Wright Thompson is a senior writer for ESPN.com and ESPN The Magazine who has profiled some of the greatest athletes and coaches of all time, including Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, Steve Kerr, Pat Riley, Caitlin Clark, and Dan Gable. He's also the author of 3 books: "The Cost of These Dreams", "The Barn", and "Pappyland".

In this conversation, we discuss optimization versus beauty in sports, sports as vehicles for self-understanding, why fame freezes people at the emotional age they got it, and where the tortured artist myth comes from before ending on mortality and legacy.

Note - in case you're not interested, we spend the first 20 ish minutes of the conversation talking about our shared appreciation for music and certain artists and bands before getting into the aforementioned part of the conversation.

Partners:

• Precision Fuel and Hydration - use code SINGLETRACK at checkout for 15% off your next order
• Janji - running apparel that goes the distance
• Raide - Making equipment for efficient human-powered movement in the mountains
• Norda - check out the 005: the lightest, fastest, most stable trail racing shoe ever made
• Momentous - use code SINGLETRACK for up to 35% off your first order
• Kodiak Cakes - my favorite oatmeal and pancakes

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Brett Hornig co-hosts for another classic edition of the Long Run Archives. We share our biggest takeaways from this year's Hardrock, reflect on the biggest moments from the first half of 2026, and feature the latest ultra-focused products that have caught our attention. Finally, we close with a brief interview of Ryder Jay, who won the U-18 NTN Eagle race at Broken Arrow last month.

Partners:

• Precision Fuel and Hydration - use code SINGLETRACK at checkout for 15% off your next order
• Janji - running apparel that goes the distance
• Raide - Making equipment for efficient human-powered movement in the mountains
• Norda - check out the 005: the lightest, fastest, most stable trail racing shoe ever made
• Momentous - use code SINGLETRACK for up to 35% off your first order
• Kodiak Cakes - my favorite oatmeal and pancakes

Support the show

Tom Evans is back on the show! We last chatted after UTMB last year, so there was a lot of ground to cover: recapping the first half of 2026, his most recent treadmill workout, which garnered a lot of commentary on Instagram, the "why now" for Hardrock, his analysis of the competitive field here, and his reflections on how he's prepared for the opportunity. Thanks as always for tuning in.

Partners:

• Precision Fuel and Hydration - use code SINGLETRACK at checkout for 15% off your next order
• Janji - running apparel that goes the distance
• Raide - Making equipment for efficient human-powered movement in the mountains
• Norda - check out the 005: the lightest, fastest, most stable trail racing shoe ever made
• Momentous - use code SINGLETRACK for up to 35% off your first order
• Kodiak Cakes - my favorite oatmeal and pancakes

Support the show