Inside the Barkley Marathons with Laz Lake

Ultra running is professionalizing fast. Bigger prize money, more sponsors, and smoother finishes. Laz Lake is the counterbalance to all of it, and this conversation is about why that matters.

In part two of this trilogy at Laz's Tennessee farm, the two go deep on what makes Laz unlike anyone else in the sport: untouched by modernization, unbothered by fame, charging $1.60 for race entry while the rest of the industry chases scale. Josh draws a line from Popcorn Sutton, the last Tennessee moonshiner, to the Donner Party, to Bigs Backyard Ultra, and somewhere in the middle of all of it, a portrait of Laz emerges that you won't find anywhere else.

This one’s for the ultra runners who love the underground soul of this sport and don't want to see it disappear.

Presented by Kiprun.

----

Listen to Scene One (the Races of Laz Lake) on Spotify or Apple or watch on YouTube.

----

1. Borderlands.cc | Podcast Network
2. Sign up: analog*Borderlands [new]letter
3. Wylder is now available on iOS + Android.
4. Salt Lake Foothills Trail Races | 30 May 2026