{"podcast":{"title":"Borderlands Trail and Ultra Running","slug":"borderlands-trail-and-ultra-running-6921910","podcast_index_feed_id":6921910,"rss_url":"https://feeds.captivate.fm/borderlands/","website_url":"https://www.borderlands.cc","image_url":"https://artwork.captivate.fm/e17f1889-0716-4cd0-8b1f-5d7d3545d2d3/Podcast-Art-March-2025.jpg","author":"Josh Rosenthal | Ultra Runner","episode_count":323,"summary":"Borderlands Trail and Ultra Running is a storytelling podcast for ultra runners who love this sport deeply, the iconic races, the legendary athletes, the gear, and the culture that makes all of it worth caring about. Hosted by Josh Rosenthal, founder of Borderlands Trail Running, this show exists to collect the ultra running stories that define the sport, from spending a day at Laz Lake's home to deep conversations with Scott Jurek, Dean Karnazes, Camille Herron, and the everyday runners doing extraordinary things out on the trails. This podcast covers the full world of ultra and trail running: race coverage and analysis of marquee events including Western States Endurance Run and UTMB, honest trail running shoes reviews and ultra running gear breakdowns from someone who has tested 44 pairs over 6,000 miles, and big conversations about where the sport is headed, including what dirtbag runners bring to a sport that's growing fast. This show gives ultra runners the stories, perspectives, and gear knowledge to go deeper into a sport they already love while celebrating what makes trail and ultra running unlike anything else. We'll answer questions like: - Who is Laz Lake, and why does…","last_synced_at":"2026-09-09T00:17:50.867842+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/borderlands-trail-and-ultra-running-6921910"},"episode":{"title":"Western States Wants to Protect, UTMB Wants to Grow","slug":"western-states-wants-to-protect-utmb-wants-to-grow","published_at":"2026-06-19T15:30:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/borderlands-trail-and-ultra-running-6921910/western-states-wants-to-protect-utmb-wants-to-grow","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/borderlands-trail-and-ultra-running-6921910","url":"https://www.borderlands.cc/recent-podcast-episodes/western-states-wants-to-protect-utmb-wants-to-grow","audio_url":"https://episodes.captivate.fm/episode/01eb9c56-4eee-412a-84ed-cdf407abdd36.mp3","summary":"Western States and UTMB have become the two most influential institutions in trail running, but beneath the debate over lotteries, race series, and growth is a deeper question: when something becomes successful, how do you protect it? Josh explores why UTMB believes trail running is important enough to scale globally while Western States believes it's important enough not to. Along the way, he examines scarcity, culture, the hidden cost of success, and whether the thing worth protecting was ever the race itself. Please give us a follow, rate the podcast, and give a review. If you’re new to Borderlands, start here . Topics / Timestamps 01:33 Two Philosophies of Trail Running 03:19 Is Growth in Trail Running Corruption? 06:13 The Scale Problem in Trail Running 11:06 What Cultre are We Protecting in Trail Running? 15:50 The Supply Chain of Trail Running Culture Resources / Links 8 Bit Trail Running Josh Rosenthal on IG 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","meta_description":"Western States and UTMB have become the two most influential institutions in trail running, but beneath the debate over lotteries, race series, and growth…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":1035,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/borderlands-trail-and-ultra-running-6921910/episodes/western-states-wants-to-protect-utmb-wants-to-grow/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/borderlands-trail-and-ultra-running-6921910/western-states-wants-to-protect-utmb-wants-to-grow.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}