The Freetrail Podcast with Dylan Bowman

Rest Day Live is back tonight to with Tim Tollefson in the co-host chair. We'll be joined by the athlete of the moment - 2026 Cocodona 250 Champion, Rachel Entrekin!
Run of show:
Rachel Entrekin Interview
Cocodona Storylines
Strava File of the Week
Bonus Miles: DBo's Jemez 50 mile race report (Join Freetrail Pro to access)
We'll be LIVE on YouTube starting at 5pm PT tonight.
SUBSCRIBE TO FREETRAIL'S NEWSLETTER - https://mailing.freetrail.com/newslettersignup
JOIN FREETRAIL PRO - https://freetrail.com/pro
REGISTER FOR TRAILCON - https://trailconference.com/register/
REGISTER FOR THE BIG ALTA - https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=130943
REGISTER FOR GORGE WATERFALLS - https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=129366
Sponsors:
Use code FREETRAIL25 for 25% off your first order of NEVERSECOND nutrition at https://www.never2.com
Check out the Capilene Cool Sun Hoodie from Patagonia https://www.patagonia.com/shop/favorites/capilene-cool-tech-tees/sun
Use this link for 30% off Ketone-IQ - https://ketone.com/pages/dylan-bowman?utm_source=partners&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=FREETRAIL30
Freetrail Links:
Website | https://freetrail.com/
Freetrail Pro | https://freetrail.com/freetrail-pro/
Patreon | https://www.patreon.com/dylanbowman
Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/runfreetrail/
YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8MKI1xB8YMchI1764zJXHg
Freetrail Experts | https://freetrail.com/freetrail-experts/
Dylan Links:
Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/dylanbo/
Twitter | https://twitter.com/dylanbo
LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/dylan-bowman-06174380/
Strava | https://www.strava.com/pros/1596921

Rest Day Live is back tonight to with Corrine Malcolm in the co-host chair. We'll be joined by Jim Walmsley at the top of the show to discuss his addition to the Western States field.
Run of show:
Jim Walmsley Interview
Jim's Impact on WS Field
Golden Ticket Races Announced
Transvulcania Preview
Strava File of the Week
We'll be LIVE on YouTube starting at 5pm PT tonight.
SUBSCRIBE TO FREETRAIL'S NEWSLETTER - https://mailing.freetrail.com/newslettersignup
JOIN FREETRAIL PRO - https://freetrail.com/pro
REGISTER FOR TRAILCON - https://trailconference.com/register/
Sponsors:
Use code FREETRAIL25 for 25% off your first order of NEVERSECOND nutrition at https://www.never2.com
Check out the Capilene Cool Sun Hoodie from Patagonia https://www.patagonia.com/shop/favorites/capilene-cool-tech-tees/sun
Clearlight Sauna: Use code FREETRAIL for an extra discount with purchase at https://healwithheat.com/
Use this link for 30% off Ketone-IQ - https://ketone.com/pages/dylan-bowman?utm_source=partners&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=FREETRAIL30
Freetrail Links: Website | https://freetrail.com/ Freetrail Pro | https://freetrail.com/freetrail-pro/ Patreon | https://www.patreon.com/dylanbowman Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/runfreetrail/ YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8MKI1xB8YMchI1764zJXHg Freetrail Experts | https://freetrail.com/freetrail-experts/
Dylan Links: Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/dylanbo/ Twitter | https://twitter.com/dylanbo LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/dylan-bowman-06174380/ Strava | https://www.strava.com/pros/1596921

Today, we're hosting a LIVE Trailgating show to preview the 2026 Cocodona 250. We're lucky to have 2025 men's champion Dan Green assuming co-hosting duties to share all the hard earned insights from his amazing course record victory at this iconic race.
 
Trailgating Docket:
Cocodona course: unique challenges, crux moments, and strategic approach
Expected conditions: how will weather impact the race?
Race strategy: how to manage long days, sleep deprivation, aid station transitions, and more?
Women's contenders
Men's contenders
 
Freetrail Links: Website | https://freetrail.com/ Freetrail Pro | https://freetrail.com/pro/ Patreon | / dylanbowman Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/runfreetrai... YouTube | / @freetrail Freetrail Experts | https://freetrail.com/experts/
 
Dylan Links: Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/dylanbo/?hl=en Twitter | https://twitter.com/dylanbo?lang=en LinkedIn | / dylan-bowman-06174380

Rest Day Live is back tonight to with Tim Tollefson in the co-host chair. It was a busy weekend of racing and we have a lot to discuss.
Run of Show
BREAKING NEWS: TrailCon Keynote & Freetrail Update
Tim's Takes: Canyons Final Thoughts & Marathon World Records
Final Western States Lists
Madeira Island Ultra Trail Results & Storylines
Mt. FUJI Results & Storylines
Industry News Roundup
Strava File of the Week
Bonus Miles (Freetrail Pro)
Miller vs. Hawks 2 (Join Freetrail Pro to access)
We'll be LIVE on YouTube every Monday starting at 5pm PT tonight.
Links & Resources
SUBSCRIBE TO FREETRAIL'S NEWSLETTER - https://mailing.freetrail.com/newslettersignup
JOIN FREETRAIL PRO - https://freetrail.com/pro
REGISTER FOR TRAILCON - https://trailconference.com/register/
Sponsors
Use code FREETRAIL25 for 25% off your first order of NEVERSECOND nutrition at https://www.never2.com
Check out the Capilene Cool Sun Hoodie from Patagonia https://www.patagonia.com/shop/favorites/capilene-cool-tech-tees/sun
Clearlight Sauna: Use code FREETRAIL for an extra discount with purchase at https://healwithheat.com/
Use this link for 30% off Ketone-IQ - https://ketone.com/pages/dylan-bowman?utm_source=partners&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=FREETRAIL30
Freetrail Links
Website | https://freetrail.com/
Freetrail Pro | https://freetrail.com/freetrail-pro/
Patreon | https://www.patreon.com/dylanbowman
Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/runfreetrail/
YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8MKI1xB8YMchI1764zJXHg
Freetrail Experts | https://freetrail.com/freetrail-experts/
Dylan Links
Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/dylanbo/
Twitter | https://twitter.com/dylanbo
LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/dylan-bowman-06174380/
Strava | https://www.strava.com/pros/1596921

The UTMB Index and race scores have become increasingly significant in the global trail running ecosystem. The Index upstream of sponsorship and race entry opportunities for pros, it allows fans to gauge who is performing best on the world's stage, and it helps media members contextualize performances across years, distances, and different course terrains.
Today the UTMB Index is evolving in some subtle yet important ways. Joining me to talk all about it are Adrian Vincentand Karen Merlin — two members of the team who worked on this new system and are well qualified to explain how things are changing and what it means for the sport.
Timestamps:
00:00 – Intro + episode overview (UTMB Index) 00:50 – Guest introductions (Adrian Vincent & Karen Merlin) 02:50 – Why the UTMB Index was created 07:25 – Why the index matters for the sport 10:45 – Index vs. race scores explained 13:40 – What the index is (and isn't) 15:45 – Why changes were needed 19:40 – Gender scoring discussion 24:40 – Myth: bias toward UTMB races 26:15 – Challenge of collecting global race results 30:55 – Myth: weather/conditions affect scores 37:15 – New scoring system overview 39:25 – Step 1: Finding similar races 42:40 – Step 2: Expected score + confidence 47:45 – Step 3: Selecting high-quality data 51:20 – Step 4: Final calculation (regression explained) 55:05 – Retroactive re-scoring (what changes) 56:10 – Impact on everyday runners 57:10 – Impact on elite athletes + qualification 58:55 – Myth: bad races hurt your index 01:00:55 – Highest scores ever (new system) 01:06:10 – Behind the scenes of the rebuild 01:09:00 – Transparency + final thoughts 01:10:30 – Closing remarks
Additional Material:
Educational video: "How my UTMB Index is calculated" 
Methodology note 
General public article
REGISTER FOR TRAILCON - https://trailconference.com/
 
Sponsors:
 
Use code FREETRAIL25 for 25% off your first order of NEVERSECOND nutrition at never2.com
Check out the Capilene Cool Sun Hoodie from Patagonia
Use code FREETRAIL for an extra discount on Clearlight Saunas at HealWithHeat.com
Use this link for 30% off Ketone-IQ
Freetrail Links: Website | Freetrail Pro | Patreon | Instagram | YouTube | Freetrail Experts

 
Dylan Links: Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn | Strava