Tayte Pollmann’s Six Favorite Trail Running Podcasts

Listening to trail running podcasts is a great way to keep up with the people, races and training advice inside the trail running community. These podcasts vary in style, length, and delivery, so I like to listen to a diverse assortment. Episodes can be as short as 15 minutes while others may last more than 2 hours, but each have their own unique topics including history, athlete interviews, gear reviews, coaching, and race recaps. While we’ve recently compiled a directory of over 40 great podcasts, below are six of my favorite trail running podcasts.

Trail Runner Nation

Trail Runner Nation (TRN) first went live in 2011 and is hosted by Scott Warr and Don Freeman. They’ve interviewed many elite trail runners including Stephanie Howe, Ellie Greenwood, Karl Meltzer, Sally McRae and Courtney Dauwalter. TRN is a great place to start for those who have never listened to a trail running podcast and offers a variety of content. With 488 episodes to date, there is plenty to choose from with episodes including athlete interviews, discussions with reputable coaches, nutritionists, doctors, brands and race directors. This podcast will keep you up to date on the latest happening in the trail running world. My favorite episodes include:

You can find Trail Runner Nation on their Website, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher and Google Podcasts.

Billy Yang Podcast

The Billy Yang Podcast was founded by trail running filmmaker Billy Yang in 2017. Yang delivers some of the most engaging and professional interviews with well known athletes like Krissy Moehl, Amanda Basham, Lucy Bartholomew and Ann Trason. He talks with these talented athletes about how they got where they are, the struggles they’ve faced, and what they’re doing for our sport. Yang is not afraid to ask deep questions that provoke meaningful discussions on tough topics such as eating-disorders, depression, injuries and burnout. My favorite episodes include:

You can find the Billy Yang Podcast on his Website, Apple Podcast, Spotify, Stitcher, Podbay and Google Podcasts.

DNF Podcast

The DNF Podcast is new in 2020 and hosted by Trail Runner Magazine editor Zoe Rom. With a background in literature, Rom weaves in literary references to add meaning to her discussions and relate some of life’s biggest issues into a trail running context. The podcast’s title DNF, abbreviation for “Did Not Finish,” inspires the podcast’s focus on diving into the nitty-gritty to find positivity in our biggest failures. Rom has interviewed Cat Bradley, David Roche and Katie Arnold among many others. My favorite episodes include:

You can find the DNF Podcast on the Trail Runner Magazine website, Apple Podcast, Stitcher, Spotify, Soundcloud and Google Podcasts.

Ultrarunning History

If you’re ready for a deep dive into the  past, Ultrarunning History Podcast and Stories is for you. This podcast is one of my favorites because of the way it’s helped me have a better grasp on the extensive history of mountain, ultra, and trail running. Host Davy Crockett and his researchers put together well-researched stories of races and athletes throughout the decades, stretching back to the early days of competitive ultrarunning well over one hundred years ago. As an athlete myself, I find it interesting to know what athletes came before me and what they did to raise the competitive bar and make sport what it is today. Does Gordy Ainsleigh’s claim he had “started it all” and invented the sport of ultrarunning hold water? Davy Crockett did the research to find that the story is more complicated. My favorite episodes include:

Where to Listen:Website, YouTube, Stitcher, Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts.

Fastest Known Time

The Fastest Known Time Podcast was started in 2018 by Buzz Burrell. This podcast is one of the most unique in trail running because its episodes revolve around the topic of FKTs (Fastest Known Times). Learn about some of the most interesting FKT routes around the world and what kind of planning and training it takes to complete them. Episodes include interviews with some of the top athletes in trail running including Tony Krupicka and Jared Campbell and will open your eyes to the allure of FKT challenges. My favorite episodes include:

Find this podcast on the FKT website, Apple Podcast, Soundcloud, Stitcher and Google Podcasts.

Ultrarunner Podcast

Ultrarunner Podcast (URP) is the OG of ultra and trail running podcasts having been started by Eric Schranz in 2011. This is one of the longest running trail running podcasts with over 500 episodes to date since 2011. Shranz talks with a variety of people in the trail running world including athletes like Grayson Murphy and Hayden Hawks, race directors, wacky characters and qualified experts in fields of nutrition, health and coaching. Schranz also weaves in a personal touch with his commentary, humor and beer talk. My favorite URP episodes include:

Listen to Ultrarunner Podcast on their website, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher and Google Podcasts.

You can follow Tayte’s adventures on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. If you liked this article, read even more of Tayte’s articles on our website. Photos by Peter Maksimow.

Tags: ,