The World Mountain and Trail Running Championships (WMTRC) begin today in Innsbruck, Austria, kicking off four days of races from VK to long course. If you have a vague memory that the world champs just happened, you aren’t wrong. COVID can be blamed for that. But what is to blame for the lackluster participation among the best trail runners on the planet?

“One thousand athletes are competing for eternal bragging rights,” writes Abby Levene. “Forty-seven nations are vying for global hegemony. Yet we are treating this historic event like an intramural middle school ultimate frisbee game.”

In this episode, Corrine chats with Brendan Madigan and Scott Rokis about the Broken Arrow Skyrace and UltraSignup’s live coverage of the event starting June 16.  

Then Buzz and Jamil Coury unpack Aravaipa Running’s recent partnership with White Mountain Endurance. The two of them also answer listener questions about putting on exceptional trail races, altitude training, and how to deliver what you promised.   

The Trailhead Podcast is a production from UltraSignup News. This episode is presented by Ultimate Direction. Use promo code “Trailhead25” for 25% off at Ultimate Direction.

On Saturday, June 24th, Ultimate Direction athletes Nicole Bitter, Jeff Colt, and Ryan Montgomery will compete at Western States® 100-Mile Endurance Run, the world’s oldest 100 mile trail race. In the decades since its inception in 1974, Western States has come to represent one of the ultimate endurance tests in the world. To learn more about our athletes and what fuels their love for the sport, visit our athlete page.

Shop our athlete’s favorite gear and apparel and receive 25% off when you enter your email with us.

🍖 Rest Day Hunger: How is it possible that you are hungrier on days when you don’t train? Dehydration, metabolic overdrive, insufficient fueling, and more free time all play a role.

🍦 I Scream, You Scream… we all scream for ice cream, especially when it’s homemade and brought to you by the team of Kelly Newlon and Stephanie Howe, the in-house ice cream connoisseurs at Trail Sisters. It might just be the fix for always feeling hungry while in the middle of a big training block.

⬆️ Rob Gets It: “me to me, when I log onto UltraSignup.com for the 4th time this week.” ⬆️

🏔️ Glacier Eulogy or Love Song? In 1850, there were more than 150 glaciers in the Glacier National Park. By 2015, that number has dwindled to just 26. Mike Foote, Jenn Lichter, and Steven Gnam traverse the park to document the effects of global warming.

🍳 Ultra-Cooking? You may have run for 100 hours nonstop, but could you cook for 100 hours nonstop?

🏳️‍🌈 It’s LGBTQ+ Pride Month and Aspire Adventure Running and Out Trails have announced the 2nd Annual Out Trails LGBTQ+ Running Retreat in the North Cascades. The two-day/three night event with running co-leads Ryan Montgomery, Addie Bracy, Coree Woltering, and Michael Tappel is slated for October 5-8, 2023 (scholarships available).

🏃 Game Changer: Running pioneer, Kathrine Switzer ran the men-only Boston Marathon in 1967 and changed the trajectory of running forever. Hear her tell the story.

🎥 Video of the Week: See what it’s like to run with Kilian through the cheering fans of Zegama.

➡️ Lastly, here’s what we’re reading, watching, and listening to this week.