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

Two course records, a rookie champion, and a men's podium almost nobody predicted. Brett Hornig and Leah Yingling join me in Auburn to recap the 2026 Western States 100: Vincent Bouillard clawing back from ten minutes down at Forest Hill, Jennifer Lichter winning in her first 100-miler, the deepest women's top 10 in race history, plus buy-or-sell and our biggest questions for next year.

Partners:

• Precision Fuel and Hydration - use code SINGLETRACK at checkout for 15% off your next order
• Norda - check out the 005: the lightest, fastest, most stable trail racing shoe ever made
• Raide - Making equipment for efficient human-powered movement in the mountains

Support the show

Jennifer Lichter joins us in our Auburn, CA studio shortly after her course record victory at the 2026 Western State 100.

Partners:

• Precision Fuel and Hydration - use code SINGLETRACK at checkout for 15% off your next order
• Norda - check out the 005: the lightest, fastest, most stable trail racing shoe ever made
• Raide - Making equipment for efficient human-powered movement in the mountains

Support the show

David Roche returns to the show a few days ahead of the 2026 Western States 100.

Across 2024 and 2025, he put on one of the most memorable shows in our sport's history. He took us behind the scenes of his buildup to Javelina, Leadville, and Western States, fighting for wins and course records while running training experiments on himself.

This year he's back at Western States, on the ground as a coach for athletes like Hans Troyer, Ellaney Matarese, and Justin Grunewald.

We were lucky to get him in the studio for a long-form conversation, where we peppered him with questions on training, fueling, heat mitigation, and race strategy for the Western States 100.

Partners:

• Precision Fuel and Hydration - use code SINGLETRACK at checkout for 15% off your next order
• Norda - check out the 005: the lightest, fastest, most stable trail racing shoe ever made
• Raide - Making equipment for efficient human-powered movement in the mountains

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Finn Melanson, Brett Hornig, Jeff Colt, and Rod Farvard provide in-depth analysis, commentary, and predictions for the competition in this year’s men's field at the Western States 100.

Partners:

• Precision Fuel and Hydration - use code SINGLETRACK at checkout for 15% off your next order
• Norda - check out the 005: the lightest, fastest, most stable trail racing shoe ever made
• Raide - Making equipment for efficient human-powered movement in the mountains

Support the show

Zach Miller is one of the greatest, most entertaining, and most thoughtful runners of his generation. It's a treat to have him in the studio ahead of Western States, a race he has patiently waited to run for over a decade.

Miller is coming off a memorable 2nd place golden ticket performance at the Canyons 100K, a race where he reunited with Hayden Hawks for yet another classic duel in their storied rivalry, which dates back to the 2016 TNF 50 in San Francisco.

We also catch up with Zach on other topics, including his regular IRunFar column, his trusty North Face hat, and his reflections on this stage of his career as a professional ultra-trail runner.

Partners:

• Precision Fuel and Hydration - use code SINGLETRACK at checkout for 15% off your next order
• Norda - check out the 005: the lightest, fastest, most stable trail racing shoe ever made
• Raide - Making equipment for efficient human-powered movement in the mountains

Support the show