Trail running doesn’t always mean running an ultramarathon. From trail 5ks to marathons, there’s a growing interest in middle distance trail events. Andy Wacker is making this space a more vibrant and welcoming community for runners.
Trail running has grown a lot over the past ten years. What used to be a small, niche activity has evolved into a large community of both runners who run primarily on trail as well as those who cross over to road and track.
Andy Wacker is a professional runner who excels on the track, road, and trail. He is the 2019 world Mountain Running Champ, 2016 US Trail Half Marathon Champ, 2015 US Trail 50k Champion, and a two-time NCAA XC All-American.
Andy seeks longevity in the sport and embraces a seasonal training approach to keep him running strong across different distances and disciplines.
These days, Andy is growing the trail running community as the founder of The Trail Team, a group of elite and sub-elite athletes that work together in Boulder, Colorado. The Trail Team aims to professionalize the sport and create more opportunities for runners everywhere.
Longevity in Running, Seasonal Training for Runners, and Building a Trail Running Community with Andy Wacker
The Trail Team’s mission is “to independently support and develop rising athletes into the best professional trail runners in the world through mentorship, skill development, and media exposure.”
Here’s what The Trail Team stands for:
The Trail Team is the next wave of what trail running should be.
We are a pipeline to bring elite NCAA athletes into trail running with the goal of winning world titles.
We are a club team to unite the best unsponsored trail runners around the country.
We are building community in person. Whether that’s training in one of our groups in Boulder and beyond or getting together at races for shakeout runs and plenty of fun.
We are here to change Trail Running forever.
As the popularity of trail running continues to grow, it’ll be interesting to see what distances become more popular and how runners use a cross-over model to train for different events over a year.
In this episode, Andy and I talk about:
- Andy’s running journey from his first trail race in 2013 (which made him temporarily quit trail running) to now
- The mindset shift from track running to trail running and finding freedom from obsessing over splits
- Andy’s unique approach to training and leaning into challenges
- How Andy focuses on a seasonal approach and a cross-over model so that athletes can run on the roads and the track
- How Andy is running for longevity in the sport
- Why Andy loves sub-ultra races: Trail running isn’t only ultrarunning, and sometimes it’s a great idea to focus on middle distance races
- Supporting sub-elite and professional runners through media storytelling, mentorship, and trail camps
- Andy’s plans for the Track Team in 2024
If you’re looking to run through many seasons of life, you’ll get inspired by this episode!
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Links & Resources from the Show:
Thank you MOBO board!
Invented by renowned physical therapist Jay Dicharry, MOBO helps you stabilize your stance with an innovative rocker board that’s set up on two fins. The design effectively forces you to drive your big toe into the board to improve your stability. I was pretty arrogant going into my first session on the MOBO Board. How hard can it be to balance, right? Well, I was humbled pretty quickly!
Even if you’re a good runner, better balance, stability, and proprioception is going to help you have a more powerful stride and prevent more running injuries. You’ll learn how to improve the efficiency of the kinetic chain from your hip to your big toe. Because as Jay likes to say, it’s not just how strong you are, but how well you use that strength.
I was recently at a weekend physical therapy workshop (lol I was the only running coach) and learned how important (and rare) this simple movement is. Save 10% with code STRENGTHRUN10 at checkout at moboboard.com.
Thank you AG1!
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