Adam Loomis is one of the fastest ultramarathon trail runners in the USA, with wins at the Gorge 100K, Bear 100, DC Peaks 50, and Tushars 100K. In this conversation, Adam talks about how he trains, and how his training differs when he's preparing for a long ultra vs a short, intense effort.

Referenced in this episode, don't miss Tim Jones' amazing video: Rite of Passage: The Story of the WURL

Listen via podcast or watch on YouTube below.

Scott Semple is pro ski mountaineer, mountain running coach, and all-around endurance beast. In this episode of the TRACER Podcast, he shares how breath rate can help endurance athletes like runners, cyclists, and ski mountaineers to train and race better. He discusses techniques for mapping breath rate into metabolic zones for proper training, and strategies for managing pace via breath rate in races. Learn more from Scott at skimoschool.com.

Listen via podcast here, or watch via YouTube below.

TRACER is excited to announce the launch of its new coach-to-athlete messaging feature! Athletes will now receive targeted messages to support their training, whether at the start of a new block, during periodization adjustments, or as they enter taper and racing. This ensures they stay informed and progress towards their endurance fitness goals.

See this video for a quick demonstration.

Sage Canaday and Sandi Nypaver just released the Higher Running Half Marathon training program on TRACER!

This program is for Half Marathon road runners who may be looking to run in the sub 2:30 to sub 1:15 time range and are looking to improve their personal best times. It is designed to target more flat half marathon road courses or road courses with slight hills.

View more details of this program here.

Sandi Nypaver and Sage Canaday just released the Higher Running training program for the 100K distance on TRACER!

For trail runners targeting a 100km race distance (with a range of 50-75 miles or 80-120 kilometers) on trails that have a moderate amount of climbing. This plan is ideal for Western States 100k qualifying and golden ticket races. This plan can be used for flatter or more mountainous 100ks if following the directions about when to do race specific training runs. This plan is made to help you improve and perform to the best of your current potential on race day.

View more details of this program here.

Trail running legend Max King joins TRACER co-founder Joey Wilson on the TRACER Podcast to explore the concept of "activation energy" and how it applies to endurance athletes. They discuss strategies for overcoming the initial resistance to training—often the biggest hurdle—to unlock significant performance gains.

Here's the funny video of Chasing Walmsley mentioned in the episode!

Audio version of this podcast is available by searching for "The TRACER Podcast."

Did you know that it's easy to make your own high-performance endurance gels that are directly comparable to the best gels on the market? In this video, TRACER Co-founder Joey Wilson teaches you how to make your own endurance fuel, saving you money and giving you complete control of thickness and flavor. Compare the ingredients to your favorite gels!

Why make your own gel?

COST - It’s much less expensive to make your own gels. If you do it yourself, the cost is well under 50 cents per 100 calories. When you buy gel off the shelf, 100 calories typically costs in the range of $1.60 - $4.00. Add that up over a season of training, and it ends up being a lot!

CONTROL - You can adjust the recipe of your gel to dial it to exactly what you want. You can adjust the thickness or add other ingredients like electrolytes or caffeine.

CONVENIENCE - Drinking gel straight from the same flask makes it way easier when you're moving. No trash to clean up, no stickiness on your fingers to deal with.

EASY - It’s really easy to make this recipe, and likely takes less time than driving to the store to buy gels.

TASTE - This recipe tastes great and it’s fun to experiment with different flavors. Any juice or flavoring can be used.

Stuff you need

Maltodextrin powder - This is a powder consisting of long chains of glucose, the simplest form of fuel for your body. It’s less sweet than glucose in pure form, but still just as easy for your body to absorb.

Fructose powder - A different form of sugar than glucose that gets absorbed through a different gut enzyme. Adding this allows you to absorb more calories per hour.

Juice or mixer flavoring - get at grocery store

Hydrapak Nutrition Flasks - For easy carrying and consumption of your gel.

Kitchen scale - To measure grams and ounces easily.

How to Make the Gel (400 calories, 100 grams)

1. Add 50 grams of maltodextrin to a pot

2. Add 50 grams of fructose powder

3. Add about 1 oz of juice

4. Add about 1-3 oz of water, depending on the desired thickness

5. Heat (but don't overcook) while stirring the powders together until all clumps are gone

6. Place in flask and use!

Scale this recipe to larger batches as desired.

Nerdy Stuff

Ratio of glucose to fructose

There are various theories about how to mix the ratio of glucose (maltodextrin) to fructose. In this recipe, we used a 1:1 ratio. Many companies are using a 1:.8 ratio, and classic gels like the original GU uses 2:1.

Sucrose (Table sugar)

Sucrose is the common table sugar that you already have in your pantry. Each molecule of sucrose is one glucose molecule and one fructose molecule bound together by an oxygen atom. It makes for great endurance fuel and is very inexpensive. It’s just very sweet, so it can get overwhelming when you have to eat/drink it for a long time. Great for short, high intensity workouts. Every tablespoon of sucrose is worth about 50 calories.

In this episode, we get some amazing 2025 gift ideas from pro trail runners Max King and Amy Rusiecki, hosted by Tracer co-founder Joey Wilson. All gifts linked below! Subscribe to the TRACER podcast for more great conversations on getting faster, great gear, science-backed training, and more. Listen via your favorite podcasting app, or watch on Youtube!

Stocking Stuffers

Max: Deschutes Brewery Obsidian Stout

Max: Nerds Candy - local stores

Amy: “Cheerleader gloves” - local stores

Amy: Frame + printed photo

Joey: Silicon pill containers for storing salt pills and other small items

Joey: Zipper bags for organizing in vest/pack

Approx. $25

Max: AOS Skindoctor Salve for foot care and blister prevention

Amy: Goodr Sunglasses - I prefer the OGs in any bright color!

Amy: Drymax Socks - I prefer the HyperThin 

Joey: Hydrapak nutrition bottle 2-pack

Joey: Grip6 socks

Approx. $50-$100

Max: Heated Gloves, any brand but Max has these

Amy: Kahtoola Microspikes

Amy: TrailHeads Convertible Gloves

Joey: Salomon XA Filter Flask

Approx. $200

Max: Shoes - Salomon S/Lab UltraGlide - Coming February in USA

Max: Shoes - Salomon Winter Cross Spike

Max: ORORO Heated vest

Amy:  Inov8 Oroc aka spikey shoes

Amy: ​Coros Pace 3 watch

Joey: Rollerblade Lightning 3x110 inline skates

Joey: Salomon ADV 12 vest

$500+

Max: Max King Trail Running Camps - Youth and Adult Camps

Max: Salomon MTN 86 Carbon Skis

Amy: Entry fee into your next race

Amy: Nutrition coaching plan

Joey: Theragun Pro Plus (or any model of Theragun)

Will fueling your running really make that big of a difference? Is sugar bad for people, especially athletes? How much fueling is too much? Can you make your own energy gels and drinks for training and racing? These important questions are discussed with fueling experts Alex Harrison and Michelle Howe in this edition of the TRACER podcast.

Watch here or search "The TRACER Podcast" in your favorite podcast app!

Subscribe to our YouTube channel for more conversations that will help you get faster, or subscribe to the podcast by searching for "The TRACER Podcast" in your favorite podcasting app.

We recently had a great discussion with some of the world's fastest trail runners, Tabor and Eli Hemming. Don't miss this great discussion on how to train better, dealing with bad training days, heat training, consistency, and more!

Watch here or listen via your favorite podcast player by searching for "The TRACER Podcast."