Dan Green is a trail athlete for Salomon who grew up running in West Virginia, spent years working at a running shop, and recently finished Cocodona 250 — a race he'd wanted to do for years before finally deciding to stop waiting. In this conversation, Dan talks about how running has given him everything that matters in his life, what it actually took to get sponsored, and why being yourself is both the simplest and hardest thing to do in this sport.

Topics covered:

• How Dan got into running (his football teammates basically told him to leave)
• Going from college cross country with no track program to chasing a pro career
• Why he was anti-trail in college and what changed that
• His first ultra: a 24-hour race on a concrete loop with zero plan
• Early results at Black Canyon and Javelina and when he started thinking pro was possible
• Setting realistic goals versus big swinging ones
• Crewing his buddy Ryan at Cocodona before deciding he had to do it himself
• What it's actually like to be on mile 120 and know you have more left than you've run
• How running has given him his college, his fiancée, his friendships, and his career
• The path to getting sponsored and why the East Coast made it harder
• Why Cocodona's live stream changed everything for his visibility
• Bargain Boys Media and why unpolished content fits trail running
• Shoe fitting guidance from someone who's spent years doing it
• The gravel shoe category and who it's actually for
• His high school coach Lance Pledger and what real belief looks like
• Advice for runners curious about going longer

Stay connected:

Dan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/danisgreen/?hl=en

This episode is supported by:

Precision Fuel & Hydration - Dial your fueling in this year. Use code “LONGRUN26” for 15% off your first order at www.precisionhydration.com.

Boulderthon - Our favorite Colorado race event with a variety of distances. Use code FTLR2026 for $20 off the marathon or half marathon when you register at www.boulderthon.org.

Tifosi Optics - If you've been curious, now's a great time to try them. Head to tifosioptics.com and use code FTLR2026 to tell ‘em i sent you!

If you’re in Boulder for BolderBoulder week, come hang with us at two community events:

• Thursday, May 21 at Skratch Labs Table: free shakeout run with Chelsea Sodaro and the MomForward Movement benefiting For All Mothers, followed by a live FTLR panel with Chelsea and Kara Goucher. Raffle prizes from On, Coros, Rapha, and Oiselle. Learn more here: https://www.movemint.cc/events/momforward_movement_unlockingyes

• Friday, May 22 at Otto and Co on Pearl: “Fueling the Long Run,” presented by ProBio and FTLR with Hillary Allen, Charlie Sweeney, and Dr. Marc Bubbs. Shakeout at 6:30 p.m., panel at 7:15 p.m. Proceeds benefit the Colorado Athletics Project. Learn more here: https://www.movemint.cc/events/probio-fueling-the-long-run