Why do people run 100 miles and keep coming back to ultra running even after it hurts, slows them down, and offers no obvious reward? If you’ve ever been curious about ultra running or felt the pull toward doing something hard without fully understanding why, this conversation is for you.

In this episode, Billy Yang helps unpack what draws people into ultra running and what they’re actually searching for out there. It’s less about racing and more about identity, suffering, and the deeper reasons people choose to keep going.

For runners and anyone trying to understand why we choose hard things.

Please give us a follow, rate the podcast, and give a review.

• 00:00 Why Would ANYONE Run 100 Miles
• 05:55 The Journey of the Soul in Ultra Running
• 09:01 The Power of Storytelling in Sports
• 16:08 Exploring the Stories Behind the Sport
• 23:02 Why Do We Keep Going Back to the 100 Mile Starting Line
• 28:11 Reframing Your 'Why'
• 30:30 Ultra Running is the Great Equalizer

• The Why by Billy Yang
• "Nike Boys" Doc
• I Finally Conquered 100 Miles

• Nils Arend, TSP Founder
• Scott Jurek, Has Ultra Running Become too Polished?

Presented by Kiprun.

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Want to run in the Salt Lake area? Check out the Salt Lake Foothills Trail Races happening May 30, 2026.

And if you haven't checked out Wylder yet, it's worth a look. iOS or Android

Trail running culture is starting to look a lot like skateboarding—crews, aesthetics, a more raw identity.

But if you’ve ever wondered whether that comparison actually holds up, this episode breaks it down.

There’s a reason the connection feels right—and a deeper reason it might not be. This isn’t about dismissing what’s happening in running, but trying to understand what it actually is.

This episode is for runners who care about the culture of the sport, not just the miles.

Please give us a follow, rate the podcast, and give a review.

Presented by Kiprun.

• 1:20 Culture and Identity in Trail Running
• 4:19 The Shift from Results to Experience
• 06:41 The Intersection of Trail Running and Authority
• 10:21 The Intersection of Skate Culture and Trail Running

• Tommie Runz | 5 Loops
• SLC PUNK

• Is Ultrarunning Losing Its Charm?
• Is Ultrarunning Changing?

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And if you haven't checked out Wylder yet, it's worth a look. iOS or Android

Many runners come to ultrarunning through performance, but what happens when running comes after everything else falls apart? This episode explores how sobriety, loss, and identity shape the path into ultrarunning and what it actually looks like to rebuild a life from the ground up.

Josh sits down with Tommie Runz to trace the arc from heavy drinking and personal collapse to running across the desert from Los Angeles to Las Vegas, and eventually into ultrarunning. The conversation moves through early sobriety, community, and the tension between commitment and loss, including missing his best friend’s funeral during that run revealing how change actually happens over time.

For runners interested in the deeper reasons people come to the sport. Follow the show for more conversations like this.

Please give us a follow, rate the podcast, and give a review.

Presented by Kiprun.

Chapters

1. 00:00 The Impact of Personal Loss on Running
2. 01:19 The Relationship Between Sobriety and Running
3. 02:38 Community Support and Accountability
4. 05:43 Transitioning from Road to Trail Running
5. 06:54 The Experience of Running Javelina
6. 09:31 The Future of Tommy Runs
7. 16:25 The Journey to 100 Miles
8. 18:13 Cutting in Line: The Western States Experience
9. 18:15 Trail Running: A New Era of Competitors
10. 19:02 Training for the Mountains: Strategies and Challenges

Tommie Runz on Instagram

Western States

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Want to run in the Salt Lake area? Check out the Salt Lake Foothills Trail Races happening May 30, 2026.

And if you haven't checked out Wylder yet, it's worth a look. iOS or Android

If you've ever wondered why luxury running brands suddenly started appearing in ultrarunning—a sport built on dirtbag ethos, thrift-store gear, and anti-status culture—this episode explores the tension behind it.

Josh unpacks where the idea of luxury collides with traditional ultrarunning culture, what actually defines a luxury running brand, and why some runners see it as evolution while others see it as a threat to the identity of the sport. At the center is a deeper question: is ultrarunning defined by what you wear, or simply by the act of running ultras?

For trail and ultrarunners curious about how culture, identity, and authenticity are evolving in the sport.

Please give us a follow, rate the podcast, and give a review.

01:14 Why does Luxury Feel Strange in Ultrarunning?

03:45 What is Traditional Ultrarunning Culture?

10:48 5 Markers of Traditional Ultrarunning Culture

15:44 What even is luxury?

20:40 What is a "luxury running brand"?

24:25 Why do luxury running brands bother people?

27:43 A Weird Moment in Luxury Ultrarunning

31:45 The Old Guard of Ultrarunning

1. [article] Why “Luxury Running Brands” Feels Strange In Ultrarunning
2. Satisfy
3. Currently
4. Running Sucks

1. Satisfy Cofounder, Brice Partouche
2. The ROCKER Shoe is Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas

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Presented by Kiprun.

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Want to run in the Salt Lake area? Check out the Salt Lake Foothills Trail Races happening May 30, 2026.

And if you haven't checked out Wylder yet, it's worth a look. iOS or Android

If you've ever spent too much money on trail running shoes and wondered whether any of them are actually worth it, this episode is for you.

I sit down with Inky Steve, a guy who has tracked 44 pairs of running shoes across 6,000 miles on Strava, to get his most honest verdicts on the shoes he'd recommend to his best friend, the ones he regrets, and the models brands should have never stopped making.

For ultra runners and trail runners who take their gear seriously and want real talk and not sponsored opinions.

Please give us a follow, rate the podcast, and give a review.

1. Nike Next % from 2020
2. Hoka Mafate X
3. gb ultras
4. Speedland

Presented by Kiprun.

1. 02:06 Inky Steve's Top Five Running Shoes
2. 06:09 The Importance of Shoe Longevity and Functionality
3. 08:56 Brand Preferences and Shoe Mileage
4. 14:06 Lifestyle Shoes vs. Performance Shoes
5. 20:00 Honest Shoe Reviews
6. 24:15 Number One Trail Shoe Recommendation
7. 28:09 Hoka Mafate X Shoe for 50 Milers
8. 30:50 The Importance of Running Shoe Drainage
9. 34:09 The Ultra Running Experience
10. 38:50 The Impact of Shoe Design on Performance
11. 44:20 Shoe Iterations: What to Keep and What to Scrap

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Presented by Kiprun.

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Want to run in the Salt Lake area? Check out the Salt Lake Foothills Trail Races happening May 30, 2026.

And if you haven't checked out Wylder yet, it's worth a look. iOS or Android

Trail running doesn’t have journlists and no one’s holding the sport accountable. I think memes might be the closest thing we’ve got and that’s just one of the 10 things on my mind this week..

This week I pulled up a chair with a pile of gear and just talked: race season fandom, scrappy brands worth knowing, the shoes I'm fired up about right now, and the two-hour long run philosophy I'm using in training for Paris Eco Trail.

For ultra runners and trail runners who are in it for the culture, the gear, and everything that makes this sport unlike anything else.

Please give us a follow, rate the podcast, and give a review.

1. 01:23 ACTUAL trail running
2. 10:48 Ultratrail Race Season
3. 13:39 Running to "Overcome"
4. 16:23 Ciele Athletics
5. 18:39 Trail Shoe Design
6. 24:05 Scrappy Trail Running Brands
7. 30:37 Meme Culture
8. 35:08 Tommie Runz
9. 36:21 Taylor Bodin (dirt division) + Josh Bouton (meta endurance)
10. 38:27 Inky Steve, Stan Van Kemmel, Bryce Carlson, Sam Lohse

Presented by Kiprun.

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Want to run in the Salt Lake area? Check out the Salt Lake Foothills Trail Races happening May 30, 2026.

And if you haven't checked out Wylder yet, it's worth a look. iOS or Android

If you've ever wondered how running brands like Ciele Athletics reshaped the culture of modern running, this episode explores the moment performance gear started becoming identity.

Jeremy Bresnen, cofounder of Ciele Athletics, walks through the brand’s origin story—from a hats-only startup in Montreal to one of the most recognizable names worn by runners across road, trail, and ultra distances. Along the way, he reflects on the shift that happened in the 2010s when people weren’t just running anymore—they were runners.

For trail, road, and ultra runners curious about how modern running brands changed the culture of the sport.

Please give us a follow, rate the podcast, and give a review.

Presented by Kiprun.

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Find us at Borderlands.cc and sign up for the newsletter.

Want to run in the Salt Lake area? Check out the Salt Lake Foothills Trail Races happening May 30, 2026.

And if you haven't checked out Wylder yet, it's worth a look. iOS or Android