The Drop

Dylan Bowman, trail runner and founder/CEO of FreeTrail, shares stories from building a trail-focused media and events company. He discusses training plans and choosing races as a sponsored-free athlete. Conversation covers gear talk from Arc'teryx Sylan 2 impressions to headphones and underwear debates, plus plans for Big Alta, TrailCon, and Hardrock prep.

Thomas and Karl are back from South Korea, where they got an up-close look at the all-new On Lightspray factory, full of droids producing a whole army's worth of running footwear. They cover the entire trip while Robbe defends Spirit Airlines to the death and Meg gives a preview of her upcoming weekend with ASICS and the Los Angeles Marathon 100 Women Challenge. Thomas also drops the deets on the upcoming Mount to Coast BITR H1 release.SUPPORT OUR SPONSORSSOAROnly for Drop listeners, SOAR is giving away $300 in gear and apparel to TWO lucky winners. Their apparel is the best in the industry and their 1-Month Guarantee allows you to shop with total peace of mind – run for 1 month in your new apparel – test it in full – and if you’re still not satisfied you can return it, used, for a full refund. No questions asked. Ship worldwide, with all orders delivered direct-to-the-customer without any additional duties or taxes – no post-checkout surprises. Orders over $180 ship FREE. Enter the giveaway here: https://www.soarrunning.com/blogs/news/the-dropSWIFTWICKYou already know that Swiftwick makes our favorite socks for running, from training to race day. We wear them pretty much every day, whether it's the Flite XT crew or the low cut no-show. Get yourself ready for the new year and save 15% off your first purchase with code BELIEVE15: https://swiftwick.comINDEX6:12 - USATF Half Marathon Champs Women Debacle17:36 - Busan21:52 - Shakeout run first 30:08 - On Factory (just follow the convo and plug in b-roll) 53:00 - Tokyo Marathon1:04:55 - Spirit Airlines 1:13:00 - Nate Bargatze1:15:55 - Meg’s LA Marathon 100 Women Challenge1:25:35 - Newport News Marathon 1:26:25 - BITR x MTC H1 Presale

Max King, elite American trail and ultrarunner known for Barkley Marathons runs and a long competitive career. He talks about trail running’s golden age and deeper competition fields. He explains longevity strategies, navigation training, making tough bail decisions at Barkley, and his partnership with Kailas Fuga and its versatile EX Pro foam.

Scott Maguire, Chief Innovation Officer who engineers automation and factory processes. Caspar Coppetti, co-founder driving scaling from prototype to production. Olivier Bernhard, co-founder and ex-pro athlete shaping performance-first ideas. They tour the Lightspray factory, discuss moving from manual to robotic production, designing for automation, robotics and workforce shifts, and future creative possibilities for sprayed uppers.

Widefoot Jarrett, a running gear reviewer who focuses on wide-fit shoes and community reviews, joins to talk shoes and running life. They riff on parenting and stroller running. Conversations cover looksmaxxing and peptide stacking as fringe biohacking topics. Plenty of gear talk: On factory reveals, New Balance Ellipse impressions, and debates about cotton versus technical fabrics.

Erin Ton, adventure athlete with many FKTs and a recent fastest time on Aconcagua. She talks high-altitude decision-making and gear choices for big mountains. She discusses why ultras amplify life, build resilience, and create deep bonds. She also shares race vs FKT strategy and playful projects like Colorado 14ers in heels.

Jorma Seabourne, former Aston Martin and Adidas designer now CPO at Hylo, and Jacob Green, CEO building a performance-first, cleaner-materials running brand. They recount Hylo’s origin, deep footwear design choices, support vs cushioning tech, material innovations, manufacturing in Vietnam, and the plan to expand into a seven-shoe road running range.

They explore vintage hunting on Brick Lane and Burital finds in Spitalfields. A whirlwind trip to Adidas HQ reveals rare archive footwear and a prototype shoe test. London runs take them past Big Ben, Hyde Park oddities and raven-feeding locals. Travel chaos, food mishaps and late-night pub antics round out the storytelling.

Alex King, founder of Terragnota and product designer, talks trail gear and brand origins. They run through reasons not to chase ultras, from injuries and sleep loss to unpredictable race chaos. Then they give first impressions of the Nike ACG Ultrafly—fit, ride, and who it suits. Finally, Alex shares how Terragnota launched, manufacturing lessons, sustainability moves, and upcoming kit.

Andy Baddeley, Olympian and co-founder of The Running Channel, shares his journey from elite mile runner to running media creator. He talks about building an inclusive, entertaining channel, presenter stories and shoe testing. Conversation covers parkrun’s community role, transitioning to marathons, and differences between US and UK running cultures.