Episode 605: Katie Asmuth on Grit, Comebacks, and the Power of Community on the Trail

Today on the show, I’m joined by Katie Asmuth, one of the co-hosts of the Trail Network podcast, which is part of the SandyBoy Productions family. If you haven’t listened to Trail Network yet—this is your sign. The show is hosted by four incredible women in the trail running space: Rachel Drake, Leah Yingling, Katie Asmuth, and Hilary Yang. Together, they bring to life the untold stories of magical moments on and off the trail—capturing the heart of trail running, friendship, and connection. A few standout episodes I’d recommend: episode 50 with Hillary Yang and Sarah Attar—who competed for Saudi Arabia in both the 2012 and 2016 Olympics and is now a celebrated photographer—and episode 46, where Leah talks with Alexis Crellin about raising resilient kids while chasing big goals. That one really hit home for me. Now, let’s talk about Katie. She’s the mother of two, a nurse practitioner, and a professional trail runner for HOKA. Katie has three top-10 finishes at Western States—including a 5th-place finish in 2021, 9th in 2022 (which she shares more about in this episode), and 4th in 2023. She recently ran a self-supported FKT through Joshua Tree and is getting back to racing after overcoming some major injuries over the past couple of years. She spent several years with Saucony and is now part of the HOKA team, which she’s really excited about. Katie lives and trains in Mammoth Lakes, California, and if you’re not already following her, you should be—she’s @kt_asmuth on Instagram. This episode is short and sweet, but I left the conversation so inspired by her energy, grit, and openness. I hope it does the same for you—and I hope you’ll check out her podcast while you’re at it! All right, friends—enjoy my conversation with Katie Asmuth. What we talked about: 7:00- Living in Mammoth 11:40- Her running journey 18:30- The Trail Network Podcast 26:15- Balancing busy seasons in life 40:00- Her FKT at Joshua Tree 47:45- End of podcast questions Show notes: Majestica Listen to The Trail Network Podcast Connect with Lindsey: Lindsey on Instagram Lindsey on Twitter Support our sponsors: Lagoon Use the code “Lindsey” for 15% off your order Previnex Use code “LindseySuperfoods” for 15% off if you purchase the Gut and Greens Superfood Use the code “another” for 15% off OR use code “LindseyStrength” for 15% off if you purchase their new Muscle Health Plus Indy Mini Go to indymini.com to learn more! I’ll Have Another with Lindsey Hein LIVE! at Bottleworks