The Wrong Turn That Shook Running

This week on the Free Outside Podcast, I’m joined by Allison Mercer to talk about one of the strangest weekends the running world has seen in a while. Allison was in Atlanta covering the US Half Marathon Championships, but before the reporting even started she paced a marathon, took a hard fall at mile 16, finished the race covered in blood, and ended up getting stitches. Somehow that still wasn’t the craziest thing that happened. We break down the controversy from the championship race where the lead women followed a vehicle the wrong direction late in the race, how it affected the results, and why the reaction online got so heated. We also talk about what actually happened behind the scenes and why these situations are more complicated than they look on social media. After that we catch up on everything else happening in running right now, Black Canyon course records, Western States storylines, FKTs starting to heat up for the season, and Allison somehow explaining Barkley and FKTs to Olympic champion Cole Hocker over breakfast. It’s a mix of running news, chaos, and a little bit of perspective from two people who spend way too much time thinking about this sport. Thanks for watching and supporting the show. Support our Sponsors: Sawyer: https://sawyerdirect.net/ Janji (code: Freeoutside): https://snp.link/a0bfb726 CS Coffee: CSinstant.coffee Garage Grown Gear: https://snp.link/db1ba8ab Chapters 00:00 Marathon Weekend Recap 03:45 Race Day Chaos and Injuries 06:49 The Aftermath of the Race Incident 10:01 Social Media Reactions and Accountability 12:57 Understanding the Race Dynamics 15:43 The Impact of the Incident on Athletes 18:45 Community Response and Support 21:50 Reflections on Empathy and Accountability 24:47 Looking Ahead: Future Races and Events 37:20 Emerging Trends in Running and Relatability 40:48 Ultra Runner of the Year Predictions 45:32 Growth of FKTs Globally 52:21 The Race Purse Controversy 56:40 Excitement for Race Season and Recommendations Subscribe to Substack: http://freeoutside.substack.com Support this content on patreon: HTTP://patreon.com/freeoutside Buy my book "Free Outside" on Amazon: https://amzn.to/39LpoSF Email me to buy a signed copy of my book, "Free Outside" at [email protected] Watch the movie about setting the record on the Colorado Trail: https://tubitv.com/movies/100019916/free-outside Website: www.Freeoutside.com Instagram: thefreeoutside facebook: www.facebook.com/freeoutside #Trailrunning #Runningnews #Outdoors #Outdooradventure