Olympians Are Winning Trail Races Now, So What Happens Next?

I’m back with Allison Mercer, my correspondent on everything, and we start with the most important news of the week: I apparently lost another award, and I am not interested in being reminded about 2025 when we are already deep into 2026.

From there we get into World Cross Country Championships, which somehow had a full Florida theme including obstacle chaos, heat, and a crowd that sounded like 10,000 people yelling nonstop. We talk about what made the broadcast work, why team scoring makes the whole field matter, and why cross country in the Winter Olympics would be the best kind of mess.

Then we pivot to the trail world heating up early, with Olympians popping over to trails, Burrito League spreading like a virus, and the golden ticket chase being the kind of storyline we actually want more of. We end with ideas for how running media can get better fast: less six-month pre-race content, more post-race coverage, more crew perspective, and please, for the love of everything, mic people up.

If you want the sport to be more fun, more human, and more watchable, this is the blueprint. Or at least a rant disguised as a blueprint.

Chapters

00:00 The Award Dilemma and New Beginnings

08:02 World Cross Country Championships: A Florida Experience

11:03 The Evolution of Cross Country Broadcasting

14:10 The Future of Cross Country in the Olympics

17:00 Trail Running: New Faces and Fresh Perspectives

20:11 The Shift from Road to Trail Running

23:37 The Burrito League Phenomenon

26:26 Molly Seidel's Transition to Ultra Running

29:38 The Importance of Community in Running

32:26 Future Trends in Endurance Sports

36:48 Exciting Developments in Running Events

38:21 Training for the 100K Championship Team

39:59 Planning for Success in Ultra Running

42:05 Exploring Potential in Ultra Running

44:32 The Future of Trail Running Events

48:10 Humanizing Athletes in the Sport

53:11 Innovative Coverage in Trail Running

54:14 The Roach Approach and Its Impact

58:06 Post-Race Coverage and Athlete Reflections

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