Singletrack

Rachel Entrekin joins us in our Chamonix studio a little over a week away from her first start at Ultra Trail Du Mont Blanc.

Partners:
Precision Fuel and Hydration - use code SINGLETRACK at checkout for 15% off your next order
Norda - check out the 005: the lightest, fastest, most stable trail racing shoe ever made
Raide - Making equipment for efficient human-powered movement in the mountains 
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Hans joins us in our Chamonix studio a little over a week out from the start of CCC.

Partners:
Precision Fuel and Hydration - use code SINGLETRACK at checkout for 15% off your next order
Norda - check out the 005: the lightest, fastest, most stable trail racing shoe ever made
Raide - Making equipment for efficient human-powered movement in the mountains 
Support the show

Jack Kuenzle returns to the show, this time wearing the coaching hat. Among other topics, we cover the opportunities and limitations of using large language models in training, self-coaching vs. hiring a coach for elite athletes, the pacing plan behind Max Jolliffe's Badwater course record, Western States vs. UTMB build differences, and the case for training levers beyond running.

Partners:
Precision Fuel and Hydration - use code SINGLETRACK at checkout for 15% off your next order
Janji - running apparel that goes the distance
Raide - Making equipment for efficient human-powered movement in the mountains 
Norda - check out the 005: the lightest, fastest, most stable trail racing shoe ever made
Kodiak Cakes - my favorite oatmeal and pancakes 
Support the show

Disclaimer: We recorded this episode a few days before the news broke that Courtney Dauwalter is racing UTMB.

Brett Hornig joins the show for a preview-before-the-preview of UTMB 2026. We each bring our top 5 storylines heading into the biggest week in trail running, put out our current power rankings for the men's and women's fields, and play a round of Buy or Sell on the boldest claims for each of the championship races (UTMB, CCC, OCC).

Partners:
Precision Fuel and Hydration - use code SINGLETRACK at checkout for 15% off your next order
Janji - running apparel that goes the distance
Raide - Making equipment for efficient human-powered movement in the mountains 
Norda - check out the 005: the lightest, fastest, most stable trail racing shoe ever made
Momentous - use code SINGLETRACK for up to 35% off your first order 
Kodiak Cakes - my favorite oatmeal and pancakes 
Support the show

David Ayala is a Professor of Mathematics at Montana State University and an amateur ultrarunner who most recently finished 3rd at the 2026 Hardrock 100.
Until recently he'd never owned a watch. He has no social media. What he does have is a faculty webpage full of trip reports, written in LaTeX, for unsupported FKTs on the Wind River High Route, Sierra High Route, and Teton Center Punch, documented with a remarkable level of transparency. 
In this Sunday Conversation, we talk about training for flow state, why he calls competition "oblique collaboration," the huckleberry analogy, and whether he'll ever race again.

Partners:
Precision Fuel and Hydration - use code SINGLETRACK at checkout for 15% off your next order
Janji - running apparel that goes the distance
Raide - Making equipment for efficient human-powered movement in the mountains 
Norda - check out the 005: the lightest, fastest, most stable trail racing shoe ever made
Momentous - use code SINGLETRACK for up to 35% off your first order 
Kodiak Cakes - my favorite oatmeal and pancakes 
Support the show