David Ayala on Hardrock, Flow State, and the Art of Dismissing Fear (Sunday Conversation)

David Ayala is a Professor of Mathematics at Montana State University and an amateur ultrarunner who most recently finished 3rd at the 2026 Hardrock 100. Until recently he'd never owned a watch. He has no social media. What he does have is a faculty webpage full of trip reports, written in LaTeX, for unsupported FKTs on the Wind River High Route, Sierra High Route, and Teton Center Punch, documented with a remarkable level of transparency. In this Sunday Conversation, we talk about training for flow state, why he calls competition "oblique collaboration," the huckleberry analogy, and whether he'll ever race again. Photo: @ThisIsRyanThrower , @Freetrail Partners: * Norda - check out the 005: the lightest, fastest, most stable trail racing shoe ever made (https://nordarun.com/) * Precision Fuel and Hydration - use code SINGLETRACK at checkout for 15% off your next order (https://www.precisionhydration.com/pl...) * Raide - Making equipment for efficient human-powered movement in the mountains (https://raideresearch.com/) * Janji - running gear that goes the distance (https://janji.com/) * Kodiak Cakes - my favorite oatmeal and pancakes (https://kodiakcakes.com/?utm_source=S...) Follow Singletrack on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runsingletrack/ Subscribe to Singletrack on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/singletrack/id1572382413 Subscribe to Singletrack on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7jAsWCRNSCU8nh81vrAaC2?si=3ac02e4e32b946c4