The Drop

Turns out that Thomas doesn't like ranch dressing, which would get you excommunicated from Guy Fieri's cruise line in a matter of minutes. No worries, you can head over to Estes Park and hang with him and Taylor as they take on the trails in the upcoming Hoka Tecton X 4, improved in all the right places over the last version. Congrats again to all our Summer GRIT participants, and to the winner Connor Bessell who racked up a marathon a day!

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS!

LAGOON PILLOWS
Sleep is training. Lagoon Pillow is...

This week, Alex posed a challenge to pick out a budget-friendly trail running kit. They give insight on how to shop, things to look for, etc. Outside of that conversation they talk about about a special Rocky Mountain mission for Taylor and Thomas as well as the upcoming Hoka Tecton X 4.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS:

Näak Nutrition: The Drop Listeners can get 15% off any Näak products by using code BITR15. Näak is a nutrition brand the leverages natural ingredients and research backed formulas to help athletes perform. The...

We watched Josh break the world-record last month, and we went back and listed to our original conversation with him back in 2023. It's worth a re-release. We hope you enjoy.

From the original episode:

He won the 5th Avenue Mile two weeks after he took down Jakob Ingebrigtsen on the sport's biggest stage, outkicking him en route to a world title in the 1500m. And now he's a guest on the greatest podcast in history of the universe. So yeah, you could say it's been a whirlwind of a month for Brooks...

Be careful what you wish for, or your girlfriend might love the Boston Marathon more than anything else in the whole world. In our case, we're already obsessed with running so we can't get any crazier. We recap GRIT standings before dipping into our experience driving an electric car and wishing we had knobs and buttons again. We also preview the Hylo Impact 2, a new version of the daily trainer offered from the London-based brand.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS!

LMNT
Summer is in full swing, which means you need more salt than you...

Alex, Reese, and Taylor talk about what they are obsessed with in the month of July. Everything from minivans, to horses, to stack heights was fair game. They wrap up their conversations with early imperessions of the upcoming Asics Metafuji Trail 2.

Guest: Reese chats with Dr. Jason Tso and Malene Lindholm who are conducting a study at Stanford that's focused on common genetic markers for endurance performance.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS:

Näak Nutrition: The Drop Listeners can get 15% off any Näak products by us...

What a week for running as Josh Kerr does the unthinkable in breaking the mile world record. Thomas also does the unthinkable by attempting the Presidential Traverse in adverse conditions, but manages to make it out alive with some stories to tell. We also run down the New Balance SC Rebel v1, an all-new super trainer coming in August for $200.
ASICS GRIT PARTY DETAILS
What: 3-mile group run followed by after party
When: Saturday, July 25 @ 11:30 a.m. (3-mile group run, after party starts at 12)
Where: Hampden Yards, 3601 Hickory Ave, Baltimore, MD 21211
Who: You and...

Western States and Hardrock are over. Hear the Dirt Division's thoughts on gear-related trends between the two events as well as trends in trail running gear in general this year. Alex and Taylor then talk about the Brooks Cascadia 20 and Taylor's wild ride in the White Mountains with Thomas and the Mount to Coast crew.

Guest: Sean Van Horn is a mountain runner from Colorado who has experienced all ends of the spectrum as an athlete. Not too long ago he was gunning for world records. More recently, health scares have...

Thomas and Meg sit down with Blue Benadum from R.A.D to talk about their lineup as well as his extensive history in the business, starting with his days at Nike.

We got flooded houses, dead fish in the harbor, wildfires, and grit. And we say to ourselves, what a wonderful world. July is throwing a tempter tantrum but it's all been made easier with some fantastic shoes in the way of the Topo Athletic Specter Elite and the Tracksmith Eliot Ryder. We're also looking forward to the annual Summer GRIT party, which is happening next weekend here in Baltimore at Hampden Yards. Hope to see you there!

ASICS GRIT PARTY DETAILS

What: 3-mile group run followed by after party
When: Saturday, July 25 @ 11:30...

Reese, Alex, and Taylor first lay out their thoughts on the upcoming North Face Offtrail Ultra. Then, they round out their conversation on recovery, which inevitablyturns macro before getting to some of the gear that they use regularly for it.Guest: Tommie Runz has become a well-known runner due to his inspiring story and "stay ready" attitude. Hear about his experience getting into trail running and how this led to some of his most challenging (and rewarding) running experiences yet.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS:

Näak Nutrition: The Drop Listeners can get 15% off any Näak pr...

The team has reassembled back in Baltimore, but it's been a whirlwind of the past two weeks as our running adventures took us everywhere from Western States 100 to the headquarters of On and Paris fashion week. We're tired but we're here, so that's gotta count for something.
SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS!

LAGOON PILLOWS
Sleep is training. Lagoon Pillow is built around your sleep position and preferences — so you wake up recovered and ready to run. We use them every night and you should too. Find your perfect pillow at lagoonsleep.com/believe
LMNT
Th...

The Dirt Division trio first mulls over one of the most anticipated shoes of the year, the Norda 055. Then, they dive into a two part conversation about recovery.

Guest: Jane Maus and Kyle Richardson are true mountain athletes. They talk to Taylor about their draw to such terrain, background that led them there, and what it means to be supported by Arc'teryx.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS

Näak Nutrition: The Drop Listeners can get 15% off any Näak products by using code BITR15. Näak is...

Thomas speaks with Wei-En Chang, the founder of JANUARY, a rising running shoe brand. Their first model coming to market is the Signal, their daily trainer.

Thomas and Meg are en España this week, so Robbe, Karl, and Brady came off the bench to fill their boots. They talk through the World Cup, the Norwegian Method of producing athletes, and even touch on the exorbitant number of Oreo flavors. They answer some listener questions from Instagram and celebrate the beginning of GRIT to round it out.JOIN US FOR SUMMER GRITRegistration for Summer GRIT is right around the corner. If you want to join the challenge, improve your base fitness, and see what you're made of, you can join here: https://runsignup.com/Race/M...

Alex, Taylor, and Maria (Believe in the Run's VIP) just returned from Western States. Even though they are sleep deprived, they talk about their experience at Western States.

Guest: Nnormal athletes Kilian Jornet and Elhousine Elazzaoui chat with Taylor about running in the USA, Nnormal's team, as well as a sneak peek of an upcoming Nnormal Prototype shoe that Kilian used during Western States.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS:

Näak Nutrition: The Drop Listeners can get 15% off any Näak products by using code BITR15. Nä...

In the midst of a busy trail packed week with Broken Arrow, TrailCon, and Western States, Max Jolliffe stopped by the BITR Tahoe HQ to chat about the week so far, his upcoming race at Badwater 135, and dissecting a little bit more of the aftermath of the Satisfy Circle Pit.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS!

LMNT

The temperatures are climbing up and up, which means you need more salt than you think you do. Crisp and refreshing, all LMNT flavors deliver 1000 mg sodium, 200 mg potassium, and 60 mg magnesium. And...

It's that time of year again. Taylor headed out to what he is coining as, "The Great American Trailapalooza". He, Reese, and Alex talk about what happens during the ten day span of Broken Arrow Skyrace, Trailcon, and Western States. Taylor, also gives a first-hand account of his experience at Broken Arrow with Nike ACG. Then, Taylor talks to Aeres Reading, a trail racing young gun, who will be living, breathing, and sleeping trail running as a Trail House athlete.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS:

Näak Nutrition: The Drop Listeners c...

Thomas and Meaghan sit down with Drew Magaha, Product Manager for Mizuno USA, to talk through his running history and what the brand has in store. The gang have been running in Mizuno shoes this year that are getting green lights across the board, so keep an eye out!

It's gonna be a busy next few weeks, so the crew locks in for an hour and a half of running talk (not really), before maybe wishing things were a little bit simpler at times. But hey, life is good becasue you're here with us. Summer is here and GRIT is coming up, so let's have some fun. We also cover our experiences in the really-fantastic Topo Athletic Specter 3 and Brooks' best race day shoe to date, by far.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS!

LMNT

The temperatures are climbing up and up...

The Dirt Divison plays a game of would you rather with some questions that have a direct tie to running and some that clearly don’t.

Guest: Mason Coppi has been quietly crushing on both the trails and occassionally the roads. Just in 2026 he became a USATF Trail Running Champion and qualified of the US Olympic Trials in the marathon. Taylor checks in with him as he recently signed as a Vibram athlete.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS:

Näak Nutrition: The Drop Listeners can get 15% off...

The World Cup is coming, so who better to talk about it than three runners who don't watch soccer? We do run, so we recap Meg's bloody experience at the Baltimore 10 Miler and Brady pissing iced tea at a 100 mile race in Ohio. We also cover the R.A.D. Mallow, another really great entry into the $150 running shoe range.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS!

LAGOON PILLOWS

Sleep is training. Lagoon Pillow is built around your sleep position and preferences — so you wake up recovered and ready to run. We...

This week the crew touches base on some gear and ideas that they are "obsessed" with. Their answers come with unsurprising range and do include some of their favorite pieces of gear right now.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS:

Näak Nutrition: The Drop Listeners can get 15% off any Näak products by using code BITR15. Näak is a nutrition brand the leverages natural ingredients and research backed formulas to help athletes perform. They have a host of products like gels, drink, mixes, broths, bars, and recovery fuel. Their highest per...

Thomas chats with Emily Abbate, host of Hurdle podcast at the Spotify Studios in NYC.

Carbon-plated super shoes or air fryers or robot leg massagers, it's hard to know which is a better invention. We talk about all of those this week, as well as the cult of puppetry and Meg's fairly fresh pair of New Balance SC Trainer v1. And then there's Puma's newest shoe, the Deviate Pure Nitro.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS!

LMNT

Summer hydration has never been better, because Lemonade Ice Tea is finally here! Crisp and refreshing, it delivers 1000 mg sodium, 200 mg potassium, and 60 mg magnesium, plus– 50 mg of caf...

How do you feel after finishing a big race or objective? Listen in our The Dirt Division's glorified therapy session on how to deal with life after racing. They also discuss some of their favorites, suprises, and gear they are excited about so far in 2026.

Guest: Rachel Entrekin won the Cocodona 250 outright which is just another major mliestone for her first full year as a professional runner. She is sponsored by some of our favorite brands in the indurstry. She chats about her background as PT, favorite gear, mindset around racing, and much more.<...

We have a large library of shoes. Charlie has a large library of whiskey. He was kind enough to bring his collection to Baltimore, so on this episode of the podcast we hear Charlie's story while doing a live tasting. Things get..."melty".

Okay, Robbe is back and we're done talking about circle pits. But it's controversy season so we cover the Enhanced Games and everything that did or didn't go down with that. Plus, the Baltimore race that almost was (should we bring it back?) and a water conservation question that we need to be answered. Oh, also the Asics Novablast 6 is a pretty great shoe.

JOIN US FOR SUMMER GRIT

Registration for Summer GRIT is right around the corner. If you want to join the challenge, improve your base fitness...

The Dirt Division trio chats about drop bags this week. Do you use them? What are necessary items? What can you do without? Prior to that, listeners requested Reese's take on Satisfy Circle Pit which, inevitably, dove into grander topics of life.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS:

SOAR Running: Only 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 ne...

Thomas and Taylor went to the now infamous Adidas x SATISFY Circle Pit. If you haven't heard of it, you were probably enjoying a long run and some time outside. While you were taking care of your physical and mental health, the Circle Pit took the internet by storm, brewing up some intense opinions. On this episode, Thomas talks through his experience, and the rest of the gang talk through what went wrong and what could have made it land better.

JOIN US FOR SUMMER GRIT

Registration for Summer...

Taylor just returned from what was easily the most unique running experience of his life. He and Alex talk about what the Satisfy x Adidas Circle Pit (think running meets backyard bowl jam meets metal concert) was all about, what it was like to be there, and even the ongoing conversations about the event.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS:

SOAR Running: Only 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...

Meg and Thomas sit down with Sharon Lokedi at Under Armour's HQ to talk about her recent Boston win, borrowing someone's watch, enjoying downtime and extra sleep, and a whole lot more.

Some amazing things went down at Cocodona, so we cover those from the road runners perspective, before diving into a wide ranging conversation regarding Sara Hall's new book (as well as other books), roasts of comedians and runners, and getting pepper sprayed in the face in Deep Ellum. Plus, more details on Summer GRIT and our contest to join us at Western States with Hoka.

JOIN US AT WESTERN STATES!

Believe in the Run and Hoka are bringing one lucky fan to join us at Western States! Stay with...

Description: The trio talks about Cocodona. This time, it is after Alex has finished the race in under 100 hours! She gives us insight on her adventure as she is still processing the whole experience.Guest: Adam Copeland is the founder of Tantrums, a pack company that disrupted our favorite gear lists list year. While their flagship design, the Crest 6, still holds as one of the highest performing packs, there are new products on the horizon.SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS:Only for Drop listeners, SOAR is giving away $300 in gear and apparel to TWO lucky winners. Their apparel is the best...

It's been an unruly ride, but it's time to say bon voyage to Spirit Airlines. While we're mourning that, we still found time to run in the Brooks Hyperion Max 4 and Ghost Max 4. Still, not nearly enough miles as our trail reviewer Alex, who is currently at mile 211 at the Cocodona 250 (at the time we're writing this). We talk about all that and more in this week's edition of The Drop.

Join us at Western States, apply HERE: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfRssHXBjPhvjNqV7achcoJkPwWTBIcKB7C5HJqKlz4NqpiGg/viewform

<...

Description: Alex took on the challenge of Cocodona 250. Yes, a 250 mile race across the Arizona desert. She talks with Taylor and Reese who have some concerns and questions on motivation, tactics, and gear.

Guest: Brandon Crouche is the Product Merchandiser for Salomon North American. Taylor and Brandon talk about his career at Salomon, the development of the GRVL product, and how it all fits into the broader scope of Salomon as a brand.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS:
Only for Drop listeners, SOAR is giving away $300 in gear and apparel...

Thomas sits down with Dave Hashim, professional photographer, runner, and friend of the podcast. To see Dave's work, you can find him on Instagram at @dhash.

On Sunday, the sport of running and the art of marathoning was forever changed as Sebastian Sawe ran the first-ever official sub-2-hour marathon. He wasn't the only one to do it, of course, and they both ran in the Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3, the lightest race day shoe ever at 99 grams. We give our thoughts on the race and the past and future of footwear, as well as plenty of other running (and non-running discussion).

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS!

SWIFTWICK: You already know that Swiftwick makes our favorite...

Alex and Taylor girll Reese after her first 100k finish! Reese just ran the Canyons 100k by UTMB, one of the most competitive races in North America. They talk travel, race strategies, and of course gear.SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS:Only 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 fu...

One if by land, two if by sea, twenty-six-point-two if by running from Hopkinton to Boston. We had a full weekend of activities from our Mount to Coast movie night to the Boston 5K to the New Balance Team Relay to the massive Adidas x Heartbreak Hill shakeout run. Also, a race on Monday as Meg went hard on the hills for the 130th edition of the Boston Marathon. We recap it all in this episode, so thank you to everyone who showed up and made it such a memorable weekend.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS!

<...

Alex, Reese, and Taylor sit down for a multi-session chat about heat. It effects us all differently and there are ways to combat it and prepare your body for the demands of running when it's hot.

Guest: Andrew Bumbalough is the Product Line Manager for Nike ACG. He sets a few things straight for the sub-brand and talks about their current and future investment into the trail running and outdoor space.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS:
Only for Drop listeners, SOAR is giving away $300 in gear and apparel to TWO...