# Trail Running Culture Doesn't Scale | Bob Crowley's Response

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/borderlands-trail-and-ultra-running-6921910/trail-running-culture-doesn-t-scale-bob-crowley-s-response
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/borderlands-trail-and-ultra-running-6921910/trail-running-culture-doesn-t-scale-bob-crowley-s-response.md
Podcast: [Borderlands Trail and Ultra Running](https://stenobird.com/podcast/borderlands-trail-and-ultra-running-6921910)
Published: 2026-06-22T16:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://www.borderlands.cc/recent-podcast-episodes/bob
Audio file: https://episodes.captivate.fm/episode/68764204-b16f-4f13-92ac-c33c4b36c7e9.mp3
Processing state: not_requested
JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/borderlands-trail-and-ultra-running-6921910/episodes/trail-running-culture-doesn-t-scale-bob-crowley-s-response
Duration seconds: 1375

## Resource

Western States and UTMB are often framed as opposite visions for the future of trail running. One protects through limits. The other protects through growth. But after publishing an episode on that tension, I received an unexpected response from Bob Crowley, former President of the International Trail Running Association (ITRA). Bob argues that both sides may be focused on the wrong thing. What follows is a conversation about culture, stewardship, local races, and whether the values that built trail running can survive success. Somewhere along the way, the debate stops being about Western States and UTMB and becomes something much bigger. Please give us a follow, rate the podcast, and give a review. If you’re new to Borderlands, start here . Resources / Links Western States Wants to Protect, UTMB Wants to Grow Bob's Full Op-ed Borderlands.cc La French Trail Related Episodes Ultra Running isn't Just Running Presented by Kiprun . ---- Borderlands explores trail running through culture, media, and the forces shaping it. Watch on YouTube Read on Substack

## Actions

- request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/borderlands-trail-and-ultra-running-6921910/episodes/trail-running-culture-doesn-t-scale-bob-crowley-s-response/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode.
- read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/borderlands-trail-and-ultra-running-6921910/trail-running-culture-doesn-t-scale-bob-crowley-s-response.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource.

A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed.

## Transcript

Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.