Libsyn Directory

Episode 95: Morgan Smith and Naiomi Hunter: Advancing Athletic Performance with Menstrual Cycle Research and Wearables

Release Date: 03/11/2025

Episode 116: Reflecting on 2025, ReFUEL study updates, and Looking Ahead

Trail Society

Episode 116 is a year end reflection with Corrine Malcolm, Keely Henninger, and Hillary Allen, released just ahead of the New Year. The conversation opens with lighthearted check ins on holiday routines, winter training, and how each host plans to ring in 2026. From there, the episode moves into results, news, and science, including a detailed discussion of new findings from the ReFUEL study examining menstrual recovery, estrogen exposure, and ovulation in endurance athletes with functional hypothalamic amenorrhea and oligomenorrhea. The hosts unpack what it actually means for cycles to...

Episode 115. The Science of Resilience: Why Environment Matters More Than Toughness

Trail Society

Episode 115 is a winter roundtable with Corrine Malcolm, Keely Henninger, and Hillary Allen that explores how resilience in endurance sport is built not in isolation, but through people, culture, and environment. We open by checking in on winter training realities across snow, mud, rain, and darkness, and how community helps athletes keep showing up during the hardest part of the year. The episode also covers standout performances from CIM, including a historic day for women chasing the Olympic Trials standard, updates in women’s sport science and leadership, and notable moments across...

Episode 114. UTCT Deep Dive: Training, Travel Chaos, and Race Week Curveballs

Trail Society

Episode 114 takes us to Cape Town as Corrine gives a full UTCT race recap, reflecting on why she returned to the Deep South, the big-volume training block leading in, and the challenges of racing after travel sickness and time zone chaos. We talk pacing through the first 50 kilometers, fueling decisions, and what makes a night start feel uniquely disorienting. The conversation touches on heat training, mental reframing, and the honest emotional landscape of managing expectations when things out of your control land in your lap during race week. We also round up an exceptionally fast weekend of...

Episode 113: Redefining Pregnancy and Sport with Dr. Margie Davenport

Trail Society

In Episode 113 we sit down with Dr. Margie Davenport, Professor of Kinesiology and Director of the Program for Pregnancy and Postpartum Health at the University of Alberta. Margie has spent more than two decades advancing the science of exercise during pregnancy and postpartum, collaborating with organizations including FIFA, Sport Canada, ACSM, and the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada. She walks us through the transformative cardiovascular, metabolic, and biomechanical adaptations that make pregnancy “the ultimate stress test,” while explaining how exercise supports...

Episode 112: Javelina Jundred Recap: Crewing, Community, and Getting More Women to the Start Line

Trail Society

In Episode 112 of Trail Society, Corrine, Keely, and Hillary head to the desert for the Javelina Jundred. Keely was on the ground with the rabbit x Trail Society scholarship athletes, Clarivel Vega and Daisy, crewing, pacing, and celebrating their powerful performances. From first trail race jitters and high and low moments, to late-night grit, the weekend was a reminder that showing up for one another can make all the difference. The crew dives into what it means to create access, not just by giving out scholarships, but by building community and support systems that help women get to the...

Episode 111: Discipline or Disorder? The Psychology of REDs in Ultra-Endurance Athletes with Jill Colangelo

Trail Society

In this episode of Trail Society, Corrine, Keely, and Hillary sit down with researcher Jill Colangelo to unpack their newly published review, “Exploring the Presentation of REDs in Ultra Endurance Sport.” This conversation dives deep into the intersection of low energy availability (LEA), disordered eating (DE), and exercise dependence (EXD), issues that are all too common yet rarely discussed openly in the ultra-endurance community. Many athletes are unknowingly underfueling, especially for efforts lasting over two and a half hours, and whether this is intentional or unintentional, the...

Episode 110: Scholarship Spotlight: Clarivel Vega on Finding Belonging

Trail Society

In this episode of Trail Society, Corrine, Keely, and Hillary break down an action-packed World Mountain and Trail Running Championships, where Team USA came away with hardware and Hillary surprised us all with a double, competing in both the vertical and the long trail events. Hilly shares what it was like to rock the Team USA kit, how she pivoted from preparing for a one-hour climb to suddenly taking on an 80km ultra, and what she learned from the experience. The crew also highlights the story of Clarivel Vega, this year’s 30km Javelina Trail Society Scholarship recipient. A...

Episode 109: Taking Space on the Trails: A Conversation with Scholarship Winner Daisy Martinez

Trail Society

Episode 109 of Trail Society features an inspiring conversation with Daisy Martinez, the rabbit x Trail Society 100K scholarship winner whose story embodies resilience and representation. A Mexican American ultrarunner from Los Angeles, Daisy started trail running in 2016 and has since transformed personal challenges into fuel for her running journey. As a teen parent and now single mother, she credits the endurance and grit she built while raising her son with helping her push through the mental and physical demands of ultrarunning. Diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 2023, Daisy has been...

Episode 108: Supporting Athlete-Mothers, Record Women’s Participation & Ruth Croft’s Triple Crown at UTMB

Trail Society

In this episode of Trail Society, Corrine Malcolm, Keely Henninger, and Hillary Allen dive into one of the biggest weeks in trail running, the 2025 UTMB Finals. From brutal weather and historically high dropout rates to some of the closest top-10 finishes ever, the crew breaks down all the drama across OCC, CCC, and UTMB. They highlight standout wins from Jim Walmsley, Ruth Croft, and Francesco Puppi, celebrate trailblazing performances from athletes representing countries new to the UTMB stage, and reflect on the growing but still uneven women’s participation numbers. Beyond the race...

Episode 107: Anne Flower on Flexibility, Self-Belief, and Using Her Leadville 100 Victory to Elevate Mountain Communities

Trail Society

Episode 107 of Trail Society kicks off with life updates from Keely and Hillary, before diving into listener-submitted news and research. They discuss a BBC story where undercover officers highlighted the prevalence of street harassment, with 94% of local women reporting experiences of catcalling. This transitions into a conversation around exercise during pregnancy, sparked by a listener question about heart rate guidelines. The hosts review current research showing that, for athletes already active, higher intensity exercise can be safe and even beneficial during pregnancy, lowering risks...

More Episodes

In episode 95 of Trail Society, hosts Corrine Malcolm, Keely Henninger, and Hillary Allen sit down with two standout researchers from Stanford University—Dr. Morgan Smith and Naiomi Hunter—for an insightful conversation about the intersection of women's health, athletic performance, and wearable technology. Dr. Smith, a sport scientist, coach, and postdoctoral fellow with the Wu Tsai Human Performance Alliance at Stanford, is passionate about how physiology and metabolism influence performance, especially for women in sport. Her research is grounded in the real world, as she also coaches high school athletes, lifts weights, and enjoys time outdoors with her dog, Reggie. Naiomi Hunter, a PhD candidate in Stanford's School of Medicine, focuses on the menstrual cycle and its impact on female athlete performance through wearable tech and biometric data. With a strong commitment to reproductive justice and healthcare equity, Naiomi’s work seeks to create more inclusive and personalized approaches to reproductive care for marginalized communities. In this episode, they explore the potential of wearables in tracking menstrual cycle data, the challenges in the current research, and why individualized training plans are key to optimizing performance. They also discuss the importance of mentorship for women of color in science, their passion for combining sport and research, and the exciting future of wearable technology in improving athletic health.

Follow them here: @Goldenmo_ and @Nnahunter

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