Singletrack with Mathias Eichler

Conversations with the people who shape the world of trail, ultra, and mountain running. The companion podcast to Electric Cable Car, by and with Mathias Eichler.

305: 'A Cocodona Story', with Ben Mead 05/20/2024

305: 'A Cocodona Story', with Ben Mead Ben Mead is a finisher of Cocodona 250 2024. After months of training, he almost didn’t make it to the starting line, and then just after a few miles his race seemed over before even the first nightfall. But, with his team by his side Ben rallied, adjusted, and gritted his teeth all the way to Flagstaff. The stories of humanity these ‘multi-day mega trail races’ like Cocodona generate are truly something special, and this is Ben's story. LINKS Ben Mead is Chasing Cutoffs , an Aravaipa Running event Cocodona RD Steve Aderholt Cocodona winner Maggie Guterl and finisher Staci Revel Connect with Singletrack on: Brought to you by - your trail and mountain news! /episode/index/show/sngltrck/id/31393727

304: 'Better Lucky Than Good', with Adam Lee 05/10/2024

304: 'Better Lucky Than Good', with Adam Lee Adam Lee, Mr. Community Trail Running, from beautiful Vancouver, BC is back on the show to chat about the importance of keeping ‘community’ in trail running and challenges of the ever-changing media landscape. We opine about the possibility of taking our little sport of trail running to the Olympics and I check in with Adam about his screening of the Trail Running Film Festival at the Rio in his hometown. Catch Adam and the Trail Running Film Festival in early June in several more locations all over Western Canada. LINKS Adam Lee is Community Trail Running on Trail Running Film Festival Connect with Singletrack on: Brought to you by - your source of daily trail and mountain news! /episode/index/show/sngltrck/id/31236827

303: 'Trees are Good, Obviously' with Jakob Herrmann 05/04/2024

303: 'Trees are Good, Obviously' with Jakob Herrmann Swiss Alps 100 race director Jakob Herrmann stops by to chat about the origins of the event, what motivated him to get it off the ground, what keeps him going and what his dreams are for the near and far future. The event has grown offering lots of different race distances, including a Hike and Fly event and now for the first time a Backyard Ultra. Hosted in one of the most beautiful corners of the world a race at the Swiss Alps needs to be part of everyone’s bucket list. LINKS Swiss Alps 100 on Swiss Alps 100 Connect with Singletrack on: Brought to you by - your trail and mountain news! /episode/index/show/sngltrck/id/31121068

302: 'Something Died at That Finish Line', with Nick Triolo 04/24/2024

302: 'Something Died at That Finish Line', with Nick Triolo Nick Triolo, writer, activist, and trail runner is back on Singletrack to share an update on his recent professional move and the giant leap of faith he just took. Nick and I chat about what motivates him to run, to share with others, and why he believes in beauty within our broken world. We also talk about running for a cause and the importance of story-telling in our overcrowded life full of churned out content. LINKS Nick Triolo’s Nick Triolo on Nick’s new book: ‘‘ Nick on Connect with Singletrack on: Brought to you by - your trail and mountain news! /episode/index/show/sngltrck/id/30973063

301: 'A Labor of Love' With Gretchen Walla 04/17/2024

301: 'A Labor of Love' With Gretchen Walla Gretchen Walla, race director for Walla Trails and now for the Cougar Mountain Trail Series just outside Seattle is back on the show to chat about the amazing events she’s putting on and what makes them so special. We share stories about the challenges of race directing, and I cheer her on taking on a personal challenge of training for Teanaway Country 100 while directing almost a dozen events. LINKS Gretchen Walla on Walla Trails on Walla Trails Connect with Singletrack on: Brought to you by - your trail and mountain news! /episode/index/show/sngltrck/id/30857763

300: 'Finding Your Journey', with Madlen Kappeler 04/10/2024

300: 'Finding Your Journey', with Madlen Kappeler Madlen Kappeler just returned from the SkySnow Skyrunning World Championship in Tarvisio, Italy with 4 silver medals two her name. The Bavarian triathlete went to Florida Atlantic University on a scholarship and is now competing in sky running events for the German National Team. LINKS Madlen Kappeler’s Madlen Kappeler Connect with Singletrack on: Brought to you by - your trail and mountain news! /episode/index/show/sngltrck/id/30758148

299: 'LBA Race Recap' with Matt Urbanski 04/01/2024

299: 'LBA Race Recap' with Matt Urbanski Matt Urbanski from returns to Singletrack to chat about Rock Candy Running’s LBA races in Olympia, Washington. We chat about the ins and outs of race directing and why I love being a race director. The 12hr event was held for the first time and here are your legends of LBA: Men’s race: Rob King - 19 Loops or 76miles Women’s race: Natalie Silver - 16 Loops or 64miles Nonbinary’s race: Estella Hassertt - 9 Loops or 36miles Links: Connect with Singletrack on: Brought to you by - your trail and mountain news. /episode/index/show/sngltrck/id/30633078

298: 'Not Too Fussed About', with Chrissi Faber 03/28/2024

298: 'Not Too Fussed About', with Chrissi Faber Chrissi Faber is from Germany, lives in New Zealand and just very cool came in 3rd at the Tarawera Ultra Trail Miler. We chat about her race day experience, the event and its origins and the evolution under UTMB ownership. LINKS Chrissi Faber Chrissi Faber Connect with Singletrack on: Brought to you by - your trail and mountain news! /episode/index/show/sngltrck/id/30588893

297: 'Baking Carbon in my Oven', with Marcel Höche 02/15/2024

297: 'Baking Carbon in my Oven', with Marcel Höche Marcel is back! After a tumultuous winter Adidas athlete Marcel Höche joins Singletrack for a very personal conversation about the challenges of the athlete fan relationship. We take a deep dive into building a new and better running shoe, including the much hyped soon-to-be-released Adidas Terrex Agravic Speed Ultra. Of course we touch on the UTMB situation, chat about sky running and make plans to meet for a beer in Chamonix. LINKS Marcel Höche Connect with Singletrack on: Brought to you by - your trail and mountain news! /episode/index/show/sngltrck/id/29977833

296: 'Capturing a Feeling', with Dan Patitucci 02/06/2024

296: 'Capturing a Feeling', with Dan Patitucci Dan Patitucci, is the owner of AlpsInsight and his professional outdoor photography has been in magazines and advertisements all over the world. He’s a legend in the mountains and has captured the achievements and stories of some of the greatest mountaineers of our time. As a trail runner and climber he shares his time between Switzerland and California. We talk about the changing and enduring landscape of the outdoors, discuss the differences between mountain towns in the Swiss Alps and the Eastern Sierras and debate the challenges of capturing the true emotions of trail running on camera. Super honored to bring Dan’s first ever podcast appearance to Singletrack. LINKS Dan Patitucci Connect with Singletrack on: Brought to you by - your trail and mountain news! /episode/index/show/sngltrck/id/29815038

295: 'It's All About Belonging', with Kathleen Baker 01/20/2024

295: 'It's All About Belonging', with Kathleen Baker Kathleen Baker, managing director for Runners for Public Lands joins me this week to announce the new partnership with RPL and the Trail Running Film Festival to bring the Global Tour 2024 to your city this Spring. SPONSORED BY: – a coach for every runner. Use code: singletracktrr for $20 off your first month of coaching. LINKS Kathleen Baker Trail Running Film Festival Connect with Singletrack on: Brought to you by - your trail and mountain news! /episode/index/show/sngltrck/id/29569883

294: 'Slaying The Monster', Federico Hernandez 01/13/2024

294: 'Slaying The Monster', Federico Hernandez Federico Hernandez joins me on Singletrack this week all the way from Sweden. We discuss the European perspective on recent UTMB happenings and Federico shares his running journey from the Göteborgsvarvet Half to completing Snowdonia, mozart100 and Kullemannan this year and now getting ready for the UTMB lottery results. LINKS Federico Hernandez by UTMB Connect with Singletrack on: Brought to you by - your trail and mountain news! /episode/index/show/sngltrck/id/29469348

293: 'It’s Strangely Enjoyable', with Chad Lasater 01/07/2024

293: 'It’s Strangely Enjoyable', with Chad Lasater First up in the new year and fresh back from the 2023 IAU 24-Hour World Championships in Taipei, Taiwan Chad Lasater joins Singletrack to share a glimpse into his illustrious running career. While keeping a full-time job Chad has run some of the most important races around the world and wore the jersey for Team USA for the World Championships. After having run around a track for hours on end Chad now sets his sight on a very different adventure taking on Cocodona 250 this coming May. LINKS Chad Lasater on Chad Lasater on Connect with Singletrack on: Brought to you by - your trail and mountain news! /episode/index/show/sngltrck/id/29369988

292: 'The Year in Trail Running', with Alex Bond 12/28/2023

292: 'The Year in Trail Running', with Alex Bond For the last episode of 2023 I sat down with friend of the show Alex Bond to chat about this year in trail running. We covering the latest outdoor industry report and chat about the distinguishing aspects of what makes trail running so unique compared to other sports. We consider the economic impact of trail races in host towns and wonder about the value of live streaming and who might actually benefit from this investment in infrastructure and gear. Of course we touch on UTMB’s much talked about expansion and enduring, or not attraction and wonder if these races are still the status quo. And finally we highlighted the biggest achievements at this year’s biggest races and in the world of FKTs. LINKS Alex Bond on Connect with Singletrack on: Brought to you by - your trail and mountain news! /episode/index/show/sngltrck/id/29251328

291: 'I Might Be an Inspiration', with Kuwanna Dyer-Pietras 12/21/2023

291: 'I Might Be an Inspiration', with Kuwanna Dyer-Pietras East Coast runner Kuwanna Dyer-Pietras joins Singletrack to chat about running for Tailwind, dreaming of Western States, and getting the call from Hoka to be one of their designated runners for the 2024 Western States. We chat about prepping for her first 100 mile race on gnarly East Coast trails and baking cookies with the family for the holidays. LINKS Kuwanna Dyer-Pietras on Kuwanna Dyer-Pietras on Kuwanna Dyer-Pietras on Cover pic by And a huge ‘thank you’ to all our partners who made happen: , , , , and . Connect with Singletrack on: Brought to you by - your trail and mountain news! /episode/index/show/sngltrck/id/29188623

290: 'A Very Busy Year', with Daniela Oemus 11/23/2023

290: 'A Very Busy Year', with Daniela Oemus Daniela Oemus, German trail runner for Salomon, ER Doctor and parent of two joins Singletrack to talk about her breakout year of racing, including a win at Zegama and Wildstrubel and a 6th place finish in the trail short discipline at the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in Innsbruck. We chat about her favorite racing distance, her love for the Golden Trail Series, and her challenges of navigating her career, her athlete life and her family. LINKS Daniela Oemus on Daniela Oemus at Rennsteiglauf Cover Photo by Connect with Singletrack on: your trail and mountain news! /episode/index/show/sngltrck/id/28766428

289: 'Walking 200 Miles', with Jack Rosenfeld 11/16/2023

289: 'Walking 200 Miles', with Jack Rosenfeld Jack Rosenfeld from Seattle joins the show. He’s a podcast co-host of the Beer on the Run podcast, race director with the Seattle Running Club and 200 mile finisher. Jack shares his story of failing 100 milers and then walking to success at the Cowboy 200 in Nebraska. Later we dive into a deep conversation about the challenges and joys of being race director and how our trail culture is changing in the light of big businesses and new voices challenging our status quo. LINKS Jack Rosenfeld Beer on the Run Connect with Singletrack on: your trail and mountain news! /episode/index/show/sngltrck/id/28662953

288: 'It Cracks Your Heart Open', with Abigail West 11/06/2023

288: 'It Cracks Your Heart Open', with Abigail West Abigail West runs the trails in the South East of the United States and creates art that is inspired by the unique and beautiful landscape of her home in Athens, Georgia, the nearby Great Smoky Mountains and the Appalachian Trail. She recently claimed the FKT on the famous S.C.A.R. route and we talk about her upcoming project designing the poster for the Trail Running Film Festival Global Tour 2024. LINKS Abigail’s Abigail on S.C.A.R. on Connect with Singletrack on: your trail and mountain news! /episode/index/show/sngltrck/id/28537388

287: 'Storytelling Through Map Making', with Wes Plate 10/27/2023

287: 'Storytelling Through Map Making', with Wes Plate Wes Plate runs long, and I mean really long distances. In many ways I can’t even wrap my head around days of running on end, but I do understand and marvel at the motivation and the story telling through creative route creation. His latest project of running 200 miles around the Puget Sound in Western Washington is both equally mind-blowing and inspiring. Wes also shares some news on his race directing debut at the Copper Kings 100 in Montana, slated of the summer of 2024. LINKS Wes Plate’s Wes Plate on Wes Plate on Puget Sound 200 on Connect with Singletrack on: your trail and mountain news! /episode/index/show/sngltrck/id/28445840

286: 'When UTMB Calls', with Maria Dalzot 10/02/2023

286: 'When UTMB Calls', with Maria Dalzot Maria Dalzot, La Sportiva athlete and registered dietitian, returns to Singletrack to chat about her action-filled summer in the Alps, crushing her race at Lavaredo 80K and later DNF-ing just as hard at CCC around Mont-Blanc. We talked about downtime family visits, interrupted hiking tours and spontaneous air travel bookings. Maria also shares her highlight of watching Courtney Courtney at Col de la Forclaz on her historic win at UTMB this year. LINKS Maria Dalzot Maria Dalzot Connect with Singletrack on: your trail and mountain news! /episode/index/show/sngltrck/id/28204616

285: 'Our Community Is Just So Special', with Katharina Hartmuth 09/08/2023

285: 'Our Community Is Just So Special', with Katharina Hartmuth Katharina Hartmuth is the incredible 2nd place finisher of the 2023 UTMB women’s race and runs for Hoka. She’s joining me on Singletrack from beautiful Zürich, Switzerland where the German is studying earth sciences with emphasis on atmospheric and climate science at ETH Zürich. We talk about the importance of balancing the pro athlete life with the real world and her approach to training as a self-coached athlete. She sees joy as the key to her success and hopes that our trail running community will always stay as welcoming and accessible as it is today. LINKS Katharina Hartmuth Katharina Hartmuth Katharina Hartmuth Connect with Singletrack on: your trail and mountain news! /episode/index/show/sngltrck/id/27983904

284: 'It was Just Insane', with Samuel Hartman 09/05/2023

284: 'It was Just Insane', with Samuel Hartman Samuel Hartman lives and trains in his very flat Ohio but fulfilled his dream to finally race TDS this past week. As a race director himself he shares his observations on being part of the world’s largest trail race spectacle. We talk about vacationing in Europe and conquering the ‘more difficult’ UTMB race. After having followed UTMB from afar all last week his report directly from the ground is exactly what was need to keep the fire burning. LINKS Samuel Hartman o TINAR Race Series : A Journey to the Edge of Human Endurance by Adharanand Finn Connect with Singletrack on: Daily trail and mountain news: . /episode/index/show/sngltrck/id/27951498

283: 'A Nap at 13,400FT', with Abigail Westling and Kiira Antenucci 08/25/2023

283: 'A Nap at 13,400FT', with Abigail Westling and Kiira Antenucci The female self-supported Mount Rainier Infinity Loop FKT has just been reset and my mind is blown. I had to sit down with Abby and Kiira who completed this route and learn about their incredible adventure and about the motivation behind it all. Abby and Kiira didn’t just run this for themselves. In honor of their friend Luke who passed away in a climbing accident last year they wanted to use this effort to raise awareness (and funds through a ) for the important work the American Alpine Club does with their . LINKS Abigail Westling Kiira Antenucci Connect with Singletrack on: /episode/index/show/sngltrck/id/27847107

282: 'A Complex Potato Burrito'', with Brittany Kealy 08/15/2023

282: 'A Complex Potato Burrito'', with Brittany Kealy Brittany has had a busy year and it’s not over yet. So many races, so many great results and an incredible finish at Beast of Big Creek is setting her up for her first 100 miler, the Oregon Cascades 100 later this month. We talk about all this, and why you should tell your kids to run cross country in high school. LINKS Brittany Kealy /episode/index/show/sngltrck/id/27765486

281: 'How Are You Alive?', with Eddy Allen 08/11/2023

281: 'How Are You Alive?', with Eddy Allen The races just happened this past weekend and I am still sitting on boxes on top of boxes in my office. But! I had to take the chance and chat with Eddy Allen from Lacey WA who crushed the Skyrace course in 3hrs 14min. Thank you to everyone who came out and raced with us this past weekend. We had an incredible weekend. Busy, but so so wonderful. You all did so great out there. LINKS Eddy Allen Connect with Singletrack on: /episode/index/show/sngltrck/id/27729042

280: 'For the Runners', with Frédéric Lénart 07/31/2023

280: 'For the Runners', with Frédéric Lénart UTMB is the growing, omnipresent entity in our sport of trail and ultra running, and naturally I have questions. So, I went to the source, and got answers. In this week's episode of Singletrack I have the incredible honor to chat with Frédéric Lénart, CEO of the UTMB Group to discuss their partnership with Ironman, the expansion in the US, it's relationship with the race directors on the ground, and ultimately, UTMB's motivation behind it all. On I published an article, not a transcript, with some of the highlights we discussed on this episode; answers to questions that I hadn't seen written down anywhere else. LINKS /episode/index/show/sngltrck/id/27615375

279: 'It's Only Trail Running', with Hannes Namberger 07/25/2023

279: 'It's Only Trail Running', with Hannes Namberger Hannes is back on Singletrack and we got a lot to talk about since we connected over a year ago. In this chat cover Hannes’ personal changes (all exciting and great) to his professional developments, including his nutritions sponsors challenges and of course his recent races at the World Championships in Innsbruck and of course his win at the Eiger Ultra Trail 101. Now we’re five weeks to UTMB and Hannes is calm, excited, and completely dialed for another run around the magical Mont Blanc. LINKS Hannes Namberger Hannes on Cover pic by /episode/index/show/sngltrck/id/27555888

278: 'On Another Level', with Marcel Höche 07/04/2023

278: 'On Another Level', with Marcel Höche The World Championships in Innsbruck, Austria are already a few weeks back now, but shortly after I sat down with Marcel Höche who ran for Team Germany to chat about his experience of wearing the National Team jersey. We talk about the difference between a race of this caliber and makeup vs. UTMB and of course, his exciting racing plans for the remainder of the year. LINKS Marcel Höche Connect with Singletrack on: /episode/index/show/sngltrck/id/27368451

277: 'UTMB Changed Everything', with Doug Mayer 06/09/2023

277: 'UTMB Changed Everything', with Doug Mayer Calling in from Innsbruck, Austria is Doug Mayer, founder of Run the Alps, wonderful supporter of the Trail Running Film Festival and author of the incredible new book: “The Race That Changed Running – the inside story of UTMB”. In this episode we chat about his new book – which you should buy immediately, the difference between Euro and US trail running, the challenges our sport is facing as it’s growing into the future, and of course the role that UTMB plays in all of this. LINKS : The Race that Changed Everything – The Inside Story of UTMB by Doug Mayer Run the Alps Connect with Singletrack on: /episode/index/show/sngltrck/id/27096711

276: 'Goosebumps from Start to Finish', with Steve Auch 05/31/2023

276: 'Goosebumps from Start to Finish', with Steve Auch Steve Auch is back on Singletrack and barely recovered from a massive weekend race directing the popular City und Trail event in Bad Reichenhall in the Bavarian Alps in Germany. We talk about the beauty and the challenges of directing races, the inspiration and the difference between races in the US and Europe and how to transition from behind the megaphone to putting the bib back on yourself. LINKS Steve Auch on City und Trail on Connect with Singletrack on: /episode/index/show/sngltrck/id/27007119

Singletrack with Mathias Eichler

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