079. Craig Thornley, Western States race director | Western States, the growth of the sport, the culture and spirit of ultra running

Craig Thornley is the race director of Western States. Western States is the oldest 100 mile race in America and one of the ultimate endurance challenges in the world, and Craig has been race director of the race since 2013. In this episode we talk about the history of the race, how he got involved, his work as a race director, and how he and the WS board are trying to evolve and at the same time preserve the spirit and special atmosphere of this competition, in the context of the fast changing and growing landscape of trail and ultra running. We also talk about the history of the event in relation to the birth of ultra running, its spirit and culture and why it’s important to take care of it. If you deeply care about the sport, this episode is for you. Follow Craig on Instagram and Twitter Read his blog Learn more about Western States Please rate, review and share our show on social media: it will help other trail runners discover this podcast! _____________________________ Follow @vert.run on IG Download our app and sign up to our training plans on vert.run You can send us a message with any questions for us or for our guests! https://anchor.fm/vertrun/message Francesco's links: Instagram | Twitter | Strava | Website