This whole season was amazing! We need more of the beautifully crafted show. Also many episodes disappeared from the feed :(

As someone with a liberal arts education who also loves to run (and is an avid Trail Runner Magazine reader), the storytelling in this podcast blew me away. Introducing a theme with a discussion about an influential writer and their work, and then applying that theme to the interview with the athlete and telling their story makes this podcast incredible. I feel amazed by the quality of the storytelling every time I listen to an episode.

This is what I was looking for, insightful, positive, realistic, this host is a pro, keep them coming please!

Really enjoying the variety of stories on here. The tagline is spot-on. Stories about failure in life and running. Zoe is such an engaging host and I love her funny relatable monologues about the philosophy of why people run.

I’m in love with this podcast. Failure is a ubiquitous human experience, yet glaringly under-mentioned in popular media. Zoe helps to normalize it by sharing lessons from accomplished people who have faced unthinkable challenges, and whose experiences with these have contributed to their grit and fortitude. She is articulate and insightful. Her ability to encourage guests to be vulnerable and share their stories allows the listener to continually re-evaluate the common assumption that successful people must be blessed with good fortune and good mental and physical health. Thank you and your guests for contributing to the growing conversation about mental health, especially in the context of athletics. And to top it all off, interspersed with fascinating literary tidbits! The creme de la creme of podcasts.

Very nice i am a very old English major and aging runner! Zoe is a great story teller and I appreciate the literary connections and she seems to find relationships that I thought did not exist. She is skilled and courageous!!

Zoe is a very thoughtful and insightful writer and narrator and her podcast is about so much more than trail running.

I’ve listened to a few episodes and it seems to be about 10% trail running and 90% feeling all the feelings. But there’s nothing wrong with that. Good when you need a break from somebody talking about how epic something was that you’ll never do.

This is really fantastic and inspiring. The podcast works even if you aren’t interested in running, really well done. I cannot wait for new episodes.

For a 30 minute podcast (at least the one I listened to), there are just way too many commercials. I appreciate that you must make money to fund podcast costs but this is just overboard and more importantly -unlistenable. As another reviewer stated I DNF.

The content is GREAT, but... we hardly hear from the person who is being interviewed. I would much rather listen to a raw personal interview than a polished second person story. There is too much of the narrator and it detracts from the story.

Not only did I have to skip 6 minutes to get to the podcast itself but after cutting the guest off for some whack narrating I DNF’d this pod.

I never would have thought a running podcast would give me goosebumps but episode 8 did just that. It was the powerful combination of an inspiring story and great storytelling.

Zoë brings exceptional journalism, production quality, and story-telling to the running podcast world. This is the only running podcast I recommend to my non-running friends! You do not need to be a runner to be inspired by these stories.

These stories hold both the shadow and the light to the what is most essential about running: being human. The production and approach is thoughtful, and the end result is a lingering sense of wonder and inspiration.

Hands-down my fave “running” podcast. Zoë brilliantly unpacks the mess of being human through the relatable lens of sport. Each episode is masterfully crafted and the equivalent of enjoying the most unctuous chocolate chip cookie but for your ears. Thank you, Zoë, for all of your hard work and soul in bringing these stories to life!

Honestly, the is maybe the most thoughtful, well written and produced of any topical podcast out there. Zoë folds in poetry, insightful questions, and wonderful musings into her interviews with very interesting trail runners. I’m going for a short run right. Le and going to listen to another one!!

DNF is perhaps the best podcast I have listened to. It is warm and touching while at the same time being literary and insightful. It is about a sport, trail running, but it manages to be about so very much more. Kudos to Zoe Rom for her brilliance in bringing this all together!

This podcast has brought huge smiles and tears, often at the same time! A wonderful podcast with inspiring content. Exactly what I have been looking for. Beautiful stories and amazing accomplishments. What more could you ask for!

The episodes are works of art! This is one of the best running podcasts out there.

Most podcasts the host just interviews someone and just rolls it out there. This podcast took a lot of time, thought and production. I thought it was very well done

There are so many interview-based shows about running and endurance sports; many of them are excellent! But the time and effort that goes into crafting these stories makes it stand out. Incredible work.

I love how this podcast looks at issues relevant to many people through the lens of trail running. Personally, as a visual artist, the idea of failure hits close to home because it is something you just have to get through. This podcast takes a sport that has the potential to be somewhat insular, and makes it very accessible .. all while staying true to what we love about trail running. Also, Zoe’s tone and pacing make for an excellent listen. Can’t wait for the next episode.

Enjoyed listening to Zoë every time! Totally agree how endurance running should make every effort to be more inclusive and welcoming to all. I also enjoy how topics related to mental health and well-being are explored. What a great podcast! Highly recommend!

Love this podcast!

Love this podcast!

Zoe does such a great job with her choice of guests and interview style!

Great podcast! Love the topics and hearing people stories!

I just binged every episode of DNF, and I think it’s my new all-time favorite. My biggest complaint is that I have to wait for the next episode. I want it now! I need, the world needs more podcasts about failure. Every single episode has been thought provoking, inspiring, and relatable (except about the winning race parts—no way will I ever win Western States or Leadville!). Especially podcasts about failure in the outdoors with lots of literary references. My reason for binging was an unexpected road trip: eight hours starting at bedtime to get my daughter who was bailing on a big trip in southern Utah. My wife came with me to help drive all night. We were worried about our daughter, not so much her health or physical safety, but her emotional safety. As we drove we listened to old favorite episodes from the Dirtbag Diaries, and, on a whim, decided to try something new: DNF. We are new trail runners, and thought it might be useful for our running. Boy oh boy. I don’t know if it will do much for us on the trails, but our parenting just leveled up. After each episode (and sometimes in the middle) we would pause, discuss, and relate it to our lives. We took notes (ok, the passenger took notes, not the driver). We talked about which things we needed to review later. We started to come up with a new family motto. It might sound like hyperbole to say that the DNF podcast has changed my life, especially now while I’m still loopy from no sleep and to much caffeine. It might sound like hyperbole, but nevertheless it feels true.

This podcast weaves running stories with life stories without getting too sappy. I like the references to literature too.

This podcast is so refreshingly hope inspiring & “real” - it reminds why I started trail running in the first place. In the age where “winning at any cost” is celebrated more than ever, & anything less is “a disappointment”, this podcast is such a great reminder that a “DNF” does not make one a failure & is in fact a necessary part of living up to one’s potential in running & in life overall. It’s a reminder that not having an Instagram filter perfect day is really quite normal & is part of life. I really appreciate the reminder in one of the episodes “you’ve done hard things before, you’ll do them again”. Sounds simple but it really was very much needed. Thank you. Look forward to more episodes very much.

I found you podcast on whim, I’m a big fan of Trail Nation and Ultrarunner podcasts. Your pod casts are very inspirational and motivating. I work in healthcare so I’m always trying to find podcasts that are up lifting! Thank you 👍

DNF is unlike any other podcast out there. The creativity, thoughtfulness, and storytelling that Zoë brings to each episode is so beautifully unique. It quite honestly brightens my day every time I tune in, which I suspect is true for every listener. What a joy to listen to!

Wonderfully produced podcast with a good message for all. Listened to one episode and I was hooked!

These are awesome! Keep’m up!

Concise and entertaining, DNF combines engaging storytelling with a high production value. Host Zoë Rom weaves life lessons into running based tales for fun and inspiring listening.

I just read a review that this podcast was “over produced”. To be honest, while I was running tonight in the rain, 2AM, I thought to myself “this is an awesome podcast.” My only complaint is there aren’t enough episodes! I want more, I crave more! As a former over weight bank manager I can relate to these people who have DNF’d somewhere in their lives. I was a former NCAA division one athlete that found myself in a job I didn’t like. I decided to quit June 2018 and I’m currently finishing the police academy, in the best shape I’ve been in, in over 10 years. This is why I relate to the stories in DNF. Love this podcast.

This sounds like if NPR did a trail running podcast, which is unfortunately not a good thing. It doesn't come across as genuine as other similar podcasts do, where the conversations there are recorded in real-time and flow as such. Not for me.

This Trail Runner podcast has relevance for every human, not just runners. You’ll finish each episode with new history trivia and the motivation to accomplish something and turn the things you thought you screwed up into something great. Plus, it’s well-written, not a didactic blab of a run-on interview. Primo!

Great approach to storytelling and sharing the world of trail running. Can’t get enough.

I absolutely adore the format of this show and how well produced it is. It’s not just another podcast interviewing people about running - it’s a fresh take on failure and life...that happens to involve running as well. Bravo!

This is one of the best running podcasts out there, and the production quality is excellent. Kudos to all involved, and thanks to Trail Runner for supporting this!

Would be helpful to have show notes including links to sponsors.

It’s early in this podcasts life, but I really appreciate the theme. There is a lot of epic fails out there that lead to a very positive gain. Looking forward to more.

In the day and age of the Instagram (and podcast) highlight reel, DNF is a refreshingly honest look at the failures that lead to success — a great reminder that the path to the podium is rarely linear.

Great podcast! My new favorite.

Holistically written, recorded, and executed pod! Great listenin’ for the car, a run, and literally everything in between.

This is an awesome concept that shows the value in our failures! Told through the lens of a specific person’s failure, this podcast is informative and very interesting! I can’t wait to hear more to come!

What a great idea!

Love the idea of embracing our failures, looking forward to more inspiring stories