The Steep Stuff Podcast

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The sport we love is growing up, and that’s a good thing—if we build it right. I’m joined by athlete and agent Nick Cornell of Trailhead Athlete Management to dig into what “professional” actually looks like in trail running: livable contracts, smarter bonuses, real anti-doping, and a path that lets athletes focus on performance without losing the grassroots soul that makes this community special.

Nick shares how he went from thru-hiking the Triple Crown to winning Montana 50Ks and managing athletes who train 20 hours a week while juggling logistics...

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A brand doesn’t become real the day the website goes live—it becomes real the day someone beats it up on a mountain and still reaches for it the next morning. That’s the heart of our conversation with Dust founder Zach Colby, who walked away from politics to build a running brand rooted in the Mountain West: trails, dirt, big days, and gear that doesn’t need babysitting.

We trace the idea back to Boulder, where Zach saw a clear gap. The urban-run-club look had its champions, but the West’s m...

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A sharpening workout at 10,000 feet. A sudden stab in the chest. Vision slipping. Hours later, Abby Locke learned her right lung had collapsed—and that was only the beginning. Across one summer she weathered three collapses, seven chest tubes, helicopter flights, and two surgeries, then found her way back to 50-mile weeks with a new definition of strength.

We talk through the full arc with honesty and grit: the ER chaos, hospital routines, and why “take it easy” is dangerous advice for driven athletes. Abby details the shift from vague rest to a p...

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Ready to stop signing up for everything and start building a season that actually fits your life? We sit down with CTS coach Addison Smith to design a smarter year from the ground up: choosing an A race that truly motivates you, mapping B and C races that build skill without burnout, and matching training blocks to your goal’s specific demands. Whether you’re eyeing a first 50K or sharpening for a 100-mile bid, this conversation turns vague intentions into a practical plan.

We break down the three-phase progression that driv...

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A week after tackling a steep Canadian classic, two-time Leadville champion Adrian Macdonald joins us to chart a season that nearly went off the rails—and how he brought it back. After Western States left him drained and “half-sick,” bloodwork confirmed anemia. Adrian pressed pause on workouts, added iron, and rebuilt with patience. That decision reshaped his plans: fewer hero efforts, more deliberate steps. Now he’s heading to Ultra‑Trail Cape Town’s 100 miler to practice night pacing, big vert management, and problem‑solving—key skills he wants dialed before returning to UTMB.

W...

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A tailbone crash on a triangle rock. A season of strange falls and late-race cramping. And then a decision to tear it all down and rebuild. We sit with Dan Curts to map the truth behind his 2025 campaign, from a promising start at Canyons to a frustrating run through Iger, ETC, and Plitz Alpin Glacier. The thread is unglamorous and vital: when the posterior chain shuts down, quads overwork, climbing implodes, and even the best descenders can’t press when it matters.

Dan walks us through a hard reset with coach Ja...

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A short trail host, a 214-mile finish, and a brutally honest look at what it really takes to cross a 200-mile line with your head still on straight. Franc returns fresh off the Mammoth 200 to unpack the race that started as a joke and turned into a test of logistics, mindset, and pain tolerance. We talk about the fast first day that had him mixing it with the leaders, the sandy fire roads that shredded his feet, and the moment—somewhere around mile 114—when he had to find a real why or walk off...

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A month after Canfranc, the dust has settled but the stories still sting—sometimes literally. We sat down with Team USA leaders Paul Kirsch and Tom Hooper to unpack a world championship defined by raw terrain, tight logistics, and athletes who found another gear when it mattered most. If you watched the medals, you saw the headlines. If you listen here, you’ll hear the blueprint.

We start where results are made: planning. Paul and Tom pull back the curtain on selection debates, athlete travel, hotel puzzles, kit approvals, and an aid...

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What if you didn’t grow up on a track and still became a force on steep, thin-air courses? We sit down with Colorado Springs native Amanda Koslosky to trace a candid, practical path from soccer fields to summit podiums—top ten at the Pikes Peak Ascent, podiums at Telluride Mountain Run and Bar Trail—and the bold decision to go part-time at work to chase what’s possible.

Amanda opens up about the moment a Golden Trail–stacked Ascent proved her ceiling was higher than she thought, and why a coach, com...

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Ten hours on the edge, a live stream watched by hundreds of thousands, and a second-place finish that announced David Sinclair to the world stage. We unpack how an injury scare turned into a smarter build, why he chose CCC over OCC, and the exact training and fueling choices that helped him lead for hours, survive the low points, and find the grit to hold the podium in Chamonix.

David takes us inside the chaos at Worlds—from canceled flights to a sky-high vert profile—and what that taught him about spec...

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The race began before the gun—shoulder to shoulder, 12 rows deep, with a call-up protocol that flipped expectations and turned the opening meters into a high-stakes fight for position. From a fast frontage road into stairs and tight singletrack, Tyler McCandless had to manage chaos without panic: protect effort, find clean lines, and pass only when it counted. What followed was a masterclass in patience and presence—steady gains through the forest, a fierce late surge on a 30% wall to the summit, and a finish that helped Team USA lock down bronze at the...

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Golden Trail World Series Final Preview with Robert Prosser 

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A fall storm, ankle‑deep snow, and a west wind tearing across the Sawatch set the stage—then David Hedges took the Nolans 14 record back by roughly ten minutes. We unpack how it happened, from the early confidence on Antero to a near-collapse between Harvard and Oxford, a frozen night saved by borrowed layers and hot gels, and a final, ruthless push off Massive that flipped the math with miles to spare. The story isn’t just splits; it’s style, stewardship, and what local fluency really looks like when the terrain turns feral.

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Start in city gravel, end on a knife-edge ridge. That’s the arc of Kyle Richardson’s 1,300-mile Northeast Summits Tour—fifteen days, 84,000 feet, and six peaks stitched together by a bivy, a bike, and a refusal to overplan. We talk about why he treats endurance like an art form, how loosening timelines kept motivation high, and what it means to curate routes that flow from Catskill roots to Adirondack slabs, across the Whites, and onto Katahdin’s cathedral spine.

We get tactical without killing the magic. Kyle breaks down mapping with Gai...

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What if the best prep for a world-stage 50K isn’t altitude at all—but rock, root, and relentless decision-making? That’s the case Ben Robinson makes as we dive into his Grindstone 50K win, an OCC qualifier that doubled as redemption after a brutal DNF during a rabies vaccine saga the year before. From Pennsylvania’s Roxylvania series to Alaska’s Mount Marathon chaos, Ben maps a season where the Northeast’s technical terrain becomes a training edge, not a compromise, and where joy beats pressure as a performance tool.

We trace Ben...

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What does it take to race at a world-class level when running itself isn’t an option? We sit with Meikael Beaudoin-Rousseau to trace a brutal knee injury—down to bone—and the long, confusing road back: tendon thickening, scar pain that burns like hot iron, false starts, and a fitness base built on a handbike, arms-only swims, and an elliptical. Meika is candid about uncertainty and the daily choice to believe that today could be the first day of the comeback. Then we go deep on what that mindset looks like on the st...

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The mountains of Spain are set to host an unprecedented gathering of mountain running talent as the World Mountain Running Championships descend upon Canfranc in the Pyrenees. This year's championship field is arguably the deepest ever assembled, with elite athletes from Kenya, Uganda, Italy, France, Spain, and the United States poised for an epic showdown across four grueling disciplines.

The championship courses themselves present extraordinary challenges. The vertical race features nearly 1,000 meters of climbing over just 6.4 kilometers, while the short trail packs a staggering 12,000 feet of elevation gain into its 45-kilometer...

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What happens when you suddenly find yourself among the world's elite athletes? Mason Coppi, who has exploded onto the sub-ultra mountain running scene with remarkable success, joins us for a candid conversation about his journey to the top and upcoming World Championships appearance.

Despite dominating races and earning his place among the sport's best, Mason reveals his ongoing battle with imposter syndrome. "I would feel uncomfortable putting my name in that conversation," he admits, even as his results speak volumes. Yet he's found a powerful antidote in staying present during competition – de...

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What happens when you throw away your carefully crafted race plan and follow your intuition instead? For elite mountain runner Remi Leroux, it meant transforming a 15-race schedule into nearly 25 events across two continents in a single summer.

Diving deep into his whirlwind season, Remi shares how his partnership with Brooks teammate Dan has pushed him toward spontaneity and risk-taking. Their contrasting personalities—Dan's high-energy spontaneity balanced against Remy's thoughtful approach—created the perfect dynamic for an unforgettable European racing campaign. From training camps in Les Houches to competing alongside the Broo...

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What does it truly mean to represent your country on the world stage? For Michelino Senseri, it's the fulfillment of a childhood dream that once seemed impossible. Speaking from Spain where he's been meticulously studying the World Trail Championship course, Michelino offers an unfiltered look at what American trail runners can expect when they toe the line against the world's best.

The terrain in Spain presents a fascinating challenge - more technical than anything in the United States, with runnable climbs that zigzag up mountains and downhills so steep and rocky...

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Cam Smith and Anna Gibson join the podcast from Italy where they're juggling an extraordinary athletic challenge. Currently training with the USA Skimo team, both athletes are preparing to represent Team USA in dual events at the upcoming Mountain Running World Championships in Spain.

The conversation offers a fascinating glimpse into their Italian training camp and the unique dynamics of preparing for two completely different mountain disciplines simultaneously. Anna reveals her deep skiing background—"It's definitely the original sport for me"—explaining how her lifelong passion for skiing has naturally evolved into...

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Taylor Stack's remarkable transformation from promising college runner to Team USA representative has been nothing short of extraordinary. In this wide-ranging conversation, Stack opens up about his breakthrough European racing season where he finished as top American and 12th overall in the Golden Trail Series, plus secured a podium at the brutally technical Pitz Alpine Glacier race.

What makes Stack's journey particularly fascinating is his balanced approach to high-pressure competition. Rather than buckling under expectations, he emphasizes gratitude for these opportunities and focuses on embracing the experience—a mindset that has pa...

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Christian Allen takes us deep into the rugged heart of the Pyrenees as he prepares to represent Team USA at the World Mountain Running Championships. The reigning US Mountain Running Champion opens up about the wild, technical trails of Canfrank that barely resemble paths at times—"They stuck flags into a bunch of rock that you're just hiking up. It's really steep."

Fresh off his stunning victory at Broken Arrow, where he outpaced legends Kilian Jornet and Joe Gray, Allen reveals the strategic approach that's transformed his running. "I've been working wi...

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Noah Williams has been on fire this summer. Fresh off a breakthrough performance at Sierre-Zinal where he clocked an impressive 2:45:10 as the third American finisher, he's now setting his sights on something even bigger: gold at the Trail Running World Championships in Spain.

The conversation kicks off with Noah recounting his recent racing adventures, from Alaska's rugged terrain to the iconic trails of Switzerland. His Sierre-Zinal performance stands out as particularly special - finishing 27th in what many consider the most competitive mountain race globally. Noah breaks down how he managed...

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Ruby Lindquist has experienced a meteoric rise in the trail running world this season, securing a coveted spot on Team USA for the World Trail Championships following a gutsy sixth-place finish at the hyper-competitive Broken Arrow 50K. Our conversation dives deep into the mental strategies that allow her to push through pain barriers when races aren't going according to plan.

"You feel this awful feeling and you just have to pass right through it," Ruby explains, describing how she managed to stay focused at Broken Arrow despite not feeling her best...

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Summits conquered, records shattered, and mountains yet to climb—Jasmine Lowther's extraordinary summer of racing defies conventional limits. Fresh from breaking the Grand Teton FKT and excelling at OCC, she now stands on the precipice of the World Championships in Spain.

The Grand Teton FKT attempt reveals a fascinating dimension of Jasmine's relationship with mountains. Despite having only three weeks to prepare for a challenge that ideally requires months of intimate mountain knowledge, she conquered not just the technical terrain but her own fears. "You're going to be dancing with it," he...

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When Sydney Petersen toed the line at the Broken Arrow Skyrace this summer, she wasn't sure she'd even finish. After two weeks of complete rest nursing what she feared might be a serious hip injury, her training was far from ideal for what would serve as the US World Championship qualifier. Yet sometimes our greatest performances emerge when expectations fall away.

"I think everything that could have gone wrong leading up to this race went wrong," Peterson reveals in this candid conversation. "I wasn't feeling good, I wasn't even sure if...

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Courtney Coppinger takes us inside her journey to the Mountain Running World Championships in this candid conversation about mental resilience, team camaraderie, and the pursuit of excellence on the international stage.

From Colorado's high altitude training grounds to the pristine trails of Europe, Courtney shares the rollercoaster of emotions that define an elite athlete's preparation. "Nothing felt really shiny and nothing felt really good," she admits about her final training block, before describing how arriving in Europe instantly restored her confidence: "The stoke immediately came back because sea level, 60-degree temps...

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When Lindsay Allison submitted her application for the US Mountain Running World Championship team, she never expected to be selected. "When I got the call I was like, 'What? Are you sure? Me?'" she shares with genuine surprise in her voice. This unexpected honor comes at the perfect moment in her season—just as she's hitting her stride after overcoming early-season challenges.

Our conversation explores Lindsay's fascinating journey through a summer of unexpected hurdles and triumphant breakthroughs. After battling persistent nausea that severely impacted her performance at Speedgoat, Lindsay discovered sh...

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Standing at the base of Pike's Peak, staring up at the formidable 14,115-foot summit piercing the Colorado sky, runners face more than just a grueling physical challenge—they confront what veterans call "the ultimate mental battle." Every year, over 2,500 athletes from 46 states and eight countries gather in Manitou Springs to test their limits in America's most iconic mountain race.

What keeps bringing elite and recreational runners back to this punishing course year after year? As one participant puts it: "You know this is a test against yourself... everybody that's out here is...

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Pike's Peak isn't just a mountain—it's America's Ultimate Challenge. Rising dramatically from 6,000 to 14,000 feet, this Colorado landmark draws over 2,500 runners annually from across the globe, all seeking to test their limits against its unforgiving terrain.

What makes this race truly special? As elite mountain runner Kiern Nay explains, "It's just you're constantly wondering if you're going too hard and if you're going to die." Unlike strategic ultra events where pacing and problem-solving matter, Pike's Peak demands maximum effort from start to finish—a "total red line from the gun to the...

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What does it take to conquer one of America's most grueling mountain races? Elite trail runner James Reeves takes us behind the scenes of his preparation for Pike's Peak, a race that draws over 2,500 runners annually from 46 states and eight countries to challenge themselves against the formidable Colorado mountain.

"It's just you're constantly wondering if you're going too hard and if you're going to die," Reeves explains about the race experience. "It's an ultimate mental battle." Having previously posted an impressive 2:14:55 at Pike's Peak in 2023, Reeves now returns with ambitious goals...

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The mental and physical crucible of Pike's Peak brings together over 2,500 runners annually to test themselves against what organizers aptly call "America's Ultimate Challenge." What drives athletes back to this mountain year after year? As one elite runner explains, "You're constantly wondering if you're going too hard and if you're going to die... it's an ultimate mental battle."

This conversation dives deep into the psychology of mountain racing, examining how athletes approach a challenge where the real competition isn't other runners but the mountain itself. "I don't care what racers show...

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Every summer, thousands of runners journey to Manitou Springs for America's Ultimate Challenge – the legendary Pikes Peak Marathon. For three-time champion Kristina Mascarenas, this race represents something far deeper than just another mountain to conquer.

"It's just you're constantly wondering if you're going too hard and if you're going to die," Kristina candidly shares, capturing the essence of what draws elite athletes back to this grueling event year after year. "You know this is a test against yourself. Everybody that's out here is doing it and everybody's testing themselves."

In...

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The mental battle against the mountain defines Pike's Peak Ascent, drawing thousands to test their limits at what's rightfully earned its reputation as "America's Ultimate Challenge." Elite trail runners reveal that beyond physical preparation, it's the psychological fortitude required that brings them back year after year.

When asked what keeps competitors returning to this grueling ascent, the answer is simple yet profound: "You're constantly wondering if you're going too hard and if you're going to die." This raw honesty captures why over 2,500 runners from 46 states and eight countries gather annually in...

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The mountain looms ahead, a vertical challenge that tests not just physical endurance but mental fortitude. "It's just you're constantly wondering if you're going too hard and if you're going to die," says one elite runner, capturing perfectly why uphill racing has become such a compelling discipline within trail running.

We dive deep into the world of vertical challenges, exploring America's Ultimate Challenge at Pike's Peak, where over 2,500 runners from 46 different states and eight foreign countries gather annually to push their limits. The conversation takes us across continents as we compare...

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What makes a mountain race become legendary? In this deep dive into the historic Pikes Peak Marathon and Ascent, we're joined by Mark Tatum to uncover the remarkable journey of America's third-oldest and longest consecutively running marathon.

From its unlikely origins—when a Finnish doctor challenged smokers to race him up the mountain in 1958—to Arlene Piper becoming the first woman to complete a marathon in the United States in 1959 (in "dime store tennis shoes"), the race's heritage is as rich as the mountain is tall. We explore how the Jemez Pueb...

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Ever wonder how a mountain runner's motivations evolve over decades in the sport? Anton Krupicka opens up about his remarkable journey from Nebraska ranch kid to ultrarunning legend in this captivating conversation recorded live at La Sportiva Boulder.

Anton shares the origin story of his running career, from his science scholarship at Colorado College to his early days working at Colorado Running Company and running with the legendary Matt Carpenter. He reflects candidly on how serendipity shaped his path—when a missed email about the Pikes Peak Marathon entry led him to...

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Balancing on the knife edge between breakthrough performance and burnout, Benjamin Townsend takes us behind the scenes of his remarkable season traversing continents in pursuit of skyrunning glory. From the humid jungles of Malaysia to the technical Alps, his journey reveals the unseen challenges young athletes face when building a global racing career.

The conversation opens with Benjamin's qualification for the U23 Skyrunner World Series Final and his rollercoaster experiences competing internationally. After a devastating DNF in Spain where debilitating foot pain left him unable to continue, Benjamin rebounded spectacularly with...

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Join us Thursday Sept 11th for a Live Pod with Anton Krupicka at the La Sportiva Flagship store in Boulder, Colorado 

When - Thursday September 11th

What - Group Run & Live Podcast with Anton Krupicka

Timing - Group Run Starts at 5:30 pm / Live Pod Starts (around) 6:45/7pm 

RSVP - https://www.eventbrite.com/e/la-sportiva-summer-run-series-tickets-1344591662859

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