Borderlands Trail and Ultra Running19 Maalis

Is Ultrarunning Losing Its Charm?

Ultrarunning is evolving and growing fast and with that growth, ultra running feels different. Josh digs into how the sport is changing as it becomes more competitive, more visible, and more professional than ever before and asks whether something essential is being lost along the way.

From duct-taped water bottles and campfire start lines to global races with thousands of runners and highly engineered gear, this episode explores what that shift really means. From the rise of new brands and technologies to the increasing professionalization of the sport, the conversation looks at what we’ve gained—and what we might be leaving behind. Not as something to judge, but as an evolution that is reshaping how ultrarunning feels, who it’s for, and where it’s going next.

For runners thinking about how ultrarunning is changing and what that means for the future of trail running and ultrarunning.

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

Topics / Timestamps

00:00 The Evolution of Ultra Running
02:23 Defining the Charm of Ultra Running
07:15 Ultrarunning is Really Two Sports in One
11:54 Professionalization vs. Community
17:00 The Standardization and Predictability of Ultra Races
23:43 The Trade-Offs of Growth - we're losing something

Resources / Links

Related Episodes

Presented by Kiprun.

----

Find us at Borderlands.cc and sign up for the newsletter.

Want to run in the Salt Lake area? Check out the Salt Lake Foothills Trail Races happening May 30, 2026.

And if you haven't checked out Wylder yet, it's worth a look. iOS or Android

Tämä jakso on lisätty Podme-palveluun avoimen RSS-syötteen kautta eikä se ole Podmen omaa tuotantoa. Siksi jakso saattaa sisältää mainontaa.

Jaksot(314)

This is Trail Running Without Mountains.

Trail running in the Midwest looks different. No mountain towns. No towering peaks. Just a different kind of commitment. On the drive to Harvey Lewis's house, Josh and Sam Hartman explore what it mean...

21 Heinä 0s

What If Your Best Running Is Still Ahead?

Hardrock 100 gave aging trail runners something many of us didn't realize we needed: hope. Ludovic Pommeret broke the course record at 50. Courtney Dauwalter won again and still walked away chasing so...

16 Heinä 22min

They Refuse to Make Toy Shoes. | Inside HOKA's Culture Strategy

HOKA has become one of the few running brands to cross into culture without losing credibility with runners. If you're building a brand, launching new products, or wondering how companies grow without...

13 Heinä 29min

What is Borderlands Actually Building?

For the first time in months, I'm stepping away from interviews and monologues for a Borderlands Trail Running founder update.By the time this episode goes live, my family and I will be somewhere over...

7 Heinä 21min

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

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 Stat...

29 Kesä 28min

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

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 te...

22 Kesä 22min

Western States Wants to Protect, UTMB Wants to Grow

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 ...

19 Kesä 17min

Wasatch 100 & Bear 100: When Ultra Running Just Hurts

Wasatch 100 and Bear 100 are two of the hardest races in ultra running. Michael Whiteside ran both just three weeks apart, and what stayed with me from this conversation wasn't the accomplishment. It ...

16 Kesä 14min