Trail Society

Researcher and runner Katherine Boere joins Corinne to talk about the connection between physiological depletion and cognitive function in runners. We've all been there: Making wild choices late in races that we swear seemed to make sense at the time. Why do decisions seem to get harder after you've run farther?

The two of them dig into:

Boere is a Ph.D. candidate in the neuroscience program at the University...

In this episode of Trail Society, Corrine and Keely dig into the question a lot of female athletes ask this time of year, as training starts to ramp back up: Is this normal fatigue, or could it be anemia?

Plus: spring race season news, a major WNBA update, and a few standout stories from the Trail Society community.

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Olympic medalist Shannon Rowbury and pelvic health physical therapist Jess Dorrington join Corinne to talk about their new book, Strong as a Mother, and the bigger conversation around pregnancy, postpartum, and athleticism. Together, they explore what it means to stay active during pregnancy, how runners can think about returning to sport postpartum, and why strength during motherhood may look different, but no less powerful.

They also dig into pelvic floor health for runners, common misconceptions around exercise during pregnancy, and why so much advice in this space can feel confusing or incomplete. Jess breaks down why pelvic...

Jane Maus is coming off a huge early-season win at Black Canyon 50K — but her story is about far more than a finish line.

From battling chronic pre-race nerves to chasing the Grand Teton FKT, making the Short Trail World Championships Team, and stepping into a new partnership with Arc’teryx, Jane’s last two years have been anything but linear.

In this episode, we talk about:

Hillary is back from her recent travels, Corrine shares some upcoming race decisions, and then they dive into the topic of the day: Why some athletes are “clutch” on the world’s biggest stages, while others “choke”—and what the rest of us can learn from those moments.

Corrine and Hillary explore the science of performance under pressure—from Olympic heartbreak to gold-medal breakthroughs.

They break down the neuroscience of choking, why overthinking sabotages performance, and the psychological tools athletes can use to re-set mid-race. They also highlight Olympic champion Alysa Liu’s joy-first approach to sport and wha...

What does it take to become a Paralympian in a sport you just learned?

This week, Corrine sits down with Team USA Paralympian Dani Aravich — a Nordic skier and biathlete (that's skiing and shooting) heading into her third Paralympic Games right now. How did she go from DI runner to professional sports executive to discovering the Paralympic movement and jumping headfirst into a brand new sport?

Dani learned how to cross-country ski as an adult — and now she's in Milan competing at the Paralympics.

But, she says, Paralympic storytelling also needs to move away...

Corrine and Keely recap Winter Olympics highlights and the latest Western States Golden Ticket qualifiers before diving into the research on injuries in female athletes.

They explore whether women are actually more injury-prone, what role hormones and the menstrual cycle may play, and how factors like training load, strength work, and energy availability influence injury risk and recovery.

They cover:

What does it mean to say trail running is for everyone — when not everyone feels safe at the start line?

In this deeply honest and urgent conversation, Corrine sits down with trail runner and immigration attorney Carolina Rubio-MacWright to talk about what’s happening right now in immigrant communities — and why our sport cannot pretend it’s separate from the political reality of the world we live in.

Carolina shares what it's like carrying her residency card on runs, fielding messages from athletes asking whether it’s safe to race, and helping race directors develop emergency...

Keely’s back from her Step 1 Medical Licensing Exam and honeymoon chaos, and we’re diving straight into one of the most important conversations for female athletes right now: stress.

Stress from training. Stress from life. Stress from the world. Stress from big exams and big dreams.

It's a perfect transition into the brand new 2025 Female Athlete Triad Coalition consensus update and what those changes means for athletes, coaches, and doctors.

We break down:

After years at the top of the trail and ultra running worlds—Hardrock 100 champion, Nolan’s 14 FKT holder, and consistent podium finisher—Sabrina Stanley's life changed overnight when she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2025. What followed were multiple surgeries, chemotherapy, medical menopause, and ongoing immunotherapy.

In this conversation with host and friend Corrine Malcolm, Sabrina shares what it's like to navigate cancer while still training as a professional athlete, why ultra running prepared her for treatment, and how redefining success has helped her return to racing at the Arc of Attrition 100—one of the harshest winter ultras i...

Training stress isn’t just about mileage, vert, or workouts — it’s about everything else competing for your energy, too.

In this episode of Trail Society, Corrine Malcolm and co-host Hillary Allen share both the science and their experiences with mental fatigue, allostatic load, and burnout. From road marathon training and international travel to work stress, technology overload, and emotional strain, they unpack why athletes often feel exhausted even when training volume drops.

Training stress doesn’t exist in isolation. If you’ve ever wondered why you feel flat during a taper, overwhelmed by metrics, or stuck i...

We're sharing a special episode today from our new Feisty Media family to help you deal with and take away some action items for the collective trauma many of us are going through right now, whether it's new for you or simply heightened.

Along with being a sports psychologist & therapist in her own right, the Feisty Women's Performance podcast host Dr. Erin Ayala also lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota — which has been at the center of the news over the last month since it became the target of the largest immigration enforcement action to date in the U.S...

What does endurance look like when perfection is no longer the goal?

In this deeply personal episode, host Corrine Malcolm sits down with professional runner and mountain athlete Olivia Amber for a conversation about movement, identity, health, and choosing paths that don’t always make sense on paper but that feel right in the body.

Olivia grew up in a small Nordic ski community in northern Wisconsin, racing at a high level before stepping away from elite skiing after college. What followed was a series of pivots: a career outside sport, a rediscovery of running as...

What does it really look like to pursue excellence over a decade — through injury, uncertainty, quiet rebuilds, and breakthrough moments that seem sudden only from the outside?

In this episode of Trail Society, host Corrine Malcolm sits down with one of her closest friends and most compelling athletes in the sport: Abby Hall. Fresh off her 2025 Western States 100 victory, Abby reflects on the long road that led there — and why the “messy middle” matters just as much as the podium.

This conversation is less about one race and more about a philosophy: making it "cool to care...

Episode 116 is a year end reflection with Corrine Malcolm, Keely Henninger, and Hillary Allen, released just ahead of the New Year. The conversation opens with lighthearted check ins on holiday routines, winter training, and how each host plans to ring in 2026. From there, the episode moves into results, news, and science, including a detailed discussion of new findings from the ReFUEL study examining menstrual recovery, estrogen exposure, and ovulation in endurance athletes with functional hypothalamic amenorrhea and oligomenorrhea. The hosts unpack what it actually means for cycles to return, why multiple consecutive cycles matter, and how this research informs...

Episode 115 is a winter roundtable with Corrine Malcolm, Keely Henninger, and Hillary Allen that explores how resilience in endurance sport is built not in isolation, but through people, culture, and environment. We open by checking in on winter training realities across snow, mud, rain, and darkness, and how community helps athletes keep showing up during the hardest part of the year. The episode also covers standout performances from CIM, including a historic day for women chasing the Olympic Trials standard, updates in women's sport science and leadership, and notable moments across trail, road, and skimo.

At the...

Episode 114 takes us to Cape Town as Corrine gives a full UTCT race recap, reflecting on why she returned to the Deep South, the big-volume training block leading in, and the challenges of racing after travel sickness and time zone chaos. We talk pacing through the first 50 kilometers, fueling decisions, and what makes a night start feel uniquely disorienting. The conversation touches on heat training, mental reframing, and the honest emotional landscape of managing expectations when things out of your control land in your lap during race week.

We also round up an exceptionally fast weekend of...

In Episode 113 we sit down with Dr. Margie Davenport, Professor of Kinesiology and Director of the Program for Pregnancy and Postpartum Health at the University of Alberta. Margie has spent more than two decades advancing the science of exercise during pregnancy and postpartum, collaborating with organizations including FIFA, Sport Canada, ACSM, and the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada. She walks us through the transformative cardiovascular, metabolic, and biomechanical adaptations that make pregnancy "the ultimate stress test," while explaining how exercise supports both maternal and fetal health.

We also dig into her recent work on long-duration...

In Episode 112 of Trail Society, Corrine, Keely, and Hillary head to the desert for the Javelina Jundred. Keely was on the ground with the rabbit x Trail Society scholarship athletes, Clarivel Vega and Daisy, crewing, pacing, and celebrating their powerful performances. From first trail race jitters and high and low moments, to late-night grit, the weekend was a reminder that showing up for one another can make all the difference.

The crew dives into what it means to create access, not just by giving out scholarships, but by building community and support systems that help women get...

In this episode of Trail Society, Corrine, Keely, and Hillary sit down with researcher Jill Colangelo to unpack their newly published review, "Exploring the Presentation of REDs in Ultra Endurance Sport." This conversation dives deep into the intersection of low energy availability (LEA), disordered eating (DE), and exercise dependence (EXD), issues that are all too common yet rarely discussed openly in the ultra-endurance community.

Many athletes are unknowingly underfueling, especially for efforts lasting over two and a half hours, and whether this is intentional or unintentional, the consequences can be profound. The discussion explores how extreme training...

In this episode of Trail Society, Corrine, Keely, and Hillary break down an action-packed World Mountain and Trail Running Championships, where Team USA came away with hardware and Hillary surprised us all with a double, competing in both the vertical and the long trail events. Hilly shares what it was like to rock the Team USA kit, how she pivoted from preparing for a one-hour climb to suddenly taking on an 80km ultra, and what she learned from the experience.

The crew also highlights the story of Clarivel Vega, this year's 30km Javelina Trail Society Scholarship recipient...

Episode 109 of Trail Society features an inspiring conversation with Daisy Martinez, the rabbit x Trail Society 100K scholarship winner whose story embodies resilience and representation. A Mexican American ultrarunner from Los Angeles, Daisy started trail running in 2016 and has since transformed personal challenges into fuel for her running journey. As a teen parent and now single mother, she credits the endurance and grit she built while raising her son with helping her push through the mental and physical demands of ultrarunning. Diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 2023, Daisy has been learning how to continue pursuing the sport she loves while...

In this episode of Trail Society, Corrine Malcolm, Keely Henninger, and Hillary Allen dive into one of the biggest weeks in trail running, the 2025 UTMB Finals. From brutal weather and historically high dropout rates to some of the closest top-10 finishes ever, the crew breaks down all the drama across OCC, CCC, and UTMB. They highlight standout wins from Jim Walmsley, Ruth Croft, and Francesco Puppi, celebrate trailblazing performances from athletes representing countries new to the UTMB stage, and reflect on the growing but still uneven women's participation numbers. Beyond the race results, they explore what it means for...

Episode 107 of Trail Society kicks off with life updates from Keely and Hillary, before diving into listener-submitted news and research. They discuss a BBC story where undercover officers highlighted the prevalence of street harassment, with 94% of local women reporting experiences of catcalling. This transitions into a conversation around exercise during pregnancy, sparked by a listener question about heart rate guidelines. The hosts review current research showing that, for athletes already active, higher intensity exercise can be safe and even beneficial during pregnancy, lowering risks like gestational diabetes and improving newborn Apgar scores. They emphasize that heart rate is an...

Episode 106 of Trail Society opens with the hosts catching up after a busy stretch of travel, training, and transitions, sharing experiences from Alaska fast-packing, Wyoming family visits, and runs on hometown singletrack. The conversation then shifts to the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, highlighting Pauline Ferrand-Prévot's long-awaited victory and the breadth of her multi-discipline cycling career. While her win came after a calculated, team-guided performance plan that included a 4 kg weight reduction, the hosts discuss how such strategies can raise health concerns, especially in a sport with a history of under-fueling and the belief that "lighter is a...

In Episode 105, the Trail Society crew recaps big performances at recent races, including Katie Schide's record-setting win at Hardrock 100 and fast times from Cascade Crest and HiLo. They highlight events pushing for gender parity on start lines and discuss the return of athletes post-injury and pregnancy. There's also a quick rabbit x Trail Society product update and a listener Q&A about traveling with poles and gear for multi-day run ventures.

The second half of the episode shifts to research: Keely breaks down new studies exploring the effects of RED-S, amenorrhea, and chronic low energy availability on...

This week on Trail Society, the team celebrates Hillary's selection to Team USA for the World Mountain Running Championships before diving into a timely and thought-provoking conversation on coaching young athletes. Guests Rachel Sanford and Jennifer Anderson-Ehrlich—leaders from Sportswomen of Colorado—share insights into mentoring girls through sport, navigating puberty in athletics, and creating cultures of confidence, leadership, and joy. Whether you're a coach, parent, or athlete, this episode offers a playbook for supporting the next generation. Don't miss the post-interview Society Slam, where the crew reacts to a new women's sports bar, listener questions about trail bathroom etiq...

In this electric post-race episode of Trail Society, Corrine Malcolm sits down with co-host and freshly minted Western States Top Ten finisher Keely Henninger to relive the highs, lows, and hard-earned triumphs of this year's race. Keely reflects on her fourth go at WSER, this time arriving with a deeply personal approach, hard-won confidence, and zero obligations to perform for a brand—just herself. From a ferocious women's field to a historic showing by international athletes, Corrine and Keely break down everything that made this year's race unforgettable, including the dramatic chase to crack the top ten.

Th...

In this episode, ultrarunner, OB/GYN board certified physician, and mom of two Lauren Puretz, DO, returns to the podcast to dive deep into women's health with a focus on athletes navigating fertility, pregnancy, and postpartum. Lauren discusses complex reproductive health conditions like PCOS and endometriosis, especially how they present uniquely in athletic populations. She emphasizes the importance of proper diagnosis, individualization of treatment, and how these conditions can affect energy levels and performance. She offers practical advice for athletes with insulin resistance and stresses the importance of advocacy when pain is being overlooked in clinical settings.

...

In Episode 101 of Trail Society, OB/GYN, ultrarunner, and mom of two Dr. Lauren Puretz joins Corrine, Keely, and Hillary for a candid and insightful conversation about puberty, birth control, and fertility in female athletes. Drawing from both her medical practice and personal experience as an elite endurance athlete, Dr. Puretz breaks down complex topics like energy availability, menstrual health, and hormonal birth control, offering practical advice for athletes navigating these issues. The discussion highlights how puberty and menstruation are affected by training load, the importance of not masking menstrual irregularities with birth control, and how coaches and caregivers...

Welcome to Episode 100 of Trail Society! We could not have made it to 100 episodes without all of your support! In this special AMA-style celebration, Corrine Malcolm, Keely Henninger, and Hillary Allen are back at it—fielding your most thoughtful, hilarious, and heartfelt questions. From Tiger Claw race recaps (hello Big Cat challenge!) to recovery updates and favorite gear drops (psst... the new rabbit Venture shorts are awesome), this episode is packed with stories, reflections, and realness.

We're diving deep into what we've learned from each other—and from you—over 100 episodes, touching on everything from body image and su...

In this milestone 99th episode of Trail Society, we go all-in on Keely Henninger's third-place finish at the Canyons 100K, earning her a coveted Golden Ticket to Western States. Keely walks us through her decision to return to Western States, how she managed training on reduced mileage while in med school, and the strategies she used to stay consistent under immense pressure. We dig into the physiology, planning, and mindset shifts that made this comeback possible—including how stepping away from sponsorship has reshaped her relationship with competition.

Listeners will get detailed answers to real questions from th...

In Episode 98 of Trail Society, Corrine, Keely, and Hillary recap a big weekend at the Gorge Waterfalls races, touching on standout performances, course records, and the ongoing shift toward spring in the Pacific Northwest. Hillary shares a candid update about choosing to skip a race for safety reasons, tying back to last week's episode on trail harassment. The team also celebrates Abby Hall's last-minute golden ticket to Western States, and they highlight key results from Desert Rats, Mad City, and Lake Sonoma.

The main interview features Sports Dietitian Claire Shorenstein, who breaks down essential nutrition topics for...

In Episode 97 of Trail Society, hosts Corrine Malcolm, Keely Henninger, and Hillary Allen dive into a wide range of topics, including the latest news in the world of sports and personal updates from their busy lives. They cover the historic election of Kirsty Coventry as the first female president of the International Olympic Committee, along with the growing momentum of women's basketball, highlighted by record-breaking viewership during March Madness. The episode also touches on the latest developments in sports science, including intriguing research about the impact of marathons on brain health and myelin levels, and a rundown of exciting...

In this exciting episode of Trail Society, hosts Corrine Malcolm, Keely Henninger, and Hillary Allen dive into a diverse mix of topics ranging from science news to runner safety. The episode kicks off with a reflection on Women's History Month and International Women's Day, followed by a discussion on recent sports science advancements, including a groundbreaking study on the possibility of female athletes breaking the 4-minute mile barrier. The trio explores a new study modeling how drafting could potentially help elite female runners like Faith Kipyegon achieve that incredible feat, revealing some surprising mathematical insights.

The conversation...

In episode 95 of Trail Society, hosts Corrine Malcolm, Keely Henninger, and Hillary Allen sit down with two standout researchers from Stanford University—Dr. Morgan Smith and Naiomi Hunter—for an insightful conversation about the intersection of women's health, athletic performance, and wearable technology. Dr. Smith, a sport scientist, coach, and postdoctoral fellow with the Wu Tsai Human Performance Alliance at Stanford, is passionate about how physiology and metabolism influence performance, especially for women in sport. Her research is grounded in the real world, as she also coaches high school athletes, lifts weights, and enjoys time outdoors with her dog, Regg...

Join hosts Corrine Malcolm and Hillary Allen as they recap their experience at the Tarawera Ultramarathon in New Zealand. They discuss the challenges of balancing different training demands, listening to their bodies, and not letting one race result define them. The conversation includes reflections on training blocks, race outcomes, and personal experiences, highlighting the importance of goal alignment and processing setbacks. They also dive into the importance of teamwork in addressing mistakes, as well as the highs and lows of race day, from the weather to the wildlife. They share insights into their respective journeys, with Hillary reflecting on...

In Episode 94 of Trail Society, hosts Corrine Malcolm and Hillary Allen recap their experience at the Tarawera Ultramarathon in New Zealand. They discuss the challenges of balancing different training demands, listening to their bodies, and not letting one race result define them. The conversation includes reflections on training blocks, race outcomes, and personal experiences, highlighting the importance of goal alignment and processing setbacks. They also dive into the importance of teamwork in addressing mistakes, as well as the highs and lows of race day, from the weather to the wildlife. They share insights into their respective journeys, with Hillary...

In Episode 93 of Trail Society, Corrine, Keely, and Hillary discuss the latest athlete contract news as the new year continues, touching on Keely's decision to forgo a formal sponsorship, Hillary's experience renegotiating with Brooks, and Corrine's new role with HOKA. The episode also celebrates National Girls and Women in Sport Day, highlighting key updates in women's sports, including exciting new sponsorships and efforts toward greater parity in gravel cycling. With upcoming races like Black Canyon 100km and Tarawera, the ladies dive into the growing excitement in the endurance sports world.

The episode also takes a deep dive...

In this episode of Trail Society, Dr. Sarah Lesko, the Executive Director of the non-profit Bras for Girls, joins the hosts to share her unique journey from collegiate running at Yale to her work in medicine and community health. Dr. Lesko discusses how her passion for running, coupled with her background as a family doctor and public health advocate, led her to co-found Bras for Girls, a program dedicated to providing sports bras to girls, ensuring they have the support they need to participate confidently in sports and physical activities. She reflects on her time with Oiselle, the women's...