Dr. Elijah Flenner is a staple of the Fort Collins trail running community. He has completed many ultramarathons, including Quad Rock 50 miler, Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (UTMB), Western States Endurance Run, and High-5 100. He recently started a coaching business, Ridgeline Rhythm, combining his love for supporting the running community, using his experience to help others, and diving into the scientific literature.

Adrian Macdonald is a decorated ultra-distance runner sponsored by On Running and based right here in Fort Collins, Colorado. A competitive runner since high school, he transitioned to mountain, ultra, and trail racing in 2020 and has since established himself as one of the top 100-mile athletes in the sport.
His major victories include back-to-back wins at the Leadville Trail 100 in 2021 and 2022, a win at the 2024 Tarawera Ultra-Trail Miler in New Zealand, and first place at the 2022 Ultra-Trail Kosciuszko Miler in Australia. He recently finished 2nd at the 2024 Leadville Trail 100, 3rd at the 2025 Tarawera Ultra-Trail 102k, and 3rd at the 2023 Speedgoat 50k.
Outside of racing, he serves on the board of the Fort Collins Running Club, volunteers at local events, and coaches other athletes. He works at Colorado State University as the Financial Officer for the Department of Statistics and the Treasurer of the Classified Personnel Council.
In his free time, he enjoys ice cream, traveling to soccer matches, and biking around Fort Collins.

Watch: "What It Takes"

Episode 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3-kHh4G0P8

Episode 2: https://youtu.be/6O6REsOiTG8?si=9IydNeb9aAtM2vHN

We are so thrilled to chat with Alicia Monson today and get to know her a little better. She grew up in Amery, Wisconsin and ran for the University of Wisconsin-Madison where she earned Big Ten titles and won the 5,000m NCAA Indoor Championship. Alicia moved to Colorado in 2020 to join the On Athletics Club as a professional runner. She competed in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and holds the 5,000m and 10,000m American Records. Currently, she is returning to training for competition after having a meniscus root tear and surgery in 2024. We get to hear all about her return to running, what got her into the sport, and more importantly, what kept her loving it.

Here is a podcast we mention in the episode where she talks about her Olympic Trials 2020 10k race: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5YgEvFAmIHRTzEcNTSdBT0?si=zeVZ81AlTaqQdlZ-_C6VUw

Lydia is a Strength and Conditioning Coach at Indiana State University, where she oversees the NCAA Division I cross country and track, swim and dive, and basketball teams. She is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist and holds a master’s degree in the field. Originally from California, Lydia moved to Fort Collins for her undergraduate studies. In this conversation, we discuss the benefits of strength training for long-distance runners and share memories of our time in Fort Collins!

Taylor Stack won an NCAA steeplechase title at Western Colorado University and, after a break from competition, signed a professional contract with Brooks following a 4th-place finish at Broken Arrow. Sydney Petersen competed for Colorado State University and, after steady collegiate growth, placed 7th at Broken Arrow and also signed with Brooks. In this episode, you will meet these inspiring athletes and see how they support each other in chasing their dreams of representing Team USA.

Taylor Bacon, Sophie Seward, and Courtney Bouchet sit down for the battle of the 50ks and recap a weekend of racing. On April 12th, Sophie raced the Mad City road 50k in Madison, Wisconsin, which served as the Road 50k US Championship race. The next day, her Front Range Elite teammates Taylor Bacon and Courtney Bouchet raced the Gorge Waterfalls trail 50k just outside of Portland, Oregon. They all ran the same distance, but how similar were these races really?

This week we return with Shalaya Kipp for part II of a double episode.

We dive deep into her research studies, spanning from the ground reaction forces of the steeplechase to the energetics of super shoes. Shalaya also discusses her more recent work investigating the impact of sports bra tightness on breathing energetics, how much work an athlete is doing to breathe during exercise. Other topics discussed: her current postdoctoral work at the Mayo Clinic and the energy cost of stroller running. We have so much to learn from Dr. Shalaya Kipp!

If you are a 40+ Master's athlete who has been in endurance sport for a long time and are interested in her latest study, find more here: www.mayoclinic.org/athlete

Link to Shalaya's publications: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=Kipp+S&cauthor_id=38350462

This week we sat down with Shalaya Kipp for part I of a double episode.

We discuss her journey making the 2012 Olympic team in the steeplechase after a full collegiate season, running through two pregnancies and postpartum, and how many ways running has weaved its way through her life. Bonus, you’ll hear about Shalaya’s favorite waffle recipe! Stay tuned for episode II where Shalaya discusses her research, exercise physiology including supershoes and the impact that sportsbras have on respiratory volume.