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Fresh off his 5th Hardrock100 finish Mike Ehredt is back on the show to share his latest adventures in the San Juans. The veteran Hardrocker reflects on this beautiful route and what it takes to successfully complete this extreme race as a back of the pack runner. We dive into what makes this community special and what the future holds for him in Silverton. Mike’s also a race director, and so of course we talk about the challenges and joys of organizing a trail race.

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Mountain goat Steph Decker joins the show to talk about the latest adventure project she’s been working on. Inspired by ultra uber runner Christof Teuscher she’s working on a variation of his “Olympic Loops” in Olympic National Park. The project is a beast and while rendering somewhat speechless is inspiring me hugely to dream of new adventures. And of course, no conversation about massive adventures would be complete without a good conversation around shoes and gear.

Alex Bond returns to the show to share his experience with orienteering races, how it helps him on big mountain adventures and why he won’t run the Barkley Marathons. We talk about the romance and despair of circumnavigating volcanoes in the Cascades and what’s on the adventure docket for the remainder of the summer before the smoke rolls in, or are we already too late for that?

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Lots is going on this week: An update on our hosting server changes, summer break announcements and talks about challenges in gateway communities. Orientation runs for LBA are happening and mountains are climbed. We’re continuing our training for summer races and UTMR announces a big change to the route which will have a bigger effect on Mathias’ summer plans. But, we’re excited. Let’s get after it.

This week’s episode takes us from the inevitable weather talk to the impact heat waves have on our training plans. There are lots of thoughts on Western States, especially in comparison to UTMB, because of course. We’re NOT talking about the abysmal performance by the German National Soccer team but wonder what our favorite race distances are and for what race we’d be willing to travel for? Like for LBA, come travel to Olympia and race with us!

It’s good to be a fan right now. Red Bull XAlps is happening, Euro 2020, Lavaredo just kicked off and it’s Western States weekend. So much going on. Perfect time to flee the heat and follow along some incredible events online. Doug and Mathias als talk about their shenanigans of the last week which included night running, and setting up an aid station in the middle of Capitol Forest at 2am, hosting the first orientation run for the upcoming Little Backyard Adventure race and so so so much more.

It’s getting hot in the West. Temperatures are rising, visitors are flocking to our public lands and masks are being dropped. Oh, and speaking of hot, Mathias ran a race last weekend and actually had a good time. Lumberjack 100 was happening in Port Gamble, Washington and he actually had fun. So we talk about that, like we do. We also announce some podcast changes. Your feed might see some disruptions over the coming days. Stay tuned!

This week, we talk He-Man and nostalgia reboots before diving into Doug’s latest trail encounter with a bear and cubs. Mathias has a 100k over the weekend in the PNW, which is a great systems check before the Ultra Tour Monte Rosa race later in the summer. After the appetizer conversation, the problem of trail running’s struggles to be inclusive in the United States. How can the sport grow with people who don’t necessarily want to share the trails? How does the Ironman-UTMB relationship impact the sport today? How will races take place on already stressed public lands? How does the permitting system impact trail running’s growth as a sport? Do we come up with any solid answers? Give it a listen and let us know what you think!

It is hot and we are watching the snow melt, a little too fast.
Mathias shares why his “bro crew” didn’t go up Mount St. Helens during nasty weather, and listens as Doug rants about China’s decision to ban all ultramarathons and “off road running races.” The guys then get back to talking about things they really know- their own running.

Alex Bond, the regional editor of the popular website Fastest Known Time joins us on Singletrack to discuss the excitement and challenges and of chasing and FKT route. We dive into the technicalities of setting up a new route and what it takes to complete and compete on existing routes. We also remind folks about the dangers of running in the mountains and make plans for the summer. Will we see some competition on the Cushman Six?