The Steep Stuff Podcast

Епизоде

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  #196 - Erin Ton, FKT on Mount Kilimanjaro 17.09.2026 1ч 5мин

  Send us Fan Mail She didn’t just beat a record on Mount Kilimanjaro, she rewrote what “supported speed” can look like at 19,000 feet. Aaron Ton joins us fresh off a massive double: new supported ascent and supported round-trip Fastest Known Times on Kilimanjaro, plus an honest look at the parts that felt smooth and the part that nearly derailed everything when altitude slammed her around 15,000 feet. We get into the real build behind a big mountain FKT: stacking altitude in Colorado, grabbin...
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  #195 - Marie Nivet, 2026 UTMB ETC Champion 15.09.2026 54мин

  Send us Fan Mail She called it a “bonus race,” showed up with no pressure, and walked away with one of the biggest wins of her career. Marie Nive joins me right after UTMB week to unpack what it felt like to win ETC, why that result matters for mountain running, and how she reframes nerves when the stakes get loud. We talk about the specific thing she wanted to fix from last year, technical downhills, and why confidence comes from solving real race problems rather than trying to “feel ready.”...
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  Most Replayed Episode: Cam Smith, 2026 U.S. Skimo Olympian 12.09.2026 1ч 12мин

  Send us Fan Mail A skimo World Cup podium is rare. Coming back after an ACL and meniscus tear, then surviving a major shoulder injury right after, is even rarer. We sit down with Cam Smith to talk about what it really takes to rebuild your body and your confidence when momentum gets ripped away and the biggest goal is still out there: qualifying for the 2026 Winter Olympics (Milano Cortina) in ski mountaineering. Cam walks us from Rockford, Illinois to Western Colorado University’s Mou...
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  #193 - Joe "Stringbean" McConaughy - RD North Bend Trailfest & Ultrarunner 11.09.2026 1ч 6мин

  Send us Fan Mail A mountain town, a brutally steep VK, and a trail festival that’s trying to feel like a hometown party instead of a corporate expo. We’re joined by Joe McConaughey, ultrarunner, coach, and race director of North Bend Trailfest, to break down why Mount Si delivers one of the most compelling short-course mountain running tests in the Pacific Northwest and why that matters for the future of sub-ultra racing. We talk course specifics and what you actually get when you show up: a...
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  #194 - Adam Sjolund 09.09.2026 57мин

  Send us Fan Mail A lot of runners dream about a breakthrough season. Adam Joland is living one, and he’s honest about how messy it looks from the inside. Right after a standout run at Sierre-Zinal and a strong Golden Trail campaign, we sit down to dissect what actually went right: keeping the monster climb under control, staying mentally present for the whole race, and learning how to race with confidence instead of just hanging on and hoping. If you follow mountain running, Golden Trail Worl...
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  Most Replayed Episode: Mason Coppi, 2026 U.S. Mountain Running Champion 08.09.2026 1ч 20мин

  Send us Fan Mail Mason Copi just came off a win at Cirque Series Alta, and what stood out to us wasn’t only the speed it was the optimism. We talk right after the race about the course, the steep Baldy descent, and why feeling “locked in” can look like smiling, waving, and actually enjoying the chaos. From there we zoom out into Mason’s full arc: Southern California roots, a nationally competitive high school program, Division I running at Furman, and the moment the sport started to feel lik...
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  A Special Discount Code for Listeners 06.09.2026 1мин

  Send us Fan Mail Use code SteepStuff for 20% your cart on Sidas.us Follow James on IG - @jameslauriello Follow the Steep Stuff Podcast on IG - @steepstuff_pod Follow Sidas USA on IG - @sidas_usa
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  Most Replayed Episode: Michelino Sunseri, Grand Teton FKT Holder 05.09.2026 1ч 15мин

  Send us Fan Mail He just set a Grand Teton FKT, but what grabbed me most wasn’t the time on the clock. It was the way Michelino “Mike” Sanseri thinks about mountains, suffering, joy, and what it actually takes to become dangerous on a start line without losing yourself along the way. We talk about how a single run on the Teton Crest Trail and a moment on Hurricane Pass pushed him to leave Tahoe and move to Teton Valley, why trails always felt like home, and why college running on roads and f...
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  Most Replayed Episode: Allie (McLaughlin) Avatar, 2022 World Uphill Champion 01.09.2026 29мин

  Send us Fan Mail A hip that might not cooperate. A course that’s basically a slip-and-slide. A start line you’re not even sure you’ll stand on. Then somehow… you find yourself racing at the front anyway. That’s the headspace Allie Mack brings us into right after earning another Team USA spot with a hard-fought third place at a gnarly mountain running qualifier. It’s her eighth team since 2014, and she explains why it somehow feels more special now than it did early on, especially as the U.S. ...
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  Most Replayed Episode: Grayson Murphy, 2X Mountain Running World Champion 29.08.2026 1ч 17мин

  Send us Fan Mail Winning world titles is hard. Getting told you are “fine” for 18 months while your body is clearly breaking down might be harder. We sit down with Grayson Murphy to talk through the parts of elite mountain running that rarely get said out loud: identity, sponsorship pressure, health uncertainty, and the behind-the-scenes work it takes to keep showing up. Grayson opens up about her Crohn’s disease diagnosis and the long, frustrating path to getting answers, including how repe...
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  BONUS Episode - UTMB Predictions with Nick Tusa 26.08.2026 25мин

  Send us Fan Mail UTMB week brings out the most honest kind of sports conversation: we have a stacked start list, a million storylines, and almost no certainty once the race hits the high climbs and the long night. Nick Tusa joins me for a focused UTMB and CCC preview where we argue through the men’s and women’s fields, call our shots, and explain what we think actually decides Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc when everyone is fit. On the men’s side, we dig into the big questions around Jim Walmsley...
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  UTMB OCC Race Companion with Nick Tusa 25.08.2026 1ч 20мин

  Send us Fan Mail UTMB week has a way of making trail running feel bigger than sport. The streets of Chamonix fill up, legends stroll past like it’s normal, and suddenly a 60K like OCC feels like the center of the universe. We’re back with Nick Tusa to break down why this year’s OCC field looks so deep, how the course changes keep reshaping the short trail world, and why tactics matter as much as fitness when everyone’s fast. We dig into the men’s side with a real focus on decision-making: wh...
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  Noah Williams - Pre UTMB OCC Interview 24.08.2026 53мин

  Send us Fan Mail Chamonix does something to your brain. You land, look up at the peaks, and suddenly every run feels like it should be longer, harder, and higher. We sit down with Noah Williams to talk through the reality of preparing for OCC when the terrain is unreal, the field is stacked, and the smartest move might be holding back even when your legs feel electric. We get into the nuts and bolts of mountain running performance: adapting from Leadville altitude to lower-oxygen-cost runnin...
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  Christian "Slim" Allen - Pre UTMB OCC Interview 24.08.2026 24мин

  Send us Fan Mail Sierre Zinal doesn’t hand out gifts, and neither does a season that starts with a stress reaction, rolls into a posterior tib strain, and then keeps whispering from an irritated Achilles. We sit down with Christian Allen fresh off a huge European stretch to talk about what finally clicked, how he stayed consistent enough to stack results, and why his best racing shows up when he resists the urge to force the day early. We get specific about the realities of pro trail running...
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  UTMB ETC Race Companion with Rachel Tomajczyk 22.08.2026 40мин

  Send us Fan Mail A 15K can feel longer than a 100K when the course is straight up, straight down, and the field is absolutely loaded. We’re fired up for ETC in Courmayeur during UTMB week, and we’re treating it like what it’s becoming: a legitimate proving ground for mountain running specialists who live for steep climbs, fast singletrack, and fearless descents. We dig into what makes ETC unique, starting with the course math that matters: 15K with roughly 1200 meters of gain, a big first cl...
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  Taylor Stack - Pre UTMB ETC Interview 21.08.2026 17мин

  Send us Fan Mail Mont Blanc in the background has a way of rewriting your definition of “normal.” We’re checking in with Taylor Stack from Chamonix as UTMB week starts to buzz, and he shares what it feels like to train in a place where even the “easy” routes quietly stack thousands of feet of vertical gain. We talk about the practical reality of Alpine trail running versus Colorado mountain running: bigger relief from a lower start, fewer truly flat miles, and terrain that can surprise you e...
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  Finlay Grant - Pre UTMB ETC Interview 20.08.2026 26мин

  Send us Fan Mail A race where the “course” is more like a suggestion sounds fun right up until you’re waist-deep in a peat bog, freezing, and trying to decide which ridge will get you to the next checkpoint fastest. That’s the world of UK fell running, and Finlay Grant joins us to explain why it creates a uniquely durable kind of mountain athlete. We talk about Finlay’s path from school cross-country into fell running, then onto the European skyrunning scene, including his build toward...
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  Sydney Petersen - Pre UTMB ETC Interview 20.08.2026 19мин

  Send us Fan Mail Chamonix has a way of making trail running feel like the center of the universe, and Sydney Peterson is soaking it up while she can. After stacking a string of brutally competitive European races, she joins me for a catch-up from the Alps where recovery, team time, and UTMB week energy all collide. We talk about what it’s like to live among people who treat mountains like a daily ritual, from running vests at the grocery store to the quiet confidence that comes from being sur...
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  Sam Lewis - Pre UTMB ETC Interview 20.08.2026 37мин

  Send us Fan Mail A hamstring injury doesn’t just take away fitness. It can mess with your confidence, your decision-making, and even your ability to trust basic sensations like a cramp. Sam Lewis joins us from the Chamonix area to talk about the messy middle of a comeback, right after a hard Sierre-Zinal and just before lining up for ETC near Courmayeur. We get into what it’s like to train in the Alps without getting carried away, why UTMB week in Chamonix feels like a mini home for so many ...
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  #192 - Kirsty Skye Dickson 18.08.2026 41мин

  Send us Fan Mail A 3:05 at Sierre-Zinal and a Mont Blanc Marathon 23K podium is the kind of season that usually comes with “full-time pro” stamped on it. Kirsty Sky Dixon is doing it while working full-time as an orthodontist in Scotland, and the way she thinks about that balance might change how you approach your own training and goals. We talk through what Sierre-Zinal felt like on her first attempt, why the course is so addictive, and how the race exposes both strengths and weakness...