Preston Cates on Aid Station Dance Parties, Gas Station Go-To’s, & Redefining His Limits

When Preston Cates popped up on most peoples’ radars with his unexpected 6th place finish at the 2021 Canyons 100k as a 23 year-old, he had a pretty simple motivation driving his young trail running career: to never have to pay for shoes again. Since then, the Boulder, CO native has racked up podium finishes left and right, landed a pro contract to run for Nike (shoes included), and recently punched his ticket to represent the US at the World Mountain Running Championships in Austria later this year. Matt Mitchell sat down with Preston a week after his 3rd place finish at the 2023 Lake Sonoma 50 to chat about his development as an athlete; walking on to a D1 program at the University of Arkansas; training vs. spending time outside; what he grabs at a gas station during a mid-run bonk; and a whole lot more.

TOPICS & TIMES

• Flagstaff by way of Boulder, Gunnison, Arkansas, and Austria (2:17)
• Preston’s wrestling career (4:43)
• How he fell into running (6:56)
• Being an extravert (12:08)
• Moving to Austria in the middle of COVID (15:22)
• Canyons 2021, dance parties, & Camelbaks (20:05)
• How doing different sports can keep you healthy (31:06)
• Nike contract & transitioning to running full-time (36:16)
• Social media (42:23)
• His Nike teammate, Drew Holmen (45:35)
• Making the U.S Team at Lake Sonoma 50 (46:54)
• What else he has lined up this year (55:47)
• Gas station snacks (57:33)

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