Take a run with The Human Potential Running Series podcast. Episode 78, is the first installment of a special three-part series, where HPRS Race Director John Lacroix sits down with guests Gordon Harvey, Mike Gampp, and Megan Storms to pull back the curtain on the current state of the ultrarunning industry.

Part 1 focuses on the friction between "old school" trail culture and the high-gloss world of modern influencers. From the impact of film crews on the runner experience to the legal and permitting repercussions of high-profile rule-breaking, the group explores if the sport is losing its "dirtbag" soul.

Topics in Part 1:

• The "Influencer" Formula: How social media monetization is shifting race priorities.

• Prize Money & Elitism: Does the focus on the top 1% marginalize the back-of-the-pack?

• Stewardship & Permits: The real-world consequences of cutting switchbacks and ecological harm.

• The "It's Not About You" Ethos: Why rules exist to protect shared spaces.

Stay tuned for Part 2 next week as the roundtable continues, followed by John's solo "State of the Sport Address" in Part 3.

Take a run with The Human Potential Running Series podcast. In Episode 77, HPRS Race Director John Lacroix offers insights into the story that was The Franklin Mountains Trail Runs for HPRS. Hear the story of how HPRS came to own the Franklin Mountains Trail Runs, the trials and tribulations we endured over the 5-years hosting the event in El Paso, and what led to the decision to sell the race to Wanderlust Running, including lessons learned, a thank you, and a goodbye. For our El Paso running family.

Take a run with The Human Potential Running Series podcast. In Episode 76, HPRS Race Director John Lacroix welcomes special guest Izzy Davis, a Colorado native now living in Kellogg, Idaho. Izzy ran the Sangre de Cristo 100 Mile as her first trail race, first ultra, and first hundred miler. With no crew and no pacer, she won outright in 29 hours, 23 minutes.

This conversation starts with the race and quickly turns into the real story. Izzy is a ski patroller turned avalanche forecaster with the Idaho Panhandle Avalanche Center. She is built around risk management, spreadsheets, and big mountain decision making. Then she lost her partner Willie last winter, suddenly, to cardiac arrest while skiing. Running became her way to keep moving. Not as an escape, more like a place to process. Solitude. Flow state. A quiet mind. A goal that gave her something to aim at when everything felt upside down.

We talk about grief and gratitude living side by side. We talk about how her risk tolerance shifted after loss, while her responsibility stayed intact. We talk about the idea that running can be therapy, even when the internet wants to argue about it. We talk about carrying someone's legacy forward through how you live. You will hear the phrase "WWWD," What would Willie do.

If you need a reminder to get outside, move your body, and do the next small good thing, this one will land.