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Singletrack

Finn Melanson

Singletrack is a podcast covering the professional trail and ultrarunning scene.

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  • 493 episodes
  • Updated July 21

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Episodes493

Newest first
  • Jan 12, 2022 · 37 min

    Golden Ticket Talks | Marianne Hogan, Bandera 100K 1st Place Female

    This episode is the first in a series we are calling “Golden Ticket Talks” where we interview the first and second place male and female finishers at each of the 2022 Golden Ticket races. In this episode we talk with the winner of the Bandera 100k, Marianne Hogan. Marianne is based in Montreal, Canada and runs for Salomon. In addition to the recap of her race at Bandera and her initial thoughts on Western States, we talk about the trail running scene in Quebec, her work as a guide for a paralympic athlete at the Tokyo games, her history in the sport including a 4 year stretch of injuries that led to a triumphant return this past fall at Ultra Trail Cape Town, and more. I love seeing East Coast athletes like Marianne shine. Expect her to be a top competitor at Western States in June. Support the show

  • Jan 5, 2022 · 54 min

    Dani Moreno | Sub Ultra Trail Racing, Golden Trail Series, Overcoming Burnout, Female Participation

    Dani Moreno is a professional Trail Runner for Hoka and Rabbit based in Mammoth Lakes, CA. In this conversation, we talk about her how she overcame burnout during her college years to launch a successful career in the mountain running world, life in Santa Barbara and Mammoth Lakes, her partnerships with Hoka and Rabbit, the sub ultra trail racing scene here in the United States and abroad over in Europe, her thoughts on increasing female participation and mentoring the next generation of elite female athletes in our sport, and much more. --------------- Additional episodes you might enjoy: #42 - Sarah Cummings #39 - Hillary Allen #37 - Corrine Malcolm #29 - Sabrina Stanley #23 - Abby Hall Support the show

  • Jan 3, 2022 · 48 min

    Coaching Call #1 | Setting The Table For The Canyons 100K

    This is the first episode in a monthly series we are calling the “Coaching Call”. For context - In April, I will be lining up for the Canyons 100k. Ryan Ghelfi, the Head Coach at Trails and Tarmac, is going to help me prepare. We decided to take it a step further by working in total transparency. Our calls will be recorded and the training log will be viewable 24/7 for you to analyze. Here is how these episodes will work. At the beginning of each month, we will hop on a call to recap and analyze the training from the previous 4 weeks. It will be like any normal check in call of ours, except it will be recorded. Nothing will be held back. You will get total insight into my goals, how the workouts are going, what’s working, what isn’t working, what I'm concerned about, and questions I have. There will be 6 total episodes including a pre-race and post-race call through the end of April. Hopefully you can see yourself in these conversations and apply some of the topics that we cover to your own training. In future episodes we will be entertaining audience questions, so reach out on social with topics you’d like us to cover. I will also link in the show notes to Ryan's social channels as well as the Trails and Tarmac website in case you want to get in touch. In this first episode we kick off our coaching relationship that officially starts on January 3rd. We look into how I’m feeling, how training will be structured, strategies to stay focused, how to think about goal setting and more. Enjoy! Timestamps (3:05) - why we are publicizing these coaching calls (4:16) - a rundown of Finn's running history, the coaching relationship (8:09) - the performance benefits of public accountability (11:10) - why Finn chose the Canyons 100K (13:25) - the challenges to producing a consistent training block over multiple months (28:07) - training learnings to date (38:18) - what listeners can expect in future episodes Links Get coached by Trails and Tarmac Email Ryan (info@trailsandtarmac.com) Follow Ryan Ghelfi on Instagram Follow Singletrack on Instagram Follow Finn on Strava See the Canyons 100K training log here Additional Episodes You May Enjoy: #41 - Coaching Call #2 | Canyons 100K Progress, Training Partners, Coaching A Trail Team #17 - Ryan Ghelfi | Post Sponsorship Athlete Life, Trail Running Teams, UTMB, FKT Scene Support the show

  • Jan 2, 2022 · 53 min

    Sabrina Stanley | Madeira Island Reflections, UTMB 2022, Adidas Trail Team

    Sabrina Stanley is a professional Mountain Ultra Trail Runner for Adidas Terrex. In this episode, we talk about her recent race at Madeira Island and position in the sport, the focus on UTMB in 2022, how she thinks about race preparation and recovery, and life on the Adidas trail team. --------- Additional episodes you might enjoy: #42 - Sarah Cummings #39 - Hillary Allen #37 - Corrine Malcolm #31 - Dani Moreno #23 - Abby Hall Support the show

  • Dec 27, 2021 · 52 min

    Speedland | Starting A Trail Running Brand, $375 Shoes, Lessons Of Entrepreneurship

    Dave Dombrow and Kevin Fallon are the co-founders of Speedland, a new trail running brand on the market. In this conversation, we explore their backgrounds in the running industry at Nike, Under Armour, and Puma and how those experiences informed the mission at Speedland. We then get into the work they are doing at Speedland and how they are re-positioning their primary product (the SL:PDX) as a piece of equipment, instead of a shoe. We also get into their general philosophies on differentiation and communicating value, how they determine their target persona, the advantages and disadvantages of starting a new brand in our sport, and the lessons of the entrepreneurial journey so far. Support the show

  • Dec 27, 2021 · 58 min

    Joe Vennare | Technology For Ultra Runners, Trail Running Media Companies, Business Advice

    Joe Vennare is the co-founder of Fitt Insider, a platform for fitness and wellness operators that includes a podcast, newsletter, jobs board, and early stage fund that invests in related companies. We spend the first part of the conversation exploring Joe’s background in the industry, how he is building the business, and how he thinks about the intersection of media and entrepreneurship. We then transition into a discussion of relevant companies in the fitness and wellness space that trail runners might be interested in like wearable technology, supplements, and stuff like that. We conclude the conversation with advice Joe has for listeners interested in building media, e-commerce, and event businesses in our sport. Support the show

  • Dec 21, 2021 · 1 hr 9 min

    Kyle Richardson: FKT Scene, Intersection Of Music And Movement, Trail Running Culture (Sunday Conversation)

    Kyle Richardson is a musician and professional mountain athlete for Black Diamond and La Sportiva based in Boulder, CO. In this conversation, Kyle shares interesting perspectives on Boulder, the FKT scene, and the intersection of music and movement. We talk philosophy. We go back and forth on a sort of artistic wishlist for trail running. And way more. It's all rolled into one big conversation about the cultural direction of our sport. --------- Additional episodes you might enjoy: #40 - Lee Sackett #18 - Moe Lauchert #16 - Logan Williams Support the show

  • Dec 21, 2021 · 57 min

    Sam Parsons: How To Build A Trail Running Team (Sunday Conversation)

    Sam Parsons is one of the co-founders of Tinman Elite, a professional running team based in Boulder, CO. We spend the vast majority of this episode going through the playbook for how to build a running team and what that model would look like in the world of mountain ultra trail running. For Salt Lake area listeners, you know we’ve tried this before. And for fans of the sport, you know we’ve had forms of this before like with the Coconino Cowboys. There is still a gap to fill though. I hope this conversation fires up someone somewhere to try again. Let's go! Timestamps (1:46) - the story of Tinman Elite (4:01) - speculating on the potential for trail running teams (7:09) - the Tinman playbook for recruiting team members (12:17) - how Tinman coordinates training, racing schedules (17:34) - why aspiring pro runners still default to the roads and track (22:54) - how Sam would grow the sport of trail running (26:47) - Adidas internship (32:17) - brand marketing inspirations for running teams (34:08) - how Tinman creates content for social media (46:08) - lessons from Tinman for the next trail running team Links Watch the episode on Youtube Follow Singletrack on Instagram Follow Sam Parsons on Instagram Tinman Elite Additional Episodes You May Be Interested In: #49 - Reid Coolsaet | Olympic 2:10 Marathoner Switches To Mountain Ultra Trail Running #40 - Lee Sackett | Brooks Running, Running Industry Careers, Running Culture Talk #19 - Ask Me Anything | Golden Ticket Series, Professional Trail Runners, Ultra Training Support the show

  • Dec 19, 2021 · 52 min

    Abby Hall | Running and Design, Full-Time Professional Athlete Life, Flagstaff

    In this episode, we meet Abby Hall. Abby is a professional trail runner for Adidas Terrex based in Flagstaff, AZ. We talk about the intersections between running and her previous career in design, her decision to become a full-time athlete, sponsored life and the changing relationship between athlete and brands, her move from Boulder to Flagstaff, some non-running topics like DIY housing and van projects, and then look forward to what’s on tap in 2022. I was a fan of Abby before this conversation. I’m an even bigger fan now. I think you will be too. -------------- Additional episodes you might enjoy: #42 - Sarah Cummings #39 - Hillary Allen #37 - Corrine Malcolm #31 - Dani Moreno #29 - Sabrina Stanley #23 - Abby Hall Support the show

  • Dec 15, 2021 · 1 hr 10 min

    Nick Coury | Negative Splitting Ultramarathons, 24 Hour American Record, Aravaipa Running

    We don’t always do emergency podcasts, but when we do it’s because something big has happened in the ultra running world. In this episode, we talk with Nick Coury. Nick is less than 48 hours removed from setting the American 24 hour running record of 173.015 miles at the Desert Solstice event down in Arizona. While the intention of this episode was to do a deep dive on Nick’s record performance at Desert Solstice, we actually only touch on it briefly. Early on in the conversation, we started following threads on Nick’s mental training strategy and negative splitting philosophy, as well as his role building Aravaipa Running that were too compelling to gloss over. I mention it towards the end of the episode, but I’m genuinely glad this episode went the way it did. Nick will give you a lot to think about in your training after listening to this one. Enjoy! Support the show

  • Dec 12, 2021 · 1 hr 1 min

    Zoe Rom | Trail Runner Magazine, Running Journalism, Diversity Talks

    Zoe Rom is a Mountain Ultra Trail Runner and the Editor in Chief at Trail Runner Magazine. In this conversation we talk about: - Zoe's journalism and running backgrounds - Issues related to diversity in our sport - Trail Runner Magazine - How to lean into curiosity and find interesting stories - What good writing and journalism looks like I personally learned a ton in this conversation. It was great to have Zoe on! Support the show

  • Dec 12, 2021 · 1 hr

    Dave Stevens | Run Rabbit Run, Winter Training, Canadian Trail Running Scene

    Dave Stevens is a trail runner based in Nelson, British Columbia. In this conversation, we cover: - The Nelson, BC trail running scene - Dave's background in the sport and his training philosophy - His Run Rabbit Run experience - whether he would entertain life as a full time athlete - Some of the constraints on being a Canadian runner trying to compete in the states This was one of the first conversations we’ve had on this podcast really focusing on the athlete and the performance side of the sport. I hope you like it. Support the show

  • Dec 3, 2021 · 2 hr 3 min

    Moe Lauchert | Outdoor Entrepreneurship, Representation In Trail Running, Growing The Sport

    In this episode we talk with Moe Lauchert. Moe is a photographer and videographer based here in Salt Lake City. He’s worked for trail running brands like Patagonia and Satisfy and something tells me I am catching him at the very early stages of a notable career. We talk about: Athlete sponsorship Increasing representation in trail running How to grow the sport of trail running How to be an entrepreneur in the outdoor industry This one was recorded in studio, we go long - about 2 hours, have a bit to drink, and only talk peripherally about running at times. But it was an authentic conversation, there’s a lot of life talk in there, and almost all of it is applicable to our sport if you think about it. Moe just might become a regular on the show. --------- Additional episodes you might enjoy: #40 - Lee Sackett #25 - Kyle Richardson #16 - Logan Williams Support the show

  • Dec 3, 2021 · 26 min

    Ask Me Anything | Golden Ticket Series, Professional Trail Runners, Ultra Training

    Last week I lit the beacons and let folks know I'd be willing to be an AMA if there were enough questions. To my surprise, a fair amount came through. Nice! So, I hit the record button a couple of days ago and answered some of them. In this first edition, I cover: How I ended in up Salt Lake City What I think the next big thing in ultra running will be What I want to see added to the trail running community here in Salt Lake How to link up with other runners and join groups My vision for the next few years of Singletrack And way more. Let me know what you think. I will do more of them if there is more demand. And if there's a lot of demand, I might even start a second episode each week that follows the talk show/call-in format that's popular in other sports like baseball and football. Let me know! Support the show

  • Nov 28, 2021 · 1 hr 14 min

    Ryan Ghelfi | Post Sponsorship Athlete Life, Trail Running Teams, UTMB, FKT Scene

    Ryan Ghelfi is the Founder of Trails and Tarmac, one of the more prominent coaching businesses in our sport. He has also run professionally for Nike and Hoka One One. And he’s a great thinker in our sport, which is the primary reason why I wanted to have him on the podcast. In this episode, we talk about: What the transition looks like after sponsored athlete life ends His thoughts on team-based ultra running The benefits of bringing runners together to do workouts His thoughts on UTMB and the boomerang effect it had making him want to embed more in the American West. FKT culture The Ashland, Oregon running scene Enjoy! Support the show

  • Nov 17, 2021 · 1 hr 13 min

    Logan Williams | Trail Running Philosophy, Athlete Sponsorships, Why We Run

    Logan Williams is a professional runner for Salomon and Satisfy Running based in the Lake Tahoe area. We met on the Salt Lake City trail scene a couple of years back and have been good friends ever since. I've always enjoyed his takes on our sport, so when I started this pod I was determined to get one of our conversations on the record. We finally did it. At its core, this is an episode about the importance of discovering and going all in on your identity from a trail runners point of view. Whether this episode finds you lounging, mid-long run, in commute, or on a long road trip - I hope you can relax and enjoy the message. --------- Additional episodes you might enjoy: #40 - Lee Sackett #25 - Kyle Richardson #18 - Moe Lauchert Support the show

  • Nov 14, 2021 · 55 min

    Grayson Murphy | Olympic Trials, Roads Versus Trails, Ultra Running

    In this episode, we catch up with pro runner, business owner, environmental advocate, and Salt Lake City local - Grayson Murphy. We cover: Her experience at the 2021 olympic trials in the steeplechase event Her unique ability to transition between and excel on the track, road, and trails Handling life as a public figure in the running community How she plans her racing schedule and thinks about her career in the long term Her entrepreneurial experience What’s interesting her in the ultra world Thanks to Grayson for coming on the pod. I have avidly followed her career over the past 2-3 years. She’s obviously tearing it up in every realm of running. I selfishly want to see her on the ultra scene as soon as possible. That said, I think we can expect to see her do many more special things on the road, track, and at the sub ultra distance on trails until then. Support the show

  • Nov 14, 2021 · 47 min

    State of the Singletrack | Starting A Trail Running Media Company

    Maybe you’ve been thinking about being a creator and/or building a business of some sort in the running world. If that’s the case, this video is the first in a series of "behind the scenes" looks at how the Singletrack Podcast is built. You will get a totally transparent view into what we are working on, where are succeeding, where we are failing, what we are planning, and more. By listening in on these conversations, we hope to give you ideas on how to start and succeed with your own venture. In this first episode of what we are calling "State of The Singletrack", Finn Melanson and Mike Tamayo talk about their new partnership. Mike is the Founder-CEO of Tamayo Creative and will be coming on board as Creative Director in charge of all social media, design, and overall branding for the Singletrack operation. In this first episode, they also cover: - How Mike and Finn first met - The influence of the Salt Lake City running community - Mike's running background - How Singletrack got started - What the future looks like for Singletrack In future episodes, you can expect us to get more tactical and strategic about exactly what's going on behind the scenes - like insights into how we are building podcasts, recruiting guests, preparing for interviews, designing content, trying to make money, and more. Support the show

  • Nov 7, 2021 · 56 min

    Jason Fitzgerald | How To Build An Online Running Business

    This episode focuses on how to build a running-related internet business. If that’s your jam right now, this is a fantastic episode. To show the audience how it’s done, we have Jason Fitzgerald on the pod. Jason is the founder of strengthrunning.com, which has been around for over 12 years. The site hosts a great blog and podcast, and in general it’s a great resource for runners aiming to get stronger, stay healthy, and race faster. For those just getting started on their business journey, we cover how to create awareness, identify your target customers, think about content creation, and determine the best marketing channels to invest in for scalability - all in the context of our running world. Jason is a great speaker and drops a ton of knowledge bombs. Again, If you’ve ever wanted to be some sort of entrepreneur in our sport, and leverage the power of the internet to do it, give this one a listen. Support the show