It's another episode with Taylor, head of the Dirt Division, and this time he goes deep with ultrarunner Seth Ruhling. As part of The North Face team, Seth took on Western States and pulled in a 6th-place finish. This interview took place before the race, so we talk about Seth's upbringing, his training, and obviously his favorite shoes for taking on long challenges.

Merry GRIT-MAS to all who celebrate, it's been good to get some miles with all of you this week. And what a week it was, as Thomas and Taylor and the Dirt Division headed to Western States, while Meg said oui to Paris for the Nike Breaking4 Project. History was made and we were honored to witness it. Watch the Breaking4 recap on our YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/bivyb7HoeRwSUPPORT OUR SPONSORSLMNT

You already know that LMNT has been getting us through Summer GRIT thanks to its blend of electrolytes and 1000 mg of sodium.

It's a summer running necessity, and since you're a listener of The Drop, you get an 8-count LMNT Sample Pack with any purchase:

http://drinklmnt.com/thedrop

INDEX

0:00 - Summer GRIT / Pre-recap nonsense

18:36 - Nike Breaking4 Recap

50:44 - Western States Recap

Thomas chats with Adam Gamble, founder of Nowhere Somewhere, a start-up run apparel brand featuring a range of t-shirts, hats, hoodies, and other apparel.

Check out Nowhere Somewhere: https://www.nowheresomewhere.run/

We recorded this on Monday, but right now Meg is in Paris reliving the excitement of seeing Nike's Breaking4 project with Faith Kipyegon. Thomas and Karl are at Western States, while Robbe is home with George, making margaritas with LMNT mango chili rims. We also recap our fun weekend with Mount to Coast and then talk about Meg's experience in the Brooks Hyperion Elite 5.

Check out all our Western States events: https://www.instagram.com/p/DLPvXYpslu0

Here's the study on hair and wind drag: https://www.theengineer.co.uk/content/news/study-shows-hairstyle-and-clothing-could-cost-athletes-medals/

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS

SWIFTWICK

The best running socks in the game, Swiftwick is made right here in the USA, which means no price increases on account of tariffs. We're always running in their socks and you should be too. The Drop listeners can get 15% off their first purchase with code BELIEVE15. Shop here: https://swiftwick.com/collections/believe

LMNT

NEW FLAVOR ALERT! Squeeze the most out of summer with LMNT’s new limited-time Lemonade Salt — salty, tart, and refreshing, it brings you the best of summer wherever you are. Get your free 8-count LMNT Sample Pack with any purchase: http://drinklmnt.com/thedrop

LAGOON PILLOWS

We use Lagoon to get our best sleep (like we will at the Western States Sleep Station sponsored by Lagoon) and you should too. Featuring super soft covers, Certi-Pur foam and customizable features, they'll help you find the best pillow for your sleeping style. Visit them and use the discount code BELIEVE for 15% off your first order: http://lagoonsleep.com/believe

INDEX

00:00 Intro

01:00 Sorry forgot to index this week

52:30 Brooks Hyperion Elite 5

Thomas sits down with Andrew Dutton, better known online as @ad___sneaks. Dutton is a middle-school teacher in Lehi, Utah, who has earned a devoted following on Instagram through his passion for sneaker photography. Dutton began snapping sneakers during the pandemic and has since evolved into a recognized visual storyteller.

All Thomas wants is a techno song with Gregorian chants, but instead we get Sabrina Carpenter. All Robbe wants is an ultramarathon with tranquilizer darts and Mario Kart red shells, but instead we have the Western States 100. All Meg wants is for all of this nonsense to end. Anyway, we talk about all of that, as well as an in-podcast Between 2 Shoes where we compare the Brooks Hyperion Max 3 and Mizuno Neo Vista 2.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS

LMNT

NEW FLAVOR ALERT! Squeeze the most out of summer with LMNT’s new limited-time Lemonade Salt — salty, tart, and refreshing, it brings you the best of summer wherever you are. Get your free 8-count LMNT Sample Pack with any purchase: http://drinklmnt.com/thedrop

LAGOON PILLOWS

We use Lagoon to get our best sleep (like we will at the Western States Sleep Station sponsored by Lagoon) and you should too. Featuring super soft covers, Certi-Pur foam and customizable features, they'll help you find the best pillow for your sleeping style. Visit them and use the discount code BELIEVE for 15% off your first order: http://lagoonsleep.com/believe

PILLAR

Ensuring NN Running athletes continue to take podiums and claim records, PILLAR Performance gets them to start lines in the best condition possible. Recovery is crucial to managing training loads, and adequately preparing for race day. This is why PILLAR's Triple Magnesium provides a high dosage of Magnesium Bisglycinate to boost the recovery score on your wearable.

Enter code BITR on The Feed to receive 15% off your first order, and track the difference yourself: https://thefeed.com/products/pillar-performance

INDEX

0:00 - Intro

13:14 - Fathers' Day Running

18:24 - Local Baltimore Discussions

33:13 - Move Her Mind Event Series / Nike Breaking 4

38:38 - The Return of the Hot Tub Boiz / Gondola Culture

51:26 - Music Talk

54:01 - Back to Western States

56:33 - Best Shoes to Escape Human Hunters

1:02:19 - Altra's New Campaign

1:10:34 - Running Shoe Lingo

1:12:50 - Between 2 Shoes: Brooks Hyperion Max 3 vs. Mizuno Neo Vista 2

Dirt Division leader Taylor, and longtime BITR contributor, Alex, sit down with Adidas Terrex athlete, Dani Moreno. Dani comes by way of Mammoth Lakes, California but grew up in LA where life was much different. They talk about Dani's history with sport, her adventurous hiatus from running, and her aspirations as she comes back from injury which includes trail racing at the highest level of our sport and that hard fought OTQ.

Follow Dani on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dan_yell_a/

Let us all hold hands and gather in a circle as offer up a sacrifice to AI – but before we do, please turn your attention to The Drop, where everything is real and nothing is plagiarized, as evidenced by our conversations on shoes bought on the dark web, trying to figure out Mastercard naming strategies, and the real life questions that come with acquiring a pet dog. Plus, you'll get some authentic shoe talk when we dive into the one-two punch of the Asics Metaspeed Sky and Edge Tokyo.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS!

SWIFTWICK
The best running socks in the game, Swiftwick is made right here in the USA, which means no price increases on account of tariffs. We're always running in their socks and you should be too. The Drop listeners can get 15% off their first purchase with code BELIEVE15.

Shop here: https://swiftwick.com/collections/believe

LMNT
NEW FLAVOR ALERT! Squeeze the most out of summer with LMNT’s new limited-time Lemonade Salt — salty, tart, and refreshing, it brings you the best of summer wherever you are.

Get your free 8-count LMNT Sample Pack with any purchase: http://drinklmnt.com/thedrop

INDEX
0:00 - Intro
1:37 - Global Running Day
6:20 - Mount To Coast x Oberhills
10:39 - The Dark Web
15:44 - Move Her Mind Event Series NYC / Mastercard Mini 10K
31:18 - Futuristic Hotels
33:27 - The Church of AI
42:00 - Running talk
52:50 - George the Dog
1:00:26 - Saying Goodbye to Atreyu Running
1:16:40 - Asics Metaspeed Edge Tokyo