Trail Mix Running Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

In this episode of the Trail Mix Running Podcast, Nick and Steven are joined by teacher, coach, and women’s six-day distance world record holder Meg Eckert for a wide-ranging conversation reflecting on 2025 and looking ahead to what they’re chasing in 2026.

Meg shares what excites her about running, her favorite song to put on when she's hitting a steep mountainside trail, and what she thinks about the potential of multi-day efforts as the sport continues to evolve. Together, they explore lessons learned, goals worth pursuing, and what it means to stay curious and motivated over the long haul.

Find Meg online at www.instagram.com/_megeckert.

Chapters

00:00 – Intro / First Group Run of 2026

02:32 – Falling vs. Stumbling / WWDGD

04:40 – Denton’s Dummest / Keep Austin Weird

07:17 – Christmas Traditions / Hydration / HansIsYoungAndFit

10:15 – Our GOAT Ann Trason / Running Before Garmin

13:59 – WTF Chipotle / Palo Duro Listener / Lotteries / Bandit Running Leadville

19:02 – Meg Eckert Introduction / Goals vs. Resolutions / Backyard 101

24:09 – Meg Eckert Interview

In Episode 3 of TMRP, Nick and Steven reflect on their conversation with Kilian Korth and share early lessons from starting the podcast. They also talk about all aspects of running in winter, gifts for trail runners, the optimization movement in trail running, their favorite documentaries, and where they see the podcast going from here.

Thanks for joining us early in this journey. We love having you with us!

Chapters

00:00 - Introduction/Reflections on Kilian Korth Interview/Early Spotify Metrics

04:24 - All things winter running/Anti-Treadmill/Holiday Gift Guide

14:36 - The Optimization Movement/Do Hard Things/Tattoos

27:07 - The Dower Line/Actually Fast/The Ideal Aid Station/Spirit of Adventure

29:53 - Trail Folk/Documentaries

38:01 - Diving Into Podcasting/Episode 4 With Meg Eckert/Our First Races in 2026/Goodbye!

In this episode of the Trail Mix Podcast, Steven and Nick sit down with ultrarunner - and 2025 Triple Crown of 200s winner - Kilian Korth. They cover his journey from competitive swimming to the world of 200-mile racing, the highs and lows that shaped him, and the training philosophy that helped him break through after a streak of DNFs.

Kilian talks through how he approaches failure, what his day-to-day training actually looks like, and where he wants to take his running next - including long trail efforts, mental durability, and what “delusional self-belief” really means to him.

Find Kilian online at instagram.com/runtoughmindset on Instagram and on Substack at runtoughmindset.substack.com

Life is short, run far.

00:00 – Introduction / Nick’s Surprise Race

03:50 – Steven Did a Thing

09:45 – Hardrock & WSER Lotteries

14:15 – Intro Wrap-Up / We’re Pros Now

17:20 – The Man Himself: Kilian Korth

In Episode 1 of the Trail Mix Running Podcast, your hosts Nick and Steven introduce the show, set the stage for what listeners can expect, and share their goals for this project.

They talk about what trail running, ultramarathons, and endurance sports mean to them while covering their athletic-ish backgrounds, how they got into training and competing, what keeps them pushing forward, and what their lives look like outside of crushing trails.

We share our own ideas, but we’d love to hear yours. Leave a comment about what you want to hear from TMRP in the future - and for the first time in our lives, we’ll say it: please like and subscribe.

Cheers!

In this episode of TMRP, hosts Nick and Steven share listener milestones reflecting the growth of the show and finally come to a conclusion on what actually counts as a fall while trail running.

They also talk about the Freetrail and UltraRunning Magazine’s respective Trail Runner and Ultra Runner of the Year lists. Other topics include Nike ACG’s rave fashion roots, the annual sponsorship shuffle, whether or not they think they’re influenceable, dream sponsors, and the debut of a new segment: Local Legends.

Thanks for joining us for Episode 5. If you enjoyed the conversation, leave a comment with your favorite part of the episode and consider dropping a five-star review - it helps more than you might think.

See you in two weeks! 🤘

00:00 - Intro/Growth Numbers/We're on Apple Podcasts Now

02:20 - Falling Into Place/We Love Burritos

06:50 - Nick is Fast(ing)/Starting Resolutions

12:19 - Steven's First Race of 2026

13:13 - Trail/Ultra Runner of the Year 2025 (Freetrail and UltraRunner Magazine)

17:20 - Signing Season/Is Nike Moving In?/Are We Influenceable?

24:06 - NEW SEGMENT - Local Legends/An Ask For Our Listeners

28:34 - Local Legend #1 Erica Garner

In this episode of the Trail Mix Running Podcast, Nick and Steven sit down with 2025 Cocodona 250 champion and course record holder Dan Green (Interview starts at 25:16).

The trio talks about Dan’s path to Cocodona, the subtle running culture differences between West Virginia and France, the positive peer pressure that comes from a strong running group (text message group), his thoughts on being a professional runner, the infamous crosswalk incident, and what actually makes the perfect pair of tights.

Drop a flag in the comments to let us know where you’re listening from, and if you like what you hear, a five-star rating would mean the world to us.

Chapters

00:00 - Intro/Ouachita Switchbacks 50k/Steven Finally Fell

04:26 - Nick's Burrito League Experience/Cultural Phenomenon

13:15 - Trail Mix Aid Station at Grasslands Ultra/What Makes A Good Aid Station?/A Teaser of What's to Come?

16:00 - Looking Back on Calling Our Shot w/ Meg Eckert

17:33 - This Is Now A Taipei 101 Podcast

22:35 - Intro'ing Dan Green

25:16 - Dan Green Interview

In this episode of the Trail Mix Running Podcast, Nick and Steven break down recent racing action across the trail and ultra world, including the Black Canyon 100K, the Barkley Marathons, Rocky 50, Race Purse updates, and the Austin Marathon.

They also dig into important updates impacting Texas State Parks and debate Steven’s top three public lands in Texas.

The episode wraps up with a conversation with Anne and Chris Barnwell, race directors of Blaze Trails Running and hosts of the Grasslands Trail Race - an Ultrarunning Magazine Old School Ultra taking place on March 21 in Alvord, Texas. The group talks about race founder Suzi Cope, what makes Grasslands special, and what runners can expect on race day.

Episode 8 of the Trail Mix Running Podcast is here.

Nick and Steven kick things off by talking about how their 2026 is shaping up, interesting gear choices from the Black Canyon 100K, records falling at the Jackpot 100, and how much longer Zach Bitter’s 100-mile record might stand. They also cover octogenarian speedster Gary Patton, chaos in Atlanta at the Women’s USATF Half Marathon Championship, and whether spring is actually here to stay (sorry, East Coasters).

Then they’re joined by Mathias Eichler, Executive Director of the Trail Running Film Festival, to talk about the festival’s past and future, how he sees TRFF shaping the running zeitgeist, what makes a great running film, the tradeoffs of corporate backing in creative work, and whether a zombie film has ever been submitted.

If you’re enjoying the show, toss us a five-star rating after you finish the episode.

In this episode of TMRP Steven and Nick cover what they've been staying busy with, yet another road race finish debacle, the Arizona Monster 300, more label accuracy problems and...arsenic found in our favorite snacks?? 

They also talk about the upcoming Trail Mix aid station at the Grasslands Trail Race.

This episode’s guest is none other than FKT and ultra running icon Tara Dower. The trio covers what she’s been up to since Javelina, balancing life, training, and internal pressure, the rapid progression of trail running, her YouTube channel Tara Treks, her summer race and FKT plans, and her podcast with Arlee Hiskey, DNF Diaries - plus plenty more along the way.

Thanks for dropping by. If you had fun with us, be sure to subscribe and leave a 5-star rating.

Tara's Socials:

https://www.instagram.com/tara.dower/

https://www.youtube.com/@taratreks

https://www.instagram.com/dnf.diaries

Just days after we sat down with Mike, he went out and did exactly what he said he would do: win the Arizona Monster 300 and set a new course record in the process. Covering 304 miles through the Sonoran Desert in 3 days, 10 hours, and 52 minutes, Mike averaged roughly 80 miles per day on one of the toughest multi-day races in the country.

In this episode, we talk about the path that led him here and what keeps him moving forward. We also cover his first attempt at race directing, his love for a certain Ford Mustang, and what’s so special about raw milk.

With six races over 200 miles plus the iconic Hardrock 100 on his 2026 calendar, Mike is setting up for a massive year.

We had a blast talking with Mike and we hope you enjoy the listen.

Follow the podcast for new episodes every Wednesday.