Important IRONMAN changes, On x Kith Partner, Speedmax Problems, Strava Leaderboards, and more…

👋 Good morning and happy Friday. I’m Scott and feel free to reach me here.

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As always. Stay moving…✌️

SB

The Stampede 30K

The best part of running Front Pack.

I do, therefore I am.

I live, eat, and breath everything we talk about each week. For better or worse.

This past weekend, I jumped into my first 30K (18.6-mile) trail race. The Stampede offered 10K, 20K, and 30K distances. It was local, I like trail running, so naturally, I thought, why not do the longest one? Trail running is a different beast, man—my calves and hamstrings were wrecked by the end. And, because Austin decided to have a second winter, the race checked in at 32 degrees with wet conditions.

Here’s how it went down.

Mile 0. The countdown starts, and my brain just clicks on and goes, “Send it!” Did I start too fast? Absolutely.

Mile 1. These trails are beautiful. You know what would be more fun? Mountain biking. Less running, more coasting.

Mile 2. The Belly Gargle Demon has entered the chat. Immediate “please don’t poop your shorts before mile 6” anxiety. This is fine. Everything is fine.

Mile 5. Creek crossing! A real-life “choose your own adventure.” I choose… poorly. Up to my ankles in freezing water. Shoes soaked, socks soaked, spirit dampened. Excellent.

Mile 6. Wet feet? Who cares! Nature calls, and it is NOT taking a message. Sweet, sweet relief.

Mile 11. Ok, this is starting to hurt. Why do I do this for fun again?

Mile 13. Slipped on a massive boulder and went down like a sack of potatoes. Did it hurt? Yes. Was the embarrassment worse? Also yes. Enjoy the show, fellow runners.

Mile 14. “The 20K would have been just fine.”

Mile 15. Second wind! The pain and suffering fade into the background. Maybe I am built different.

Mile 16. “Ok, bitch. You can do 2.2 more miles. Do not give in.”

Finish Line. Thank goodness. That was harder than expected. Must. Sit. Immediately. Oh, the ground is soaked, and there are no chairs? Cool cool cool. Also, my feet are freezing, and I’m drenched. Did I bring a change of clothes? Nope. Rookie move! But post-race vibes are high as always.

Final Result: 3rd AG, 10th overall in the 30K. Time: 2:58:09. Not too shabby.

Lessons Learned:
⏩ Bring post-race clothes. And socks. And shoes. And dignity.
⏩ Aleve is essential.
⏩ The stomach will betray you when you least expect it.
⏩ Hydration? Apparently, I don’t know her. Two handhelds of RAW Endurance weren’t enough. SIP. YOUR. BOTTLES.
⏩ Despite all of this, I’d do it again.

10/10 suffering. Would recommend.

The Biz

Kith takes Aim on Bandit: If you don’t follow, Kith is a mainstay in the hypebeast world of fashion. Think “cool” people spending way to much money on t-shirts and hoodies. But now the company has its sights on the cool kids of running, Bandit. By launching K-Tech Activewear Line & On Running Collab For SS25, they’re placing their hat into the performance gear circle. In addition to shell jackets, pants, shorts, and performance t-shirts, the company is also teaming with On, teasing images of the new Cloudzone runners in a simple duo of black and white colorways. Read more…

GoPro Max Gets 5 Year refresh: The action cam titan just quietly launched a new 360 camera with special effects – and a lower price. At $349.99 MSRP, much of the hardware on the 2025 GoPro Max 360 remains the same as that introduced in 2019, including the 5.6K resolution. But the 2025 version has the MAX enduro battery, an upgraded mounting system, and updated software as GoPro pushes the concept of using the 360 action camera to shoot first then crop and reframe later – including using AI to follow the subject and resizing to both vertical and horizontal video. Seems fine but worth $350? Imma hold out on this one. Read more…

Strava Cleans Up Leaderboards: If you’ve ever seen a Strava leaderboard score that was obviously clocked in a car or on an e-bike, we’ve got good news. Strava is now using machine learning to automatically analyze activities on Strava. It can identify unrealistic speeds, GPS errors, and other anomalies to stop skewed leaderboard results and remove “outliers and potential rule violations.” Read more…

Meanwhile

Other happenings in the world of endurance.

Important IRONMAN Rule Changes: Important change sto IRONMAN rules. First, Blue card penalties, which include all bike positional fouls like drafting, slotting, side-by-side riding, and failure to drop back, have been reduced in time from five minutes to two minutes (for IRONMAN 70.3 events) or three minutes (for IRONMAN events). Front hydration is limited to 2 liters, and aero extensions “must not extend beyond the leading edge of the front wheel.” Read more…

“Miracle” Backpack Saves Hikers: Most of these stories end in tragedy—but by some miracle or sheer luck, this one is different. A father and his 12-year-old son got lost while hiking outside St. George. As night fell and temperatures dropped, they searched for shelter in a darkened ravine. Then, on a rock ledge, they spotted a green backpack – filled with Pop-Tarts, Clif Bars, a jug of water, an emergency tent, and first-aid supplies. LOL WHAT?!?!?! Read more…

American Champ Disqualified over Stack Height: The winner of the USTAF 100 mile road championships, Rajpaul Pannu wore shoes 8mm above the legal stack height limit. That’s nearly 12 hours of running, to ultimately get DQ’d. What a brutal way to finish. The shoes? The HOKA Skyward X, a high-performance max-cushioned trainer. The stack height of the Skyward X is 48 mm in the heel and 43 mm in the forefoot, falling 8 mm outside USATF competition rules. Pannu took full responsibility. Read more…

Lachlan Breaks Another Endurance Record: The year was 1982, and Brian Fleck was a 43 year old full-time postal worker training before and after work for a year in preparation to ride from New Zealand’s biggest city to its capital in 20+ hours, covering 648km (402 miles). Fleck completed the ride on a steel bike, with intermittent time checks from a support van. 43 years later, Lachlan Morton started his record-breaking ride at 4:09am in Auckland, New Zealand, and ended 18.5 hours later in Wellington, meaning it was another record shattering performance. As always, Lachey had the utmost respect for Fleck and tried to “replicate the same conditions as best as possible,” he says. “Obviously modern equipment is significantly better, but we weren’t dialing in all the nutrition, doing all the one percenters, it was more just trying to get on the road and have a crack at it and see where that got us.” Morton also met with Fleck beforehand, to hear his insight and pay tribute to the record-holder. This record was about respect as much as break a time. Bravo. Read more…

Canyon Speedmax Problem: Own one of these? If you haven’t seen or maybe just don’t check your email, Canyon has been reaching out tand wants you to get your bike inspected. What they found was an issue with the fork and stem. “It is possible that after a severe impact or high load situation, like hitting a pothole at speed, the fork steerer tube could crack or break. This could lead to the cockpit becoming detached and cause a loss of control and potential injury to the user.” Read more…

The Psyche of a DNF (Did Not Finish): Have you ever DNF’d? The three-letter acronym is a subconsciously dreadful one nobody wants to seriously consider. It brings on thoughts of failure, guilt, and self-doubt, none of which is an easy thing to shake off. Did I train enough? Did I try hard enough? Am I getting too old for this? Read ones writers thoughts on the DNF experience and how you can flip the negative to a positive. Read more…

Rewatchables

Content for long training days inside or just everyday life.

Planet Alaska: “Planet Alaska” is more than just a film; it is a testament to Freefider Brage Vestavik’s relentless spirit and dedication to his craft. This is an ode to true freeride, redefining what is possible in the world of mountain biking while solidifying Brage’s recognition as an innovator and next-generation rider.

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