State of the Industry: Trail Running at TrailCon
And the inside scoop of all the things that we discussed when the cameras weren't rolling...
Starting Line
Steve Holmberg and Matt Trappe return! We got to spend a lot of time together recently during the week of TrailCon, and wanted to share out the emerging trends in trail running (and beyond) and the discussions that we had a chance to participate in. Trappe also built out an incredible house with amazing people, soul-nourishing food and deep conversations - so we dug into the behind-the-scenes story of how it all came together (and what’s next).
State of the Industry: Trail Running at TrailCon
Steve Holmberg and Matt Trappe are back for a debrief on one of the biggest weeks in trail running — Broken Arrow, Western States, and everything in between at TrailCon. Steve breaks down his state-of-the-industry analysis: why trail running's rebrand from "ultra running" unlocked massive new participation, why the sport is about to fragment the way mountain biking did decades ago, and why brands chasing "max" specs are about to pivot to "right" specs built specifically for trail.
Then Matt takes listeners inside a project few people got to experience firsthand — a house in Tahoe built with Skratch and other partners, designed to bring brand leaders, athletes, and creators together without competitive walls. He explains the intention behind it, what happened when 37 of 40 people in the room spoke up during an unscripted conversation, and why some of the best moments of the week happened specifically because they weren't being recorded.
We Saw It Happen
We had the Popfly crew rolling with us at TrailCon, and it was so fun to introduce them to our friends who work in the industry, because it felt like everyone had been looking for a solution to the problem that Popfly solves. They connect athletes and creators with brands and businesses in the outdoor, travel and adventure space. At this point, you’ve likely heard about Popfly, but I would seriously encourage you to look into this platform if you haven’t already. There’s something special going on here, and seeing brands discover this in real time at TrailCon only solidified that for me.
Article Of The Week
Perfectly timed with our state of the trail running industry episode, Seth LaReau’s shoe sponsorship power rankings for Q2 just dropped. Read on!
Show Notes
BPC - Brand, Product, Content
BPC is our closing segment where we share Brands we’ve discovered, Products we’re using and Content that we love.
🎥 "Raise The Bar" Film: This film by Hilary Yang and Carrie Highman follows the journey of the women at Western States: Heather Jackson, Cindy Shepard, Fuzhao Xiang and Eszter Csillag.
⚡️ Marin Rift Zone EL XR: Steve got his first taste of eMTB this past week on Aaron’s bike, and after seeing the look on his face, we doubt it will be his last e-bike ride. The EL version of this bike is a “light” e-bike, meaning it has a smaller/lighter battery, making the bike handle like a normal mountain bike. Just enough assist to keep things fun!
🎯 Golden Hour Racing Shirt: Aaron swooped Matt Trappe’s latest Auteur Sportif shirt at TrailCon, the “Golden Hour Racing” shirt. There is a full capsule on the Auteur Sportif site if you want to check it out!
Thank You
A big thank you to everyone who joined us at TrailCon for the panels, meetups, and conversations. It was great to meet so many of you in person at the event, and we’re already excited for next year.
We’ve been recording a ton of podcasts lately, and there are some incredible conversations coming your way. Stay tuned!