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Would you trade 20 years at Coca-Cola and Amazon for the chance to democratize high-performance running gear? Meet Julien Vancauwenberghe, the Chief Marketing Officer behind KIPRUN, the most anticipated running brand launching in the USA this year. Julien didn't take the traditional path to the starting line. Driven by challenges and a desire to make an impact, he honed his skills at fast-moving organizations like Amazon and Coca-Cola before bringing his unique European-US perspective to Decathlon: the third largest sporting goods company in the world. Julien joins us to discuss his personal journey, what he learned across three different industries, and how KIPRUN plans to debut in the USA. Jon chats with Julien about: Julien's background as a French-American CMO with 25 years of experience KIPRUN’s brand strategy: Decathlon's running brand targeting expert runners US market entry: April 2026 launch through wholesale partners Brand vs performance marketing: Focus on community trust over ads Athlete partnerships: Co-creation with 40 athletes, journey over results Stay connected: Follow KIPRUN: https://www.instagram.com/kiprun/ www.kiprun.com Share this episode on LinkedIn with someone who you think could also find it helpful!

Being an entrepreneur and building a business is like being an athlete - you have no idea what's going to come out the other side, but you put everything you can into it and hope for the best. As a Venezuelan trail runner raised in the Chilean Patagonia, Moises runs professionally with The North Face and co-founded Vert.run to help make quality coaching more accessible for trail and ultra runners at every level. He’s currently based in Boulder, Colorado.  Jon chats with Moises about: entrepreneurship challenges and resilience in business his running journey from Venezuela to competitive trail racing Boulder Boys podcast creation with friends  Vert Run coaching app development and evolution sponsorship relationships and brand partnership strategies Stay connected: Follow Moises: https://www.instagram.com/moises.jimenez/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/moises-jimenez-leon/ Vert.run: https://www.instagram.com/vert.run/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/vert-run/ Boulder Boys Show: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-boulder-boys-show/id1728762148 Share this episode on LinkedIn with someone who you think could also find it helpful!

From tech hardware professional to trail running community steward - Vivek Gowri is rewriting what it means to own a running store. After a decade in the Bay Area running scene and two decades in tech hardware, Vivek is taking over San Francisco Running Company in 2026, not just as a business venture, but as a mission to carry forward a 15-year legacy of trail running culture and community building. Vivek Gowri is a Product Manager at NVIDIA, where he leads initiatives in gaming and AI hardware. When he’s not shaping the future of tech, he’s out on the trails as a dedicated runner and advocate for diversity in the outdoor space. He brings a thoughtful perspective to the intersection of technology, endurance sports, and inclusion — bridging innovation with impact on and off the trail. Jon chats with Vivek about: running community building in Bay Area through SFRC store ownership transition and legacy stewardship responsibilities modernizing retail through technology and e-commerce expansion angel investing in running/outdoor innovation companies international brand influence on US trail running market Stay connected: Follow Vivek: https://www.instagram.com/vivekgowri/ Share this episode on LinkedIn with someone who you think could also find it helpful!

What if there was a framework you could follow as a content creator that would allow you to work with brands most effectively? Demitra Carter holds a Master of Science in Education in Sport Management and a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing. She is a relationship-driven sports content creator, host, and former Division I track and field athlete who is passionate about sports, women, and culture. Demitra made history as the youngest certified World Athletics Agent and brings a unique, global perspective to the sports industry through her experience working at ON as a Global Social Media Manager, where she helped shape brand storytelling at an international level. Currently signed to RH7 as a freelancer and influencer, Demitra serves as the Director of Influence at Popfly. She thrives in roles that sit at the intersection of sports, talent, media, and marketing, and is deeply committed to inspiring and connecting with others through authentic, impactful storytelling. Jon chats with Demitra about: brand authenticity and values alignment content creation across multiple platforms running community and individual sport dynamics local dealership and non-endemic partnerships LA 2028 marketing opportunities for athletes Stay connected: Follow Demitra: https://www.instagram.com/demitra_carter/ Follow Popfly: https://www.instagram.com/popflyco/ Share this episode on LinkedIn with someone who you think could also find it helpful!

From first-time finisher to changing lives: hear about how Angie Lake is breaking down barriers in trail running, one story at a time. Angie Lake is co-director of Wild Woman Trail Runs and community manager of The Cairn Project, a nonprofit closing the gender gap in outdoor sports. As a storytelling consultant, menstrual health educator, and outdoor podcast host, Angie holds conversations around Blood, Sweat, and Fear to build happier and healthier communities for women. Jon chats with Angie about: Angie's evolution as an athlete and entrepreneur Wild Woman Trail Runs race direction brand partnerships and community building women's health and running science the 50K Sisterhood Scholarship Program Stay connected: Angie's website: www.angielake.com Wild Woman Trail Runs: www.wildwomantrailruns.com The First 50k Sisterhood: https://cairnproject.org/first-50k-sisterhood Follow Angie: bloodsweatfear.substack.com instagram.com/angvswild linkedin.com/in/angie-marie instagram.com/wildwomantrailruns instagram.com/thecairnproject

From being bullied as a kid to becoming a national triathlon champion to building the world's first reusable sweat sensor… Stefan van der Fluit’s journey proves that our greatest challenges often become our greatest innovations. Stefan is a 4x founder; ex-Meta; ex-PolyAI; Entrepreneur First 2020; University of Cambridge 2017 graduate; and is racing bikes for Wolfox CAMS LeCol. He’s now building FLOWBIO → Deleting dehydration from the human experience. We are building the hydration AI installed in every health& fitness wearable. Bringing hydration metrics like water and electrolyte losses to Oura, WHOOP, Apple Watch, Samsung Wear, FitBit without any hardware redesign. Jon chats with Stefan about: conscious capitalism: doing business from good and long-term thinking building FLOWBIO: world's first reusable sweat sensor technology his Triathlon journey: connecting with father and overcoming childhood bullying hydration science: balance of water to sodium, not just intake angel investor network: athletic brewing, Aura connections through referrals  startup challenges: three near-death experiences, sold out for quarters Stay connected: Follow Stefan: https://www.instagram.com/sweatisdata/ This episode is supported by: Rocket Money Take control of your spending. Cancel unwanted subscriptions and reduce the rest with Rocket Money: RocketMoney.com/GORUN Superfiliate: This episode is brought to you by Superfiliate. If you're tired of overcomplicated and unnecessarily expensive platforms for affiliate marketing, do yourself a favor and check out Superfiliate.com. Mention that Long Run Labs sent you and get your first month free!

From pushing 2:46 marathon times to pushing the boundaries of AI, Jason Kuperberg discovered that the secret to both isn't about scale—it's about building exactly what you want to use yourself. Jason Kuperberg is a tech entrepreneur, marathoner, and the creator behind ‘Roast My Strava’ — the viral website bringing AI to your runs and rides. He is the co-founder of HyperWrite, an AI writing and research platform used by millions, and was named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list for Consumer Technology. Jason combines his background in AI and tech startups with lifelong experience in endurance sports to explore how endurance entrepreneurs and outdoor brands can operate, innovate, and experiment using AI today. Jon chats with Jason about: how Jason achieved a marathon PR of 2:46 introduction to generative AI and large language models (LLMs) the “Roast My Strava” origin story three-phase approach for implementing AI prompting and AI Interaction best practices angel investing philosophies  Stay connected: Follow Jason: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonkuperberg http://instagram.com/jasonkuperberg https://www.strava.com/athletes/jasonkuperberg https://x.com/jasonkuperberg Roast My Strava: https://communityhub.strava.com/insider-journal-9/developer-voices-from-weekend-side-project-to-community-sensation-how-i-built-roast-my-strava-12288 This episode is supported by: Rocket Money Take control of your spending. Cancel unwanted subscriptions and reduce the rest with Rocket Money: RocketMoney.com/GORUN Superfiliate: This episode is brought to you by Superfiliate. If you're tired of overcomplicated and unnecessarily expensive platforms for affiliate marketing, do yourself a favor and check out Superfiliate.com. Mention that Long Run Labs sent you and get your first month free!

A 67-year-old man gets bit by a snake in his backyard, nearly loses his leg at a trauma center, and his grateful donation to Stanford ends up funding a wilderness medicine app that's now saving lives across the country. Today, we're talking with Camilo Barcenas about how he's translating 20 years of healthcare technology experience into keeping people safe in the great outdoors. Camilo is a technology entrepreneur who has worked on developing healthcare technology for nurses and doctors. Currently, Camilo is the Founder and CEO of GOES, a company that "translates environmental risk to real-time medically guided action.” The platform provides offline medical protocols and environmental risk assessments for outdoor activities, addressing risks like extreme heat, cold, air quality, wildlife, and disease-carrying insects. The company recently pivoted from a direct-to-consumer model to focus on B2B applications, particularly in industrial safety and public safety sectors. Jon chats with Camilo about: his 20 year professional background developing Dabo Health and partnering with the Mayo Clinic five years working on Stanford's new $2 billion hospital technology implementation the missions of GOES: translating environmental risk to real-time medically guided action discovering two key gaps in the product development process the transition from consumer (B2C) to business (B2B) model AI Integration, marketing & investments Stay connected: Camilo on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/camilosavinglives/ GOES Health: https://www.goes.health/ https://www.instagram.com/goeshealth/ This episode is supported by: Rocket Money Take control of your spending. Cancel unwanted subscriptions and reduce the rest with Rocket Money: RocketMoney.com/GORUN Superfiliate: This episode is brought to you by Superfiliate. If you're tired of overcomplicated and unnecessarily expensive platforms for affiliate marketing, do yourself a favor and check out Superfiliate.com. Mention that Long Run Labs sent you and get your first month free!

From personal training certification to pacing athletes to PR breakthroughs, Erin Bailey turned her passion for empowering others into a thriving brand partnership agency. Erin Bailey is a founder and advocate who bridges the worlds of athletics and brand marketing through her company, Momentum Management. She has worked at several fitness and tech companies, including a role at ASICS where she helped develop digital products like RunKeeper's coaching platform and launched The Six Studio for strength training. Jon chats with Erin about: founding Momentum Management and its mission brand marketing as storytelling and community connection the benefits of working with an agency model brand trips & experiential marketing ethics & integrity in partnerships endemic vs non-endemic brands Stay connected: Follow Erin: https://www.instagram.com/erin.k.bailey/ Momentum Management: https://www.instagram.com/momentum.management/ https://momentummanagement.co/ This episode is supported by: Superfiliate: This episode is brought to you by Superfiliate. If you're tired of overcomplicated and unnecessarily expensive platforms for affiliate marketing, do yourself a favor and check out Superfiliate.com. Mention that Long Run Labs sent you and get your first month free!

Most leaders think their job is to have all the answers, but Kevin Rutherford built a quarter-billion dollar exit by becoming the “expert of nothing and knower of all.” Kevin Rutherford is a business executive who has served as CEO for multiple companies including Nuun Hydration, Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day, and Kashi, bringing a leadership philosophy centered on serving others and building strong team cultures. He's known for his people-first approach to leadership, demonstrating his commitment to serving his teams. Throughout his career, he has specialized in turning around struggling businesses and scaling companies through purpose-driven leadership. Jon chats with Kevin about: his career progression through major companies including Loblaws, SC Johnson, Kashi, Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day, and Nuun Hydration the role of a CEO and how to be a productive leader confidence versus competence dynamics remote vs In-Person Work the process and timeline of fundraising Stay connected: Follow Kevin: https://www.instagram.com/clean_lantern/ This episode is supported by: Superfiliate: This episode is brought to you by Superfiliate. If you're tired of overcomplicated and unnecessarily expensive platforms for affiliate marketing, do yourself a favor and check out Superfiliate.com. Mention that Long Run Labs sent you and get your first month free!

If you have the luxury of getting an athlete manager to speak to you or respond to an email, I would not hang up that phone until you ask them, “what are the races that your company is focused on for this next year?” Kelly Newlon is an agent + manager in the ultra endurance sports space and a professional chef focused on feeding elite endurance athletes. Jon chats with Kelly about: the three key components brands evaluate when considering a partnership contract negotiations and bonus structures for race performances the growing importance of YouTube for athlete visibility increased athlete salaries and equity positions  why single breakout performances aren't enough for sponsorship Stay connected: Follow Kelly: https://www.instagram.com/radboulder/ This episode is supported by: • Superfiliate: This episode is brought to you by Superfiliate. If you're tired of overcomplicated and unnecessarily expensive platforms for affiliate marketing, do yourself a favor and check out Superfiliate.com. Mention that Long Run Labs sent you and get your first month free!  • Eternal: Eternal is a performance health company for runners, endurance athletes, and anyone serious about their training, now with Primary Care. Eternal's in-depth, two-hour physicals cover VO2max and lactate ramp testing, mobility assessments, bloodwork, and a full movement analysis; all with expert guidance to keep you healthy and performing your best. Head to eternal.co and use the Black Friday offer while it’s live. That’s 25% off all plans. Your future self is going to be very happy you did this, and feel free to reach out to me directly with any questions!

Meet the ultra runner who turned grit into a sauna empire by selling one product really, really well. Pete is the Founder of SISU, a sauna and wellness product company, built with connection and grit at the forefront. He is also the Founder of Hell on Hogsback, a 12 hour endurance race in the Cleveland Metroparks, all benefitting cancer patients in need, held this year on Saturday, August 23, 2025. Pete, his wife, and children, live in Northeast Ohio where SISU products are manufactured. Jon chats with Pete about: his journey starting ultramarathons at 17 with his father the founding of Sisu Sauna the sauna industry’s growth and market opportunity product line expansion strategy bootstrap financing and inventory management Stay connected: Check out SISU with this special link and save $250 off your sauna purchase: https://sisulifestyle.com/jonathanlevitt Follow Pete: https://www.instagram.com/peternelsonii/ https://www.instagram.com/sisu_sauna/ https://www.instagram.com/hellonhogsback/ YouTube Channels: https://www.youtube.com/@peternelsonii, https://www.youtube.com/@sisu_sauna   This episode is supported by: Superfiliate: This episode is brought to you by Superfiliate. If you're tired of overcomplicated and unnecessarily expensive platforms for affiliate marketing, do yourself a favor and check out Superfiliate.com. Mention that Long Run Labs sent you and get your first month free!

Trade shows are an important part of growing the running industry, but how do you actually get the most out of them as a host or attendee? Christina Henderson is the Event Director for The Running Event and Switchback. She is passionate about bringing people together and the life changing abilities of running and movement. Jon chats with Christina about: her journey from behind-the-scenes to leadership role strategies for hosting and attending engaging events the components of her trade shows (360 brands, 100,000+ sq ft floor space) the convergence of performance and lifestyle brands support systems for challenger vs. established brands Stay connected: Follow Christina: https://www.instagram.com/cjflenderson/ The Running Event: https://www.instagram.com/therunningevent/ Switchback: https://www.instagram.com/switchbackevent/ This episode is supported by: Superfiliate: This episode is brought to you by Superfiliate. If you're tired of overcomplicated and unnecessarily expensive platforms for affiliate marketing, do yourself a favor and check out Superfiliate.com. Mention that Long Run Labs sent you and get your first month free! 

From Strava layoffs to building the Airbnb of endurance events - here’s how one engineer turned personal frustration into a platform that's revolutionizing race registration and athlete experience. Zack Isaacs is CEO and Founder at Movemint, a startup for endurance events. Before Movemint, Zack was an early employee at Strava, where he contributed to the API, Routes, and Messaging. You'll find Zack at group rides in his home town of Oakland, CA. Jon chats with Zack about: early experience working 9 years at Strava the founding and development of Movemint  a Performance-based fees revenue model finding success with fundraising  leadership & company culture Stay connected: Follow Zack: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zackisaacs/ https://www.strava.com/athletes/134815 Movemint: https://www.movemint.cc/ https://www.instagram.com/movemint.cc/ This episode is supported by: Superfiliate: This episode is brought to you by Superfiliate. If you're tired of overcomplicated and unnecessarily expensive platforms for affiliate marketing, do yourself a favor and check out Superfiliate.com. Mention that Long Run Labs sent you and get your first month free!

What happens when you refuse to sell out your community for a few extra percentage points? Lloyd is the Co-Founder and CEO of Garage Grown Gear. An avid backpacker and paddler, Lloyd first entered into the outdoor industry through trip-leading and outdoor education. Based in Minneapolis MN, Lloyd is a huge fan of small brands, light packs, and large meals. Jon chats with Lloyd about: his journey founding and building Garage Grown Gear the niche focus of ultralight backpacking the importance of supporting small brands the difference between email/affiliate/influencer marketing adaptation challenges for established companies Stay connected: Follow Lloyd: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lloyd-vogel-180566121 Garage Grown Gear: https://www.garagegrowngear.com/?srsltid=AfmBOoqwrKqRMnXNuqFR2EAcH8596y8asNMF2K-Z4EY1Pl7336VXAEm2 This episode is supported by: Superfiliate: This episode is brought to you by Superfiliate. If you're tired of overcomplicated and unnecessarily expensive platforms for affiliate marketing, do yourself a favor and check out Superfiliate.com. Mention that Long Run Labs sent you and get your first month free! Eternal: Eternal is a performance health company for runners, endurance athletes, and anyone serious about their training. Their in-depth, two-hour physicals cover metabolic testing, mobility assessments, bloodwork, and a full movement analysis — all with expert guidance to keep you healthy and performing your best.