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Last week I got to run in one of my favorite cities in the world: Copenhagen! According to this year’s Strava stats, the runners in Copenhagen are the fastest ones. And surely, people were flying by me all the time. I did in Copenhagen what I love doing on business trips: running through the city in the morning to see spots I’d normally won’t see. This time, I ran to Copen Hill, which was unfortunately closed. I had hoped to run up that power plant and get some vert in. Hopefully, this will happen next time I’m in town. I also ran by the little mermaid, which is such a touristy thing to do, but lovely anyways. I also spotted a runner who overtook me and wore the same Saysky shorts as I did, which made me feel like a real local.
Copen Hill in the back, then the little mermaid, then me.
According to my Strava Year, I ran 40% less than last year. I don’t think I can catch up in the last remaining weeks of the year. I was missing the part where Strava said: “hey, you know what? You’re fucking 53 years old and you still are running more than most people are doing. Kudos!” Well, maybe next year.
If Strava wanted to make something meaningful, they would create a feature that asks you questions instead of displaying your numbers. Something that forces you to reflect instead of compare. Something that shows who you became, not just how far you went.
But they won’t. Because reflection doesn’t trigger envy. And envy is what drives reach.
Everywhere you look these days, there’s a new trail brand. A new hydration vest startup. Another nutrition company. More shoe lines from incumbents, apparel brands releasing their own shoes, and new shoe brands entirely.
This isn’t a complaint. If anything, it’s a sign of maturity, an industry hitting an inflection point as more businesses spring up to meet a growing sport’s evolving demands.
But saturation can change things. And the more trail running grows, the more change we should expect.
And yet, even though trail running is growing like crazy, it is still a niche sport.
In 2025, Norway’s global dominance in endurance racing reached a new level, with Norwegian men placing first, second, and third at the Ironman World Championship and Solveig Løvseth winning the women’s race.
What makes this tiny Scandinavian nation so darn good at endurance sports? To answer this question fully, I’d have to write an entire book. Fortunately, Brad Culp has already done so. The Norwegian Method: The Culture, Science & Humans Behind the Groundbreaking Approach to Endurance Performance demystifies the Norwegian wave and places it in its proper historical and cultural context, and I highly recommend it.
I find it fascinating that such a small country has so many great runners.
Here’s a deep dive into three Viking-era recovery methods: the hot-cold cycle of Nordic sauna traditions, a diet rich in fish and fermented dairy, and a segmented approach to sleep. No apps. No supplements. Just the kind of recovery that once kept people alive.
Heading into a call with a potential corporate partner, for example, Michael is in the unusual position of hoping the person on the other side didn’t do his homework. “I instantly think these people are googling me, and they’re going into this call thinking I’m the racist and sexist. That’s what’s happening. That’s what my life is. That’s the reality of it. That’s what I face with everything,” he says.
He has less to worry about now on this front than he has at any point over the five years since his cancelation. The top search results for his name are now articles that vindicate him and his record as CEO of New York Road Runners (NYRR); and that touch on the ongoing professional, social, and psychological consequences of his cancelation. There’s also an open letter signed by hundreds of runners from around the world calling on NYRR to apologize for their treatment of him in 2020, and their role in his cancelation.
