Episode 341 with Joe ‘Stringbean’ McConaughy:

Joe McConaughy has achieved a lot in his life already, but this year he’s going to embark on two new and daunting adventures : fatherhood and race directing. I don’t know which one’s harder, but we chat about both and a lot more on this episode of Singletrack.

Links

• Joe Coaching website
• Joe on Instagram
• Youth Trail Project
• Vert Running Series

OR with the announcement today:

This August, Outdoor Retailer, the national gathering for the U.S. outdoor industry, will debut the Wild Reach Initiative, a program embedding 150 outdoor-focused creators directly into the event. Designed for a moment when audiences are increasingly tuning out automated content, the initiative brings creators and brands together on the show floor to capture real experiences, real reactions, and real stories as they unfold.

At a time when audiences are craving authenticity, this platform transforms the trade show floor into a dynamic stage where creators and brands collaborate to capture raw, unscripted moments. From real-time reactions to compelling stories, influencers bring energy, engagement, and a human touch that resonates deeply with audiences, making every interaction meaningful.

Aside from me wanting to make a snarky comment on the idea of putting the words ‘influencers’ and ‘authenticity’ into the same sentence I actually think this is a really fun and smart idea. Trade show are strugglingly for attendance and brands are pulling out their investments. If now the “new media crowd” is invited, and courted, and welcome to visit these booths and share the new products with their audiences this could create a very interesting amplification that might be enticing for brands to continue to invest into these events and ensure their survival. Smart idea.

Courtney Dauwalter made a splash this week by being featured in a Näak promo video. Rumors floated around the internets and today Näak announced her as their newly sponsored athlete. This, after Courtney’s longterm sponsorship with Tailwind Nutrition spun the rumor mill out of control, but here’s the full scoop.

From Näak’s Instagram:

Ultra isn’t just a distance, it’s a mindset.
@courtneydauwalter ‘s is about curiosity, courage, and joy.
Welcome, Courtney.

Mountain Outpost with the details:

• Partnership includes all solid nutrition options cultra and boost energy gels, wattles, purees and bars)
• Courtney will continue working with her current hydration partner
• Expect to see a signature flavor that will be extremely on brand for Courtney

Tailwind, probably having been inundated with calls today responded:

Breaking News: Courtney’s 2026 is looking bright. @courtneydauwalter
Working hard, and playing hard. 
Still here fueling her 2026 goals as Team Tailwind. 

Phew, got that one sorted.

As a side note: Has Näak’s Instagram always be “@naakbars. I have never seen them as a maker of primarily “bars”. Interesting choice of branding. And on a second side note (extra bonus side note, so to speak): Has anyone memorized ¨ are over the first or the second ‘A’? Yeah, I mess this up all the time too.

Announced just today:

The UTMB® World Series circuit is thrilled to announce the addition of Snowbasin by UTMB®, a brand-new event set in the heart of Utah’s Wasatch Mountains.

The inaugural event is scheduled to take place on September 10-12, 2026, for one year only and will shift to September 16-18 beginning in 2027.

For 2026 this will mean there will be five UTMB World Series events on the same weekend. And for 2027 the event moves to the same weekend as Grindstone. It’ll be interesting to see if they will make date adjustments to that event in response.

This also will be UTMB’s second newly created event in the US – after Pacific Trails California. So rather than trying to buy existing events UTMB seems to be aiming to create new ones. And ones with short distances only – to start: Just like for Pacific Trails only a 50K and a 20K category race is offered.

The ECC UTMB Calendar is updated.

Announcement dropped today! Another incredible line-up I am honored to share on behalf of the Trail Running Film Festival:

• Becky Bates, Not a Running Story – Scot Proudfoot
• We Belong Milo – Zanecchia
• Fellsman – Billy Barraclough
• Dipsea Generations – Paddy O’Leary
• Dick’s-A-Thon – Dylan Young
• Project Tombstone – Max Haimowitz
• Songs and Flowers – Julen Elorza
• Off Course – Carrie Highman, Tim Highman
• The Romsdal Method – Hans Kristian Smedsrød
• Unmuted – Running for the Glaciers – Luca Jaenichen

Learn more about these wonderful stories here. And get your tickets to a local screening and support these incredible filmmakers.

Daniel Kline for TheStreet:

• More than 200 stores are expected to close nationwide.
• The company survived two prior bankruptcies but faces a full retail exit.
• The brand will survive online and wholesale, but its physical retail presence in North America will end.

When the last person leaves your local mall tell them to turn off the lights.

Fun new concept pushing the trail media envelope:

We’re turning the Rest Day Pod into an interactive livestream experience on YouTube, debuting tomorrow night (Monday) at 5pm PT.

That’s Monday, 02 February 2026.

An avalanche of trail running news has hit the wire recently, including more big breaking news being announced tomorrow morning.

Several birdies tell me that his big breaking news is Nike/ACG related.

During this week’s Friday news dumb a story roll through my feed with some details on adidas’ efforts to restructure their outdoor business unit Terrex and their plans to fold it into their main business channels. This inevitably creates some turbulence and unfortunate personnel adjustments which I have no insight on and therefore can’t comment on. But I wanted to take a moment to ponder how this all came to be and where adidas might be heading next.

A brief (much abridged) history:

• Back in the 70s adidas supported Reinhold Messner with gear for his Himalaya expeditions.
• When adidas Outdoor launched in the US in the 2010s it was an entirely separate business unit, had it’s own website (adidas-outdoor.com I believe) and focused on ‘outdoor in general’: they offered hiking and snowboarding gear and bolted trail running onto that.
• Eventually this effort got folded into the main online store, but the Terrex brand remained.
• In trail running they were one of the first ‘classical sports brands’ to really invest into the sport.
• They cultivated the first real ‘trail team’ with cohesive kits and training camps for their athletes.
• In the fashion world adidas took a huge financial hit with their busted Kanye West partnership.
• They revive their brand, and return to growth by going down nostalgia lane with the reintroduction of shoes like the ‘Samba’ and the ‘Gazelle’. Focusing on the classic lines and the Three Stripes – one of the most iconic brand image ever created.
• At TRE this year I noticed that the new trail shoes on display boasted the three stripes prominently with the Terrex wording seemingly relegated already pointing into the direction we now see unfold.

Okay, there are some holes, I admit but my main takeaway here is that adidas, at a time when they were one of the largest and most well-known athletic and streetwear brands decided that entering the outdoor space seemed reasonable – we know how to make clothes and shoes, why not do it for that space too – but they wanted to offer a differentiation and not just bring the Three Stripes into a space with plenty of tradition, massively beloved incumbent brands, and a culture that seemed decidedly ‘counter to the fashion brands worn on city streets’. I reckon the thinking was: “We can win on quality and price but no one wants to wear the same look on the trails than what folks wear in the city and on the soccer fields. Fast forward to 2026 and the European business landscape looks pretty gloomy, which often results in business restructuring and “going back to the basics” and “do what we know best” efforts. And I do want to acknowledge this, as this might all seem like following a grand strategy but it also could just be panic induced.

Alright, what this mean for trail running: The sport currently experiences growth, there’s momentum, and this leads to running (tradition and mainly on the road) and trail running moving closer together. At my first TRE Terrex and adidas had separate booths, not anymore. Gorpcore brought trail running to the streets, now running brands are at Paris Fashion Week and are considered trendsetting. There’s no need for the Terrex sub-brand anymore, in fact, with the success of the ‘Samba’- line of shoes it feels like a distraction and adidas wants to present a unified front.

The entire strategy of ‘sub brands’ is a fascinating business strategy. It works for some players, some of the time. Some of these brands grow out of fashion partnership, or athlete branding, but many are hedged bets – “we don’t want to bring our core brand to an effort that might fail, let’s just dabble with a sub brand”.

This brings me to Nike’s polar opposite strategy here. They have famously dabbled in trail several times before, to not much success. Now they are investing heavily and everyone claims and hopes that this time they will get it right. But their move is again through a sub brand: ACG. There’s no doubt that everyone knows Nike and that famous ‘Swoosh’ – that brand had value, but I hardly anyone knows what ACG is. They are choosing to enter a market – and not just the trail running space, but the outdoor space – as can be seen by their line of Winter Olympics gear, which boldly boasts the ACG logo but not the Nike logo – and they have to do the extra work of introducing ACG to the masses. So, seemingly what Nike is doing here is what adidas had already tried a few years ago: entering a space they previously had no market share in through the door of a sub brands. And just at a time where Adidas seems to be sunsetting their sub brand Terrex, Nike decides to follow the same playbook. I am curious to see how this will play out. Running is hot right now, and trail running is – especially visually – the most desirable segment of that market. For these big brands, who have their fingers in every sport now’s the perfect time to invest to gain momentum in that space. It will be interesting to see if that extra layer – by going through a sub brand – is the correct move or another bet hedged that can be easily discarded if it doesn’t work out – again.

As to adidas, we need to wait for their next move. How will they emerge from this restructuring? Empowered and focused, or diminished and in retreat from the trail space? Right now Nike, ahem ACG, are on the move. Their logos are everywhere. ACG seems to be sponsoring every big trail event on the West Coast and their ACG products have arrived at REI, just in time for the Winter Olympics to kick off in Milano/Cortina.

AP reports:

News that a unit of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement would be present during the upcoming Winter Games has set off concern and confusion in Italy, where people have expressed outrage at the inclusion of an agency that has dominated headlines for leading the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.

Obviously this is outrages and the visuals of these lawless goons operating on foreign soil feels all kind of wrong, but also, and even worse, I wouldn’t be surprised if they don’t arrive with facemarks and pepper spray but with Palantir’s ‘data gathering software’ and other privacy invasive tools. The Olympics are a place that brings people together from all over the world, the perfect opportunity to illegally data harvest under the shadow of “Solidarity fuels our mission to make the world a better place through sport. We can only go faster, we can only aim higher, we can only become stronger by standing together — in solidarity.” Oh, wait that’s IOC’s old motto, the new one reads: “Faster, Higher, Stronger – Together”.

And that leaves plenty of room for ambiguity.

The Pro Trail Runners Association (PTRA) shares more perspectives by their members on the increasingly controversial topic of pacers (at an elite level) at the most competitive events in the US. Most athletes have fairly vanilla takes here: ‘it’s part of history, it’s fun, there’s no harm’. Jim Walmsley, who’s increasingly uses his status as one of the most successful ultra runners of our time is taking a different take:

I don’t think elites at Western States should have pacers. Nobody competitive there needs them. Nowadays, with phones and tech, it can distort the race in a negative way. Professionals, which our sport has now, should be competent at America’s highest level. Figure it out. Also, golden ticket races should forbid pacers for ticket positions. Black Canyon 100k, pacing is embarrassing to allow. You have to make it to Foresthill without a friend anyways.

Kudos to Jim for speaking his mind so succinctly. More of this in our sport, please.

Rouge Valley Runners teases new 100M event in the southern Oregon area, presumable. After their closure of the historic Pine 2 Palm event, clearly the team around Hal Korner weren’t quite done yet.

Oh, and this event too will be partnered with/sponsored by ACG/Nike.

From their press release (PDF):

The Hardrock Hundred Endurance Run is seeking new members for our voluntary Board of Directors who will bring dedication and passion into our organization.

Serving on a non-profit board ain’t easy – ask me how I know – but this is an incredible opportunity to help serve and share the future of this iconic event.

Satisfy Running’s latest drop includes a shirt with the messaging:

‘Pro-Science. Pro-Choice. Pro-Running.’

Subtle enough, maybe. But here in the US ‘Pro-Choice’ has been a political lightning rod for decades now. Heck even ‘Pro-Science’ increasingly is these days. So, this makes me wonder, is this a bold move by a French company that is known to borrow lots of Americana imagery for their shirts and in their marketing – for which I would applaud them – as most other running brands have been pretty silent and have chosen the path of least resistance. Or is it just an oversight, or worse nihilistically, yet purposely placed catnip for online keyboard warriors? High-end fashion brands tend to stay out of the fray when it comes to issues that could politically divide their customer base, but in recent months the brand has become pretty popular with the supplement-inhaling backyard ultra crowd so it will be interesting how the public will react to this.

And Strava is taking note:

To celebrate the efforts of the league, on Saturday, January 31, 2026, Strava is supporting its global community of Burrito Lovers by sponsoring a free burrito for runners who complete a local ‘burrito segment’ on that day (subject to local Burrito League eligibility requirements and while supplies last)!

No segment in my hometown sadly. I can’t do everything.

I never thought I’d share a link to a Bruce Springsteen song, but here we are:

Their claim was self-defense, 
Just don’t believe your eyes. 
It’s our blood and bones and these whistles and phones 
Against Miller and Noem’s dirty lies.

PS: I don’t know how I would feel about sharing this on ECC – or actually I do know – if I wouldn’t have jumped the first day after the election of Trump 2 and applied for my US citizenship. I had my interview and swearing-in the day after the Inauguration in 2025. I’m a US citizen now, skin in the game. No more idle* bystander.

* was never really idle, but always felt like I was an outsider trying to share stories and perspectives from far away lands (and histories). Now I’m really here and still can’t believe what I signed up for.

ICE OUT!

Grace Cook on her blog ‘Salty’ answers the question on why running brands are all of a sudden all over Paris Fashion Week:

Paris is the penultimate week, so buyers have seen all the fashion month collections to decide which brands to invest in.
…
Almost every running event today is community facing, designed to generate visibility and connection with people who might buy. Paris is not about Instagram buzz. Showrooms are invite-only and by-appointment. Most are held in townhouses accessed via a door code, and often feel impossible to find.

Cole Townsend for Running Supply answer this questions with the following:

• Niche competition: Those same stores are not sending buyers to TRE. If you are only at TRE, you’re competing at running with other running brands. If you’re at PFW, you’re competing at running with fashion brands.
• The right crowd: men’s week has a history of streetwear and GORP. Trail and running can easily fold in. All of the sportsstyle shoes are rooted in running.

All of this is a bit too far away from the mountain trails I usually spend my time on, but it’s still fascinating to see what brands do ‘behind the scenes’ to sell their gear.

The one running club I’d join.

Milano and Cortina in Italy will play host to the 2026 Olympics next month. As it is custom there’s a long torch relay through the host country and this year Courtney Dauwalter had the honor to carry the torch for a bit.

A huge honor to carry the Olympic torch in Italy! Felt the weight of the dreams, the teamwork, the dedication, the patience, the joy, the nerves, and the beauty of trying hard all in this torch as it makes its way towards the opening ceremonies. Thank you for the inspiration! Grazie mille!

Despite everything that’s happening around us, somehow the show must go on.

Just had another thought on this: Courtney is sponsored by Salomon. Salomon is a huge sponsor of the (Winter) Olympics. Salomon is fully behind the push to make trail running an Olympic event. Now this all makes sense.

Amelia Boone on her blogs poses the question of the moment:

So the question that’s been on my mind (and one that has percolated for years, especially since 2020): if you have an active social media platform, especially a large one, what do you do with that during these times?

Silence as complicity.

From all angles we’re told our “work online” is “brand-building”. But let’s not bullshit ourselves, we as individuals aren’t giant mega corporations, we’re humans. Show your human side and if people don’t like it they weren’t meant to be part of your circle anyways.

Anna Gibson on Instagram finds her own way to not be silent:

to be abundantly clear, when I line up in the stars and stripes on the world stage, the America I stand for is one of love and unity, not one of hate and violence.

This will be a challenging few months for athletes wearing the Stars and Stripes.

We’re doing this again! For the second year Arc of Attrition by UTMB kicks off the UTMB World Series for another season.

For full results visit the UTMB website, below the top runners by race:

Arc 100 161KM (100M – 4 Stones) – Full Results

Women:

1. Anne-Sofie POLLESTAD – Norway – 22:28:24
2. Charlotte FISHER – Great Britain – 23:49:08
3. Hannah RICKMAN – Great Britain – 24:47:38

Men:

1. Hugh TIBBS – Great Britain – 19:10:09
2. Simon WITHERS – Great Britain – 19:14:44
3. Samuel SKINNER – Great Britain – 20:14:33

Arc 50 80KM (100K – 3 Stones) – Full Results

Women:

1. Gemma HILLIER MOSES – Great Britain – 08:12:56
2. Aroa SIO – Spain – 09:31:30
3. Katie KAARS SIJPESTEIJN – Great Britain – 09:33:15

Men:

1. Kristian JONES – Great Britain – 07:09:41
2. Keith WIGLEY – Great Britain – 07:27:45
3. Lewis BOWNESS – Great Britain – 07:38:32

Arc 25 40KM (50K – 2 Stones) – Full Results

Women:

1. Naomi LANG – Great Britain – 03:09:16
2. Nuria GIL CLAPERA – Spain – 03:16:06
3. Maëlle BEAUVIR – France – 03:25:10

Men:

1. Robbie SIMPSON – Great Britain – 02:45:51
2. Raoul RAUS – Belgium – 02:46:34
3. Ben ROTHERY – Great Britain – 02:46:55

Arc 12 24KM (20K – 1 Stone) – Full Results

Women:

1. Fiona GERMAN – GBR – 02:06:03
2. Katrina ENTWISTLE – GBR – 02:08:04
3. Amelia WILLIAMS – GBR – 02:11:28

Men:

1. Oscar SUBUH-SYMONS – Great Britain – 01:36:27
2. Finn LYDON – Great Britain – 01:40:00
3. Samuel DELLER – Great Britain – 01:43:26

The numbers by distance and gender:

• Arc 100 Starters: 630. DNF: 369 + Finishers: 261. Women 22 (8%), Men 239 (92%).
• Arc 50 Starters: 601. DNF: 166 + Finishers: 435. Women 74 (17%), Men 361 (83%).
• Arc 25 Starters: 848. DNF: 18 + Finishers: 830. Women 217 (26%), Men 613 (74%).
• Arc 12 Starters: 426. DNF: 1 + Finishers: 425. Women 175 (41%), Men 250 (59%).

The 2026 edition of Arc of Attrition by UTMB saw a total 2,505 starters and 2,060 finishers. Starter numbers increased by 56% over last year – partially due to the addition of the Arc 12 race. 488 (24%) women and 1,572 (76%) men reached the finish line and earned collectively 4,434 UTMB Stones. This year’s Arc 100 had another brutal DNF rate of 59%, even higher than last year’s 51%.

Next up we’re heading to Oceania for the Tarawera Ultra-Trail in New Zealand on 14 – 15 February 2026.