About this episode
This week on The Trailhead, Zoë and Brendan talk with Abigail West—trail runner, printmaker, and full-time creative who's showing us what it means to run with purpose. Based in the lush foothills of Southern Appalachia, Abigail blends endurance and artistry, carving out time (and linoleum) to tell stories about wild places, climate, and community.
We dive into everything from FKTs in the Georgia mountains to why training for ultras is a terrible match with art fair season. Abigail shares how she captures the emotional texture of landscapes through printmaking, why she's obsessed with spiderweb-filled singletrack, and what it means to be an entrepreneurial artist-athlete in a world that doesn't quite know what to do with either.
Plus: the problem with art world algorithms, the reality of life in a construction zone, and a full-throated defense of Waffle House. Grab your gravy and your gaiters, this one goes deep.
The Trailhead is brought to you by Sidas! The company that supports your feet so that they can support you!
Get every episode summarized
Each time The Trailhead publishes, we email you a written briefing from the transcript — the topics, who appeared, and any specific claims, with the ad reads skipped.
Email me new episodesFree for 3 shows. No card needed.
Hosts & guests
No transcript yet
This episode has not been transcribed. Request it and it moves to the front of the queue.
More episodes
More from The Trailhead
Margaret Glaspy on Pain Caves, Typewriters, and Running on Tour
The Trailhead
Doing It The Hard Way is the Point - With Writer Sam Robinson
The Trailhead
What If the Hero's Journey Is the Wrong Story? With Heather Hansman
The Trailhead
Is Running a Religion? A 1,400-Mile Pilgrimage Around Ireland with Author Adhara...
The Trailhead