Show Notes
This week on The Next Aid Station, we break down the matchups trail running has been waiting for: Courtney DeWalter vs. Katie Schide and Caleb Olson vs. Tom Evans. With Hardrock and Western States fields taking shape, the stage is set for some of the most competitive racing the sport has ever seen.
We also get into the upcoming lotteries, Utah’s new 200-miler, Christian Allen’s breakout road performance, the TRE scheduling fiasco, and the latest trail running film debates. From bold hot takes to real analysis, this episode dives into every corner of the sport — the drama, the rivalries, and the races that will define 2025.
In this episode: • Courtney vs Katie: early Hardrock predictions • Caleb vs Tom: Western States showdown potential • Why Western is suddenly stacked again • Christian Allen’s 2:09 marathon and mountain crossover • Utah announces a 200-mile race • Mike McKnight gets into Hardrock • Chuckanut 50K planning • Trail running film of the year debates • College football chaos (and how we’d fix it) • Scott’s Hurt 100 training updates
Follow the show, share it with a friend, and join us next week as we reveal our official Ultra Runner of the Year picks.
More from The Next Aid Station
On this episode of The Next Aid Station, Jake Kilgore and Mick Garrison kick things off with Lexi Glenn, the inaugural women's course record holder at the DC Peaks 100, who shares her experience running an impressive 27-hour race. Then, the conversation turns to the 2026 Moab 240 and the controversy surrounding severe weather, race cancellations, and the decisions made by race management. Drawing on their own experience as race directors, Jake and Mick discuss weather preparedness, emergency protocols, and the challenges of managing runners spread across hundreds of miles of terrain. They question whether different decisions could have allowed some runners to continue safely rather than ending the race for everyone still on course. The discussion also revisits the early days of DC Peaks, including their own experiences navigating difficult weather and the lessons they've learned about making tough calls in the backcountry. It's a candid conversation about ultrarunning, race directing, accountability, and balancing runner safety with the desire to finish a 240-mile race.
Elijah Syndergaard joins Jake and Mick on The Next Aid Station after winning the inaugural DC Peaks 100 in a course-record time of 21:56. We break down his race, from battling the heat and grinding up Temple Ridge to finding a way through the low points and making it to the finish. We also get into course-marking challenges, feedback from the inaugural race, and what the future of DC Peaks could look like. How long will Elijah’s course record last? Could someone eventually break 20 hours? And what would it take to make that happen? Plus, we discuss the realities of pacing and crew support, race-day fueling, and whether Elijah would get a DC Peaks tattoo in exchange for free entry. Thanks to Elijah for joining us—and congratulations on an incredible first year at DC Peaks!
DC Peaks 100 is in the books! Jake and Mick are back to recap one of the biggest weekends yet for the race, including the first-ever 100-miler, standout performances, unexpected finish-line stories, and everything that went on behind the scenes to make it happen. They also get into a recent doping controversy in road running and ask a bigger question: how much should we actually care about athletes cheating? Plus, they discuss why backyard ultras deserve more recognition, debate what it takes to earn Ultrarunner of the Year, and share some of the lessons they're already taking into DC Peaks 2027. And, of course, there are giant pickles, missing aid stations, and one very important question: why does nobody at an ultramarathon seem to have a knife when you need one?
This week, Jake and Mick dive into the latest drama surrounding Finn Melanson and Mike McKnight, including the controversy over Finn allegedly reaching out to race organizers about Mike's eligibility to compete. Was he right to raise the issue, or did he take things too far? They also discuss the infamous Camille Herron OnlyFans saga, including her claim that she's now in the top 1%, and what the whole situation says about the strange intersection of ultrarunning, social media, and internet culture. Plus, more trail-running drama, questionable opinions, and plenty of reasons to let the comments decide who's right.
This week on The Next Aid Station, Jake and Mick dive into the debate surrounding Sydney Sweeney’s latest sports-betting ad and what it says—or doesn’t say—about women’s sports and why audiences are tuning in. Then, Run Rabbit Run is putting $100,000 on the line for its winners, raising a bigger question: can prize money actually attract the athletes, attention, and prestige needed to make a race matter at the highest level? Plus, a whole lot of discussion about what makes a trail race worth watching, where the money in the sport is going, and whether $100,000 is enough to move the needle.