Borderlands Trail and Ultra Running

308 episodes

Why Western States is America's Most Important Race | More than a Run
09/06/2026 | 23 mins.
Western States 100 occupies a different place in trail running than almost any other race. Months before the starting gun, runners and fans are already studying the field, imagining the canyons, debating contenders, and wondering what story will emerge from Auburn.
This episode explores why Western States feels bigger than a race. From Jim Walmsley and Kilian Jornet to Wendell Robie, Rucky Chucky, and the old buckle holders still working aid stations, Josh makes the case that Western States belongs in the same conversation as The Masters and the Kentucky Derby.
Not because of the sport, but because of what happens when greatness, history, place, and uncertainty all meet in the same event.
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If you’re new to Borderlands, start here.
Topics / Timestamps
01:54 Elite Runners vs 'Participation Runners'
08:05 The Course as Character
11:14 The Importance of The Course
13:54 The Importance of Rucky Chucky
16:12 The Dual Nature of the Race
19:58 The Spirit of American Trail Running
22:09 The Unfolding Drama of Race Day

Resources / Links
2026 WSER Entrants List
Live on Course - LoC by Borderlands
Borderlands.cc
La French Trail

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Trail Running Loves Winners, Does it Love Competitors?
Ultra Running isn't Just Running

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Borderlands explores trail running through culture, media, and the forces shaping it.
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Why Trail Running Hides Competition
04/06/2026 | 17 mins.
Trail running culture loves winners. That's obvious. The sport builds documentaries about them, fills Instagram feeds with them, and spends months debating who will win Western States. But the more Josh thinks about it, the more he wonders whether trail running is actually comfortable with the competitive mindset that creates those winners in the first place.
As Western States season begins, this conversation explores the difference between the participation version of trail running and the elite version, why those two worlds often get conflated, and what we miss when we use the values of one to understand the athletes competing in the other.
Please give us a follow, rate the podcast, and give a review.
If you’re new to Borderlands, start here.
Topics / Timestamps
00:00 Two Sports Sharing One Start Line
02:51 The Values That Make Champions
05:49 Elite, Professional, and Why It Matters
08:38 What Trail Running Rewards
11:26 Telling an Inward Story About an Outward Competition
14:22 Do We Actually Want Competitors?

Resources / Links
Borderlands.cc
Salt Lake Foothills Trail Races
Josh Rosenthal on IG

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Ultra Running isn't Just Running

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Borderlands explores trail running through culture, media, and the forces shaping it.
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What Happens When Running Becomes Your Job? | Jacob Puzey
25/05/2026 | 19 mins.
Professional running can quietly turn into pressure, performance, sponsorship obligations, and constant visibility. This episode with Jacob Puzey is for runners who have felt burnout creeping into the thing they once loved and want to rediscover simplicity, rhythm, and freedom in running again.
After twenty years as a professional runner, coach, race director, and sponsored athlete, Jacob reflects on what happened when the pressure finally disappeared. What starts as a conversation about road running slowly becomes something much deeper about identity, aging, social media, routine, and why signing up for hard things still matters even after competition stops mattering.
Please give us a follow, rate the podcast, and give a review.
If you’re new to Borderlands, start here.
Topics / Timestamps
00:43 Rediscovering the Joy of Running
07:41 The Journey Back to Running
11:39 The Transition from Competition to Personal Growth
14:50 The Journey to Scholarship and Running
19:20 The Importance of Commitment in Running
Resources / Links

Salt Lake Foothills Trail Races
Josh Rosenthal on IG
Borderlands.cc
La French Trail
High Tones
Subwhatever

Related Episodes
Ultra 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
The Race That Makes Trail Running Real
21/05/2026 | 18 mins.
Trail running usually becomes real for people at a local ultra, not while watching UTMB or Western States online. The parking lot at 5am with 53 runners, one exhausted race director, and volunteers giving up their Saturday to help strangers keep moving is still the clearest entry point into the sport. This episode is for the runners who believe the soul of trail running still lives there.
Josh explores why the local 50K may be the most important layer in trail running, how participation precedes fandom in ultra culture, why authenticity in trail running still feels earned instead of performed, and why the small grassroots races that built the sport are becoming increasingly fragile in the modern era of spectacle, prestige, and professionalization.
Please give us a follow, rate the podcast, and give a review.
If you’re new to Borderlands, start here.
Topics / Timestamps
02:52 The Turning Point of the Race
03:57 The Ecosystem of Trail Running
07:45 The Local Ultra: An Introduction to Trail Running Culture
11:22 The Challenges of Local Trail Races
18:00 The Importance of Local Races in Trail Running

Resources / Links
Salt Lake Foothills Trail Races
Josh Rosenthal on IG
Borderlands.cc
La French Trail
High Tones
Subwhatever

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Ultra 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
What SATISFY Reveals About Trail Running
18/05/2026 | 9 mins.
Trail running culture melted down this weekend after a Satisfy x Adidas event triggered accusations of cringe, elitism, rich-kid cosplay, and the death of authenticity. But the backlash revealed something much deeper about where trail running is headed and why so many runners reacted emotionally to it.
In this episode, Josh explores why the footage felt so disconnected online, why Satisfy exposes contradictions already present inside trail running, and how the sport may already be transforming into something larger than athletics alone. From Cocodona and expensive race culture to meme accounts, identity signaling, and the rise of trail running media, this conversation is about the growing tension between authenticity, aesthetics, status, and culture inside modern trail running.
This one’s for the trail runners trying to understand what the sport is becoming and why that question suddenly feels so uncomfortable.
Please give us a follow, rate the podcast, and give a review.
If you’re new to Borderlands, start here.
Topics / Timestamps
00:00
Resources / Links

Salt Lake Foothills Trail Races
Josh Rosenthal on IG
Borderlands.cc
La French Trail
High Tones
Subwhatever

Related Episodes
Ultra 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

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About Borderlands Trail and Ultra Running

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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