Our second stop for the Hoka One One Top Trails running show is Asheville, NC. Thanks to its eclectic culture and expansive trail systems, Asheville’s popularity as a running community has snowballed in recent years. It has received numerous national accolades ranking it highly as an outdoors destination, and thanks to its many microbreweries, it has also been voted one of America’s best beer cities on several occasions. The scenic Blue Ridge Parkway, which runs along the Blue Ridge Mountain Chain provides access to numerous trail-heads giving runners easy access to expansive trail systems. Hoka One One runner and North Carolina native, Alisha Edmiston takes us on a run along the “Shut-In Trail,” which parallels the Blue Ridge Parkway, stretching eighteen miles from the North Carolina Arboretum to the Mt. Pisgah parking lot. The trail is also home to the storied “Shut-in Ridge Run” which has become an exclusive, sought after trail race for runners across the country - a race which Edmistion has won twice.
Our hosts, Matt Barnhart and Ian Terpin visit a few local hot spots (Wicked Weed Funkatorium and 12 Bones Smokehouse) and talk to some of Asheville’s local legends and running experts, including Jay Curwin (former professional triathlete and multiple time “Shut-in Ridge Run” champion), Phil Latter (senior writer, Running Times), and Aaron Saft (Owner, Foot Rx Running Store).
