David Kilgore is living the dream. In addition to his role as On Running’s Sports Innovation Manager, David also runs professionally for On himself. As an athlete privy to several sides of the trail running industry, his perspective offers unique insights into the future of the sport as it continues to rapidly professionalize. So, we sat down with David a few days after he made his race directing debut — yet another hat he now proudly wears — to hear how he climbed the ranks at On; how he helped build their trail running team; the business of athlete sponsorships; the simplicity of hard work; and a whole lot more. TOPICS & TIMESDavid’s race directing debut

Representing East Coast trail running

NYC’s ultrarunning scene

David’s background as a D1 runner

Falling out of love with the sport after college

Filmmaking & photography

On Running

Climbing the ranks at On

The ins and outs of building a pro trail team

On’s latest shoes

Recapping UTMB