The Trailhead

Margaret Glaspy on Pain Caves, Typewriters, and Running on Tour

Singer-songwriter Margaret Glaspy joins Zoë and Brendan to talk about the strange and surprisingly rich overlap between running and making art. She shares how watching he

Doing It The Hard Way is the Point - With Writer Sam Robinson

Sam Robinson writes the Substack Footnotes, works as a content designer at YouTube, and has a PhD in seventeenth-century science, religion, and philosophy, which makes hi

What If the Hero's Journey Is the Wrong Story? With Heather Hansman

Heather Hansman is an award-winning outdoor journalist, an Outside columnist, and the author of Downriver and the bestselling Powder Days. Her new book, Fierce Country: T

Is Running a Religion? A 1,400-Mile Pilgrimage Around Ireland with Author Adharanand Finn

Adharanand Finn is an award-winning journalist and the author of Running with the Kenyans, The Way of the Runner, and The Rise of the Ultra Runners, and his forthcoming b

Race Photographer Anastasia Wilde on What 200-Milers Really Look Like

Anastasia Wilde is a Missoula-based adventure photographer who has spent the last five years shooting the country's biggest 200-mile races like Bigfoot, Tahoe, Cocodona,

Geologist and Pro Athlete Dillon Osleger on the Hidden History Written Into Every Trail

Dillon Osleger is a geologist, professional mountain biker, and longtime trail steward whose debut book, Trail Work: Restoring the Paths and Stories of America's Public L

How to Spot Fitness and Wellness BS with Exercise Scientist Nick Tiller, PhD

Dr. Nick Tiller is an exercise scientist at the Lundquist Institute at Harbor-UCLA, a two-decade ultrarunner, and the author of The Skeptic's Guide to Sports Science and

A Longtime New York Times Music Critic on How Running Changed the Way He Listens

Ben Ratliff is a former New York Times music critic, a writing professor at NYU, and the author of Run the Song: Writing About Running About Listening, longlisted for the

Social Psychologist Emily Balcetis on Why the Wall Is Mental, Not Physical

When you hit the wall at mile 19 of a marathon (or mile 80 of a 100-miler) it feels like your body is the problem. Your legs are concrete, your stomach is in revolt, and

Why Your Brain Needs You to Run with Evolutionary Biologist David Raichlen

David Raichlen is a professor of biological sciences at the University of Southern California whose research examines how human evolution, physical activity, and brain he

Rochelle Bilow on Food, Running, and Romance Novels

Rochelle Bilow is a romance novelist, food writer, French Culinary Institute graduate, former Bon Appétit editor, and current kitchen gear expert at Serious Eats, and she

From Cattle Ranching to 100 Mile Races with "Beef Runner" Ryan Goodman

Ryan Goodman grew up on a cattle ranch in Arkansas, studied beef cattle science at Oklahoma State University, and now manages WSU's beef cattle research program as Beef C

Philosopher C. Thi Nguyen on Why Ultrarunning Is a Game, and Maybe the Meaning of Life

C. Thi Nguyen is a philosopher at the University of Utah, a former food writer for the Los Angeles Times, a rock climber, and one of the world's leading thinkers on the p

What Running 150 Miles Across Iceland Taught Pavel Cenkl About the Planet

Pavel Cenkl is a climate writer, ultrarunner, and Dean of Academics at Prescott College who has run hundreds of miles across Iceland, Scandinavia, and the Arctic through

Science Journalist Christie Aschwanden on What Actually Works for Recovery (And What Doesn't)

Christie Aschwanden is a New York Times bestselling author, former lead science writer at FiveThirtyEight, and one of the sharpest science journalists working today. She'

Brad Stulberg on How to Be Excellent Without Burning Out

Brad Stulberg co-wrote Peak Performance with Steve Magness and has spent over a decade studying what excellence actually requires. He joins Zoë and Brendan to dismantle t

Why Run 205 Miles? Doug Mayer on Tour de Géants and the Hero's Journey

What happens when you strip away sleep, ego, and every external measure of success for 330 kilometers? Doug Mayer, founder of Run the Alps, former Car Talk producer, and

What a PhD Mathematician Learned About Running 100 Miles

Pat Cade has a PhD in mathematics, coaches high school cross country in Leadville, Colorado, and has finished the Leadville 100 six times. In this conversation, he explai

Best of 2025: On Insanity, Effort, and Choosing Your Obsessions Wisely

For the final episode of 2025, Zoë and Brendan share their own year-end reflections, summits, snacks, and slogs,  including Zoë's experience hitchhiking to the start line

What DJs Know About Getting Runners Through Mile 80

Romy Ancona is a DJ, trail runner, and the force behind Broken Arrow's famously joyful finish line. Born in Cozumel and now based in Colorado's Roaring Fork Valley, Romy