Western States on the ground, the trail flywheel, and what I'm actually building
We're back, and I'm still buzzing from a week out in California at the end of June.
I spent seven days on the ground bouncing between Broken Arrow, TrailCon, and Western States, and I came home more excited about this sport than I've been in years. I watched the Western States livestream peak around 40K viewers, got some small-group time with Kilian, and heard nearly every conversation drift toward the same thing: trail running is having a (sustained) moment.
Buddy!! He was so nervous to go into the water. But we got there. Trail dogs are the best.
I tried to make sense of all of it in a piece I called The Trail Running Flywheel. It's my honest attempt to explain why trail is having a real moment and isn't just a bubble, and why I bet my career on it. If you're interested in that, you can find it here.
I got in some fun running out there; in the place I got into trail running, with many of the people who were along for that ride in the early days. I got in a fun couple hour run with my friend Tony (@tonywithasony!) up around Castle Peak and Basin Peak (two 9k foot peaks outside of Truckee), and hosted a shakeout run with Amazfit.
While I was out there I recorded a few podcasts; one with my buddy Vivek who is the new owner of San Francisco Running Company. He's doing some really rad stuff in the Bay Area and beyond, and if you want to hear more about him, he's this week's guest on Long Run Labs! He just launched a Women’s Trail Half in the Marin Headlands in October, for those who might be interested. I also spoke with Monica, a co-founder from rabbit, and Hilary, the founder of Halo, a platform that enables racers to have a better lodging experience when booking at a pre-selected hotel with other runners also running that same race! That one will be out in a few weeks.
And the race itself - WOW. Jenn Lichter laid down an incredible performance and the men's race saw the whole podium under 14 hours and below Jim Walmsley's prior course record. Wild. We'll be talking about that one for years to come.
My hip is still bothering me so lately I've just been doing 4-6 or so miles every other day. If anyone has experience navigating a hip impingement, I'd love to hear what helped!
And if you've ever wondered what I actually do all day, I finally wrote the answer down, sort of as a thought exercise to understand it a bit better myself. What I'm Actually Building.
And in other exciting news, The Trail House Colorado launched this past week! It's following four aspiring pro runners living together in Boulder, complete with a full time videographer over the next 14 months. I’m helping out with partnerships and we’ve got some fun ones coming, that’ll include some community events for those in Boulder. Here's the first video:
Speaking of those in Boulder, I’ll be at Boulderthon’s Nutrition Education event on Thursday night at Fleet Feet with their official nutrition partner, Precision Fuel & Hydration! More details here.
See you out there!
- Jon Levitt, Host and Creator of For The Long Run
Pssst….sign up for the Long Run Labs Substack if you’re into the business of the outdoor industry 👆
Jenn Lichter Won Western States in Her First 100-Miler. I Talked With Her Last November.
Back in November, a few weeks before her first ever 100K, Jenn Lichter still hadn't raced past 50 miles. This past weekend she won the Western States 100 in her 100-mile debut, breaking Courtney Dauwalter's course record by 88 seconds. Our conversation from last fall, on patience, fueling, and refusing to quit the hard thing, explains exactly how she pulled it off. Listen on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
Give this one a listen 🎧
To keep you running for the long run 👇
Boulderthon: FTLR2026 for $20 off the half or full and come hang with us in Boulder this fall. Apparently hundreds of you have used this code, so we will be a meetup!!
Tifosi: FTLR2026 for 20% off sunglasses
Good Ranchers: IRON for $40 off a one time purchase or $100 off a subscription of their high quality meat delivery
Precision F&H: LONGRUN26 for 15% off first order of a fuel that's been onboard with me for thousands of miles
Amazfit: FTLR2026 for 10% off their watches with amazing battery life and features at a great price
Go Brewing: FTLR2026 for 20% off your first order of their non-alcoholic beer that actually tastes like great beer too
More goodies we love 👇
As a newsletter subscriber, you get any of the discount codes and special promos that we work out with our partners:
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Ketone-IQ - 30% off your first order! I take a shot before every podcast or anything else where I need solid focus
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BOCO Gear: FTLR for 15% off website orders on the retail site.
About Jon Levitt and For The Long Run
Jonathan is a runner, cyclist, and podcast host from Boston, MA, who now lives in Boulder, CO. For The Long Run is aimed at exploring the why behind what keeps runners running long, strong, and motivated.
Follow Jon on Instagram, LinkedIn, Threads, Substack, and Twitter.
