Episode 104: Trail Talk With Leah, Hilary & Katie

About this episode

The episode discusses the evolving landscape of trail running and the pressures athletes face in a changing environment.

This week’s catch-up episode leans into where the sport is right now and how quickly everything seems to be evolving. With Rachel off racing in Madeira, Katie, Leah, and Hilary sit down to unpack a stretch of racing that felt bigger than usual. From the ACG takeover at Gorge to the growing presence of brands, media, and storytelling in trail, there’s a clear shift happening in how races are experienced, marketed, and consumed. It’s not just about who wins anymore. It’s about how the sport shows up. The conversation naturally moves into what that means for athletes. The pressure that comes with bigger platforms, the reality of bad race days, and the challenge of staying grounded when expectations keep rising. There’s an honest look at how pros navigate performance swings, sponsorship dynamics, and the mental side of showing up again after things don’t go to plan. They also touch on the increasing overlap between road and trail, with more athletes moving between disciplines and finding breakthroughs by doing things differently. It’s less about choosing one lane and more about building a broader version of what it means to be an endurance athlete. As always, it circles back to real…

People in this episode

Guests: Katie, Leah, Hilary

Topics covered

• evolution of trail running
• athlete experiences
• sponsorship dynamics
• mental health in sports
• road and trail overlap
• endurance athlete identity

Keywords

• trail running
• athletes
• sponsorship
• performance
• mental health
• endurance sports
• racing

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: ACG

Places: Gorge, Madeira

More episodes of The Trail Network Podcast

• Episode 110: The Gap Year That Led Ellaney Matarese to Western States · June 11, 2026 · 46 min
• Episode 109: Inside the Fueling Strategy Behind Cocodona’s Record-Breaking Run · June 5, 2026 · 41 min
• Episode 108: Film Premiere & Feral CR · May 29, 2026 · 51 min
• Episode 107: The Messy Middle of Training and Real Life with Leah and Katie · May 21, 2026 · 44 min
• Episode 106: Pregnancy, Cocodona, and the Chaos of Trying to Do It All · May 14, 2026 · 48 min
• Episode 105: Rachel and Tyler Green on Racing Madeira and Making It Count · April 30, 2026 · 1h 6m