the aesthetic. This episode is for runners curious about how a hat brand became part of running culture without losing the product discipline that made it credible in the first place. What began as a film about Ciele turned into a deeper look at the rise of running as lifestyle, the influence of skate and snow culture, and the unreleased Miles hat that existed before Ciele had its name. Along the way, a portrait emerges of a brand whose visual identity was copied everywhere, while the craft, function, and ethos behind it were much harder to replicate. Please give us a follow, rate the podcast, and give a review. If you’re new to Borderlands, start here. Resources / LinksWatch the Ciele doc on YouTubeJosh Rosenthal on IGBorderlands.ccLa French TrailSubwhatever Related EpisodesUltra Running isn't Just Running Presented by Kiprun. ---- Borderlands explores trail running through culture, media, and the forces shaping it. Watch on YouTube Read on Substack

    Ciele Athletics and the Rise of Running Culture

  7. Jul 28

    Satisfy x Adidas: Who Won the Circle Pit Backlash?

    The Satisfy x Adidas collaboration became one of the loudest moments in running, but almost none of the conversation was about the shoe. It became a fight over price, fashion, authenticity, and what running culture is supposed to protect. Josh and Inky Steve look at what the collaboration actually did, why Adidas seemed to gain all the upside while Satisfy absorbed the backlash, and what the circle pit revealed about how tribal running has become. Please give us a follow, rate the podcast, and give a review. If you’re new to Borderlands, start here. Resources / LinksBorderlands.ccLa French TrailSubwhatever Related EpisodesUltra Running isn't Just Running Presented by Kiprun. ---- Borderlands explores trail running through culture, media, and the forces shaping it. Watch on YouTube Read on Substack

    Satisfy x Adidas: Who Won the Circle Pit Backlash?

  8. Jul 21

    This is Trail Running Without Mountains.

    Trail running in the Midwest looks different. No mountain towns. No towering peaks. Just a different kind of commitment. On the drive to Harvey Lewis's house, Josh and Sam Hartman explore what it means to build a trail running culture in flat country, and why some of the sport's deepest communities exist far from the places most runners imagine. Sam Hartman, founder of TINAR Races in Columbus, Ohio, argues that community matters more than scenery, why Midwest trail runners develop a different relationship with the sport, and how trail running becomes part of your identity when getting to the trails takes intention. It's a conversation about place, belonging, and a side of trail running that deserves far more attention. Please give us a follow, rate the podcast, and give a review. If you’re new to Borderlands, start here. Resources / LinksTINAR - Alley Trail ClassicBorderlands.cc Related EpisodesUltra Running isn't Just Running Presented by Kiprun. ---- Borderlands explores trail running through culture, media, and the forces shaping it. Watch on YouTube Read on Substack

    This is Trail Running Without Mountains.
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Borderlands Trail and Ultra Running is a storytelling podcast for ultra runners who love this sport deeply, the iconic races, the legendary athletes, the gear, and the culture that makes all of it worth caring about. Hosted by Josh Rosenthal, founder of Borderlands Trail Running, this show exists to collect the ultra running stories that define the sport, from spending a day at Laz Lake's home to deep conversations with Scott Jurek, Dean Karnazes, Camille Herron, and the everyday runners doing extraordinary things out on the trails. This podcast covers the full world of ultra and trail running: race coverage and analysis of marquee events including Western States Endurance Run and UTMB, honest trail running shoes reviews and ultra running gear breakdowns from someone who has tested 44 pairs over 6,000 miles, and big conversations about where the sport is headed, including what dirtbag runners bring to a sport that's growing fast. This show gives ultra runners the stories, perspectives, and gear knowledge to go deeper into a sport they already love while celebrating what makes trail and ultra running unlike anything else. We'll answer questions like: - Who is Laz Lake, and why does everyone in ultra running revere him? - What makes the Barkley Marathons the hardest race in the world? - How does Western States Endurance Run work, and why is it so hard to get in? - What are the best trail running shoes and ultra running gear right now? - Who are the greatest ultra runners of all time? - What does dirtbag running culture actually mean? - How is ultra running changing, and is that a good thing? - What does it take to run a 100 mile ultra marathon? - What should ultra runners eat during training and on race day? If you want the stories, the gear, and the culture that make ultra and trail running the most addictive sport on earth, you're in the right place.

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