Hey, fam, welcome to the free trail podcast. I am your loving host, Dylan Bowman. Thanks for being here. We are joined today by my good

friend Caitlin Gherbin, the amazing trail runner and mountain athlete from Issaquah, Washington. This is

Caitlin's second appearance on the show, the first coming in 2020. And this one comes on the heels

of an incredible summer of adventure and competition, which we talk about in great detail

in today's show. Astute observers will know that Caitlin finished third place at UTMB just a couple

months ago, a podium performance at the most competitive 100-miler in the world. So of course,

we talk all about that race and what went into it from a training

and execution perspective. But we also pack a lot more into this hour-long conversation. We

discuss Caitlin's return from injury in 2021, which you learned from that experience. And we spent

a lot of time discussing a huge expedition that Caitlin did this summer on a route called the North

Cascades High Route.

It was a week-long traverse of some very remote, technical, and seemingly very special terrain in Washington State.

It's something I've really wanted to hear about for a couple months now since they completed this expedition.

Far from a simple trail run, it was a project that incorporated all the different mountain skills

that Caitlin has worked hard to cultivate in her career.

She and her partner, Jenny Abeg, were able to complete the route in just under seven days,

pioneering a new standard to inspire future

mountain athletes. So we spent a lot of time talking through that project, the focus that went

into it and how it impacted how she views herself as a multi-sport mountain athlete. It's a super

fun convo. We finished by talking about her upcoming

race for Team USA at World Mount Running Championships in Thailand next month. So I hope you all

enjoy the episode. As usual, a big thank you to Speedland, the presenting sponsor of the

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