The Steep Stuff Podcast
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The Steep Stuff Podcast
#149 - Tayler Tuttle Peavey
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The spark wasn’t love at first stride. Tayler Tuttle Peavey once hated running, chose softball, and struggled through PE miles—then found a coach who spoke the language of physiology and a path that led from Georgia to Colorado and, ultimately, to USATF national titles on the trails. We sit down to unpack how a hip labrum surgery, a health-first rebuild, and a sustainable coaching approach turned doubt into momentum and a breakout 2025.
Tayler takes us inside the pivotal transfer from Georgia to CU Boulder, the up-and-down college years, and the moment she realized roads weren’t the only way forward. She traces her first steps into trail racing—second at the Moab Trail Half after two years without a start—then the return to win Moab, a Twisted Fork statement, and a USATF 50K crown on runnable terrain that matched her strengths. We dig into Broken Arrow’s shortened VK, the chaos of mass starts, and the strategic lessons she can’t wait to apply when she lines up for the 23K.
Training with David and Megan Roche, Taylor’s blueprint centers on durability: weekly rest days, individualized intensity, and a mix of track, road, and trail sessions to keep speed sharp while building technical skill. She shares how she uses heart rate as a guide rather than a governor, why cross-training tools like Zwift, the elliptical, and stairs are staples, and how she keeps winter work efficient without unnecessary risk. Looking ahead, she’s targeting the two-to-three-hour sweet spot—30K mountain races, Broken Arrow 23K, and a potential Golden Trail schedule—while staying selective with travel and open to the right sponsorship fit as she moves full time into the sport.
We also talk bigger picture: how short trail can grow by inviting mass participation at accessible distances, why community and media coverage matter, and how the rising wave of D1 talent is raising the competitive bar. If you care about the future of mountain, trail, and sub-ultra racing—and the mindset it takes to thrive—this conversation delivers both inspiration and a practical playbook.
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Welcome back to this Deep Stuff Podcast. I'm your host, James Loriello. It's day, I'm so excited to welcome Taylor Toddle PV to the show by way of Boulder, Colorado. Taylor is the 2025 USATF 50K and half marathon national champion. She came on the show to talk about her running experience. By way as well, growing up in Georgia, running for the University of Georgia and then the University of Colorado, UC Boulder. Taylor was kind enough to come on the show and share her experiences at the D1 level, what it was like. We talked a lot about coaching. We talked a lot about her training. We got into plans for 2026 and beyond, her goals for the sport, what she thinks of the sport. And uh yeah, it's just always exciting to catch an athlete just before they become a household name. And I feel like Taylor is one of these incredibly talented D1 athletes that has entered our sport and uh will be taking the sport by storm over the course of the next few years. So it's always fun to kind of have these conversations before they kind of uh take off. So, guys, I hope you enjoyed this one. Definitely a favorite of mine, and uh the first big one of 2026. We've got a bunch of good stuff uh coming down the line as well as a bunch of good announcements. So hope you enjoyed this one. Taylor Tuttle Peavy. Ladies and gentlemen, we're gonna be able to do that. Taylor Tuttle PV, welcome to the Steep Stuff Podcast. How's it going?
SPEAKER_01:Good. Thanks for having me. Yeah, good to be here.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, excited to have this conversation. I feel like you had such a just an amazing 2025 season and uh lots to build off of that going into 2026. So I felt like this was a great opportunity to kind of reflect back on the year and learn more about who you are as an athlete and uh yeah, talk about your plans for 2026.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, thank you. Yeah, I I don't even think I've done a ton of reflecting, so it should be fun.
SPEAKER_00:Cool, cool. Well, hey, I mean, dude, you're the 50k champion, you're the half marathon champion. There's a champion of a lot of things in 2025. So uh before we get started, maybe maybe give me like the five-minute elevator pitch. Like who like what's your background with sport? I know you grew up in Georgia. Um, I knew you're you went to UC Boulder, but help help paint that picture for me on like your background with sport.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, okay. Elevator pitch. I'll try and keep it condensed. Um okay. I grew up hating running. I'll start with that. Um, I feel like a lot of runners have either like the story that they they loved running from the beginning or they hated it. And I was struggling to finish the mile in PE, like not a runner by any means. Um, family wasn't either. My sisters and I grew up playing a bunch of different sports. Um so I got into running kind of through softball, um, just for like conditioning. That was we had a coach who was really into running, um, made us run a few miles before practice. And I think at the time that felt kind of psychotic. Um, so yeah, that's probably like the first time I ever ran continuous miles strung together. Um, and then I just kind of fell into it in high school. Um, and it was one of those things where uh, you know, it was getting time to start thinking about college recruiting and like was pretty serious on the softball side, tried to do both for a little bit, decided to pursue running instead. Um, and I was lucky with just like amazing teammates, amazing community that I found so quickly with running that I found a way to not hate it and then ended up loving it. Um, so that's how I got into running. Um, so yeah, it was like sophomore junior of high school. Um, yeah, then I actually did my freshman year of college at the University of Georgia in Athens. Um, so closer to home, um, SEC. I I had taken a visit to see you, but um, yeah, it just felt so far and um yeah, it didn't make sense for me at the time. So did my freshman year at the University of Georgia. Um, loved the team, loved Athens. Like I felt such a such a home there immediately and and like such a family on that team. Um, but in terms of what I was looking for, like on the running side and like my development as an athlete and and really like the team goals and team culture just wasn't what I was looking for. Um, and so I kind of had to make the difficult decision. Um, really the end of my fall there, my first fall there. Um, I kind of had to me it was like I'm either gonna keep running and do it somewhere else, or I'm gonna stop running and enjoy my time here. And I was nowhere near ready to be done with running. Um, and it's kind of funny, I think, like when you're going into college, you're 16, 17 years old making a decision about where you think you want to spend your career and what you think you want. Um, and then I think, yeah, you get into college and it doesn't take much to make you realize like maybe I wasn't looking at the right things. And you I think you learn a lot about yourself pretty quickly, and I know I did. So um, yeah, it was pretty clear to me what I was missing, what was important to me. Um and and that kind of led to me looking at CU again. Um, and and it really wasn't a big like I didn't end up looking at a bunch of other schools, it just became clear to me that's where I wanted to be. Um so yeah, that's how I ended up at CU did my so my second through fifth years at CU.
SPEAKER_00:Were you at CU like crossover with McKenna Morley? Because I think she graduated what, like 19 or 20. So you guys must have been teaming.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah. Yep. I graduated in 19. So I came in the same year she did. Um, but she was just a year under me. So that's so crazy.
SPEAKER_00:And then I think was I um what was it, Taylor or Tabor? Sorry, Tabor uh Scholl. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah. So so many people in like the trail world now, it's uh it's kind of crazy.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, interesting. Well, let's go back in time. Maybe paint the picture for me because I'm just so curious, especially coming out of high school, you must have discovered that you had like a knack at running. Like you must have obviously been very talented, talented at it or worked very hard at it from the beginning. At what point in time were you like, okay, I want to pursue this in college? This is something I want to do, and the scholarships and the recruiting started rolling in from there.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, I I remember having like such a crisis about it. Obviously, at the time it felt so big. Like my sisters were both uh like deciding to pursue softball, and we had always kind of done the same sports growing up. Um, so at the time it was like a kind of a big deal, but it was like you either need to commit yourself fully to go that track or you need to decide to go, you know, the running side if that's what you want to do. So my sophomore year of high school, I did both cross-country and softball in the fall. Um, which I'm yeah, I feel like that's usually something high schools discouraged doing two varsity sports, and I can see why looking back on it, it was just really chaotic, but it allowed me to like kind of have to make a decision. Um, so yeah, I I remember like using that season as kind of my litmus test of like I'm gonna need to come out of this with a decision. And I I can like so clearly remember like running some some silly, like probably not that hard high school workout, but seemed really hard at the time. Um, and in the middle of it, I was like, why would I choose this one? Like this, this is so physically painful compared to the other option on the table. Um, and I and I like knew in that moment I was like, but I'm gonna choose this. Like I don't know why. Um so yeah, that's I I don't I I knew there was talent there, and I knew, yeah, like I was seeing success in a different way than I'd seen in other sports. But I think it was a lot more like I'm I'm suddenly seeing this as this opportunity of like I can put in this work and it immediately is translating to what seems like endless potential. Um, and I think a lot of young high school runners feel that, but just yeah, like kind of being able to seize that at a young age and like especially when you're kind of learning who you are as a person and kind of like developing your identity, like that was a really strong pull for me. Um so I think that was the beginnings of of me like becoming a lot more intrigued by the sport. Um, and then I ended up having a really, a really incredible high school coach that I had barely started working with at the time. And um, he was a scientist and just really scientific about um training and physiology. And I just ate that up. Like that was so interesting to me. Um, that that was the way that you could approach the sport. Um, so I think that I kind of grasped onto that really heavily early on, too.
SPEAKER_00:So interesting. What what was the I guess the recruitment process for going to like a D1 school like that? Because especially because I mean, especially CU, that's the the creme de la creme. I mean, that's the tip of the spear when it comes to you know the track and field and cross-country world. Um was it very difficult, especially the transfer process leaving from UGA, even though it is D1, but going from the SEC to the Pac-12 at that time, what was that like?
SPEAKER_01:Well, it's it was a lot different than it is now, because now there's a transfer portal. Um so yeah, I I will say back when I was going through it, like the way it worked, um, you really needed the support of your like current coach because they had a lot of like options to sort of block your potential if they wanted to. And I think that would depend on how you left the program, how that all went. I, you know, thankfully had a lot of support from my coach of Georgia. He was, you know, I came to him, had multiple conversations, and by the time I was like allowed to contact other coaches, um, he was like, I'm I'm on your team here, like I'll help you with with this whole process. He's like, I'll advocate for you, I'm not gonna hold you back. And I had heard horror stories of the opposite happening, um, like people's eligibility being blocked for a period of time. Um, so yeah, for me it was like relatively smooth logistically. Um, it did feel like a huge life risk. Like I was going from a full ride scholarship in state to not quite a full scholarship out of state. Um, I was leaving, I was like an hour and a half from home in Athens and I was flying across the country. I didn't know anyone. Um, I was lucky to have met someone on my recruiting trip who I was able to room with, someone on the team. Um, but I wasn't living in the dorms. I was just like, you know, come summer moving across the country. So that piece of it was like felt like such a risk. And there was like a lot of doubt of like, is this yeah, is this a great idea, or am I just like feeling like I don't know, like I think people have the idea with like the grass is always greener somewhere else. And I was like trying to make sure that's not why I was making my decision and um kind of like realizing and deciding like these are the important factors I've identified for myself. And beyond that, you kind of just have to make it the right decision. Um, so that's kind of the mindset I tried to have. But it was it was, yeah, like I feel like the hugest shift and risk I had ever taken at that point.
SPEAKER_00:That's so interesting to me. And the reason I ask in uh I don't know, I think of like college football. I have a lot of friends that played college football, and I I just know from back in the day, like I graduated, I think it was like 2013. I I just remember coaches and that whole process, they used like if you were a Big Ten athlete and wanted to go within the Big Ten, like a lot of times they had the power to block that. I didn't know it was that way for the same thing for uh cross country and track and field. That's interesting. The portal has changed dynamics so much.
SPEAKER_01:Oh my gosh, I know. I could say a lot on yeah, just uh everything that's changed in the NCAA since I've graduated, which is crazy. Um, but yeah, I think I think if I was transferring in conference, it it makes it a little bit stickier. But I still think I I really did have like really great support from my coach. So I think he would have helped me um even with that. But I think if you're transferring out of conference, that helps.
SPEAKER_00:Let let's talk about we'll shift gears. I it like your time at CU and did you have like goals to go professional um on the on the track or the road after school? Like how how was that working for you? I'm just trying to bridge that gap until you found the trails, kind of.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah. Um, yes. So I to quickly touch on my college career, like it was pretty up and down for me. Um, like on paper, pretty disappointing. But like I came out of school feeling like I had had enough sort of like glimpses of success and excitement still, um, that I was like nowhere near ready to be done with running. Um but I hadn't I ran like half an outdoor season my entire time in college. So I certainly didn't have any credentials to be speaking to any brands or anything like that. Um, but I I also felt like I still had a lot of potential with my college coaches and they had kind of a small post-collegiate group um already going. And then a few other women from my year were were gonna continue to train with them. And um, so I jumped into that and yeah, I kind of immediately shifted to the roads. Um just yeah, part partially, like that's where I felt like the opportunity was for me um and the excitement. Part of me still wants to go do some stuff on the track someday. I don't know if I will, but um there's I don't know. I feel it feels like there's just like some untapped, like I've never even run a 10p on the track, which feels crazy. Um but yeah, I also dealt with yeah, like quite a string of in like up and down and like injuries post-collegially as well. So I really like I was training with that group and um aspiring to run on the roads for several years, and I really only had like a small road season in 2022. Um and it was it was enough that it like kept me excited about the sport and and kept me excited about my potential. Um, but it it was I came out of that pretty quickly having to deal with um some hip issues that I'd been dealing with previously. So um yeah, I would say mostly like an up and down sort of journey for me um that ultimately led me to the trails. That being said, I do, I do still have road ambitions. Um, and I think yeah, we have a lot of amazing athletes in our sport who have proved you can do you can do both. You can do any mix that you want. Um, so for me right now, I think my excitement mostly lies on the trails, but certainly still some road ambitions.
SPEAKER_00:If you don't mind me asking, like what made you stay in Boulder? Just because I feel like this is like an ongoing threat where athletes graduate from boulder, like from CU. And a lot of people just stay because if you're an athlete, it's like the place to be.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, I mean, you said it, it's the place to be. Um, yeah, and I it was kind of funny graduating. Like I there were certainly people who could not wait to get out. Um, and then there are people who I think I'm more aligned with, which just like this felt like my home. And when I moved out here initially um and transferred, it was partially because of because of the program at CU, the coaches, the team, um, but also just like the environment here. Like this, this has always felt like so aligned with who I am as a person and and like a place that I feel so comfortable. Um, so yeah, like it it just made sense for me to stay. Like, not only for like my training setup, um, yeah, like the environment. I don't think it gets much better than this. I think I I appreciate like I think I respond well to training at altitude and like this altitude specifically. I'm a C-level person. So I think training much higher than this consistently would be hard for me. Um so I think yeah, it's it's a good fit in many ways.
SPEAKER_00:Very cool. Uh so we gotta, I gotta, I gotta bring this up and we'll kind of bridge the gap now to to the trails. It's funny, you came on my radar this past year when you won Twisted Fork, uh, the 15K. I think if I'm not mistaken, I think it was David Roche, uh, your coach that put something up on Instagram, uh, singing your praises and just telling the world to absolutely watch out. And that obviously put you on my radar and of course a lot of others, which was pretty cool. Um, how did you find the trails? Like, what made you say, like, all right, this this trail thing looks kind of neat? Was it a friend that said maybe try this out? Or like, how did you find it?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, I mean, obviously, I live in a great place to like be on the trails. Um, and actually, like going back to high school, I wouldn't say Georgia has like a crazy amount of trails, but I think the most joy and excitement I ever found in running initially was just like running through the woods. Um, so like I I'd always been someone who would gravitate towards training on the trails when I could. Um so it wasn't anything like super out of the ordinary in terms of getting curious about actually trail racing and like understanding my potential there. Um, my husband has been racing trails kind of longer stuff um since he moved out here in 2018. So I think when I met him, like just being a little bit closer to that world initially was really exciting. Um, obviously just doing a little bit more on the trails, like just running together with him. Um, but then going to my first trail races to support him, like my mind was just blown, obviously, by just I don't know, the community, the excitement. It's just like such a fun facet of the the like of the running world that I wasn't really familiar with. Um, and I'm like such a running nerd, such a fan of the sport in general. Like it's not, it's not hard for me to want to jump in and follow another part of our sport. So um that's probably where I initially got um just a lot more exposure than I had previously. And then um, yeah, I would say 2023, I had pretty major hip surgery. And coming out of that, like prior to that, I had said for a while, like I kind of want to have my road career and then start dabbling on the trails, but maybe keep them separate. Um, and coming out of that, I kind of started to realize like I don't need to do it in that order. And I don't know, I think like when injuries start to eat away at your time in the sport, like you start to think about what matters to you more and like what you're more excited about. Um, and so I was like, I kind of want to get more into trails like sooner rather than later. Um, and that's when David, my coach, like came onto my radar because I knew he had coached um plenty of athletes who had sort of road trap trail ambitions. Um, and like starting to understand that you could mix them together. Um, and kind of on top of the fact that I I had already kind of been experimenting with like training a little bit more on the trails um while competing on the roads, just for like from a health perspective, I thought it worked better for me. Um, so yeah, around that time is when I started to think I I think I want to like try something on the trails. Um so yeah, going going into 2024. Um, like that's when I was like, when I'm healthy, I think I want to put a trail race on my calendar. And it took me till um the end of that year to be able to do that. And it was still kind of a stretch. Like I was barely getting my feet under me. Um, but I that's the first trail race I did was Moab, um, the trail half 2024. Um, and I had been there the year before in 23 supporting my husband running, and just being there, I was like, oh, like I want to do this next year, like I want to find a way to be here. Um, so that was really cool. Just like showing up. I hadn't raced in like over two years. Um, but it being a trail race, something I'd really never done before, it kind of removed any expectation or like fear. It was like, okay, like I don't even know what to be afraid of. So see what happens.
SPEAKER_00:Wanna backtrack a little bit? Dude, hips are the worst. I've had hip pain, hip hip issues in the past. I feel like I I literally just had a PT on to talk about hip issues because I've had so many podcasts that like have hip problems that it's like a constant conversation. If you don't mind me asking, like would you would you mind talking about like did you tear a labrum? Like, what did you do to your uh to the hip?
SPEAKER_01:Yes, I um yeah, I kind of like destroyed my labrum and tried to run through it, run around it, stave it off with strength training for years. Um and that's the crazy thing about the hip labrum is you can in many cases like work through it until you can't. Um yeah, that was my issue that I finally got fixed in 2023. Um, and then I've I following that dealt with for another year, like unrelated, sort of related pelvic issues. So hip and pelvis, I've been through it. So I get it.
SPEAKER_00:But I mean, that's amazing that you're able that you've been able to recover from that. Because I mean, for a lot of athletes, like sometimes that's a career render. Like if you can't get that figured out, like a lot of people cannot come back from that. So the fact that you've been able to uh it kind of speaks volumes. That's amazing.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, yeah. I it's funny when yeah, I think back to like certain conversations with doctors and they're like, you know, running just really hard on your hips. Like, okay. But yeah, I think I don't know. I think if you're willing to do the work, and I think there's so many tools and and so much you can do in the weight room and with rehab and stuff, like I think I try to come back to the fact that I really believe like our bodies are so strong and capable, and it's so exciting to like see what you can do when you're supporting your body like properly. So yeah, lots of lots of rehab, lots of strength, but yeah, durability, it's crazy.
SPEAKER_00:Like once I started like getting obsessed with like I you know what I did, I stopped paying attention to like what runners were doing, and I started paying attention to what like kickboxers and like Muay Thai, because they have so cool flexion and they have so much internal and external rotation in their hips. And I just realized that like other runners at a high level they're so stiff in the hips, they don't have a lot of like very side-to-side lateral movement. Um, and once I kind of figured that out, I was like, huh. Like that's a that's a game changer because yeah, it's uh it's the hip thing. Yeah, I could do a whole podcast on it. I have, I'll do another one probably.
SPEAKER_01:I like that. I'll have to yeah, I'll have to look into that. That's interesting.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's hip strength is key. Um moving on. All right, so second place at the Moab uh trail half in 2024. You come back this year, you become the champion, you are also the 50k champion. Um you won Twisted Fork. The only race that you I feel like you gotta get back something on is Broken Arrow at this point. Like what uh what's the plan for 2026? I saw you signed up for the 23K. What uh what else do you yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_01:I actually really wanted to run the 23k last year and I couldn't get in, um, which is fair. Like I didn't really have much of a resume, so I'm really excited to do that this year. Um I don't have my calendar fully planned out, um, but I think, yeah, I definitely have some ideas about where I want to start. I'm looking at both Big Alta and Gorge, like the 30-ish K distance, which for me is like that distance is kind of what I'm most excited about. And I really haven't raced that distance. Like I've raced under that, and then obviously the 50k. Um, but I'm kind of most intrigued by like two the two to three hour like pocket of racing. Um, it just hasn't been something I've actually been able to find yet. So um yeah, I'm really I'm really excited about doing more of that. And then I'm kind of standing by for Golden Trail to release their schedule. Definitely interested in getting involved with that series. Um so yeah, I think that like all of that should paint a pretty good picture for the year. We'll see. Um yeah, I'm getting excited.
SPEAKER_00:I like that. Is there anyway? I think the thing in Boulder too is there's so many athletes that run the Golden Trail races that there's like endless people to, if you want to train with people, there's endless people to train with and talk to. And I don't know, it's like a really cool community of the folks that like Lauren Gregory and all them that go over and race those races. So that's super cool. Um yeah, I'm excited. I like to hear, I love hearing that Golden Trail is is possibly on the calendar for this year. I I want to know what's gonna be on their US calendar. I think everybody does at this point.
SPEAKER_01:I know. I would love if it was two races. That would be great.
SPEAKER_00:I don't know. I don't even know what's gonna be one at this point. It's uh from what I've heard. We shall see. We shall see. Maybe uh Greg Vallea pull rapid out of his hat. Um, but I don't want to gloss over what you did in 2025. I really want to go into that. Like 50k national champion um or USATF champ. What inspired you to go to that race? Like I think I think a lot of athletes, especially coming from the collegiate scene. I know Adam Peterman was big on this, another CU athlete. Um, athletes go and they they want to do the USATF stuff. Um, what what inspired you to kind of do those races and kind of mix it up there?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, so kind of a couple things. So 2025 for me was really like the most important thing for me was having a full year of health and consistency, um, which then allowed me to have like a full season. But that being said, like I it wasn't like I was able to sit down at really the beginning of the year and even build out a full season because I wasn't sure what that was gonna look like. And I was pretty sure I wasn't gonna be able to travel internationally to race. Um, kind of just made that decision early with like logistics, like not having support from a sponsor or anything and work and stuff. So I was like, okay, like gonna keep it domestic. Um, and that kind of really narrows your opportunities, like for highly competitive races, um, depending on like schedules and stuff. Like you can certainly put together a really high-level calendar, but um just kind of the way things shook out, I found myself like not having as many opportunities as I wanted. Um I I was originally planning on racing Sunope and I I missed that just um coming off of like a super small thing that popped up in the spring for me. I like got back to running maybe a week after I would have been ready for that. And so I said, let's not force it. Um so that's why I put twisted fork on my calendar was a great way to open up. Um pretty easy place to travel to for me. Um, and then yeah, like didn't quite get to do what I wanted to at Broken Arrow. Um, so then I was like, my calendar was wide open for the summer, and I was like, well, everyone's in Europe. Like I don't know what my options are. Um and so David put the 50K on my on my radar. Um, him and his wife Megan, obviously really familiar with that race, um, with that course and those trails. And I was like, I do not want to run a 50k. It's like I'm not, I know. I was like, I'm not quite interested in that distance yet. Like, I'm like, there's so much more I want to do before that. Um, yeah. So I was like, I I don't really know if I'm like, I think I just said no initially. And he was like, he's like, I think you would like love these trails. I think you do really well on like the profile of this course. So like no pressure, but like if you're curious, like let's think about it. And so I thought about it and I was like, ah, okay, like maybe I'll just do it. And also just the fact that it's I mean, there's pretty decent verb, but it's so rentable that it's you're looking at like a four-ish hour 50k, not like a six, seven hour 50k. So I was like, okay, I think I am like down to see if I want to do that. Um, so yeah, I I went into it like I don't know, like not like I I was excited about where my fitness was at. I was excited about how training was got had gone, but I was like, I don't know what this means over 50k because I don't even know what a 50k is supposed to look like. Um but yeah, I think it being a USATF national race also like to me, I'm like, that's gonna guarantee there's at least like some people there, right? Especially that time in the summer when other people are traveling to Europe. I'm like, at least we're gonna get some people there, make it worth the trip. So um, yeah, I think that was another reason why I was like, okay, like let's let's give it a try. Um, and he was right about the trails. I loved them. I was like, this is insane.
SPEAKER_00:So that area, that area is beautiful. And I think it's it was, you know, I don't know, I just like looking back on your calendar, I think you made some really good decisions as far as like for instance, like Twisted Fork, yes, it's a smaller race. Yes, it was the first year for Finn running it, but there were for winning that race, I think a lot of people got to know who you were because they put that on on social media. There was a lot of discussion around it, and uh that's when you know David started bringing stuff up in the media, which it like I said, it just kind of put your name on the map a little bit more for uh not just brands, but just for folks in the sport to learn who you were. Um, and then obviously, you know, the USATF 50K race, winning that is you know big for name recognition as well. So I think you you made some really good decisions. I gotta ask about Broken Arrow. What did you think of the ascent? Because that's such a that was a rough day for people. First of all, it was cut short. Yeah. Uh it's already a strange race because I don't know, I feel like of all the VK courses, not that there are many in a in the United States, that one is very runnable. I mean, entirely runnable. There's not a lot of hiking, if anything. But then when you cut it down to so short, it's it's a totally different race.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, I know. I'm like, I still like don't know if I know what to think of that. I um yeah, I was pretty bummed when they cut it short, just mainly because I think I don't know, for me, like I feel like I've been training for longer efforts even than a full VK, but like going down to like a 30-minute race, I was like, ooh, I'm I don't know that I'm like super VO2 fit necessarily at the moment. Um but I like it being runnable was something I was more excited about. Um and and I was like super intrigued by just uphill racing in general. Um so yeah, I definitely like the way I would describe it is I feel like I got smacked in the face. Like I was like, I don't know. Like I I felt like I got out like up that crazy ski hill, like fine. Like I was like, I think I did what I wanted to do up this hill, like I didn't go crazy. I I didn't have a very good sense of where I was in the women's field. Like I didn't anticipate not being able to understand with like just it being a mass start. Like, because I think I thought I was further back than I initially was. I think I was like probably where I wanted to be, and then I just had no idea what was going on. Um, and then I like by the time it funneled at some point, I was like stuck behind some guy with poles, like trying to understand if it made sense for me to, yeah, I'll like pass him, but then just be behind like 20 other people. I was like, what's happening? So I don't know, like it was it felt like an out-of-body experience is how I would describe it. Um, but then I finished and I was like, gosh, like my only thought is that I want to like go figure out how to do that better. Like I just want to go down. I feel like by the time you run down, you're kind of recovered. I'm like, I just want to do that again. Like I just feel like I want to figure out how to do that better. Um so yeah, I don't know. And I was like, gosh, like having that experience with the VK and like not being able to like turn around and run the 23k and like find a way to like have a better day there was like kind of frustrating. I I thought about sticking around because I had heard there were like last minute bibs they give you if you show up the morning of. But I heard people showed up at like 2 a.m. And I was like, I don't, I don't know if I'm gonna be ready to like rip up all night trying to get a bib. Um, so yeah, I don't know. Like I'm it was incredible to be there. I don't regret going. And I like especially missing Cenep, I was like, it's a world year. Like I want to give myself a chance to like go be in this race competing, um, even if it's not the discipline I I felt the strongest at the moment. Um and like Broken Arrow was amazing. Like just being there, like being what like seeing so many people and um being around it, it was like I'm glad I got to experience that um before this year. I got like going and getting to race what I actually want to race this year. Um so yeah, that being said, I'm not signed up for the VK this year. Um, maybe I'm a little traumatized, but I uh I want to do it again, but I'm I'm kind of my mindset's more like I want to flesh out the rest of my season before I decide if it makes sense to try and double. Um, and I think 23k is more intriguing to me. So we'll see.
SPEAKER_00:Well, it's the I mean, I feel like broken arrow is probably for short trail at this point. It's the event in North America now, especially with like the prize money and stuff floating around and like the support. It's like really cemented itself. So though, I mean, I think there's there's always gonna be options to jump into the VK. I don't think that would be an issue. The one thing I was gonna say is like that's one of the courses. I don't know, like I've been on I've seen most of the VK courses in North America now, and I think I don't know, like that one, in my opinion, requires the most strategy just because of the absolutely insane mass start. And it's like you're on that scheme that's got like plants on it and shit, and it's like, well, what do I do with this? And yeah, it's uh I feel like the right don't check out the Right VK too. I think that's a in my opinion, that's a better VK course, but you know, they're they all have their gems, they're all there's all different ones, and hopefully we get more in North America, which makes it, you know, a little more fun.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, yeah, I know. I'm I think that was part of it. Like I I maybe didn't expect, like I feel like David and I had chatted through some strategy. When you when you get out there, it's like I didn't even I don't know, like it happened so fast, maybe because I hadn't raced something that short in so long. But I was like, wow, I want to figure that out. Like there's there's a lot to figure out there. So but I'm I'm also like I want to race the full the full distance, you know, and have a little bit longer to figure it out.
SPEAKER_00:So not to try and convince you or sell you or anything, but you are a 50k champion, a half marathon champion for USATF. The only thing you're not is the not running champion. So I feel like you is there a chance Sunopee happens this year? I feel like that you might have to put that one on the calendar. That that could be, yeah.
SPEAKER_01:That's yeah. I I am like I saw the photos from that race and I was like, oh, it looks so sloppy and fun. Um so yeah, I I did see that that's that's like the US champ. So I am I am curious. I think again, I want to like take a look at my schedule as a whole, especially just with like I want to be cognizant of travel, like because I I have not raced internationally before. Um, so I even like just flying across the country like that, I just want to be like selective about travel, but it's on my radar. Like I'm I was bummed to miss it last year. It looks so fun. So I'm curious.
SPEAKER_00:In the scope of the sport, like what gets you excited? Like, have you seen? I know you mentioned uh Golden Trail. I'm sure you've seen like some of the YouTube videos on like series and all and Zagama and races abroad and stuff like that, or even outside of uh Golden Trail, like OCC, it seems to be that that people get funnel that direction too. Any of those things, like not for this year necessarily, but just in general to get you excited?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, all of the above. All of the above. I think um, yeah, I think I'm it's hard to like pace out like when I want to do things. I'm trying to be like measured about it. I feel like my husband Bobby's like been really um helpful, like counsel just around is like I've seen people get into the sport and like try like kind of go too hard too soon and like try to do it all too quickly. And so I've tried to be, and David's been really good about that too. Like, you know, we have time, like we're playing the long game, um trying to be like measured about what I feel like I'm ready for, and but I'm like excited about it all. I think something like obviously like UTMB week, it's like how can you not want to be a part of that? Um, I think, yeah, like for me in the next few years, I'm excited about like 50k and under distance. Like I really I think it's such an exciting pocket of our sport, and I I love that it's starting to get more recognition. Um, and I think I'm just like understanding it myself. So yeah, there's like a lot I want to do in that space. Um and yeah, some of the bigger, like iconic rate like golden trail races I'm I'm super intrigued by. Um something like OCC, like I don't see myself like I think I'd maybe feel ready for that in the next couple years, but even this year I don't. Like I I wanna wait till I'm like really excited about trying to race for five to six hours, you know. Um, and I think I'm still finding my footing like in the two to three, maybe four hour distances. So yeah, I don't know. I think it's like I'm excited about all of it, but I'm also I'm also just excited about like racing internationally for the first time, like putting together a strategic season like that, um, kind of coming off of last year, just having a season in general was new for me after so many years of like up and downs. So trying to be patient.
SPEAKER_00:I respect that. I actually really appreciate that because your husband makes a really good point. I mean, when you get into the sport, especially for someone like you having a meet almost immediate success at pretty much everything you touch, it's like I want to do it all. Like, how can I get my name on every start list? And I think it's really important to take a step back and be like, all right, what's gonna be the best thing, not just for my health and for my sanity and my pocketbook, because it I don't think people realize it's like how I think a lot of normal like athletes do like realize just how expensive it is to get from point A to point B for all these different races. So I think it's a really uh I think it's a respectable thing to kind of take a step back and be like, all right, like what's gonna be the best fit for me? And the thing is too, like, I don't know, like if like for instance, like Golden Trail and stuff like that, you have one successful race at Golden Trail that goes pretty well, then I know they're really good about finding like necessarily not necessarily new talent, but athletes that have that success, then inviting you to the next race and then to the next race. And it kind of helps open doors and things like that. So that's one thing that's good as far as the opportunities go, uh both internationally and and uh in the United States as well. So yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Um all right, I want to pivot a little bit. I can ask you. So you're coached by David. Pretty much every person I have on this podcast is coached by David. I feel like that he's a mad genius, and Megan as well. They're just so good at what they do as far as coaches go. Yeah. Talk about that. Talk about how um, you know, obviously that's a different world than being on the trails coming from the road and coming from your background collegiately. Talk about how that's kind of like changed your training and maybe talk about like your approach to training. Like, are you more heart rate-based now? Are you time-based? Like, what does your training look like?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah. Um, yeah, it's been a really like fun experiment transition for me. Like, I like I said, I worked with my college coaches coming out of school. And like I I really I mean, I decided to stay with them because I really liked their training. And but it was like a very like sort of similar structure that I've been in for at that point, like so many years. So like pivoting to something new was like very exciting, but like Like I think you just like it takes a little while to like find confidence in that. Um and and like some big things for me, like taking a rest day every week was like such a crazy thing for me at the time. And I was like, I I don't know about that, or like but like I can cross-train, right? And it's like, no, let's really lean into like a full rest day, and that's been like so game-changing for me. Um, and I think like before I started working with David, like as I was dealing with a lot of injuries, like I tried to really like shift my mindset around training and like decision making to like health above all else. Because if you're healthy, you're consistent. If you're consistent, you're like fitness is gonna come. Like it's undeniable. Um, and I think like having that mindset and then seeing like the way David approaches training is like just makes me like double down on that. Like it's I don't know, like it just feels like we're we're like very strategic with it. Um but like it's always sort of like let's let's be cautious, let's be yeah, just just thinking about health first. And that doesn't mean like the training's not like hard when it's hard and fun and interesting, but like I just feel like the word I would give it is like very sustainable. And I just feel like I I think like I've probably been doing this past like year or so, like in in a way, like more volume than I've ever done in a shorter period of time, like taking rest days, but like I've been feeling like it's been more sustainable than any training I've ever done. Whereas in the past, I may have felt like, okay, I'm doing good training, but I'm like barely able to string together how many however many number of weeks. Um so yeah, I think I don't know, I think David and Megan are both like very like strategic and individual about how they kind of approach training, but I think we've found um what works well for me. And I think it's been really fun. Like, this is my first time being like an athlete who's primarily racing on the trails, but like I come from a track and roads background and I love being on the track still. I love working out on the road still. Um, but as someone new to trails, like I also needed to spend some time learning how to run fast on the trails. So like this summer felt like a very fun experiment of like when it made sense to do my harder efforts on the track, on the roads, on the trails. Um, and that was like I felt like it was kind of an experiment that ended in like finding a really good balance and drawing some confidence from yeah, like what we landed on. So yeah, it's it's been like an interesting kind of evolution, I think, since we started working together like two over two years ago. Um, but yeah, I I feel good about where we're at and it's exciting.
SPEAKER_00:I love that. It are is your training more on feel, like perceived exertion? Is it more heart rate based? I've been a lot of people have been asking like me to ask these questions, and it actually has me intrigued uh as far as like audience goes, because I'm a big heart rate guy. Like I do most of my training based on heart rates and like sticking with those in those zones. That's what my coach has me do. Um, but I know David does different things with different people sometimes. So like what is it for you specifically?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, it's less like I would say I do use heart rate more than I've ever used it, but I would say that's only because I now have like a metric that I trust. I have like the corrosar band, which um I don't know, I never really liked a heart rate strap prior to that. And I think like wrist-based heart rate can be pretty all over the place. So um having a tool that I now believe is accurate, like I probably use it more than I ever have, but I don't like I'm not necessarily given generally like paces or anything matched with heart rate. It's like I'm more looking at it after the fact or kind of maybe judging while I'm doing something more threshold just to make sure I'm like in the zone I'm trying to be in. Um I do use it like a lot when I'm cross-training. I think heart rate is like pretty much filimetric. I mean, besides perceived effort, pretty much filimetric you have when you're cross-training. And I think I mean, I like used to cross-train a lot in college. Um, and I feel like I've gotten a lot more strategic with my cross-training now. And I think a lot of that is because I have a tool like heart rate. Um, so yeah, I use it some. I think it's a really good tool, but it kind of depends on like, yeah, probably anywhere between like perceived effort or hitting certain paces, depending on like the terrain, time of year, intensity of the workout.
SPEAKER_00:Um, for cross-training. Are you grabbing more gravel cycling? Like what are you skiing? Like, what are you into?
SPEAKER_01:Uh I'm not a skier yet. Um I've lived here for over 10 years. I'm not a skier yet, but um, it's uh it's on my radar. I'm I think it'd be a really fun option to have, but it's kind of I was talking to my friend about this. It's kind of a hard thing to like break into uh when you don't have the setup or the experience.
SPEAKER_00:Boulder schemo, check out uh my buddy Davide. He's got uh his whole Boulder Schemo set up. So there's the infrastructure. If there's any place where the infrastructure's in place, they've got to figure it out in Boulder. So check out the boulder. Okay, okay. It's the thing to do. Okay, and they're all they're all like high-level athletes, so it's fun. Like they they know what they're doing.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, I I would love because I'm um gosh, I love the snow, but I uh my body does not always love the snow. So I'm like very careful and selective about how much snow running I do. So it's it'd be really nice to like not have to just hop on the treadmill and have like an option to ski in the winter. Um, but yeah, cross training. I'm I'm traditionally kind of an indoor cross training girly. I kind of love to just, you know, get it done indoors. I do have a gravel bike, and I that was um a post-hip surgery um endeavor for me. And that like opened my eyes to the fact that cycling is so fun and crash training doesn't have to be terrible all the time. Um but I'm I'm I don't know, like I'm not someone who loves to like descend very fast on the bike, I will say. Like, I don't know, there's something about like throwing myself, yeah, like throwing myself down a mountain on my own two feet. I'm like fine. Like if I fall, I'm like not that far from the ground. But yeah, like here in Boulder, like there's there's like one descent that is kind of like I can get a good climb up to Jamestown and I can descend back down and like I feel comfortable doing that. But like there's so many other like bigger, more fun, epic rides that I just like can't do because I just like can't do the descent. I just like won't do it. So um I do I love to cycle outside, but I also we have a Zwift bike, which is really, really nice for indoor riding. Um, and I also kind of think like depending on time, like kind of like you get a little more bang for your buck inside. Like if you're gonna go two hours inside, it's gonna be maybe the equivalent to like three plus hours outside, depending on your effort level level. Um I am a psycho who loves the elliptical. Like I really can spend a couple hours on the elliptical and I have a great time.
SPEAKER_00:Um amazing. I just found I had one in Florida and I would, yeah, I it was amazing. It's the greatest thing ever. I think I might actually get one. Yeah. Stair step or two. Those are sick.
SPEAKER_01:The stairs are also, and I feel like um, yeah, I think there's like more trail specificity to be gained on the stairs too. Like I love adding that in a couple times a week. So yeah, I think if you have, I don't know, some good music, some good podcasts, like you you can spend great time indoors frustrating.
SPEAKER_00:So yeah, yeah. I and I I yeah, and I feel like in Colorado, I mean, granted, this year it's been kind of unusually warm, but like, and we have got like no snow. Yeah, but still, uh, I mean, for as far as like year-round running, it's been amazing, but uh as far as everything else, not so good, but not good.
unknown:Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_00:But uh yeah, especially you guys. I feel like you guys have had like more fire skills like I'm down in Colorado Springs and like we haven't really had any like okay, yeah. But you guys have had a ton, it's been kind of crazy. No bueno.
SPEAKER_01:I know. Well, it's been yeah, if it's not a hundred mile an hour winds, it's fifty. It's like I don't know, it's kind of nice, but I'm also like, oh, I don't this is not good on yeah, it's not good.
SPEAKER_00:So weird. Yeah, yeah. I yeah, hopefully we get some snow putting putting that out in the universe. Um want to shift gears a little bit and talk to you about uh free agency and I guess goals for like with your career and stuff like that. Like you've had so much success just in one year giving this a go. Like the world is kind of at your fingertips as far as what you do going forward. What do you want to do? Like as far as like goals that you have in front of you, or is it more so not necessarily goals and just to have fun with it? Like, how do you approach that?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, I think this has been an interesting year in a lot of ways. I um up until the summer, I was like since I graduated college, like working full-time, balancing running goals with uh work and life. Um and yeah, like I think I mentioned this earlier, but I I feel like I just have like endless excitement about the sport and my potential in the sport. And I I kind of fear that I'm someone who will be like 50 before I'm ready to say, maybe I'm not competitive anymore. Like I just I don't I don't think I'm someone who will ever get bored or run out of things to be excited about and like belief in yeah, what where I can go in the sport. So um, but for me this year has been a shift towards like um leave, like I left my full-time job over the summer, um, and kind of said like I want to spend some time like putting my full focus on training and racing. Um and kind of that going well and and like starting to see like where I could go in the sport, like making me realize like I I do want to pursue this full time if I can. Um, or at least like I think just the shift towards like this being my first priority instead of something that I'm juggling or figuring out or not willing to give up, but maybe it not being the thing that I can put my full resources towards. So yeah, I think it's been a year of like kind of recognizing and like I I think especially as someone who's had a lot of like setbacks and injuries, like it it starts to feel like you don't have like you don't get to say that, you don't get to want that um when you've been so far from that potential before. But I kind of feel like this has been like a bit of a resurrection of like that belief in myself. And um yeah, it's like why not? Like I I that's what I want, you know, and it's like why there are so many reasons to tell yourself why you can't have it, but it's like I'm in a place now where I'm like I want to go for it. Um yeah, I want to like figure out how to make it the thing that I'm able to focus on. So um yeah, obviously, like I'm starting to think about like specific race goals for next year, but I think more than that, it's like I want to continue to take steps to making this like the kind of center of my career in like the best way that I can. So yeah, kind of kind of vague, but that's what I'm thinking.
SPEAKER_00:I was gonna maybe, and you don't have to answer this or I can cut it out. Um, have you started having any conversations with any brands yet? I know we're gonna be doing an episode on free agency soon. So trying to jump the gun on that and uh get some notes for my free agency episode.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah. Well, I I like the um I like the term free agency. It makes me feel like a football player. Um But yes, I am um I'm working with an agent and and having some conversations. Um yeah, so yeah, the door is open there, which has been great. Um obviously, like, yeah, it's it's obviously like a a process, um, but trying to take some steps in that direction and see where it can go.
SPEAKER_00:So sweet, sweet. Now keep it vague. That's fine. No big deal. We'll exp we'll we'll we'll be waiting for the announcement soon. No, I'm um that's super exciting and uh very excited to hear uh what the next steps are and uh kind of what the plans are for 2026. So um what do you think of the sport so far? Are you uh like do you like the direction it's going in? I mean, it seems like these days there's a lot of people that want it in the Olympics, which it's all schemo, get in the Olympics that'll be in the Olympics in the next month. Um obviously we had worlds this year that seem to be on the biggest stage that's ever been. And then you've got the UTMB situation. Like, are you excited with this like level of professionalization? It seems like, or do you obviously it's gonna transform even more over the next few years and get kind of crazy, even crazier than what we see now? Like, what do you think so far?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, I mean, kind of going back to the fact that like I I am a self-proclaimed, like huge fan of the sport, huge running nerd. Um, like I will consume any any coverage. Like I I love so like seeing all of it evolve on the trail side is really exciting to me. And like, yeah, discussions of of trail running going towards the Olympics, like coming from a road and track background. I'm like, hell yeah, that's great. Like, let's let's do it. Um, so yeah, I think I'm stoked about where it's at. I like I mentioned I'm I'm excited about I think kind of the short trail sides getting more excitement behind it than it's maybe had in the past, which is really cool. I think my first impression of trail running several years ago was like, oh, that's like 100 milers, like that's all it is. Um, so yeah, like starting to like see that more people are excited about mountain running and sub 50k stuff, and um seeing the coverage for those events like kind of start to rival stuff like UTMB or Western States, um that's nothing but exciting to me. So um yeah, I'm all for it. I think obviously like as anything grows and there's like more money coming into the sport, like obviously it's not gonna be perfect. Like there are gonna be some potential issues, but um I think I I think hopefully like the opportunities that come with it outweigh the potential negative sides.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. Yeah, I think this is the time to be in it too. I mean, this is the time where we're kind of in that in-between time where uh the growth is starting to get exponential, contracts are getting more valuable than they've ever been, so it's a good time to enter the sport. Um and it's also getting more competitive. Like the competition level from just this year going backwards five years is insane how much more competitive it's gotten. So that's what I'm really looking forward to is seeing the competition continue to grow, more athletes like yourself from these like high pedigree D1 backgrounds coming in. Um like it was really exciting to talk to McKenna Morley as well, your former teammate. And I've just had so many like D1 athletes in the like in the space kind of over the last few months come on the pod to chat. And it's like, wow, like short trail is going to be insane in the next few years. I mean, look at what Christian Allen just did, like uh running its CIM. Like who would have thought a million years that like a trail runner is gonna go get on the podium of CIM? Sure shit. Uh someone's able to do it. And yeah, I just find it really interesting. So what do you um I don't know, just to like as a not just as a fan, but like what do you think we can do to grow the fan base? Like uh just as uh as not just athletes in the sport, but as just people in the sport, like what do you think needs to be done for that fan base to to rival ultra in a lot of ways? Because I feel like we are so ultra-centric, and that's not a bad thing, that's awesome, but I think that we could just do a better job in our little sport of like growing the fan base and getting more and more people excited about it.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, maybe like maybe like more mass participation. I don't even want to say opportunities, because it's like I think I think the availability for everyday runners to participate in sub 50k like trail races, like it's out there, but I just don't feel like the mass popularity is there. I think when people think about I'm gonna do a trail race, they like immediately think they have to do an ultra. Um so yeah, I think like I don't know, like I think about when I was like first getting into the sport. If I had like heard like, oh, you can go run a half marathon on the trails, like what would that have felt like, you know, and like what how how would like I don't know, like running a half marathon on the trails versus doing your like token half marathon on the roads, like what would that be like? Um, so yeah, I don't know. I think that's maybe where like the general population, like understanding, like because then I think then they're around like the high-level athletes who are like crushing those distances and they're like, whoa, this is like mind blowing. Like it's mind blowing for someone to run a fast hundred miler, but it's also mind blowing for someone to like destroy like a 30k trail race that's like like in a quarter of the time than they can understand, you know. Like it's I don't know, I think like that's where I maybe see a bit of a gap. Um, and I'm not sure what that would look like, but yeah, like if I if I had friends who were just getting into sport, I would be like, go run the Moab half marathon. Like it's yeah, it's sick, like go see what it's about, you know?
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, beautiful course too. Yeah, I don't know. I think the this the short trail is just presents such an easier uh such an easier segue into into the sport as opposed to yeah, thinking that you have to go run a 50k and that's automatically, you know, that makes you and it's great. There's amazing 50ks out there, but I think as far as just approachability, um the mass I was thinking about this today because we had the the Rut uh the Rut's a map like crazy mass participation event. It's like almost 5,000 people do that race. And I'm like thinking to myself, I'm like, all right, that's a lot of people. That's gotta be the second biggest trail race in North America. But I'm like, what is it about that race? Like, because they can't all just be they're not all fans of the sport. They do it because you know, I think a lot of people get into it just be from a community perspective. And I think that's what is I think as far as like just um media in the space and a lot of other things, like I think the community is just such a slept on thing and just so important. And uh yeah, I think that's where it starts, is in the community and kind of trying to grow that. It's interesting. So it's gonna be fun to see like where that's I can't believe they still had in 35 minutes. 5,000 people. Did they really? It's nuts. Like, I'm like, wow, there's that many people in the sport, like that excited about a race in the middle of nowhere in Montana. That is nuts.
SPEAKER_01:That's so sick. That's so cool.
SPEAKER_00:So sports growing for sure. Wow. Yeah. So well, I think this is a good place to stop. I cannot wait to have more conversations in the future uh and chat more about uh 2026. We'll obviously have a I'll be we'll be talking about a pre-broken arrow uh 23k uh interview. So that'll be fun. We'll get to talk about then. Um but yeah, wishing you the best of luck and uh can't wait to see where where things go, Taylor. Appreciate it.
SPEAKER_01:Awesome. Thanks for having me on.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, thanks. Cool. All right, we're stopped. Thank you so much. I really appreciate it. It was a great fun episode. What'd you guys think? Uh I really want to thank Taylor so much for coming on the show and uh coming on for a chat. It was a good discussion and uh excited to learn. I was super excited to get to learn more about her and her story. Um, yeah, guys, I love like this these these are amazing conversations. It's always so fun. Taylor's career is gonna take her so many places, and uh, it's just cool to get to have a conversation uh before um you know her career starts to take off in the sport, and uh this was a great one. So many talented athletes coming to the sport from the D1 level. It's absolutely bananas. The sport is getting so competitive. Um guys, best way to support Taylor is to give her a follow on Instagram. It's gonna be linked in the show notes. You can follow her at Taylor with Lime. Uh, you could just also type in at TaylorPV on Instagram and uh you can give her a follow there. I'm sure she'd love to hear what you guys think and uh would love to hear more about the episode. So uh guys, if you've been enjoying this episode and uh if you are invested in us for 2026, please give us a five star rating and review if you haven't already on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you consume your podcast. We've got some fun sponsor announcements coming down the pipeline over the course of the next couple of months, which I'm super excited to share with you all. Um I do want to Personally, thank Ultimate Direction so much for sponsoring us in 2025. Um they were it's kind of crazy. They were my first running sponsor and the first ones to believe in me like three and a half years ago. And so it's just very near and dear to my heart and uh super want to appreciate, you know, super appreciate their support. Um so definitely want to thank them for all the support they'd given us in 2025. Uh looking forward to all that we're gonna accomplish this year. Supposed to be doing a state of the steep stuff episode, trying to get my co-host, you know, figured out for that to have a conversation about some of our plans and what we're gonna be doing for coverage. We're gonna be in your face at races in 2026, uh, Hint Hint Broken Arrow, The Rut, and amongst many others, like the Cirque series. And we just got a lot of good stuff coming down the pipeline that I'm excited about. We're gonna be we're gonna be building a fan base in 2026, and that's the goal. So uh guys, thanks for believing in me, and thanks for believing in the show, and uh more to come down the pipeline.
