Trail Runner

Last fall, Alex King won the Ultra-Trail Whistler by UTMB 100K by over 30 minutes. But we’re not here to talk about that. We’re here to talk about the $29 pair of shorts, and the rest of the eye-raisingly inexpensive gear, that powered him the 62 miles and 17,000-plus feet of climbing and descent to the finish line. The shorts, t-shirt, running vest, and socks are made by Terignota, the running brand King, 30, founded in 2024.

Home, the word, can be as concrete or as abstract as you’d like it to be. Most interpret it at face value—a house, yard, or mailing address. For me, it’s more emotional than physical. A connection to a place I can feel in my soul. A place that shaped me, regardless of how long I lived there or how often I return. Isle Royale is one of those places. For those not familiar, Isle Royale is an island in Lake Superior, around five miles wide and 50 miles long.

After five failed attempts, I finished a 100-miler in March. If I’m being blunt, it’s because I finally did the things in ultramarathon training that you’re supposed to do. For years, I thought I could do one on my own, without help from a crew or pacers. I would go out too fast and hope I could hang on for the last 50K. (Spoiler alert, I could not). I didn’t eat enough, mostly because I approached the aid stations haphazardly, like a toddler trying to pick a snack before bed.

Welcome to the Trail Runner newsletter. We really need a better name for it than that, don’t we. This is the pre-2026 Western States 100 edition featuring a sit-down interview with former champ Katie Schide. I’m not sure how long we’ll be publishing the newsletter on the site, so if you enjoy reading this, or enjoy hate-reading this, feel free to subscribe to have it delivered to your inbox every week. It’s free.

Thirteen hours and forty-six minutes. That’s how long it took Vincent Bouillard to get from Olympic Valley to Auburn faster than anyone in history at the 2026 Western States 100. And while both Vincent and Jen Lichter’s record-breaking performances unfolded over the course of a day, they were decided in a matter of moments.

Explore the best trail runs of 2026, plus smarter training, incredible destinations, essential gear, and the people and ideas shaping trail running today.

The lights in the Seward High School gymnasium were dimmed so that the dozens of people scattered across the bleachers and the shining hardwood floor could clearly see the images being projected on a large screen. There was a short video clip of a man clinging to a steep wall of earth and tree roots—until a loose rock the size of a bowling ball tumbled down and knocked him loose. There was a still photograph of a woman in mid-freefall, limbs splayed, the rocky cliff face a gray blur behind her.

Every July Fourth, hundreds of racers descend on Seward, Alaska, for one of the most difficult short-distance races on the planet—3,000 feet up, and then straight back down Mount Marathon.

Of all the iconic moments during the Western States 100—the Escarpment at sunrise, the exposed climb up to Devil’s Thumb, the crowds at Foresthill, the twinkling lights on No Hands Bridge, the finish line on the Placer High School Track—perhaps none is more iconic than the American River crossing at mile 78. Welcome to Rucky Chucky. For the front of the field, it’s often a decisive moment in the race.

Drug testing is a welcomed initiative. But for many top finishers, producing a sample is nearly as hard as running the race. A Western States champ gives a first-hand account. We were the first of the women’s field to arrive. I was the companion of 2026 Western States 100 second-place finisher and dear homie, Riley Brady. Just 15 minutes ago, they’d sprinted across the finish line in the third-fastest women’s time ever. Scott appeared shortly after.