The Freetrail Podcast with Dylan Bowman

For the fourth year in a row, Corrine Malcom returns for our end-of-season retrospective podcast to summarize the year in trail running. It was another incredible season with so many amazing athletes and performances - we do our best to encapsulate everything in this episode.    The Docket: 00:00 Celebrating Trail Running Traditions 12:21 Trail Runner of the Year: Women's Picks 20:40 Trail Runner of the Year: Men's Picks 33:00 Trail Performances of the Year 39:06 Rookies of the Year 45:18 Key Storylines of 2025 50:58 The Bill Dooper Spirit Award: Celebrating Contributions Beyond Performance 56:29 Predictions for 2026: The Future of Trail Running 01:05:11 Personal Highlights of 2025 and 2026 Goals     REGISTER FOR THE BIG ALTA   REGISTER FOR GORGE WATERFALLS   Sponsors: Grab a trail running pack from Osprey Use code FREETRAIL25 for 25% off your first order of NEVERSECOND nutrition at never2.com Go to ketone.com/freetrail30 for 30% off a subscription of Ketone IQ Freetrail Links: Website | Freetrail Pro | Patreon | Instagram | YouTube | Freetrail Experts   Dylan Links: Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn | Strava

Asker Jeukendrup is a sport scientist whose work has been massively influential, especially in the world of endurance nutrition. His resume is incredible, working with many of the top athletes, teams, brands, and research institutions during his remarkable career. In addition to his academic, consulting, and speaking work, Asker is a co-founder of Neversecond -- a leading supplier of feuling and recovery products in endurance sport and an important partner of Freetrail. This is Asker's first appearance on the podcast.    Timestamps:   04:15 What Makes You You? 09:28 Founding NeverSecond: A Science-First Approach 12:37 The Carbohydrate Revolution in Endurance Sports 15:09 Understanding Carbohydrate Absorption and Ratios 17:44 Nutrition Strategies for Varied Trail Running Distances 22:29 Gut Training: Assessing and Improving Carb Tolerance 27:49 Fasted Runs and Fat Metabolism 36:04 The Role of Carbohydrates in Performance 40:43 Understanding Nutrition for Racing Performance 45:15 Cooling and Its Impact on Nutrition Absorption 48:55 The Sodium and Electrolyte Debate 51:49 Caffeine: Benefits and Cautions 52:15 The Future of Health Monitoring in Athletes 59:47 Personal Stories and Lessons from Elite Athletes 1:00:15 Looking Ahead: The Future of Nutrition in Sports   Asker's consultancy   REGISTER FOR THE BIG ALTA   REGISTER FOR GORGE WATERFALLS   Sponsors: Grab a trail running pack from Osprey Use code FREETRAIL25 for 25% off your first order of NEVERSECOND nutrition at never2.com Go to ketone.com/freetrail30 for 30% off a subscription of Ketone IQ Freetrail Links: Website | Freetrail Pro | Patreon | Instagram | YouTube | Freetrail Experts   Dylan Links: Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn | Strava

This is a recording from a live panel conducted at The Running Event - the running industry's largest trade show. One of the big trends in running is the growth of trail running as a sub-category, something that is felt palpably at TRE. To contextualize this growth, I'm joined by two fantastic guests:   David Callahan, Co-CEO of UltraSignup      Stephen Holmberg, Founder of Insight Accelerator   We talk about the following topics:   Growth trends in the sport Trail Culture as a growth driving phenomenon Cultural impact vs. commercial impact - the realities of the size of the market How people are discovering and experiencing the sport The impact of star athletes on the business of trail Marketplace dynamics (tariffs, inflation, competition, etc.) Q&A!   LEARN MORE ABOUT TRAILCON   REGISTER FOR THE BIG ALTA   REGISTER FOR GORGE WATERFALLS   Sponsors: Grab a trail running pack from Osprey Use code FREETRAIL25 for 25% off your first order of NEVERSECOND nutrition at never2.com Go to ketone.com/freetrail30 for 30% off a subscription of Ketone IQ Freetrail Links: Website | Freetrail Pro | Patreon | Instagram | YouTube | Freetrail Experts   Dylan Links: Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn | Strava

Rod Farvard is a pro trail runner for HOKA living in Mammoth Lakes, CA. Among other things, Rod is a past champion of the Canyons 100k and a runner up of the Western States 100. We recorded this in person at Freetrail HQ in Marinwood, CA, 24hrs removed from a long run together on my home trails.    Topics discuss:   Feelings approaching the end of the year Finding and embracing "Your Path" in life Sacrifice as being a necessary element of being On The Path Focusing on UTMB after years committed to Western States Evaluating his 9th place performance in 2025 and where there's room for improvement Supported FKT attempt on the John Muir Trail Switching coaches Goals for 2026 A lot more!   Read Rod's Blog   Vote for Trail Runner of the Year   Vote for Trail Performance of the Year   REGISTER FOR THE BIG ALTA   REGISTER FOR GORGE WATERFALLS   Sponsors:   Grab a trail running pack from Osprey Use code FREETRAIL25 for 25% off your first order of NEVERSECOND nutrition at never2.com Go to ketone.com/freetrail30 for 30% off a subscription of Ketone IQ   Freetrail Links: Website | Freetrail Pro | Patreon | Instagram | YouTube | Freetrail Experts   Dylan Links: Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn | Strava

Welcome to Rest Day, Freetrail's occasional news pod covering the latest happenings in trail running. This week, we're joined by Corrine Malcolm to talk through the following topics:   Western States & Hardrock Lotteries Courtney Daulwalter & Christian Allen rip CIM Thoughts from The Running Event Broken Arrow x ACG partnership Rachel Entrekin signs with Norda Debut of Trail Team of the Year   Vote for Trail Runner of the Year   Vote for Trail Performance of the Year   REGISTER FOR THE BIG ALTA   REGISTER FOR GORGE WATERFALLS   Sponsors: Grab a trail running pack from Osprey Use code FREETRAIL25 for 25% off your first order of NEVERSECOND nutrition at never2.com Go to ketone.com/freetrail30 for 30% off a subscription of Ketone IQ Freetrail Links: Website | Freetrail Pro | Patreon | Instagram | YouTube | Freetrail Experts   Dylan Links: Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn | Strava