{"id":15131,"date":"2026-06-17T09:35:33","date_gmt":"2026-06-17T09:35:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/?p=15131"},"modified":"2026-06-17T09:35:33","modified_gmt":"2026-06-17T09:35:33","slug":"trail-runner-is-bolder-deeper-and-weirder-than-ever","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/?p=15131","title":{"rendered":"Trail Runner is Bolder, Deeper, and Weirder Than Ever"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"justify-start\">\n<nav class=\"align-left col-span-full mb-base\" data-pom-e2e-test-id=\"breadcrumbs\"\/>\n<p>&#8216;Trail Runner&#8217; is now the home of everything from hard-hitting journalism and brutally honest gear reviews to trail-obsessed poems, doodles, and cartoons.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"border-border-light border-t py-base-tight\">\n<div class=\"flex h-4 justify-between\">\n<div class=\"flex gap-x-base-tight\">\n<div class=\"\"><button class=\"inline-flex shrink-0 items-center justify-center rounded-full hover:cursor-pointer bg-bg-surface hover:bg-bg-light focus:bg-bg-dark text-primary border border-solid border-border-light aria-pressed:bg-brand-primary aria-pressed:text-text-surface py-very-tight px-base-tight gap-tight font-semibold font-utility-2 opacity-50\" aria-label=\"Loading audio\" aria-pressed=\"false\" id=\"article-listen-button\" disabled=\"\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"18\" height=\"18\" viewbox=\"0 0 18 18\" fill=\"none\" class=\"\"><title>Listen to this article<\/title><path d=\"M12.5265 16.2C12.2326 16.2 12.0122 16.1265 11.7184 16.053C11.2775 15.9061 10.9102 15.6122 10.6898 15.2449C10.4694 14.8775 10.3959 14.4367 10.5428 13.9959L11.5714 10.3959C11.6449 10.1755 11.7184 9.95509 11.8653 9.80815C12.0122 9.66121 12.1592 9.51427 12.3796 9.36733C12.6 9.29386 12.8204 9.2204 13.0408 9.14693C13.2612 9.14693 13.4816 9.14693 13.702 9.2204H13.7755C14.2163 9.36733 14.5837 9.58774 14.951 9.95509C14.951 9.66121 14.951 9.29386 14.951 8.99999C14.951 7.38366 14.2898 5.8408 13.1877 4.73876C12.0122 3.56325 10.5428 2.9755 8.92652 2.9755C7.31019 2.9755 5.76733 3.63672 4.66529 4.73876C3.48978 5.8408 2.82856 7.38366 2.82856 8.99999C2.82856 9.29386 2.82856 9.66121 2.82856 9.95509C3.12244 9.66121 3.56325 9.36733 4.00407 9.2204H4.07754C4.29795 9.14693 4.51835 9.14693 4.73876 9.14693C4.95917 9.14693 5.17958 9.2204 5.39999 9.36733C5.6204 9.4408 5.76733 9.58774 5.91427 9.80815C6.06121 9.95509 6.13468 10.1755 6.20815 10.3959L7.23672 13.9959C7.38366 14.4367 7.31019 14.8775 7.08978 15.2449C6.86938 15.6122 6.50203 15.9061 6.13468 16.053C5.76733 16.2 5.39999 16.2 5.03264 16.2C4.66529 16.1265 4.29795 16.053 4.00407 15.9061C3.63672 15.6122 3.41631 15.3918 3.12244 15.0979C2.90203 14.8775 2.75509 14.5102 2.68162 14.1428L2.38774 13.0408L2.2408 12.6735C2.2408 12.6 2.16733 12.453 2.16733 12.3796C1.87346 11.2775 1.79999 10.1755 1.79999 8.99999C1.79999 7.08978 2.53468 5.25305 3.9306 3.9306C5.25305 2.60815 7.08978 1.79999 8.99999 1.79999C10.9102 1.79999 12.7469 2.53468 14.0694 3.9306C15.3918 5.25305 16.2 7.08978 16.2 8.99999C16.2 10.102 16.053 11.2775 15.8326 12.3796C15.8326 12.453 15.7592 12.6 15.7592 12.6735L15.6857 12.9673V13.0408L15.1714 14.1428C15.0979 14.5102 14.8775 14.8041 14.6571 15.0979C14.4367 15.3918 14.1428 15.6122 13.849 15.7592C13.5551 15.9061 13.1877 16.053 12.8204 16.053C12.7469 16.1265 12.6735 16.2 12.5265 16.2ZM3.71019 13.849C3.78366 14.0694 3.85713 14.2163 4.00407 14.4367C4.15101 14.6571 4.29795 14.7306 4.51835 14.8775C4.73876 14.951 4.8857 15.0245 5.10611 15.0979C5.32652 15.0979 5.54693 15.0979 5.76733 15.0245C5.98774 14.951 6.06121 14.8775 6.13468 14.7306C6.20815 14.5837 6.20815 14.4367 6.20815 14.2898L5.17958 10.6898C5.17958 10.6163 5.10611 10.5428 5.10611 10.4694C5.03264 10.4694 4.95917 10.3959 4.8857 10.3224C4.81223 10.3224 4.73876 10.249 4.66529 10.249C4.59182 10.249 4.51836 10.249 4.44489 10.249H4.37142C3.9306 10.3959 3.63672 10.6898 3.41631 11.0571C3.26938 11.351 3.19591 11.7184 3.26938 12.0857C3.34285 12.3061 3.34284 12.5265 3.41631 12.6735L3.71019 13.849ZM13.2612 10.3224C13.1877 10.3224 13.1877 10.3224 13.2612 10.3224C13.1143 10.3224 13.0408 10.3224 12.9673 10.3959C12.8939 10.4694 12.8204 10.4694 12.8204 10.4694C12.7469 10.5428 12.7469 10.6163 12.7469 10.6898L11.7184 14.2898C11.6449 14.4367 11.7184 14.5837 11.7918 14.7306C11.8653 14.8775 12.0122 14.951 12.0857 15.0245C12.3796 15.0979 12.5265 15.0979 12.7469 15.0979C12.9673 15.0979 13.1877 15.0245 13.3347 14.8775C13.5551 14.8041 13.702 14.6571 13.849 14.4367C13.9959 14.2898 14.0694 14.0694 14.1428 13.849L14.5102 12.6735C14.5837 12.5265 14.5837 12.3061 14.6571 12.1592C14.7306 11.7918 14.6571 11.4245 14.5102 11.1306C14.2898 10.7633 13.9959 10.4694 13.5551 10.3224H13.4816C13.3347 10.3224 13.2612 10.3224 13.2612 10.3224Z\" fill=\"currentColor\"\/><\/svg><span class=\"hidden sm:inline\">Listen<\/span><\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div><\/p>\n<p class=\"fp-leadCaption py-tight text-left font-utility text-utility3-size leading-utility3-line-height text-secondary\"> (Photo: Andy Cochrane)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"article-body\">\n<p>Published June 17, 2026 03:26AM<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><em><strong>Editor\u2019s Note: Our sister publication <\/strong><\/em><strong>Trail Runner <em>just got a refresh. You can check it out at <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_self\" class=\"text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.trailrunnermag.com\/featured\">www.trailrunnermag.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Dear fellow dirt lovers,<\/p>\n<p>Recently, while slipping down the loose, steep washes of Southern California, I\u2019ve spotted an uptick of trail runners on routes I once considered \u201cmountain-goat-level only.\u201d And I\u2019ve also seen big, rowdy clubs at local trail races that had been simple, silent, and somewhat stoic affairs just years before.<\/p>\n<p>You may have noticed this, too. If you\u2019ve been following our trail running coverage over the years, you probably know: There\u2019s a gravitational pull to the trails happening on a global level. Runners want to keep going when the road ends.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s something that I haven\u2019t seen in the almost three decades since I laced up my first pair of trail shoes for cross-country practice. (They were Adidas Response Trails, well before the weird \u201cTerrex\u201d modifier was even a glimmer in a young marketer\u2019s eye.)<\/p>\n<p>In fact, that nervous freshman energy and the excitement of trails still unknown is exactly the feeling I\u2019m getting from what\u2019s going on at <i>Trail Runner<\/i>.<\/p>\n<p>As the sport expands around us, <i>Trail Runner <\/i>is rising to meet the moment with an improved version that is bolder, louder, deeper, and weirder than before.<\/p>\n<p>Leading that charge will be a familiar voice to many of you, <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_self\" class=\"text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.trailrunnermag.com\/byline\/abby-levene\">Abby Levene<\/a>. Formerly the senior editor of <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_self\" class=\"text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/run.outsideonline.com\/featured\"><i>Outside Run<\/i><\/a> (where you\u2019ll still find plenty of great road-running content), Abby is stepping into a new role as the managing editor of <i>Trail Runner<\/i>.<\/p>\n<p>A former NCAA DI runner (Princeton for undergrad, and CU Boulder while pursuing her graduate degree in journalism), she\u2019s lived more than a few lives as an endurance athlete. Abby is also clever, irreverent, passionate, and sometimes a little weird. She\u2019s just as likely to use the word <i>Bourdieusian<\/i> to describe today\u2019s high-carb fueling trend as she is to ask: \u201cIf there were no kudos, how many people would still run?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She has an inherent love for running on dirt, and she is the perfect person to steer a funky ship of like-minded editors, contributors, artists, and unique personalities across the open seas of the off-road running trailscape.<\/p>\n<p>You can still count on the same dirt-on-the-lens, sand-in-our-teeth, because-we\u2019re-actually-there coverage you\u2019ve come to expect from the 27-year-old <i>Trail Runner<\/i> title. We will still bring you the same actual-reporter-talking-to-sources-journalism that matters and makes AI look, well, like a busted Game Boy.<\/p>\n<p>This week, our team is headed to Palisades Tahoe to cover the pinnacle of American trail running with the Broken Arrow\/Western States 100 double-header. You can also enjoy pre-race profiles on some of the world\u2019s greatest trail runners (whom we rarely hear from), including <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_self\" class=\"text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.trailrunnermag.com\/people\/elhousine-elazzaoui-knows-no-boundaries\">former camel guide Elhousine Elazzaoui<\/a> and noodle-slurping queen Fuzhao Xiang.<\/p>\n<p>You can also find <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_self\" class=\"text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.trailrunnermag.com\/people\/environment-people\/wildfire-experts-answer-a-trail-runners-burning-questions\/\">Andy Cochrane\u2019s piece on how wildfire is reshaping trail running in the U.S.<\/a>, as well as a photo essay on getting off the paved paths of New York City.<\/p>\n<p>From there, we\u2019ll continue to bring you rich storytelling and original photography from the trails, your communities, and far-flung corners of the earth.<\/p>\n<p>On the one hand, you\u2019ll find hard-hitting journalism that asks tough questions and delivers <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_self\" class=\"text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.trailrunnermag.com\/gear\/shoes\/best-trail-running-super-shoes\/\">brutally honest gear reviews<\/a>. On the other, you\u2019ll find poems, doodles, and cartoons that reflect the irreverence we love so much about a sport that\u2019s really a lifestyle.<\/p>\n<p>You\u2019ll also find training plans, scientific articles, and expert advice to help you hone your craft, presented in a way that\u2019s just fun enough to enjoy, even if you have no aspirations of earning a lottery ticket into Western States or running around Mont Blanc (yet!).<\/p>\n<p>Be sure to <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/share.hsforms.com\/1kvnyQvOyScySyaIzwO052w2pvvd\">subscribe to Abby\u2019s own dedicated (and slightly unhinged) newsletter<\/a>, but until you do, naturally, she says it better than I can:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSome of our stories will be serious, some will be silly. Together, I hope they remind us that two things can be true at once: Running can matter a whole lot, and it\u2019s ultimately a completely absurd way to spend so much time.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Welcome,<\/p>\n<p>Chris Foster<br \/>Editorial Director of Endurance, Outside Inc.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><span hidden=\"\" aria-hidden=\"true\"\/><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.outsideonline.com\/culture\/books-media\/trail-runner-is-entering-a-new-chapter-so-are-we\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8216;Trail Runner&#8217; is now the home of everything from hard-hitting journalism and brutally honest gear reviews to trail-obsessed poems, doodles, and cartoons. Listen to this articleListen (Photo: Andy Cochrane) Published June 17, 2026 03:26AM Editor\u2019s Note: Our sister publication Trail Runner just got a refresh. You can check it out at www.trailrunnermag.com. Dear fellow dirt<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15132,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15131","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wild-living"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15131","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=15131"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15131\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/15132"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=15131"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=15131"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=15131"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}