Welcome to Freetrail's coverage of the 2025 Tarawera by UTMB! Set against the beautiful backdrop of Rotorua, NZ, an outdoor and trail sport mecca known for its rolling hills, thermal pools, and beautiful lakes, Tarawera plays host to four different race distances — 100m, 102k, 50k, & 21k. We'll be covering as much as we can from all races, with a particular focus on the 102k where four Golden Tickets to Western States are on the line.
Welcome to Freetrail's coverage of the 2025 Tarawera by UTMB! Set against the beautiful backdrop of Rotorua, NZ, an outdoor and trail sport mecca known for its rolling hills, thermal pools, and beautiful lakes, Tarawera plays host to four different race distances — 100m, 102k, 50k, & 21k. We'll be covering as much as we can from all races, with a particular focus on the 102k where four Golden Tickets to Western States are on the line.
Clare Gallagher is a professional runner for Patagonia, living in Boulder, CO. She is among the most decorated athletes of the last decade, winning many of the sport's most iconic events including Western States, CCC, Black Canyon, & Leadville. Outside of her athletic talent, Clare is also just a very interesting person. A third year PhD student, poet, and environmental advocate, Clare has always approached her career differently from other pro athletes. Clare is a close friend who I really respect. It was great to catch up again in today's episode.
Topics discussed:
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Dylan and Corrine sit down to discuss current events in trail running:
— HOKA athlete signings, including Corrine
— Joyce Njeru to NNormal
— Brooks signs young talent
— Cody Lind to TERREX
— Craft x trailfest. and the inaugural Mammoth 200
— New races, Mingus Traverse 82 & Alpenglow 100
BLACK CANYON FANTASY - https://fantasy.freetrail.com/events
Dakota Jones is a longtime professional trail runner for NNormal, living in Salt Lake City, UT. He is also the Founder and Executive Director of Footprints, an environmental non-profit that endeavors to nurture a new generation of leaders in tackling climate action projects in their local communities. On February 15th, Dakota will be chasing the 100-mile American Record at Jackpot Ultras in Las Vegas, NV, currently held by Zach Bitter in 11:19:13.
As part of this record attempt, Dakota is raising money for Footprints, hoping to secure $30k to support the 2025 campers. Freetrail is proud to contribute and support the fundraiser.
Topics discussed:
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Mario Fraioli is a running thought leader, media creator, and coach based in Marin County, CA. He is the author of The Morning Shakeout newsletter and the host of The Morning Shakeout podcast. Every year, we get together to riff on various topics, especially focusing on our respective lives, running journeys, and media careers. It's become a very fun annual tradition. This year, we also discuss Mario's relationship with Vincent Bouillard and the running prowess of BYU alumni.
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Corrine Malcolm returns to talk through some news in the trail running world.
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Stian Angermund is a two-time World Champion trail runner from Norway. One of the best performing athletes in the sport for the past decade, Stian has been noticeably absent from the racing circuit since OCC by UTMB 2023 – the 50k World Final – where Stian won for the 2nd time.
After OCC, it came to light that Stian had tested positive for a diuretic called Chlorthalidone – a substance that is banned in and out-of-competition for masking other banned substances or facilitating rapid weight loss. Stian has spent the last year and a half defending himself against these allegations and has vehemently maintained his innocence.
To my knowledge, this is Stian’s first time speaking about the subject in a long-form interview and, to his credit, he left nothing out-of-bounds, supplying me with all relevant documentation from the case. Of course, doping is serious, it does happen, and when it does, it’s a terrible violation of everything that makes sport great. At the same time, there are banned athletes who are innocent or who test positive under questionable circumstances. Recognizing that this is a touchy subject that deserves scrutiny and seriousness, I encourage you to listen with an open mind and allow Stian to tell his side of the story.
We walk through the entire timeline of events, the emotional cost in losing his career, the financial cost of defending himself, the public support he’s received, lessons learned, advice for other pro athletes, his goals for returning to sport, and a lot more.
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Michelino Sunseri is a professional runner living in Driggs, ID. In September 2024, Michelino broke the existing FKT on the Grand Teton, held for 12 years by Andy Anderson - one of the longest standing and most iconic up/down speed records in mountain running. During the attempt, Michelino made the strategic decision to take the "Old Climber's Trail," deviating from the official route for a period during the descent.
Michelino managed to lower the existing FKT by a little over 2mins, finishing in 2:50:50. A few days after the run, controversy emerged as it related to Michelino's decision to use the Old Climber's Trail, creating a debate about FKT ethics and whether Michelino deserved to retain the record even though he used a slightly different route from the previous record holder.
A week later, on September 9th, Fastest Known Time officially rejected the record based on objections from the National Park Service based again on Michelino's decision to use the Old Climber's Trail instead of staying on the officially recognized route.
On September 25, 2024, the NPS charged Michelino under 36 CFR 2.1(b) with an initial court appearance, a statute that carries a maximum penalty of $5,000 and/or six months in jail.
In this podcast, we discuss the history of FKTs on the Grand Teton, including Michelino's personal history projecting the route. We talk through the ethics of FKTs and the grey area that exists and that this event revealed. We discuss the rejection of his FKT and the subsequent legal squabble that has ensued.
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