Almost exactly a year after Alex Rienzie first chatted with me on Singletrack he’s back with an update on the legal case that kept the trail running community on perpetual whiplash for the entire year of 2025. Now with a full pardon in hand, Alex can share what really went down behind the scenes of Michelino Sunseri’s FKT run on the Grand Teton. This is a story that takes us way beyond the mountains and the trails and into court rooms and board rooms and yes, all the way to the White House. What a bonkers story that makes one feel like up is down and down is up.

Steve joins the show from Bavaria, Germany and we’re taking about the sentiment and response in the German trail running community after the announcement from a couple of weeks ago that Zugspitz Ultra Trail would join the UTMB World Series. Steve shares his personal history with the event and his thoughts and concerns about the future of this beloved annual gathering in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. We also chat about his race City & Trail in Alpenstadt on 16. May 2026. An event that previously was a stop of the German National Series of the Golden Trail Series. But even after losing that partnership the event is still growing, and is still attracting top runners from the region. And finally as it is timely we talk about Steve’s long held dream to run Western States. With 128 tickets in the lottery, is it his turn this year?

When my friend and almost neighbor ran Western States this past month I knew I had bring the podcast back out of hibernation and have him on the show. Here’s my chat with Jan Vleck from Olympia Washington, one of the oldest runners to have ever finished Western States. This one’s special.

Marcel Höche is back on the show and he’s calling in from Japan with an update on his never ending racing season. We talk what races he’s ran in between finishing is masters degree and he gives us an behind the scenes look at his exciting new business venture: Sunn Nutrition, a brand new high carb drink mix.

This weekend is a massive weekend of trail racing with several high profile events all over the world. The Canyons Endurance Runs by UTMB is happening in Auburn, California, and unlike last year, there’s no livestream. I sit down with Jeff Pelletier, king of trail storytelling to discuss the history and the challenges for current version of livestreams and we talk about some ideas on how to move forward. If you’re missing sitting in front of a livestream this week, put this conversation in your ears and head out on run.

Michael Eaton, Brooks Trailhead store manager and host of the Trail Running Film Festival in Seattle joins Singletrack to share his person running journey from running cross country in his youth back in Kentucky to this year’s training block for OCC in Chamonix. We chat about the challenges of life, the highs and lows that come with that, and the peace that can be found in the dedication to a daily training regiment.
Michael also brings us some exciting details on the Seattle show of the Trail Running Film Festival. Get your tickets!

Exciting announcement incoming! Rock Candy Running’s Beast of Big Creek joins the Vert Running Series for the 2025 season. Scott Sowle is on the show to share the news and give us the details. Let the racing season in the PNW begin!

Friend of the show Alex Bond is back and we’re chatting about the fate of Outside. The company formerly known as America’s best outdoor magazine and now just a shell of itself with lots and lots of tech under the hood. The news about the latest rounds of layoffs paired with the news they are buying another technology provider puzzles us and Alex and I are here to chat about it. This is a requiem of sort.

This special episode was made possible through the amazing support from Tailwind Nutrition.
Maggie Guterl is back as Singletrack co-host on this second episode of a two-part series dedicated to the wonderful, crazy, and often endlessly long world of Backyard Ultras. This week we chat with Sam Harvey and Harvey Lewis. We take a deeper look at the motivations, strategies and principles that can bring you success at this race format that’s growing in popularity all over the world.
Talking to these champions of the sport I find myself in awe of what humans are able to achieve… and I find myself scanning UltraSignup for the nearest Backyard Ultra event.

Thank you Tailwind for partnering with Singletrack to share the stories of these incredible people of our sport.

This special episode was made possible through the amazing support from Tailwind Nutrition.
Maggie Guterl joins Singletrack as co-host on this first episode of a very special two-part series dedicated to the wonderful, crazy, and often endlessly long world of Backyard Ultras. We bring two champions of the sport, Courtney Dauwalter and Fiona Hayvice to the mic to share insights, strategies, and laughter on how to approach these events, how to master them, and most of all how to have fun at them. Backyard Ultras are popping up everywhere, maybe even nearby where you live, or dare I say, maybe in your backyard?

Thank you Tailwind for partnering with Singletrack to share the stories of these incredible people of our sport.

It’s the first episode of 2025 and Francesco Puppi, who needs no introduction, joins me for a candid conversation about the state of the trail running media and it’s influence on our sport. We also talk about the message behind Nike’s ad for the Olympic Games and how a new generation of athletes are redefining what participating and winning in a sport really means. People like Francesco are why our sport is so incredible special. What a way to kick off the new year!

Tim Tollefson wears many hats and came to Singletrack with important business. Tim is newly on the board of directors for Runners for Public Lands. The environmental organization just recently shared the uncomfortable news that our trails and trail races may be significantly impacted this coming year and beyond by the U.S. Forest Service budget and staffing shortfalls. Luckily for us, Tim is a man with a plan and offers hands on experience, and with that solutions and ideas on how we can get involved. It’s high time for trail runners to take action.

Thomas Reiss is back on Singletrack and back from Bhutan where he supported the runners and race organization of the famous and grueling Snowman Race. We chat about the event, the mission that inspired its founding, and mostly the people and how connecting with other cultures makes us better human beings. Climate change affects us all and we really one have that one rock floating in space we call home.

On September 2, 2024 Michelino Sunseri set a new speed record on Grand Teton in 2h 50m 50s. It was supposed to be a new FKT, beating an old record that has stood for over 12 years. What ensued afterwards turned an epic run into a much talked about news story, a social media fire storm, and an eventual lawsuit. Friend of Michelino, Alex Rienzie was out on the trails that day and shares his observations and some background info on all of it. Alex joined Singletrack on his own initiative and any views expressed are his alone.

Troy Meadows, pictured in the cover photo on the left, is the host of the Midpacker Pod on the Freetrail Network and joins me this week to share his story. From a country song to live commentary at this year’s Javelina Jundred we try to solve the world , one podcast at the time. This is a long one, you’re welcome!