Is Running a Religion? A 1,400-Mile Pilgrimage Around Ireland with Author Adharanand Finn

Adharanand Finn is an award-winning journalist and the author of Running with the Kenyans, The Way of the Runner, and The Rise of the Ultra Runners, and his forthcoming book The Running Pilgrim chronicles the 1,400 miles he ran around Ireland in 68 days.

In this conversation, Zoe and Brendan talk with Adharanand about what Kenyan, Japanese, and ultrarunning cultures taught him about community and staying in the moment, why a pilgrimage is basically an ultra with better theology, the science of why running with other people feels easier, ultrarunning's weird romance with suffering, and the definitive (and expanding) playlist of songs about running.

This episode is brought to you by Running Warehouse, where you can find everything you need to survive summer running, from vests to socks to a frankly irresponsible number of gels. Shop through the link in our show notes.

Featured race: The Oregon Outback 230 is a 230-mile point-to-point journey from the eastern Cascades to Lakeview, Oregon, through the largest dark sky sanctuary in the world, happening July 16 through 21, 2027, with a 120-hour cutoff. Registration closes July 1, 2027. Sign up at UltraSignup.com.

The Trailhead is part of the UltraSignup Podcast Network.