The Freetrail Podcast with Dylan Bowman

Professional ultrarunner, Dylan Bowman, brings conversations with a wide-ranging cohort of guests, covering ultrarunning, sports, business, and the outdoor industry.

Zegama Recap, Tove's Dominance, Western States Crunch Time, Industry News & Race Results 05/19/2026

Rest Day | Transvulcania Recap, Zegama Preview, Golden Ticket Competitiveness, & Trail Grails 05/14/2026

Rest Day | Rachel Entrekin Interview & Cocodona 250 Recap 05/12/2026

Rest Day Live | Jim Walmsley Interview, Golden Ticket Schedule, & Transvulcania Preview 05/04/2026

Cocodona 250 Preview Show with Dan Green | Trailgating 04/30/2026

Rest Day Live | Canyons Final Thoughts, Western States Hype, MIUT + FUJI Results, & Industry News 04/28/2026

Understanding the UTMB Index: What's Changing & Why It's Important? 04/27/2026

Understanding the UTMB Index: What's Changing & Why It's Important? The UTMB Index and race scores have become increasingly significant in the global trail running ecosystem. The Index upstream of sponsorship and race entry opportunities for pros, it allows fans to gauge who is performing best on the world's stage, and it helps media members contextualize performances across years, distances, and different course terrains. Today the UTMB Index is evolving in some subtle yet important ways. Joining me to talk all about it are Adrian Vincentand Karen Merlin — two members of the team who worked on this new system and are well qualified to explain how things are changing and what it means for the sport. Timestamps: 00:00 – Intro + episode overview (UTMB Index) 00:50 – Guest introductions (Adrian Vincent & Karen Merlin) 02:50 – Why the UTMB Index was created 07:25 – Why the index matters for the sport 10:45 – Index vs. race scores explained 13:40 – What the index is (and isn’t) 15:45 – Why changes were needed 19:40 – Gender scoring discussion 24:40 – Myth: bias toward UTMB races 26:15 – Challenge of collecting global race results 30:55 – Myth: weather/conditions affect scores 37:15 – New scoring system overview 39:25 – Step 1: Finding similar races 42:40 – Step 2: Expected score + confidence 47:45 – Step 3: Selecting high-quality data 51:20 – Step 4: Final calculation (regression explained) 55:05 – Retroactive re-scoring (what changes) 56:10 – Impact on everyday runners 57:10 – Impact on elite athletes + qualification 58:55 – Myth: bad races hurt your index 01:00:55 – Highest scores ever (new system) 01:06:10 – Behind the scenes of the rebuild 01:09:00 – Transparency + final thoughts 01:10:30 – Closing remarks Additional Material: REGISTER FOR TRAILCON - Sponsors: Use code FREETRAIL25 for 25% off your first order of NEVERSECOND nutrition at Check out the from Patagonia Use code FREETRAIL for an extra discount on Clearlight Saunas at Use for 30% off Ketone-IQ Freetrail Links: | | | | | Dylan Links: | | | /episode/index/show/thewellwithdylanbowman/id/41026140