Western States 2026 Analysis | 10 Things I Couldn't Stop Thinking About

Western States 2026 is over. The course records have been set, the winners crowned, and the internet has already moved on. This isn't another race recap. It's a cultural breakdown of what Western States revealed about trail running, its media, and where the sport is headed next.

From Dylan Bowman becoming the voice of trail running, to Hans Troyer's fearless pacing, to why Thomas Cardin exposed a storytelling gap, Josh shares the ten ideas he couldn't stop thinking about after the biggest weekend in trail running. Along the way, he asks whether Western States has outgrown its broadcast and why the next frontier isn't better cameras, but better context.

Please give us a follow, rate the podcast, and give a review.

If you’re new to Borderlands, start here.

Topics / Timestamps

• 01:05 Dylan Bowman is the Voice of Trail Running/Racing
• 04:10 The Broadcast Knows Where Everyone Is
• 09:05 We Don't Care About Places, We Care About Stories
• 11:38 We Interviewed the Wrong People
• 16:14 Whose Job is it to Find Tomorrow's Stories?
• 20:21 Hans is the Rabbit I Was Asking For
• 21:53 American Men Ran it Like Old Days at UTMB
• 22:46 The Race has Outgrown the Broadcast
• 26:23 The Next Frontier

Resources / Links

1. 8 Bit Trail Running
2. Borderlands.cc
3. Subwhatever

Related Episodes

1. Ultra Running isn't Just Running

Presented by Kiprun.

----

Borderlands explores trail running through culture, media, and the forces shaping it.

Watch on YouTube

Read on Substack