Borderlands Trail and Ultra Running cover art

Borderlands Trail and Ultra Running

Borderlands Trail and Ultra Running

By: Josh Rosenthal | Ultra Runner
Listen for free

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.All Rights Reserved Borderlands Industries LLC Hygiene & Healthy Living Running & Jogging
Episodes
  • Western States 2026 Analysis | 10 Things I Couldn't Stop Thinking About

    Western States 2026 Analysis | 10 Things I Couldn't Stop Thinking About
    Jun 29 2026

    Western States 2026 is over. The course records have been set, the winners crowned, and the internet has already moved on. This isn't another race recap. It's a cultural breakdown of what Western States revealed about trail running, its media, and where the sport is headed next.

    From Dylan Bowman becoming the voice of trail running, to Hans Troyer's fearless pacing, to why Thomas Cardin exposed a storytelling gap, Josh shares the ten ideas he couldn't stop thinking about after the biggest weekend in trail running. Along the way, he asks whether Western States has outgrown its broadcast and why the next frontier isn't better cameras, but better context.

    Please give us a follow, rate the podcast, and give a review.

    If you’re new to Borderlands, start here.

    Topics / Timestamps
    • 01:05 Dylan Bowman is the Voice of Trail Running/Racing
    • 04:10 The Broadcast Knows Where Everyone Is
    • 09:05 We Don't Care About Places, We Care About Stories
    • 11:38 We Interviewed the Wrong People
    • 16:14 Whose Job is it to Find Tomorrow's Stories?
    • 20:21 Hans is the Rabbit I Was Asking For
    • 21:53 American Men Ran it Like Old Days at UTMB
    • 22:46 The Race has Outgrown the Broadcast
    • 26:23 The Next Frontier

    Resources / Links
    1. 8 Bit Trail Running
    2. Borderlands.cc
    3. Subwhatever

    Related Episodes
    1. 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
    Show More Show Less
    29 mins
  • Trail Running Culture Doesn't Scale | Bob Crowley's Response

    Trail Running Culture Doesn't Scale | Bob Crowley's Response
    Jun 22 2026

    Western States and UTMB are often framed as opposite visions for the future of trail running. One protects through limits. The other protects through growth. But after publishing an episode on that tension, I received an unexpected response from Bob Crowley, former President of the International Trail Running Association (ITRA).

    Bob argues that both sides may be focused on the wrong thing. What follows is a conversation about culture, stewardship, local races, and whether the values that built trail running can survive success. Somewhere along the way, the debate stops being about Western States and UTMB and becomes something much bigger.

    Please give us a follow, rate the podcast, and give a review.

    If you’re new to Borderlands, start here.

    Resources / Links
    1. Western States Wants to Protect, UTMB Wants to Grow
    2. Bob's Full Op-ed
    3. Borderlands.cc
    4. La French Trail

    Related Episodes
    1. 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
    Show More Show Less
    23 mins
  • Western States Wants to Protect, UTMB Wants to Grow

    Western States Wants to Protect, UTMB Wants to Grow
    Jun 19 2026

    Western States and UTMB have become the two most influential institutions in trail running, but beneath the debate over lotteries, race series, and growth is a deeper question: when something becomes successful, how do you protect it?

    Josh explores why UTMB believes trail running is important enough to scale globally while Western States believes it's important enough not to. Along the way, he examines scarcity, culture, the hidden cost of success, and whether the thing worth protecting was ever the race itself.

    Please give us a follow, rate the podcast, and give a review.

    If you’re new to Borderlands, start here.

    Topics / Timestamps
    • 01:33 Two Philosophies of Trail Running
    • 03:19 Is Growth in Trail Running Corruption?
    • 06:13 The Scale Problem in Trail Running
    • 11:06 What Cultre are We Protecting in Trail Running?
    • 15:50 The Supply Chain of Trail Running Culture

    Resources / Links
    1. 8 Bit Trail Running
    2. Josh Rosenthal on IG
    3. Borderlands.cc
    4. La French Trail

    Related Episodes
    1. 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
    Show More Show Less
    17 mins
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_t1
No reviews yet