Rest Day Live is back tonight with a Freetrail x Boulder Boys mashup! Seth Ruhling and Adam Merry will co-host as we rip through a fun docket:

• Western States Banter: Seth withdrawing from the race, insider perspective on the field, Kilian affirming his participation, training in Flagstaff, etc.
• Canyon Woodward Signs with Patagonia
• Sunapee Scramble Recap
• European Championships Recap
• Industry News Roundup: Cocodona lottery & 50-mile relay idea, Rory Linkletter racing Broken Arrow
• Strava File of the Week

We'll be LIVE on YouTube starting at 5pm PT tonight.
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Taos Traverse: A Worthy Adventure

I'm wrapping up my Hardrock training camp here in Taos, NM. Over the last five weeks I've fallen in love with this place - epic terrain, great weather, a funky town, and abundant chill vibes - Taos has all the ingredients to someday become a trail running mecca. If I were an ambitious 30-something, I'd open a running store here as a community nucleus and and start hosting events.

Reflecting on the last five weeks, my time in Taos has been enormously productive, making real progress with my fitness while down-regulating my nervous system before the chaos of summer. Yesterday, I made a huge deposit in the Hardrock bank, tackling the Taos Traverse with a couple talented locals, Darion Ontiveros and Emory Tower. This route is genuinely one for the bucket list.

We started at 6:30am from the Canoncito trailhead, warming up with a 4,300' climb to the summit of Vallecito Peak. From there, for the next several miles, the route is mostly off-trail traversing a high ridge that connects to Wheeler Peak - the highest point in New Mexico. Technical and very slow going with mellow third class moves, the ridge requires a lot of mental and physical effort. To give a sense of pace, we covered the first 12 miles with 9k' in 5:18 - not exactly fast running!

At 13,100', Wheeler Peak has been a staple of my Hardrock training camp. Approaching the summit from a different direction yesterday, we were pulverized by powerful winds blowing from the west that sometimes made it hard to continue forward progress. Descending off the top, we were happy to find brief protection from the gale and finally enjoy clearly defined trail leading to a critical water source at mile 15.

After a leisurely picnic by the creek, we continued towards the northern half of the traverse, eventually climbing to the summit of 12,700' Gold Hill, the second-to-last high point of the day.

Looking at the route profile, it's easy to underestimate the final half marathon. Fatigued from the effort of the day, Emory, Darion, and I settled into a quiet slog along the ridge towards the summit of Lobo Peak - brief periods of momentum continuously interrupted by steep uphill punches that exacerbated our collective exhaustion. Tagging the summit just under ten hours elapsed, we were comforted by the knowledge that only a four mile, 4k' descent separated us from the conclusion.

We finished together at the Yerba Canyon trailhead thoroughly euphoric and exhausted from the effort. In total, we covered 33.6 miles with 14k' of climbing, almost entirely above 11k' of altitude, in 10:46 - a proper epic day and hugely valuable for Hardrock confidence.

It was a pleasure to share the entire journey, literally step-for-step, with two awesome guys generous with local wisdom. Best sport ever.

I'm traveling back to Marin on Sunday for a couple days at home before heading to Tahoe for the Broken Arrow/TrailCon/Western States ultra marathon. We'll share our full Trailgating programming schedule in the next few days. Excited to see many of you there.

Thank you Taos for an amazing time.

Love,

DBo

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Trail Ticker

+ In a followup to his first Substack post after a disappointing Zegama, Kilian Jornet sent another newsletter sharing more about the injury he's been dealing with and illuminating the path forward. The good news: Kilian affirms his upcoming participation at Western States.

+ Seth Ruhling shared he'd pulled out of the Western States because of a torn labrum. We'll chat with Seth about his prognosis and his thoughts on the race on Rest Day tonight.

+ One of America's most consistent long-trail athletes, Canyon Woodward has joined Patagonia. Canyon and I recorded a podcast last week to talk all about his remarkable personal story, his rise in the sport, the new partnership, and a lot more. Be on the lookout for the episode later this week.

+ HOKA superstar and fan favorite, Hans Troyer dropped two recent YouTube videos documenting his build towards Western States. The kid is young, very fit, and so easy to root for.

+ Coming off a hugely impressive 2nd place at Transvulcania, Petter Engdahl continued his momentum securing double medals at the European Championships - a Silver in the Uphill and a Bronze in the Up/Down. Great to see the Swede on a heater.

+ Seth LaReau from TrailWaves sent another brilliant piece last week analyzing the various bets brands are placing in trail running. From longtime mainstays to new entrants, Seth does a great job interpreting and contextualizing strategies through a finance lens.

Tyler Andrews Everest FKT Interview ICYMI, last week we welcomed Tyler Andrews to Rest Day to share the story from his recent successful FKT attempt in Mt. Everest! After the interview Tim stuck around to cover recent trail news. Watch Here

Register for TrailCon Registration is still open for TrailCon, a three-day festival taking place June 22-24th in Palisade Tahoe. Secure your FREE spot to see superstar speakers including Rich Roll, Katie Schide, Travis Tygart, Sally McRae, Rachel Entrekin, and more! Register Here

Don't forget to take advantage of these deals:

• Use code FREETRAIL25 for 25% off your first order of NEVERSECOND nutrition.
• Check out the Capilene Cool Sun Hoodie from Patagonia
• Use code Freetrail at healwithheat.com for an exclusive deal on the sauna I love and use every day while I train for Hardrock.
• Go to ketone.com/Freetrail30 for 30% off your first subscription order.
• For deeper, exclusive, member-only discounts, (20% off SunGod, 10% off Freetrail merch and more), join Freetrail Pro.

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