Dark Divide Recap: Injuries, Wrong Turns, and Questionable Decisions

Mike McKnight joins Jake and Mick to talk about one of the biggest experiences of his running career: Tor des Géants. After covering 330 kilometers through the Italian Alps in 82 hours and finishing as the first American, Mike shares what made the race so special, how it compares to American ultras, and what stood out about its incredible aid stations, organization, and course.The conversation also gets into some of the biggest controversies and stories in ultrarunning right now. Mike addresses the BPC-157 controversy, explains his decision to take the peptide while dealing with severe nerve pain, and shares his perspective on drug testing and the rules governing the sport.Plus, we discuss the cancellation of the Moab 240, Aaron's frightening battle with rhabdomyolysis, Mike's head injury at Tahoe, and the difficult decisions that come with racing at the limits.It's a wide-ranging conversation about the highs, lows, and gray areas of ultrarunning.Join our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Fantasy Freetrail League⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.Partners:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Relyte⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: Use code NextAidStation for 15% off⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Play On Relief:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Use code NextAidStation for 15% off⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Rockstar Energy⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠1Home⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: Slide into the DMs for a free home energy assessment🎙️ Hosted by Jake Kilgore & Mick Garrison#TrailRunning #ultrarunning Music License: COVFFU5C7U01A7NC

This week on The Next Aid Station, Jake and Mick get into some of the biggest conversations happening in running right now. They debate eligibility in women’s sports, discuss the news of a provisional suspension involving marathoner Peres Jepchirchir and what drug testing could look like in ultrarunning, and wonder what it takes to bring the world’s best trail runners to races overseas.Plus, the Moab 240’s unusual post-cancellation buckles, the rapid growth of backyard ultras, and whether the guys should organize a backyard race of their own. As always, there are strong opinions, plenty of tangents, and a lot to talk about.Subscribe for more ultrarunning news, race talk, and conversations from around the sport.Join our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Fantasy Freetrail League⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.Partners:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Relyte⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: Use code NextAidStation for 15% off⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Play On Relief:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Use code NextAidStation for 15% off⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Rockstar Energy⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠1Home⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: Slide into the DMs for a free home energy assessment🎙️ Hosted by Jake Kilgore & Mick Garrison#TrailRunning #ultrarunning Music License: COVFFU5C7U01A7NC

On this episode of The Next Aid Station, Jake Kilgore and Mick Garrison kick things off with Lexi Glenn, the inaugural women's course record holder at the DC Peaks 100, who shares her experience running an impressive 27-hour race. Then, the conversation turns to the 2026 Moab 240 and the controversy surrounding severe weather, race cancellations, and the decisions made by race management.Drawing on their own experience as race directors, Jake and Mick discuss weather preparedness, emergency protocols, and the challenges of managing runners spread across hundreds of miles of terrain. They question whether different decisions could have allowed some runners to continue safely rather than ending the race for everyone still on course.The discussion also revisits the early days of DC Peaks, including their own experiences navigating difficult weather and the lessons they've learned about making tough calls in the backcountry.It's a candid conversation about ultrarunning, race directing, accountability, and balancing runner safety with the desire to finish a 240-mile race.Join our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Fantasy Freetrail League⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.Thanks to ⁠⁠⁠Bear Butt Wipes⁠⁠⁠ for partnering with DC Peaks this year!Partners:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Relyte⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: Use code NextAidStation for 15% off⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Play On Relief:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Use code NextAidStation for 15% off⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Rockstar Energy⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠1Home⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: Slide into the DMs for a free home energy assessment🎙️ Hosted by Jake Kilgore & Mick Garrison#TrailRunning #ultrarunning Music License: COVFFU5C7U01A7NC

Elijah Syndergaard joins Jake and Mick on The Next Aid Station after winning the inaugural DC Peaks 100 in a course-record time of 21:56. We break down his race, from battling the heat and grinding up Temple Ridge to finding a way through the low points and making it to the finish.We also get into course-marking challenges, feedback from the inaugural race, and what the future of DC Peaks could look like. How long will Elijah’s course record last? Could someone eventually break 20 hours? And what would it take to make that happen?Plus, we discuss the realities of pacing and crew support, race-day fueling, and whether Elijah would get a DC Peaks tattoo in exchange for free entry.Thanks to Elijah for joining us—and congratulations on an incredible first year at DC Peaks!Join our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Fantasy Freetrail League⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.Thanks to ⁠⁠Bear Butt Wipes⁠⁠ for partnering with DC Peaks this year!Partners:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Relyte⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: Use code NextAidStation for 15% off⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Play On Relief:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Use code NextAidStation for 15% off⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Rockstar Energy⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠1Home⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: Slide into the DMs for a free home energy assessment🎙️ Hosted by Jake Kilgore & Mick Garrison#TrailRunning #ultrarunning Music License: COVFFU5C7U01A7NC

DC Peaks 100 is in the books! Jake and Mick are back to recap one of the biggest weekends yet for the race, including the first-ever 100-miler, standout performances, unexpected finish-line stories, and everything that went on behind the scenes to make it happen.They also get into a recent doping controversy in road running and ask a bigger question: how much should we actually care about athletes cheating? Plus, they discuss why backyard ultras deserve more recognition, debate what it takes to earn Ultrarunner of the Year, and share some of the lessons they're already taking into DC Peaks 2027.And, of course, there are giant pickles, missing aid stations, and one very important question: why does nobody at an ultramarathon seem to have a knife when you need one?Join our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Fantasy Freetrail League⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.Thanks to ⁠Bear Butt Wipes⁠ for partnering with DC Peaks this year!Partners:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Relyte⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: Use code NextAidStation for 15% off⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Play On Relief:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Use code NextAidStation for 15% off⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Rockstar Energy⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠1Home⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: Slide into the DMs for a free home energy assessment🎙️ Hosted by Jake Kilgore & Mick Garrison#TrailRunning #ultrarunning Music License: COVFFU5C7U01A7NC

This week, Jake and Mick dive into the latest drama surrounding Finn Melanson and Mike McKnight, including the controversy over Finn allegedly reaching out to race organizers about Mike's eligibility to compete. Was he right to raise the issue, or did he take things too far?They also discuss the infamous Camille Herron OnlyFans saga, including her claim that she's now in the top 1%, and what the whole situation says about the strange intersection of ultrarunning, social media, and internet culture.Plus, more trail-running drama, questionable opinions, and plenty of reasons to let the comments decide who's right.Join our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Fantasy Freetrail League⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.Thanks to Bear Butt Wipes for partnering with DC Peaks this year!Partners:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Relyte⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: Use code NextAidStation for 15% off⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Play On Relief:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Use code NextAidStation for 15% off⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Rockstar Energy⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠1Home⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: Slide into the DMs for a free home energy assessment🎙️ Hosted by Jake Kilgore & Mick Garrison#TrailRunning #ultrarunning Music License: COVFFU5C7U01A7NC

This week on The Next Aid Station, Jake and Mick dive into the debate surrounding Sydney Sweeney’s latest sports-betting ad and what it says—or doesn’t say—about women’s sports and why audiences are tuning in.Then, Run Rabbit Run is putting $100,000 on the line for its winners, raising a bigger question: can prize money actually attract the athletes, attention, and prestige needed to make a race matter at the highest level?Plus, a whole lot of discussion about what makes a trail race worth watching, where the money in the sport is going, and whether $100,000 is enough to move the needle.Join our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Fantasy Freetrail League⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.Partners:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Relyte⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: Use code NextAidStation for 15% off⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Play On Relief:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Use code NextAidStation for 15% off⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Rockstar Energy⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠1Home⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: Slide into the DMs for a free home energy assessment🎙️ Hosted by Jake Kilgore & Mick Garrison#TrailRunning #ultrarunning Music License: COVFFU5C7U01A7NC

This week, we’re talking about one of the wildest HYROX stories imaginable: an athlete sh*tting herself mid-race and somehow continuing on. From there, we dive into the surprisingly small number of races that can qualify you for Hardrock 100, what it actually takes for a race to become a Hardrock qualifier, and why the qualification system is so selective.Plus, Wasatch 100, race tracking, DC Peaks, and plenty of September 100-mile race talk.Join our ⁠⁠⁠⁠Fantasy Freetrail League⁠⁠⁠⁠.Partners:⁠⁠⁠⁠Relyte⁠⁠⁠⁠: Use code NextAidStation for 15% off⁠⁠⁠⁠Play On Relief:⁠⁠⁠⁠ Use code NextAidStation for 15% off⁠⁠⁠⁠Rockstar Energy⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠1Home⁠⁠⁠⁠: Slide into the DMs for a free home energy assessment🎙️ Hosted by Jake Kilgore & Mick Garrison#TrailRunning #ultrarunning Music License: COVFFU5C7U01A7NC

This week, Jake recaps the Dark Divide 100—a brutally remote race where just about everything that could go wrong seemed to go wrong. From questionable navigation and extra miles to gear failures, brutal weather, and a late-race crash, it was anything but a straightforward 100-mile finish.The guys also break down the surprisingly runnable Dark Divide course, look ahead to Wasatch 100, and get into the annual debate over who deserves to be Trail Runner of the Year. Plus, the usual questionable tangents along the way.Contribute to ⁠Jeff Brownings GoFundMe⁠Join our ⁠⁠⁠Fantasy Freetrail League⁠⁠⁠.Partners:⁠⁠⁠Relyte⁠⁠⁠: Use code NextAidStation for 15% off⁠⁠⁠Play On Relief:⁠⁠⁠ Use code NextAidStation for 15% off⁠⁠⁠Rockstar Energy⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠1Home⁠⁠⁠: Slide into the DMs for a free home energy assessment🎙️ Hosted by Jake Kilgore & Mick Garrison#TrailRunning #ultrarunning Music License: COVFFU5C7U01A7NC

This week, the guys recap UTMB, debate just how much UTMB coverage is too much, and ask the question everyone apparently has an opinion on: who is actually the best female trail runner in the world? Rachel’s monster season gets put up against some serious competition. They also discuss the surprising cancellation of the Revel Mount Charleston Marathon—with the race called off seven months out and organizers reportedly keeping registration fees—and dig into what that says about the business of putting on races. Plus: more UTMB talk, race predictions, and the usual collection of questionable opinions.Contribute to Jeff Brownings GoFundMeJoin our ⁠⁠Fantasy Freetrail League⁠⁠.Partners:⁠⁠Relyte⁠⁠: Use code NextAidStation for 15% off⁠⁠Play On Relief:⁠⁠ Use code NextAidStation for 15% off⁠⁠Rockstar Energy⁠⁠⁠⁠1Home⁠⁠: Slide into the DMs for a free home energy assessment🎙️ Hosted by Jake Kilgore & Mick Garrison#TrailRunning #ultrarunning Music License: COVFFU5C7U01A7NC