The MidPacker Pod is part of the Freetrail network of Podcasts. You can now support the MidPacker Pod on ⁠Patreon⁠. Make sure you leave us a rating and review wherever you get your pods. Want to leave Troy some feedback, recommend a guest, or make a suggestion? ⁠LINK HERE⁠ In this episode, Troy Meadows talks with Mathias Eichler, a race director, podcast host, and trail runner. They discuss Mathias' background, his love for running and trails, his involvement in the Trail Running Film Festival, being a race director and owner of Rock Candy Running events, and his podcast, the original Singletrack Pocdcast. They also talk about the challenges of balancing work, family, and running, and Matthias' goals for 2024. The conversation delves into the grassroots nature of trail running events and the impact of corporate influence, particularly in the context of UTMB and Ironman. T he discussion explores the differences between European and American trail running cultures and the challenges of preserving the grassroots spirit while growing and expanding events. The conversation also touches on the importance of effective communication and the need for unity within the trail running community. Mathias Personal Links IG - @einmaleins  @singletrack.fm  @rockcandyrunning Things we talked about on the show Trail Running Film Festival Rain Shadow Running Rock Candy Running Singletrack.fm Podcast UTMB Group CEO Interview Electric Cable Car Ultra Trail Mt Rosa Kodiak 100k Lavaredo OCC Chapters 03:34 Finding Running and Trails 10:16 Running in Europe vs. America 13:37 The Trail Running Film Festival 23:40 Rock Candy Running Events 32:13 The Singletrack Podcast 46:41 Balancing Work, Family, and Running 59:57 Goals for 2024 01:31:44 Personal Feelings about UTMB 01:32:28 European Perspective on UTMB 01:34:24 Broken Arrow Race 01:37:57 Grassroots Events and Relationships 01:38:24 Defining Grassroots Events 01:38:54 Hard Rock and Western States as Grassroots Events 01:39:21 UTMB's DNA 01:41:19 Possibility of European and American Grassroots Events 01:42:43 UTMB and Vale Resort Partnership 01:43:46 Different Cultures in Europe and America 01:45:37 UTMB's Grassroots Status 01:46:04 UTMB's Growth and Corporate Influence 01:47:48 Ironman's Influence and Brand Partnerships 01:48:16 Different Cultures in Europe and America 01:48:45 European Infrastructure and Culture 01:49:31 Limited Opportunities for Large Events in America 01:53:46 UTMB's Desire for a Race in Canada 01:54:32 Ironman's Influence and Brand Partnerships 01:55:22 UTMB's Communication and PR 02:07:41 Trail Running Culture and Communication If you are enjoying the content, please consider supporting our sponsors using the links below. Sponsor Links:  ⁠Run Trail Life⁠ - This is a brand I am super passionate about because I am the Founder and Chief everything officer for RTL. Run Trail Life Brings you casual apparel that lets you show off your love of trail running and ultrarunning while giving back to ensure that everyone has access to the beauty of nature for generations to come. With each item purchased, we donate $1 to runners for public lands. Use code: midpackerpod to double the donation from your purchase.  Visit RunTrailLife.com to check out our line of Hats and Organic cotton T's. ⁠Freetrail⁠ - Bring Trail Culture with you everywhere you go and join an amazing community of extraordinary trail runners. Freetrail Pro membership is just $96 a year, giving you access to the Freetrail Slack community, training plans, weekly office hours, and so much more. I absolutely love this community and have personally used the training plans to get ready for my ultra efforts. Visit Freetrail.com to sign up today. MidPacker Pod Links: ⁠Instagram⁠ | ⁠Patreon⁠ Troy Meadows Links: ⁠Instagram⁠ | ⁠Twitter⁠ | ⁠Website⁠ | ⁠Strava⁠ Freetrail Links:⁠ Freetrail Pro⁠ | ⁠Patreon⁠ | ⁠Ins