Alex Bond and I are taking a look at the best mountain running performances in Washington State submitted to Fastest Known Time for the year 2021. And wow, there are some inspirational efforts put up by incredible runners. From Alex Borsuk’s blistering run up Glacier Peak to Alex King’s dethroning of Uli Steidl’s long-held FKT at Mt. Rainier. And yes, we found some cool runs in the Olympics as well. What’s up with all the Alexes in this episode? Links Alex Borsuk & Jenny Abegg - Sawtooth Ridge Slam Alex Borsuk - Glacier Peak Sunny Stroeer - Mt. Stone Kristina Randrup - Mailbox Peak Robyn Reeder - Mt. Adams Jason Hardrath - Washington's Bulgers Timothy Olsen - Pacific Crest Trail Nick Folwer - Pacific Northwest Trail Alex King - Mt. Rainier Kyle McCrohan, Nick Danielson, Tara Fraga, Jenny Abegg - Alpine Lakes Crest Traverse Anna Maxwell, Charlie Levy - Buckhorn Wilderness Loop Alex Bond on Strava and Instagram Seattle Running Club 

Singletrack with Mathias Eichler and Douglas Scott

‘Top FKTs in Washington for 2021’, with Alex Bond

The challenges of the last 1/4 at Squamish 50, the joys of the flat interurban trail at Chuckanut, the relentless heat at R2R2R and the brutal beauty of Teanaway Country 100. This and more with PNW running legend and coach Keith Laverty, who finally made it on the show. Links: Coach Keith with Team Run Run Keith's Instagram Keith sponsor: rabbit 

'Quick Pole Practice Session', with Keith Laverty

Aspire Adventure Running's Abram Dickerson joins the show to share a glimpse into his jam-packed summer. Gathering trail runners in stunning scenery, feeding them delicious food and showing them unique places all over the West Coast is what Aspire does best and Abram is the mastermind behind it all. Links: Aspire Adventure Running Aspire Adventure Running Instagram Tailwind Nutrition Tailwind Nutrition Instagram Check out the new website at singletrack.fm

'Inspired to Adventure', with Abram Dickerson

Mountain Goat and otherworldly human being Jason Hardrath joins the show to share his little summer project. No stranger to crazy mountain adventures, for his 100th FKT attempt Jason picked the insane idea of climbing all 100 peaks of the Washington Bulgers list. We bushwhack, asleep on trails and traverse crevasse-filled glaciers. Let's go climb some mountains. Bring your ice axe and a snickers bar. Links: Jason’s website Jason’s Instagram Fastest Known Time – Washington’s Bulgers FKT Country Highpoints – Route Overview Jason on Singletrack 

'Washington Bulgers', With Jason Hardrath

After an incredible year of running Michael Linscott joins a very special episode of Singletrack to talk about his fabulous fifth finish at Cascade Crest. We also of course dissect my UTMR 100K DNF and talk about what makes racing in the Alps so special. Links: Michael Linscott on Instagram Seattle Mountain Running Group on Facebook Ultra Tour Monte Rosa Orange Mud Transition Wrap  

The Race Director Appreciated That

In this brief summer intermission show Mathias shares his travel stress and gear choices for his upcoming trip to the Alps and his 100K race at Ultra Tour Monte Rosa around the mountains of Grächen, Switzerland. Hello Alps, baby! Links to all the gear at outdoor-society.com

My Gear For UTMR

Friend of the show Tabatha Collins is back and she brought her trail running partner and fellow mountain slayer Mary Flinders with her. They were the first folks who attempted my epic Cushman Six route in the Staircase region of Olympic National Forest/Park. And yes, I said attempted. When Tabatha contacted me a few days prior I felt comfortable sending them out into these mountains. These ladies are strong, experienced and know what they were doing. But these mountains aren't easy, and there's a lot of backcountry off trail travel. Links: Cushman Six FKT Cushman Six  

'Overnight On Copper', with Tabatha Collins and Mary Flinders

Fresh off his 5th Hardrock100 finish Mike Ehredt is back on the show to share his latest adventures in the San Juans. The veteran Hardrocker reflects on this beautiful route and what it takes to successfully complete this extreme race as a back of the pack runner. We dive into what makes this community special and what the future holds for him in Silverton. Mike's also a race director, and so of course we talk about the challenges and joys of organizing a trail race. Links: Mike Runs Idaho Mike on Instagram Hardrock 100 Endurance Run Little Backyard Adventure Swantown Inn & Spa OlyFed Tailwind Nutrition Kevin Hayward Statefarm Eastside Big Tom HomeLight Club Oly Road Running Squirrel's Nut Butter Heritage Bank 

'Five Times is Enough', with Mike Ehredt

Mountain goat Steph Decker joins the show to talk about the latest adventure project she's been working on. Inspired by ultra uber runner Christof Teuscher she's working on a variation of his "Olympic Loops" in Olympic National Park. The project is a beast and while rendering somewhat speechless is inspiring me hugely to dream of new adventures. And of course, no conversation about massive adventures would be complete without a good conversation around shoes and gear. Links: Christof Teuscher - The Olympic Loops Steph's slightly altered route Steph's Instagram Topo's Instagram Steph's Strava Gear  

'Getting Loopy in the Olympics', with Steph Decker

Alex Bond returns to the show to share his experience with orienteering races, how it helps him on big mountain adventures and why he won't run the Barkley Marathons. We talk about the romance and despair of circumnavigating volcanoes in the Cascades and what's on the adventure docket for the remainder of the summer before the smoke rolls in, or are we already too late for that? Links: Alex on Strava Alex on Instagram Cascada Orienteering Club Seattle Running Club Fastest Known Time Athletic Brewing Use discount code: ABOND20 La Sportiva Karacal La Sportiva Cyklon 

'Orienteering along the Loowit Trail', With Alex Bond

Lots is going on this week: An update on our hosting server changes, summer break announcements and talks about challenges in gateway communities. Orientation runs for LBA are happening and mountains are climbed. We're continuing our training for summer races and UTMR announces a big change to the route which will have a bigger effect on Mathias' summer plans. But, we're excited. Let's get after it. Links: Nathan Sports - Pinnacle 12L Hydration Race Vest Rumpl - NanoLoft® Puffy Blanket - Teton Dreams 

Shooting Myself Into the Sunset

(Sorry, had some issues with the audio file... you know.. that new podcasting server and stuff... anyway, this episode should be 1:27 long. If your podcast player shows only a 59min show, please re-download the file.) This week's episode takes us from the inevitable weather talk to the impact heat waves have on our training plans. There are lots of thoughts on Western States, especially in comparison to UTMB, because of course. We're NOT talking about the abysmal performance by the German National Soccer team but wonder what our favorite race distances are and for what race we'd be willing to travel for? Like for LBA, come travel to Olympia and race with us! Links: Little Backyard Adventure MyGuide 

Hot is the New Summer

It's good to be a fan right now. RedBull Alps is happening, Euro 2020, Lavaredo just kicked off and it's Western States weekend. So much going on. Perfect time to flee the heat and follow along some incredible events online. Doug and Mathias als talk about their shenanigans of the last week which included night running, and setting up an aid station in the middle of Capitol Forest at 2am, hosting the first orientation run for the upcoming Little Backyard Adventure race and so so so much more. Important housekeeping note: Even though the intro message says we're on a new podcast hosting platform, we are in fact not yet. Stay tuned for more backend work, that hopefully doesn't impact you at all. Thanks for listening and following us wherever we may go!

Night Running Deserves a Quiet Night

It's getting hot in the west. Temperatures are rising, visitors are flocking to our public lands and masks are being dropped. Oh, and speaking of hot, Mathias ran a race last weekend and actually had a good time. Lumberjack 100 was happening in Port Gamble, Washington and he actually had fun. So we talk about that, like we do. We also announce some podcast changes. Your feed might see some disruptions over the coming days. Stay tuned! Links at: http://outdoor-society.com

The Lumber was Jacked

This week, we talk He-Man and nostalgia reboots before diving into Doug’s latest trail encounter with a bear and cubs. Mathias has a 100k over the weekend in the PNW, which is a great systems check before the Ultra Tour Monte Rosa race later in the summer. After the appetizer conversation, the problem of trail running’s struggles to be inclusive in the United States. How can the sport grow with people who don’t necessarily want to share the trails? How does the Ironman-UTMB relationship impact the sport today? How will races take place on already stressed public lands? How does the permitting system impact trail running’s growth as a sport? Do we come up with any solid answers? Give it a listen and let us know what you think! Links to all gear at: http://outdoor-society.com

You can be my Battle Cat

Two average trail runners who love the mountains are hosting a very average podcast on this and other stuff. Featuring Mathias Eichler, Douglas Scott and the occasional friends, presented by The Outdoor Society.

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Singletrack with Mathias Eichler and Douglas Scott

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