Owen Middleton: From Butterflies to Blisters—What Your First Trail Race Teaches You

The Trail Chasers

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“You don’t need to win it. You just need to learn from it.”

What if your first trail race wasn’t just a run—but a rite of passage? A place to learn, get it wrong, laugh at yourself, and fall in love with the trails?

In this episode of Trail Chasers, we sit down with Owen Middleton—founder of the iconic Trail Series® and the man who introduced thousands to their first-ever trail race. With nearly two decades of experience as a race director and route pioneer, Owen shares why your first race matters more than your pace—and how paying your “school fees” early shapes everything that follows.

What you’ll learn in this episode:
✅ Why your first trail race is less about racing and more about discovery 🧭
✅ How Owen’s Trail Series became a gateway for everyday runners to fall in love with the sport 🏃‍♀️
✅ What common first-time mistakes to embrace (yes, including packing too much!) 🎒
✅ Why every route tells a story—and how learning to read the landscape can shift your mindset 🗺️
✅ How to prep for your first event without overthinking, overtraining, or overspending 💡
✅ Why showing up—even slightly underprepared—is sometimes the best way to grow 💥

🥾 Ready to share your first race story?
Drop the name of your first trail race below or DM us @trailchaserspod—whether you got hooked, humbled, or hilariously lost, we want to hear how it all began!

🎙 Season 3 is sponsored by Gilnokie Socks 🧦
Visit gilnokie.com and use code TRAILCHASERS for 20% off your first order!

📩 Loved this episode? Subscribe, leave a review, and tag someone who's prepping for their first trail race—because their story starts here.