The Human Potential Running Series Podcast · John Lacroix

HPRS Podcast – Episode 77: Full Circle in the Franklin Mountains

·1 hr 51 min·5 clips

If you're getting lost for the second year in a row, what are you doing to make sure you're found?

John LaCroix opens Episode 77 with a goodbye. He frames it around the Franklin Mountains Trail Runs and says the 2026 edition was the last time he would have the honor and privilege of directing the race. The handoff is the real point. He walks through five editions in El Paso, a race he says he tried to serve carefully, and keeps coming back to the idea that the work should leave the community better than it started. Arkansas comes up too. John looks back on leaving that race, says he stands by much of what he said there, admits he also made mistakes, and treats the whole experience as hard-earned guidance for handling Franklin Mountains differently. That lesson stays close. He says the race was sold to him on the understanding that he would do right by the race and the community, keep it community-focused, and celebrate the people there. A story about another race director from New Mexico gives the episode some edge. John remembers being furious at the demand for special treatment and uses that moment to sharpen his view of what directors owe runners and what runners owe the course. Preparedness matters. He says race directors ask people to show up ready, and he ties that expectation to a broader ethic of respect, accountability, and not turning community work into a vanity project. He does not smooth over the rough parts. The conversation keeps circling back to the fact that he can own screwups without backing away from the larger point, and that tension gives the farewell its shape. The closing is grateful. John thanks the runners, volunteers, partners, and neighbors who trusted the event, and he says the community there will always be welcome on Colorado trails. Shane gets named. He identifies Shane as the person who can and will see this through from Las Cruces and, just as important, stay part of the community instead of standing outside it. It lands cleanly. What remains is a handoff that feels earned, local, and honest, with the kind of plainspoken reflection that makes the goodbye feel like part of the race's life instead of a polished press note.

As heard by us

A final John LaCroix sendoff shaped by hard lessons, community duty, and gratitude.

John LaCroix comes across as looking back on the Franklin Mountains Trail Runs with real care. He frames 2026 as the last year he will put on the race after five editions in El Paso, and he ties that handoff to the hard lessons he carried over from Arkansas and to a simple goal:…

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Why you'd press play

A last Franklin Mountains lap for anyone who wants a race-director farewell about stewardship, lessons, and handing off a community event.

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