348: 'It Has to Make Sense', with Zach Hauer

Lil and Jason love to run trails and know how to develop great technology products. This combo brought them together to build Kaduka – your new trail running companion. An app (website for now) that invites you to discover new trails (and trail races) near you and explore a community that knows the area around you. LINKS Kaduka – your trail running companion app Get more: Singletrack.fm Rock Candy Running Trail Running Film Festival Brought to you by Electric Cable Car - your trail and mountain news!

The 2026 Finals of the UTMB World Series are upon us and all of Chamonix is buzzing. Heck, the whole trail world is buzzing with excitement, anticipation, and nervousness. UTMB is big and important and as it moves our sport moves. Doug Mayer from Run the Alps lives in town and is in a perfect position to know what is happening inside and outside the organization, the town, and the sport as a whole. I'm here to chat with him about the logistical, political, and business side of it all. LINKS Run the Alps website Doug Mayer's writing at Trailrunner Magazine Get more: Singletrack.fm Rock Candy Running Trail Running Film Festival Brought to you by Electric Cable Car - your trail and mountain news!

After years of many calls and more meetings I finally get to pin down Etienne Rodriguez, managing director of the Skyrunner World Series, and hit record for a chat about the history behind, the business of, and most of all the vision for the Skyrunner World Series. The Series just returned to U.S. soil for the first time at Beast of Big Creek and we chat about what this all means and where this might take us in the coming years. LINKS Skyrunner World Series Beast of Big Creek Get more: Singletrack.fm Rock Candy Running Trail Running Film Festival Brought to you by Electric Cable Car - your trail and mountain news!  

Robin fought herself through a challenging race into 7th place at this year's Beast of Big Creek. On this episode we chat about her race day, her plans for the coming months, and what it means for her and other athletes competing on short, steep trails, that the Skyrunner World Series is back in the US. LINKS Robin Vieira Brower on Instagram Trail Talk: 'Skyrunning Returns' Beast of Big Creek recap video – so good! Beast of Big Creek website Skyrunner World Series Get more: Singletrack.fm Rock Candy Running Trail Running Film Festival Brought to you by Electric Cable Car - your trail and mountain news!

Morgan Elliot took full advantage of racing on home soil and secured his first win at a major race at last weekend's Beast of Big Creek on Mount Ellinor - the twelfth stage on the Merrell Skyrunner World Series. After meeting Morgan in person, and cheering him into the finish, I invited him on Singletrack to chat about his approach to racing, to life and what's next for him on the circuit.  LINKS Morgan Elliot on Instagram Beast of Big Creek recap video – so good! Beast of Big Creek website Skyrunner World Series Get more: Singletrack.fm Rock Candy Running Trail Running Film Festival Brought to you by Electric Cable Car - your trail and mountain news!  

This week's chat with PNW's North Bend Trail Fest race director's Joe McConaughy and Scott Sowle provides me with the perfect distraction from my own race prep for Beast to discuss the news of the moment: doping among influential trail runners. Joe shares his elite athlete perspective and we discuss the challenges for race directors trying to navigate the seemingly insurmountable financial challenges to provide doping controls at our events. Also: come race in the PNW. Our trails are awesome, Mount Ellinor and Mount Si are calling you! LINKS Dirt Circus – Seattle North Bend Trail Fest Beast of Big Creek Get more: Singletrack.fm Rock Candy Running Trail Running Film Festival Brought to you by Electric Cable Car - your trail and mountain news!

After meeting Ian in Olympic Valley ahead of Western States last week he joins me on Singletrack to take a deep dive into his brand new book: 'The Art of Ultrarunning'. In it he shares his decades of running and coaching experience and we chat about what makes trail runners tick differently: our yearning for adventure. The book just hit the shelves this week. Get your copy. Real books are good! LINKS Get Ian's book: 'The Art of Ultrarunning' (Bookshop.org, Amazon) Ian's coaching website Ian on Instagram Get more: Singletrack.fm Rock Candy Running Trail Running Film Festival Brought to you by Electric Cable Car - your trail and mountain news!

Just ahead of "Tahoe Week", where we'll meet in person, I chat with Open Fuel co-founder Zach Hauer about marketing an outdoor brand in today's business and media landscape. We chat about AI, ROI, high carb slushies, plogging and how in the end this all has to make sense. LINKS TrailCon Plog: Open Fuel + Dera Open Fuel Open Fuel on Instagram Zach Hauer onInstagram Get more: Singletrack.fm Rock Candy Running Trail Running Film Festival Brought to you by Electric Cable Car - your trail and mountain news!

Josh joins me on Singletrack to talk about the future of trail race reporting and the fascination of livestreams. He's built a prototype (Live on Trail) that mimics a massive dashboard displaying various 'on course' information streams with the hope of making the on-screen talents more knowledgeable and the viewing experience more enjoyable. What I love about this effort – vibe-coded and all – is that it goes beyond "hey I have an opinion" and actually "throwing something against the wall". Let's see if it sticks. Get more: Singletrack.fm Rock Candy Running Trail Running Film Festival Brought to you by Electric Cable Car - your trail and mountain news!   LINKS Josh's articles on Borderlands Trailmix on 'Live on Trail'      

Coree Woltering joins Singletrack this week to chat about his approach to running trails, and racing short and long distances. This year his goals include Western States, Beast of Big Creek, and Fat Dog 120. We discuss his role as Merrell US trail team manager and the upcoming relaunch of the Skyrunner World Series to the US, the US National Series, and Merrell's plan as title sponsor of these series. See you at Beast in August! LINKS Coree Woltering on Instagram Coree Woltering on Strava Get more: Singletrack.fm Rock Candy Running Trail Running Film Festival Brought to you by Electric Cable Car - your trail and mountain news!