Uploaded June 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Des Linden joins us live in Olympic Valley the week before the 2025 Western States 100 for a wide-ranging conversation about her deepening relationship with the trail and ultrarunning scene.
In this episode, we dig into Des's recent adventures off-road — from training with Ruth Croft in New Zealand, to participating in the Western States Training Camp last month, to her pacing duties this year for Joe McConaughy. With each step into the trail world, Des seems to be signaling that this chapter of her career is just getting started.
We talk about whether Des envisions a full pivot to trail running, what she still wants to accomplish on the roads (including any future marathons), and how events like Tunnel Hill 50 in November fit into her overall vision for the next few years.
Des also shares her insights on the evolution of storytelling in running. We discuss how her own podcast, Nobody Asked Us, has grown, what she’s learning from being on the media side of the sport, and how she balances content creation with competition.
To top it off, we dive into her opinions on Grand Slam Track’s first year — what worked, what needs refining, and what she’d like to see from road racing in general as it tries to regain momentum and engage new fans.
Whether you're a longtime fan of Des from her Boston Marathon days or someone excited to see more crossover between roads and trails, this conversation captures the moment in time when one of America's most beloved distance runners expands her legacy.
Partners:
* @nordarun - check out the 005: the lightest, fastest, most stable trail racing shoe ever made (nordarun.com/)
* @gorewear - use code SINGLETRACKPOD30 at checkout on their website to get 30% off your purchase.
* @naak - use code SINGLETRACK20 at checkout on their website (naak.com/) to get 20% off your purchase.
* Raide - Making equipment for efficient human-powered movement in the mountains (raideresearch.com/)
Follow Singletrack on Instagram:
instagram.com/runsingletrack
Subscribe to Singletrack on Apple:
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/singletrack/id1572382413
Subscribe to Singletrack on Spotify:
open.spotify.com/show/7jAsWCRNSCU8nh81vrAaC2?si=3ac02e4e32b946c4
Des Linden joins us live in Olympic Valley the week before the 2025 Western States 100 for a wide-ranging conversation about her deepening relationship with the trail and ultrarunning scene.
In this episode, we dig into Des's recent adventures off-road — from training with Ruth Croft in New Zealand, to participating in the Western States Training Camp last month, to her pacing duties this year for Joe McConaughy. With each step into the trail world, Des seems to be signaling that this chapter of her career is just getting started.
We talk about whether Des envisions a full pivot to trail running, what she still wants to accomplish on the roads (including any future marathons), and how events like Tunnel Hill 50 in November fit into her overall vision for the next few years.
Des also shares her insights on the evolution of storytelling in running. We discuss how her own podcast, Nobody Asked Us, has grown, what she’s learning from being on the media side of the sport, and how she balances content creation with competition.
To top it off, we dive into her opinions on Grand Slam Track’s first year — what worked, what needs refining, and what she’d like to see from road racing in general as it tries to regain momentum and engage new fans.
Whether you're a longtime fan of Des from her Boston Marathon days or someone excited to see more crossover between roads and trails, this conversation captures the moment in time when one of America's most beloved distance runners expands her legacy.
Partners:
* @nordarun - check out the 005: the lightest, fastest, most stable trail racing shoe ever made (nordarun.com/)
* @gorewear - use code SINGLETRACKPOD30 at checkout on their website to get 30% off your purchase.
* @naak - use code SINGLETRACK20 at checkout on their website (naak.com/) to get 20% off your purchase.
* Raide - Making equipment for efficient human-powered movement in the mountains (raideresearch.com/)
Follow Singletrack on Instagram:
instagram.com/runsingletrack
Subscribe to Singletrack on Apple:
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/singletrack/id1572382413
Subscribe to Singletrack on Spotify:
open.spotify.com/show/7jAsWCRNSCU8nh81vrAaC2?si=3ac02e4e32b946c4
