The Trailhead

We just launched a new show on the UltraSignup network, and this is your first listen. The Claims Department puts fitness, health, and wellness science under the microscope. Zoë Rom co-hosts with Dr. Nick Tiller, an exercise physiologist, researcher, and author of The Skeptic's Guide to Sports Science. Every episode, they pick apart something you've probably seen on your feed: a supplement, a gadget, a training trend, or a confident claim from a famous podcaster. They look at what the research actually says, and they show you how to work it out yourself next time. In this first episode, Zoë and Nick dig into peptides. That covers BPC-157 and TB-500, the so-called "Wolverine Stack," and why so many athletes are injecting compounds that were never approved for human use. They also get into the fine print behind a wearable company's health claims. Like what you hear? Follow The Claims Department on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes drop every other Thursday. Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0WBiQDtu4QXau4faFBr0qx Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-claims-department/id6822333314 Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLT0ovVd1qK7A

Lee Glandorf is a writer, brand marketer, former Yale rower, seven-year Tracksmith veteran, and the creator of The Sweat Lookbook, a newsletter about sports and fashion through the lens of the female athlete. In this conversation, Zoë and Brendan finally ask the question keeping them up at night: why is everyone dressed like it's 2003? (Bandanas. Oakleys. Boxy chore jackets with no discernible weatherproofing.) Lee makes the case that creative directors discovering trail running might be the unified theory of everything. She also covers why race whimsy lets women show up sparkly and fast at the same time, why road runners are dressing like pros at 3:35 marathon pace, what happens when the internet finds a running vest with more frills than pockets, and how to have personal style without becoming a walking billboard. Also: long shorts populism. This episode is brought to you by Running Warehouse, which has everything you need for fall training, from grippy trail shoes to wool socks to a headlamp for when the sun decides to sleep in. Shop at runningwarehouse.com?from=ultra.

Lindsey Freeman is a sociologist, writer, and lifelong runner whose book Running offers a feminist and queer reading of the sport. In this conversation, Zoë and Brendan talk with Lindsey about what it means to treat running as a practice, becoming yourself through repetition, staying soft, and trusting that showing up matters even when outcomes don't. The conversation moves through ideas like the magic circle that makes it acceptable to try really hard in public, the growth of queer run clubs, and the strange emotional math of caring deeply about things that often disappoint you. There's also a delightful tangent about Stuart Murdoch of Belle and Sebastian being a serious runner. Lindsey's advice for writer's block and bonking alike? Have a snack and come back tomorrow. Get her amazing book here. This episode is brought to you by Fast Pickle—grab-and-go pickle juice shots at fastpickle.com—and Tantrums, makers of the Crest 6 hydration pack at tantrums.run. Plus: Ultra Trail Drakensberg in South Africa is now open for registration at ultrasignup.com.