Running long - A trail & ultra running talk

 Max Keith is a trail runner from Chile and the co-founder of Vert.

In this episode we talk about the different types of tests that you can do to monitor your fitness. Tracking progress is not always easy, and tests are a good way to understand how you’re responding to training, if you know what you’re doing and how to interpret the data - something that your coach can definitely help you with. From very simple field tests like a time trial, an uphill test or the max heart rate test, to more complex lab tests like the VO2max or the lactate test, we will try to shed some light on what you can learn through performing different running tests for your performance.

As always, the principle that is guiding us is to do everything we do with awareness, while having fun: it's very important to have an understanding of what we’re doing, based on who we are, what we do and what our goals are, something that of course a good coach can really help you with. 

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I’m recording this interview live, from the Vert.run headquarters in Boulder and my guest today is Kirsten Kortebein. Kirsten is one of the vert.run co-founders, together with her partner Moises Jimenez and their friend Max Keith. We talk about what she thinks and how she feels about the journey with Vert, what are some of the challenges that she had to face in her working experience, we talk about work and life balance, setting priorities, growing the company, living with an endurance athlete, crewing experiences and much more. 

I’m sorry if the audio quality is not the best, but I hope you can forgive us and still find the conversation interesting and fun.

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Steve Krenn is a trail runner from New York and a Vert.run coach.

In this episode, Steve and I give some tips on how to find trails when you're in a new place, for example for a work trip or when you are on vacation, how to build routes, how to discover the most popular trails in a certain area, how to take advantage of some route builder apps and heatmaps, how to use your gps navigation features.

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Last week Leo and I ran the Lake Sonoma 50 and Lake Sonoma Marathon in California. We both had very good races, with Leo placing 7th overall in the marathon in 4:01:53, and I winning the LS50 with a new course record in 6:30:17. This is our race recap: we talk about our training leading up to the race, strategy, taper, nutrition, gear, approach, what we learned, what the experience meant and felt like for both of us. 

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Parker Farabee is a trail runner, physiotherapist, exercise physiologist and coach from Portland, Oregon.

In this episode we talk about strength training for trail runners. Why is strength training so important, why do we need strength as trail runners? Of course we're not bodybuilders, so how much strenght do we need?

What type of strength training do we need in order to get stronger, but not bulkier?

We will give some practical examples for the application of strength training in your normal training routine, how you should do it, how often and for how long.

Follow Parker on ⁠Instagram⁠

Check out his ⁠website

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Francesco's links: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Strava⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

I’m recording this interview live, from the vert run headquarters in boulder aka moi’s house, and my guest today is Seth Ruhling. Seth is a North Face sponsored athlete, a podcast host and a boulder boy fans favorite. He’s originally from Tennessee but he’s moved to Boulder to chase his dream to train and compete at the highest level in the sport of trail and ultrarunninng. 

In this episode, we chat about training and life in Boulder, what makes this community unique, what are some pros and cons of living here, we also talk about the professionalization of the sport, comparing the European and the us trail running scene, and the pressure that athletes often face to compete in longer distances, giving up an organic and probably healthier athletic development, something that is gradually changing and making the sport more competitive and interesting, with media fans and brands giving more attention to short races and sub ultra events.

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Francesco's links: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Strava⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Yngvild Kaspersen, Toni McCann and Dani Moreno are professional trail athletes for Adidas Terrex and respectively CCC 2023 winner, OCC 2023 winner and third place finisher at OCC 2022.

Yngvild, Toni and Dani are currently in Auburn for a short training camp on the Western States trails, so I thought it would be fun to catch up and see how they’re doing, how their training is going, how they support each other, who’s mostly in charge of cooking, who makes the best coffee, and much more. As endurance athletes, we don’t always get to share our training with other people, but when we do, that’s where the magic happens. 

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Francesco's links: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Strava⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Benjamin Roubiol is our 2023 trail running world champion. Benjamin comes from France (Savoie) won the world title in the long race in Innsbruck, on a 80km course with 6000m of elevation. We catch up with Benjamin to know how he’s doing and how he is structuring his training in this first part of the season, his goals in 2024, some curiosities about his still very young career and world championship race last year, his studies in environmental science and forest management.

Follow Benjamin on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/benjaminroubiol/

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Francesco's links: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Strava⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Steve Krenn is a trail runner from New York and a Vert.run coach.

Running at night can be a beautiful and rewarding experience, if you know how to do it. Some of the most famous ultra trail races often include running through the night. During the wintertime, when the days are short, we’re often running through the dark, before or after school or work. What are some of the best practices that can make your night running experience better and safer? What are some of the things you should pay attention to? From how to choose a headlamp, to navigation, to clothes and gear for the night, everything you need to know about the topic.

If you have any further questions, please feel free to reach out.

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Francesco's links: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Strava⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Carlos Ferrer Fernández is a trail runner from Paris and the managing director of the newsletter Mile and Stone. I invited Carlos on the podcast after following his newsletter for a while, and discovering a great project that I feel like is contributing to more knowledge, better information and more professionalization in the trail and ultra running space. In this episode, we chat about the genesis of this newsletter, why it’s particularly interesting and how it’s structured, we talk about some of the current and most popular topics of discussions of our sports, and some of its developments, from an economical and structural standpoint.

If you’re a passionate trail runner, if you want to find a job in the trail space, if you want ty stay updated with the most recent news related to our sport, I encourage you all to sign up to Mile and Stone:

https://mileandstone.com/en/

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Francesco's links: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Strava⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Kimi Schreiber is a professional trail runner, a journalist and a podcaster from Germany. She runs for Adidas Terrex.

In this episode, we chat about running, training and trail running media, but the main topic of our conversation is probably authenticity: the courage to be ourselves and show other people what we really are, not what we pretend to be.

In a world where success is so often tied to performance, where the comparison game of social media causes much more mental stress than we’d like to admit, where we’re constantly exposed to criticism and judgement, I found Kimi’s reflections particularly valuable and extremely relatable. This is really one of the episodes of running long that I’ve enjoyed the most.

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Francesco's links: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Strava⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Parker Farabee is a trail runner, physiotherapist, exercise physiologist and coach from Portland, Oregon.

In this episode we talk about base training and how to build an aerobic base.

What are the benefits of base training?

Why is it essential to increase our work capacity and improve fatigue resistance?

What happens to our bodies when we're training at an easy intensity?

Why is hard, intense training not a substitute for aerobic training?

These are just some of the questions we will answer in today’s episode.

⁠Follow Parker on ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠

Check out his ⁠⁠website⁠

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Francesco's links: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Strava⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Robbie Simpson is a professional trail and road runner from Scotland, sponsored by Adidas Terrex. Robbie is one of the best all around athletes in the world: he's run anything from 5k on the road to ultramarathons. He's been on the podium of Sierre-Zinal FIVE times, he's won a world mountain running championships bronze medal, and he's won a medal in the marathon at the Commonwealth Games. We talk about training, racing, combining roads and trails, turning pro, making a living from the sport, and much, much more.

Follow Robbie on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fatsimpson/

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Francesco's links: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Strava⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Max Keith is a trail runner from Chile and the co-founder of Vert. In this episode we talk about how to monitor your training: what data and metrics should we be paying attention to? Technology, with all kinds of data, has become so easy to access, but what is actually relevant and what should we really care about? What can we learn from the analysis of what we’ve done in the past? 

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Francesco's links: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Strava⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Henriette Albon is a professional runner for Arc'teryx living in Norway.

Henriette just set the women’s winter FKT of the Bob Graham Round, one of the most challenging and famous trail routes in the British Lake District, tagging 42 peaks and covering 106 miles with over 8000m of elevation.

In this episode we talk about the challenges of her adventure, how she planned it and executed it, we discuss racing and FKTs in trail running, quitting her 9-5 job to become a professional athlete, defining success and where she finds her sense of validation, training and living with an absolute star of the trail running world like John Albon. 

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Francesco's links: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠Strava⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠⁠

Parker Farabee is a trail runner, physiotherapist, exercise physiologist and coach from Portland, Oregon. In this episode we talk about how to deal with an injury and about cross training and rehab. We will point out and clarify some of the most important things you should do when you get injured, how you can and should maintain consistency in your training, how to cross train, how to establish a recovery protocol, how you should work with your coach and your physio to get healthier and manage the return to running.

Follow Parker on Instagram

Check out his website

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Francesco's links: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠Strava⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠⁠

Kristin Jensen is a trail runner from Denmark and a Vert.run explore athlete. Kristin is a passionate runner whose goal is, like many other athletes that we coach, to run longer, faster and stronger while having fun in the process. In this episode we talk about being a trail runner in Denmark, probably not the most typical place you would think when it comes to running on trails or in the mountains, about Kristin’s experience with training with Vert, developing community, navigating the ups and down of training and racing, goal setting and much more.

Follow Kristin's journey and his community on ⁠Instagram⁠

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Download our app and sign up to our training plans on ⁠vert.run⁠

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Francesco's links: ⁠Instagram⁠ | ⁠Twitter⁠ | ⁠Strava⁠ | ⁠Website⁠

Katie Schide is a professional trail runner for The North Face from the US, living in France.

Katie is one of the most well known and established trail runners in the world: she’s just been awarded the second place of the Trail Runner of the Year Award presented by Freetrail, and as well as the second place of the historic Ultra Runner of the Year Award by Ultrarunning Magazine.

She’s a 2021 UTMB winner, a 2023 Western States runner up, with a time that would have won every edition but last year, she also placed second at OCC and she won Diagonal de Fous in 2023, besides a long list of world class performances in the past years in her resume.

Katie currently lives in the Mercantour region of the French Alps with her partner, elite trail runner himself, Germain Grangier. She’s a geologist, and she loves spending long days moving through the mountains – whether that be running, skiing, biking, or a combination of all three.

In this episode we talk about Katie’s training and approach to racing, dealing with sponsors, media and brands, living in France and about the current state of the sport of trail running.

Follow Katie on Instagram and Strava

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Francesco's links: ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠Strava⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠

In this episode we talk about some common misconceptions in training for trail and ultras.

With the recent increase in participation in trail and ultrarunning and more and more people coming to trail running from the roads or other endurance sports, team sports, or from being sedentary, we felt a need to discuss some common myths and not always accurate ideas about training for trail and ultras, such as that training for trails and ultras will make you slow, that you have to live in the mountains in order to succeed at trail running, that you have to commit to either roads or trails.

If you have any further questions, topics or doubts that you would like us to discuss here on the podcast, please let us know and get in touch! You can send us a message on Instagram, or in question box on spotify where you can submit your questions.

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Francesco's links: ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠Strava⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠Website⁠⁠

Dan Curts is a professional trail runner for Brooks coming from New Hampshire, United States.

With PRs of 3:43 in the 1500m, sub 4 min in the mile and 13:38 in the 5000m, Dan is a really fast, really talented runner who’s main focus is on mountain running and the sub ultra distances. This year he won the US mountain running up and down champs and has competed at the world trail and mountain running championships in Innsbruck.

In this episode we talk about Dan’s training, how road and track fitness can translate into trail fitness, trail workouts vs track and road running workouts; we talk about the Northswood Athletic Team and training with a track star like Ben True, we talk about the trail scene in the East of the united states, where Dan is based with his girlfriend Lauren Gregory and teammate Eric Lipuma.

Follow Dan on Instagram

Follow Northswood Athletic Team

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Francesco's links: ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠Strava⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠Website⁠⁠

Our own Max Keith just ran The Speed Project Atacama, a 500km crossing of the Atacama Desert that is not just a race, it’s an adventure, a deep dive into the unknown, a shared experience with all the participants and crews, an introspective journey across one’s emotions and soul. 

The only rule of this event is that there are no rules, and that you need to cover the approximately 500km between start and finish, alone or in a team of six participants. The spirit of the race manifests in the desire to overcome one’s limits by covering distances that seem impossible, with the sole aim of succeeding.

Unfortunately, we can’t give you a link to sign up to this race, because there are no links, no website, no official organization.

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Francesco's links: ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠Strava⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠

James Huw is a trail runner, a science presenter, a geologist, astronomy and climate scientist from Wales, UK.

James’ mission is to communicate science, make science cool and accessible to people. With Kilian Jornet he founded the Athlete Climate Academy, a place to give outdoor athletes the background they need to discuss climate change and environmental issues with confidence.

In this episode we talk about the language of science and how science should be a leading force of our society. We discuss the needs of individual and collective action when it comes to climate change, the impact of trail running and the outdoor industry on the environment, advocating for systemic change, and some actions that we can easily implement as individuals to have a greater positive impact on climate change.

Follow James on Instagram

Check out Athlete Climate Academy

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Francesco's links: ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠Strava⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠Website⁠⁠

Emkay Sullivan is a professional trail runner for Craft from Reno, Nevada, United States.

After a long and challenging year full of success but also some setbacks, Emkay decided to put off her final goal of 2023 and not run CIM, California International Marathon. 

In this episode talk about the challenge of training, the difficulty of redefining goals and adjusting a plan, how toughness sometimes can be just admitting to ourselves how tired we are sometimes, and how we get to decide whether we can use failure or joy and positive emotions to fuel our motivation to run.

We also talk about Emkay’s experience as a coach, why she still finds it very beneficial to have a coach for herself, how she monitors her training and her athletes’ training, some things that she learned through her coaching experience.

Besides being a pro athlete, Emkay is also the co-host of the sub hub podcast, which is part of the freetrail network and has been a great voice in the trail space to further develop the sub ultra and mountain running interest.

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Francesco's links: ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠Strava⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠Website⁠⁠

Malen Osa is a professional trail runner for Salomon living in Spain, in the Basque Country.

Malen is only 20 years old and has had a breakthrough season in 2023, placing fourth overall in the final ranking Golden Trail World Series, and top 5 at Dolomyths Run, Pikes Peak Ascent and Mammoth Trail Fest. She’s definitely one of the most interesting young talents in the sport, someone to keep an eye on over the next few years.

In this episode, we chat about her sports background and education, growing up in the basque country, dealing with great success and some setbacks, training, cross training and her passion for endurance sports.

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Francesco's links: ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠Strava⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠Website⁠⁠

Emily Hawgood is a professional trail and ultra runner from Zimbabwe sponsored by Adidas Terrex. Emily is one of the most wonderful and cheerful people I know, not just in the sport of running, and she’s one of the strongest trail athletes in the world, especially in the 100k-100m distance. She’s also a running coach, a strength coach, she studied Exercise Science at the College of Idaho and she has a master’s degree in High Altitude Exercise Physiology from the University of Gunnison in Colorado. 

In this conversation we talk about Emily and her very successful year, where she placed 5th at Western States and second at UTMB CCC, about how she’s treating herself during her off-season, how she handles the pressure of training and racing at a high level and a bunch of other topics. My favorite part of the conversation was when we dived deep into training, talking about our relationship with training data, with our respective coaches, some thoughts on strength training, strength training periodization and altitude training. 

Follow Emily on instagram!

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Francesco's links: ⁠Instagram⁠ | ⁠Twitter⁠ | ⁠Strava⁠ | ⁠Website⁠

Mike McMonagle is trail runner and photographer from Salt Lake City, United States. I met Mike, better known to the public with his instagram handle @shitinthewoods, last year at the world championship in Thailand, and I was inspired by his vibrant pictures showing the athletes in the peak of their efforts. I started following him and I discovered not only a great photographer, but also a great person for the sport, determined to make an impact in the sport of running by showcasing the elite athletes, giving more opportunities to women athletes, supporting independent races and the community that makes trail running special. 

Besides running a lot with his camera, Mike won Grindstone 100m in Virginia and he will at the start of UTMB next year, with his wife and professional trail runner Leah Yingling.

In this episode we touch many topics about the current state of the sport of trail running, from the storytelling and how the media influence it, to photography, to inclusivity, equality and perception of the elite athletes by the public and fans.

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Francesco's links: ⁠Instagram⁠ | ⁠Twitter⁠ | ⁠Strava⁠ | ⁠Website⁠

Francesco Puppi⁠ is a pro athlete for Nike and your Running Long podcast host.

Today I'm joined by Max and Moi, founder and co-founder of Vert.run, to talk about my 2023 season, including my first experience in a long ultra at Templiers (80km +3500m), where I placed second behind Jonathan Albon. We’re going to dive deep into how the race went, how I felt, what was my nutrition strategy, how I made the decision to do this race, what the training leading up to it was like. My 2023 season was not short of several ups and downs, but I’m incredibly happy and grateful for everything I got to experience.

Please rate and review our podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcast!

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Francesco's links: ⁠Instagram⁠ | ⁠Twitter⁠ | ⁠Strava⁠ | ⁠Website⁠

Laurein Klein is a trail and ultra runner with an undergraduate degree in athletic training, a master degree in exercise science and experience in the sports medicine field.

In this episode we talk about how biomechanics influences running economy and how we can improve our running economy through training to become better and more efficient runners.

As trail runners we are constantly striving to be better, run further, add more elevation gain, and cover more technical terrain. Besides our training and the workouts we're doing, it is also important to pay attention to how our body is moving while we run.
Any changes that allow us to use less energy while running allow us to improve our pace without increasing the amount of stress placed on our body.

Follow Lauren on Instagram

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Francesco's links: Instagram | Twitter | Strava | Website

Gloria Giudici - for me and for some of my friends Rita - is an amateur runner, Sportsshoes ambassador and full time worker who happens to be my girlfriend.

Rita - which is Gloria’s middle name, for those of you who are wondering about where it comes from, is one of the hardest working people I know and for sure a great source of strength and inspiration for me. She’s also a great runner and an accomplished athlete, with a long story in endurance sports. She started as a cyclist, until she transitioned to running when she was in her 20s, and later on to trail and mountain running. She’s competed in 4 world mountain and trail running championships, she’s placed 9th in a European championship, she’s won national titles, she’s placed top 30 in the new york city marathon and many more accomplishments.

We’re here to talk to Rita about two topics: how she balances having a full time job and being a high level athlete, and how she managed to deal with a big injury which kept her away from running for over 6 months. We’re going to give some advice and tips on how it’s possible to train at a high level while working 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, and what’s been particularly helpful for her when treating her hamstring injury and how she handled the return to running, with the aim to point out what’s useful and what’s not, so that as many athletes as possible can apply these principles and ideas to their own situations, regardless of their level or how fast or slow they can run.

Follow Gloria on Instagram @glo_87

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Here at Vert, we run to have fun, feel good and learn something about ourselves in the process.

How can we build self confidence through trail running? How can we be ok with the fact that we all want to grow and progress, but we may still experience failures and setbacks? How can we feel empowered through trail running?

Today's guest is Steve Krenn, a Vert.run coach and trail runner from New York City

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Francesco's links: Instagram | Twitter | Strava | Website

Ida Nilsson is a professional trail runner for Craft, she's from Sweden but she currently lives in Norway.

Ida has been in the sport for a very very long time and she’s explored pretty much everything that there is to explore within the sport of running, from the track to cross country, from the roads to the trails. Together with Mimmi Kotka and Emelie Forsberg, she's the co-founder of Moonvalley, a plant based nutrition company for outdoor people.

I’m interviewing Ida during her off-season, after a long and successful 2023 where she was 5th at Black Canyon 100k, 1st at Canyons 100k, 7th at Western States and 1st at Ultravasan 90km. Together, we go through her long and successful career, retracing the main stages of her athletic development, her choices and her approach to the sport.

Follow Ida on Instagram

Discover Moonvalley

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Francesco's links: Instagram | Twitter | Strava | Website

The Golden Trail World Series athletes and crew landed in the United States for the two final stages of the circuit and another adventure in the West of the United States.

We raced at the Pikes Peak Ascent in Manitou Springs (CO) where Remi Bonnet set a new course record, beating the legendary mark by Matt Carpenter that was set 30 years ago, and at the new Mammoth Trail Fest 26k in Mammoth Lakes (CA), organized by Tim Tollefson.

Besides the races, it was great to share some days together with other amazing athletes and interesting people, in some of the most beautiful places we've ever been to. This episode is an inside story told by the athletes on their experience at Pikes Peak and Mammoth, extending their reflections to their 2023 season.

I hope you enjoy it, and thanks to everyone who has contributed to record this episode!

Give all the athletes a follow on Instagram 😉 it's a great way to support them!

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Francesco's links: Instagram | Twitter | Strava | Website

Abby Hall is a professional trail runner from Flagstaff, USA, sponsored by Adidas Terrex.

I wanted to have Abby on the podcast in a very particular situation, which is not an easy moment for her. It's definitely a moment of struggle or at least not what people generally associate with the life of a professional athlete. Abby had a big injury earlier this year, she broke her leg while training a few months ago, and she also experienced some complications before having surgery and during her recovery. I think there's a lot of value in sharing our struggles and painful experiences, not just the victories and the positive moments, and this conversation was very very important to me and made me think a lot, so I want to thank Abby for opening up and being so transparent about her own experience through this difficult time. 

Please rate, review and share our show on social media: it will help other trail runners discover this podcast!

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Francesco's links: Instagram | Twitter | Strava | Website

Miguel Quinta is a vert.run explore athlete from Portugal living in Spain.

Miguel started training with Vert in 2023 with the goal to finish CCC, a 100km race with 6000m around Mont Blanc. In this episode we talk about Miguel’s race, how it went and how he handled the difficulties that he faced; about his preparation (using a specific training plan for CCC designed by Petter Engdahl), the challenges of training while having a full time job and a family, and also his why: from why he runs, to why CCC was a special experience for him.

As you know, in this podcast we try to talk about trail running at 360°, giving voice to all the people who are part of its amazing community: from the pro athlete, to the coaches, to the middle of the pack runners. Miguel is certainly one of them, and it was very inspiring and very relatable to hear from him, which is why I’m sure you’ll enjoy this episode very much.

Please rate, review and share our show on social media: it will help other trail runners discover this podcast!

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Francesco's links: Instagram | Twitter | Strava | Website

Toni McCann is a professional trail runner from South Africa sponsored by Adidas Terrex

She's the 2023 OCC women champion, with an incredible race and performance - she ran 53km with 3100m of elevation in 5h18 min. In this episode we talk about her preparation, which was not short of challenges and setbacks, her race, her strategy and in general about her 2023 trail season.

We always find it very inspiring to hear from the champions of our sport, and we think that Toni is a pretty special person who will go very far in her athletic journey. Find out why!

Please rate, review and share our show on social media: it will help other trail runners discover this podcast!

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Francesco's links: ⁠Instagram⁠ | ⁠Twitter⁠ | ⁠Strava⁠ | ⁠Website⁠

If you're struggling around routines or to get back to your normal life after the summer and hopefully some time off for vacation, training or racing, then this episode is for you!

Olya Amelina is a health and performance coach helping people create daily routines around food, sleep, training and rest to enhance performance and achieve their goals in business, sport and daily life.

In this episode we talk about the power of routines and how they can help athletes maximise their performance and better handle their training. We get into details of how routines can affect nutrition, sleep, training, recovery and mindset; role of consistency; the routines vs motivation debate; how can routines help us balance work, life and training.

Follow Amelina Health on Instagram and Linkedin

Please rate, review and share our show on social media: it will help other trail runners discover this podcast!

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Francesco's links: ⁠Instagram⁠ | ⁠Twitter⁠ | ⁠Strava⁠ | ⁠Website⁠

After the summer season and especially after this week's UTMB, we figured it's important to relisten to this conversation with Coach Daniel Rowland on recovery and managing the time after a race.

It’s a very delicate period, both physically and mentally: we need to make sure that we've recovered well after a race and many months hard training, and we need to start laying the foundation of what is next.

In this conversation we talk about how the cardiovascular, muscular and hormonal systems recover at different times after a race, how we can maintain fitness, how long we should recover within the context of a racing season and with an eye to our long term athletic development.

Daniel Rowland is a trail and ultramarathon runner, a Vert.run coach and an expert in endurance science. Follow him on Twitter @dwrowland !

Enjoy!

Please rate, review and share our show: it will help other trail runners discover this podcast!

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This episode focuses on the nutrition during a race or a long run: you will learn how to fuel during an endurance effort, what it makes sense to eat and what doesn’t, some strategies that will help you always stay on top of your nutrition and get the all energy that you need.

Wilfredo Benitez is a trail runner and nutritionist based in Portland, Oregon, and founder of On Pace Wellness, a company with the goal to help endurance athletes optimize their nutrition for training, racing and having a healthier lifestyle.

Please rate, review and share our show on social media: it will help other trail runners discover this podcast!

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Francesco's links: ⁠Instagram⁠ | ⁠Twitter⁠ | ⁠Strava⁠ | ⁠Website⁠

This episode focuses on nutrition before a race or a long run: you will learn how to fuel before an endurance effort, what it makes sense to eat and what doesn’t, some strategies that will help you get all the energy that you need, in order to achieve your goal.

⁠Wilfredo Benitez⁠ is a trail runner and nutritionist based in Portland, Oregon, and founder of ⁠On Pace Wellness⁠, a company with the goal to help endurance athletes optimize their nutrition for training, racing and having a healthier lifestyle.

Please rate, review and share our show on social media: it will help other trail runners discover this podcast!

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Francesco's links: Instagram | Twitter | Strava | Website

On Pace Wellness is a company based in Portland, Oregon, which helps endurance athletes to optimize their nutrition for health, wellness and performance.

We chat with Wilfredo Benitez, head nutritionist at On Pace Wellness, USATF certified coach and trail runner, about the importance of a balanced nutrition for athletes.

How and what we eat have the potential to help make our goals a reality or to impede our training and performance, while potentially reducing our health at the same time. Nutrition plays a major role in the body's performance, including its health. It's important to understand some basics behind nutrition and help the body perform the best it can, whether that be athletically or just functionally.

We hope you can find some valuable information and tips for a more aware relationship with food and exercise.

Please rate, review and share our show on social media: it will help other trail runners discover this podcast!

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Francesco's links: Instagram | Twitter | Strava | Website

What are training zones? Why is it so important to run at the correct intensity?

With Eoin today we talk about training with heart rate zones, why running at the correct intensity is key and how to use heart rate zones in your daily training.

Eoin Everard is an Irish athlete, physiotherapist and pilates instructor with a PHD in biomechanics. Eoin has a background as an international runner with sub 4 minute mile and sub 14 minute 5K PRs, and he’s been very successful as a master athlete thanks to his approach to training and his methodology that has allowed him to stay away from injuries and maximize his training benefits.

Discover more on ⁠everardpilates.com⁠

Download his free book and audiobook "Get to the line in the best shape possible" ⁠here⁠

Please rate, review and share our show on social media: it will help other trail runners discover this podcast!

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Francesco's links: ⁠Instagram⁠ | ⁠Twitter⁠ | ⁠Strava⁠ | ⁠Website⁠

How has the shoe technology evolved during the past decade?

How do we choose a trail shoe, what should we pay attention to?

What are the most important features, depending on their use and purpose?

As trail runners, our most important piece of gear is a pair of running shoes, and there are now well over 200 trail running shoes on the market. That means there are shoes for every foot, every trail, and every terrain.

A chat to shed light and give some ideas on how to choose a trail shoe, with Max Keith, Vert.run co-founder, athlete and coach

Please rate, review and share our show on social media: it will help other trail runners discover this podcast!

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Francesco's links: Instagram | Twitter | Strava | Website

Meikael Beaudoin Rousseauand Anna Gibson are two young American athletes and members of The Trail Team. The mission of The Trail Team is to independently support and develop rising athletes into the best professional trail runners in the world through mentorship, skill development, and media exposure. 

With Meikael and Anna we will talk about their running background, how they got into trail running, what makes them excited about the sport, ideas to help the transition from college athletes to professional trail athletes, about how they currently see the state of the sport and about The Trail Team project.

If you want to support them and the trail team, please give them a follow on social media and consider making a donation here.

Please rate, review and share our show on social media: it will help other trail runners discover this podcast!

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Francesco's links: Instagram | Twitter | Strava | Website

Rosie Mitchell is a 63 year old lady from Zimbabwe currently living in Cape Town (South Africa).

Rosie is an ultra runner, graphic designer, Vert.run athlete and so much more. Rosie is one of our most loyal and dedicated athletes, she’s had an incredible and super inspiring personal story which you will discover in today’s conversation, and she’s currently training for a 100m race in the US.

In this episode, we will talk about her experience at the 2023 Comrades Marathon, the largest and oldest ultramarathon in the world, about what it means to be tough and how her concept of toughness has changed through running, about her incredible story of how she started running, how she got into ultra running and how she survived a terrible accident thanks to the fact that she’s an athlete.

Please rate, review and share our show on social media: it will help other trail runners discover this podcast!

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Francesco's links: Instagram | Twitter | Strava | Website

Masters' running is usually framed as a process of decline and we rarely talk about understanding and optimizing masters runners’ potential in the same way that we do with younger runners.

This episode wants to bring a constructive approach to the topic, giving some tips and ideas to better manage our training as we get older.

Our guest is Eoin Everard, an Irish athlete, physiotherapist and pilates instructor with a PHD in biomechanics. Eoin has a background as an international runner with sub 4 minute mile and sub 14 minute 5K PRs, and he’s been very successful as a master athlete thanks to his approach to training and his methodology that has allowed him to stay away from injuries and maximize his training benefits.

Discover more on everardpilates.com

Download his free book and audiobook "Get to the line in the best shape possible" here

Please rate, review and share our show on social media: it will help other trail runners discover this podcast!

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Francesco's links: Instagram | Twitter | Strava | Website

Stian Angermund is a professional trail runner for Asics living in Norway, and the 2023 (and 2022) short trail world champion.

Stian is one of the most humble, well known and respected athletes in the trail running world, and he managed to repeat himself in the last edition of the trail world championship in Innsbruck, after his gold medal in Thailand of last year.

In this episode, we chat about his approach to the race in Austria and his preparation leading up to it, about the world championship as an event, about his consistency at such a high level, about his professional running career and how it’s changed over the years, now that he’s also a husband, a dad and a 36 year old man with a lot of experience.

Please rate, review and share our show on social media: it will help other trail runners discover this podcast!

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Francesco's links: Instagram | Twitter | Strava | Website

Kris Jones is a professional runner for Hoka coming from Wales.

Kris placed 8th at the 2023 world trail and mountain running championships Innsbruck 2023 in the short trail distance, and thanks to his result he helped the GB team take home the gold medal with his teammates Thomas Roach and Jonathan Albon.

One reason why I decided to invide Kris to the podcast was because he’s always been very open about his training and he recently posted a very good article on Substack about his preparation for the world championship race. He also shared some very interesting reflection on how he managed the race - which was a 45km and 3400m of elevation, which is approximately or 28 miles and 11 thousand feet of vert. Kris has an orienteering background and he’s also a really good road and track runner, with PRs of 13:45 in the 5000m, 28.23 in the 10000m, 63’ in the half marathon and 2:17 in the marathon.

Resources:

World Trail Champs - The race

World Trail Champs - Preparation

Kris Substack

Kris Instagram

Please rate, review and share our show on social media: it will help other trail runners discover this podcast!

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Marco Altini is a data scientist, computer science engineer, high performance coach and founder of HRV4TRAINING.

In this episode we talk about heart rate variability or HRV. Measuring HRV is an effective way to capture our body’s response to stress and how it's responding and adapting ​to training and lifestyle stressors.

In this episode, we learn what heart rate variability is, how to measure it, how to interpret the data, how to use them to make conscious decisions related to our training and lifestyle. Most importantly, we approach the topic of training embracing its complexity, without giving easy answers, but trying to understand the context and reason behind some choices and patterns that we observe, and how technology can be a great tool to increase our knowledge and awareness.

Follow Marco on Instagram and Twitter

Follow HRV4training

Sign up to his newsletter

Learn more about Heart Rate Variability

Discount code:

HRV4TRAINING⁠ - get 25% off the pro version of the app with the code ANYSURFACE25

Please rate, review and share our show on social media: it will help other trail runners discover this podcast!

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Francesco's links: Instagram | Twitter | Strava | Website

Steve Krenn is a trail and ultra runner from New York City and a Vert.run coach.

In this episode we will try to answer the question "can I train for a mountain or trail race even though I live in a flat place? Even with limited access to the trails, you can still call yourself a trail runner and develop the specific adaptations required by running on trails.

With some adaptations and creativity, and maybe a little shift in your mindset, you can still train for trail running even if the closest thing to a trail is your local city park. The key point is to understand that running is not always enough. Core and strength training, cross training, stairs, jumps, the treadmill and the gym should be your friends.

Sure, living and training where big climbs abound would be ideal. But thanks to this episode you can discover more on how to become a successful trail runner even without the hills.

Follow Steve on Instagram

Please rate, review and share our show on social media: it will help other trail runners discover this podcast!

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Francesco's links: Instagram | Twitter | Strava | Website

Adam Peterman makes his second appearance on this podcast after his incredible 2022, when he became the Western States Champion and the Trail Running World Champion in the long distance event, in Thailand.

In this episode, we discussed how Adam’s life has changed after his incredible 2022, how he balances being a pro athlete with his other occupations, dealing with expectations and outside pressure, working with an agent, and we go into details of his training, how he picks his races, and his 2022 training data.

We recently learned that adam suffered from a sacral stress fracture during his build-up for western states and unfortunately he will have to review his plan for the summer. We wish him the best and quickest recovery, and we are certain that this experience will contribute to make him an even better athlete. All the best Adam!

Please rate, review and share our show on social media: it will help other trail runners discover this podcast!

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Craig Thornley is the race director of Western States.

Western States is the oldest 100 mile race in America and one of the ultimate endurance challenges in the world, and Craig has been race director of the race since 2013. In this episode we talk about the history of the race, how he got involved, his work as a race director, and how he and the WS board are trying to evolve and at the same time preserve the spirit and special atmosphere of this competition, in the context of the fast changing and growing landscape of trail and ultra running.

We also talk about the history of the event in relation to the birth of ultra running, its spirit and culture and why it’s important to take care of it. If you deeply care about the sport, this episode is for you.

Follow Craig on Instagram and Twitter

Read his blog

Learn more about Western States

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Francesco's links: Instagram | Twitter | Strava | Website

Leo Pershall is a Vert.run athlete and ambassador from California.

Leo has an incredible story in endurance sports, and he went from being an ultra cyclist, to sailing around the world during the pandemic, to becoming a smoker and quitting any kind of physical activity, to finding the love for running again. This year, Leo was signed up to Black Canyon 100k and he felt very well prepared, but he ended up dropping out for injury and questioning his value as an athlete and his life choices. He took a few weeks to reset and get healthy again, and he managed to bounce back with a very strong finish at Lake Sonoma 50 miler.

This is an inspiring story of setbacks and success, and a great example that progress is almost never linear. We are grateful to Leo for being so open about his struggles and what he went through, physically and mentally, over the past few months.

Please rate, review and share our show on social media: it will help other trail runners discover this podcast!

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Francesco's links: Instagram | Twitter | Strava | Website

Rachel Drake is a professional trail runner sponsored by Nike from Portland, Oregon.

In this episode we talk about Rachel’s experience with postpartum return to running, how she’s dealing with a bone injury that she picked up during her post pregnancy, the challenges of being a mom and training as a professional athlete. This is a great episode if you want to learn more about pregnancy and running, what’s important to pay attention to, what could be done to help more mothers stay healthy and enjoy running while breastfeeding and raising a child. 

Read Rachel's post on Spring Energy blog: My Journey with Postpartum Return to Running

Please rate, review and share our show on social media: it will help other trail runners discover this podcast!

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Francesco's links: Instagram | Twitter | Strava | Website

In this episode of Coach Lab we talk about cross training and how to incorporate it into your preparation.

As runners, we tend to focus very much on running and neglect what is a fundamental part of training.  Max and Francesco discuss the different types of cross training, their benefits and purposes, when you should you include cross training into your training periodization, and some ideas to have fun and make the most out of it.

Max Keith is a trail and ultra runner from Santiago, Chile, Vert.run's co-founder and coach.

Enjoy!

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Francesco's links: Instagram | Twitter | Strava | Website

This is the story of how Vert.run came to life and what it has become today, from the voices of its founders: Moisés Jimenez, Max Keith and Kirsten Kortebein.

Vert is a project born out of friendship, passion and love for the trails. From South America to the world, from an excel spreadsheet to hundreds of training plan and a smart training app, from a handful of people to thousands of beginners and experienced athletes, Vert has come a long way. Our most recent milestones have been the partnerships with the UTMB World Series and Skyrunning World Series.

We’re dreaming big and working hard to live up to our mission, to make trail running accessible to everybody everywhere, inspiring people and giving them knowledge and guidance to have the best possible experience out on the trails.

Get inspired, ask questions and explore the world. Better on a trail!

Please rate, review and share our show: it will help more trail runners discover this podcast!

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Francesco's links: Instagram | Twitter | Strava | Website

Ruth Croft is a Kiwi pro trail runner sponsored by Adidas Terrex.

We’re very happy to announce another Vert.run training plan by Ruth: a specific 16 week program for OCC, a race that she has won twice, in 2018 and 2019 . Sign up today on our website or in the Vert.run app! 

Ruth is coming from a great 2022 where she won Western states and placed second at Festival des Templiers. This was a very fun conversation and Ruth always has a lot of interesting things to share. Personally, I like her approach to running on any surface and any distance, which has made her the world class athlete that she is.

Get inspired!

Follow Ruth on Instagram: @ruthcrofty

Sign up to her training plans on vert.run

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Support us by subscribing to our podcast, sharing it on social media or writing a review!

Francesco's links: ⁠Instagram⁠ | ⁠Twitter⁠ | ⁠Strava⁠ | ⁠Website⁠

Petter Engdahl is a Swedish trail runner for Adidas Terrex and the 2022 CCC champion. We’re very happy to announce our official partnership with Petter, who designed a specific training program for CCC. Sign up today on our website or in the Vert.run app! 

Petter was the first athlete to ever go under the 10h mark for the 100km, +6150m race from Courmayur to Chamonix around Mont Blanc.

In this episode we talk about Petter's preparation, fears and expectations before the race; his strategy, nutrition, gear and much more during the race. In doing so, Petter shares a lot of good information and tips on how to perfectly execute a 100km trail race!

We also discuss about Petter's athletic career in skiing and trail running, his studies in industrial design at the Trondheim university, and what it means for him to be part of the Adidas Terrex team.

Get inspired!

Follow Petter on Instagram @petter_engdahl

Check out his website petterendgahl.com

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Francesco's links: Instagram | Twitter | Strava | Website

In this episode of Coach Lab we talk about recovery and managing the time after a race.

It’s a very delicate period, both physically and mentally: to make sure you recover well after completing a preparation and to lay the foundation of what is next. We talk about how the cardiovascular, muscular and hormonal systems recover, how we can maintain fitness, how long we should recover in the context of a racing season and with an eye to our long term athletic development.

Daniel Rowland is a trail and ultramarathon runner, a Vert.run coach and an expert in endurance science. Follow him on Twitter @dwrowland !

Enjoy!

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Francesco's links: Instagram | Twitter | Strava | Website

Parker Farabee is a physical therapist from Portland, Oregon, specialized in neurologic rehabilitation and treatment.

In this episode we talk about running related injuries, the most common causes, how to deal with them and how to prevent them. We also talk about the importance of strength training both for injury prevention and for performance. What I liked about this episode is its holistic approach, where running is not just a mere physical activity but a fundamental component of our health and wellbeing. 

Follow Parker on Instagram @pahks for videos and tips on injury prevention, exercises and drills

Schedule an appointment at Neuro Base Camp !

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First run in 1905, The Dipsea Race is the oldest trail race in America.

It is run every year on the second Sunday in June. The scenic 7.4 mile course from Mill Valley to Stinson Beach in Marin County, CA, is considered to be one of the most beautiful courses in the world. The stairs and steep trails make it a grueling and treacherous race. And its unique handicapping system has made winners of men and women of all ages.

Without races like Dipsea, the sport of trail running may be different from how we know it today, and we feel like it's super important to preserve these historic event for the present and future of our sport.

Alex Varner - the Dipsea legend - has run it every year, except one, since 2003. In this interview with Kirsten Kortebein (the host of our podcast for one day!) he walks us through the Dipsea course, experience and vibe. 

Sign up to the Dipsea Race training plan by Alex Varner!

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Thomas Janichon is a 28 year old trail runner from France and, with Simon Gossellin, he's the co-founder of Team Sidas Matryx. 

Thomas is developing an elite professional team with an approach that is quite unusual in the sport of trail running, usually based on shoe companies sponsoring athletes. His project is actually more similar to the approach of a cycling team: Team Sidas matryx is an independent reality that operates thanks to the support of different partners, building an ecosystem around the athletes and answering their needs at 360°. 

It was founded in 2019 and it’s kept growing and expanding over the years, being now one of the most established and competitive trail running teams in the world, especially in the shorter distances. The main aspect of this project is that it’s focused on the athletes, meaning that they are at the center of the attention, and everything is built around them in order to perform and grow as professionals and people.

Follow @team.sidas_matryx on Instagram!

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Gina Lucrezi is a trail runner from Colorado, a women's right advocate and the founder of Trail Sisters, an American based organization with the mission to increase women’s participation and opportunities in trail running through inspiration, education and empowerment.

In this episode we talk about how Gina started this project, how it’s grown over the years, and what impact Trail Sisters has had on the sport of trail and ultra running. We will also talk about women’s participation in trail running, the culture of the still predominantly white and male outdoor sport community, the initiatives to encourage women’s participation in trail running and how some big race organizations are taking care of these issues. 

This is a great conversation about how the general culture and society affects the way people see and approach trail running and viceversa, how trail running can have a positive influence on our society.

Please rate, review and share our show: it will help more trail runners discover this podcast!

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We've set our goals for the season and the strategy - or training plan - in order to achieve them. It's now time to train!

How can we better handle and execute our training plan? How can se make informed decisions on whether we should take a rest day or not, whether we're running too much or too hard, what should we do if life gets in the way and we need to skip one or two sessions? What should we prioritize and what are the things that matter the most when we are out there trying to achieve a training session?

How do we know when and if we should change plans and deviate from the program?

We like to look at training in a holistic way, and there's always a certain level of independence when it comes to managing your training. Communication with your coach is key, and so are many other areas of your life that are not directly related to training, but have an impact on it: nutrition, sleep, recovery, work and family life.

These are the main topics of discussion of this episode in collaboration with Daniel Rowland, a Vert.run coach and an accomplished endurance athlete.

Enjoy!

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Anthony Felber is a French pro trail athlete running for Team Sidas Matryx. 

Anthony is very young but he’s already established himself as one of the best trail runners in the world, especially in the short distances. In 2022, he took 9th place overall in the Golden Trail World Series, he placed 7th at Pikes Peak Ascent and 5th at Flagstaff Skypeaks, he won Eiger Ultra Trail 50k and he ran 2:37 at Sierre-Zinal. 

In this episode will learn more from him and about team Sidas Matryx, a very interesting French reality that develops young talents in trail and mountain running. We will talk about the Golden Trail World Series, how Anthony has gradually improved over the years, how he combines skimo and running over the winter, his relationship with his coach, his studies in architecture, his passion for cooking and much more.

Please rate, review and share our show: it will help other trail runners discover this podcast!

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Francesco's links: Instagram | Twitter | Strava | Website

Kaytlyn Gerbin is a professional trail runner sponsored by North Face living in Washington, United States.

Kaytlyn has established herself as one of the best endurance athletes in the world: she’s been on the podium of two of the most iconic and competitive ultra trail races in the world - Western States in 2017 and UTMB in 2022 - and she’s a true lover of the sport, of the mountains and the wild spaces of the Pacific North West.

After the pandemic, Kaytlyn decided to take a break from her job as a scientist to fully focus on running professionally, and now she’s not only active as a pro athlete but she also has a strong voice inside the trail running community.  She’s part of the board of the Pro Trail Runners Association - a non profit association with the mission to help the athletes share their opinions and needs, and be an active part in shaping the future of our sport.

In this episode, we talk about her growth as an athlete, her decision to leave her job as a scientist, the differences that we see between trail running in the US and in Europe, her involvement in the pro trail runners association, its idea and mission and how she’s contributing to the project.

Please rate, review and share our show: it will help other trail runners discover this podcast!

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Thomas Krejci is the founder of Run2gether, an Austrian road and trail running team supported by On Running. 

The motto "Run2gether" does not only refer to just running training together. The team is made up by European and Kenyan runners who want to learn from each other, support each other, achieve goals together and benefit from each other on different levels. Run2gether is more than just a running team, it is also active with many educational and humanitarian projects in different villages in Kenya and it organizes training camps in Austria and Kenya.

Two of the strongest mountain runners in the world are part of this team: the Mountain Running World Cup 2022 winners Joyce Njeru and the world uphill champion Patrick Kipngeno. Some athletes, like Geoffrey Ndungu (a 2:08 marathoner) are also competing in the Golden Trail World Series.

Run2gether is a reality not just within the sport of trail running, and is a great example of how through sport we can have a much broader impact on our society.

Discover more about the team.

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How do we go from setting our goals for the season to actually setting up a plan or a strategy in order to achieve them?

This is the main topic of this episode with coach Daniel Rowland, a trail and ultramarathon runner and Vert.run coach, one of the most interesting Twitter profiles I follow and a great expert in endurance science. 

We will talk about the concept of microcycle vs macrocycle, what should be included and how long it should be; how to set up your microcycle, the key elements, matching the focus of the macrocycle and the choice and order of the sessions; how to monitor your training load and the key metrics for it. Finally, we will give a few practical examples to better understand how your typical microcycle (which often coincides with your training week) could look like.

Enjoy!

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Jim Walmsley is a professional trail runner from the United States running for Hoka. 

He's one of the absolute GOATS of the sport, an athlete that should need no introduction. I’m lucky enough to be able to call Jim a friend, and I’ve shared with him some of the best racing moments of my career.

In his personal quest to win UTMB, and most importantly chasing the best version of himself in the process, Jim has moved to Beaufort, a small village in the french alps where he’s currently training and living. I’ve reached out to him to see how he’s doing, how his training has changed over the past few years, how some decisions and defining moments have changed the course of his career, what are some of the goals and objectives he wishes to achieve in 2023 and in future years.

Check out the YouTube series Walmsley by Wahoo

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Greg Vollet is the creator and director of the Golden Trail World Series, a circuit that exists to celebrate and grow the sport of trail running to the highest level. Zegama, Sierre-Zinal, Mont Blanc Marathon and Pikes Peak are just some of the most iconic events that are part of this global series, races that any trail runner from all over the world dreams of running at least once in his lifetime. 

Thanks to the Golden Trail Series, the sport of trail running has grown and become more professional, allowing many athletes to make a living from it, broadcasting the races, inspiring and celebrating the fans. 

In this episode, we talk about how the concept of this series was born, what opportunities the athletes have to get involved, what's behind the races and the live coverage, how the 2022 series went and some anticipations for 2023. 

Check out the new TV Series CHASING DREAMS

Follow the Golden Trail Series on Instagram

Get in touch https://www.goldentrailseries.com/contact.htm

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This is the second part of "How to plan your trail running season" with Daniel Rowland, a trail and ultramarathon runner and Vert.run coach, one of the most interesting Twitter profiles I follow and a great expert in endurance science.

After talking about how to choose your goal races or objectives, understanding your starting point and what are the key factors in planning the season, this episode will cover:

1) training phases and elements in the preparation

2) accounting for the specificity of your goals

3) philosophy and approach to training

Enjoy!

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It's easy to get excited about races and goals, but how much can we really handle until it's not sustainable anymore? How many races is it realistic to plan? What is a good way to plan the season in order to perform well, recover enough and have fun? Should every athlete have an off season? What should our periodization look like? 

Just a few of the questions that we will discuss with Daniel Rowland, a trail and ultramarathon runner and Vert.run coach, one of the most interesting Twitter profiles I follow and a great expert in endurance science. In the first part of this conversation, we will cover in particular:

1) choosing goal races or objectives

2) what is your starting point right now?

3) key factors in planning the season

Enjoy!

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2022 was a memorable year for many reasons. We wanted to close it with an in-depth review of what happened inside the sport of trail and ultra running over the past 12 months.

Some topics that we covered:

Enjoy!

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Naak stands for Nutrition for Adventurous Athletes who run Kilometers, and is a Canadian based nutrition company with one main mission: build the most efficient and sustainable fuel for endurance sports, helping athletes sustain their races and adventures with a long lasting, high quality energy source. 

We sat down with William Walcker, Naak's co-founder, to talk about how the company started, what products they make and how, their values, centered on creating a positive environmental and social impact. We touched the concept of sustainability and we discussed about their relationship and the value that they find in working with some of the best trail athletes in the world. We also covered some basics regarding nutrition in endurance sports, in everyday life and during training and racing.

Discover more about Naak and shop on their website: naak.com (OMG their protein nut butter!!)

Please rate our show on Spotify and Apple Podcast, and feel free to share this episode on social media or with your friends if you enjoyed it!

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Francesco Puppi is a pro athlete for Nike, a Vert.run coach and your Running Long podcast host.

In this episode I'm joined by Max Keith to talk about my 2022 season and how I went from a hospital bed to taking second at the World Trail Running Championships in Thailand, on November 5th 2022. 

We discuss about training, recovery, injuries, races, mental health and everything I've gone through during this amazing season. Another year of growth as a person and as an athlete, another opportunity to discover more about myself, about other people and places. Progress is never linear and this year has been a really good reminder of that. It's been a process of resilience and responsibility, of both failure and success, where I have learned to find value in the journey way more than in the outcome. 

I hope you enjoy this conversation and that you can somehow relate to it.

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Allie McLaughlinis a pro trail and mountain runner for On Running from Colorado Springs, USA.

She recently WON the uphill race at the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in Chiang Mai, Thailand, and took 3rd in the up and down mountain race. With these two performances, Allie caps off a tremendous season that has probably been the best one so far in her athletic career. From the win at the Broken Arrow VK, to the Mount Marathon Race course record, to winning two Golden Trail Series Final Stages and finally becoming a world champion, Allie takes us through her incredible year, sharing her favorite memories from each experience, reliving the moments of joy, struggle, excitement and self reflection. Allie goes deep into her training, talks about how she found in the joy of running the key to perform well, shares what each race has meant for her and her deep love for the trail running community.

Get your popcorns ready!

FollowAllie Mac on Instagram

Follow her projects and get in touch with her: alliemacproductions.com

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Like the Wind is my favorite running magazine. It's printed on paper, beautifully illustrated and incredibly well written, and it tells stories about runners, from all walks of life, gender and color, no matter how fast or slow they run.

Simon Freeman is the editor and publisher of Like the Wind. 

In this episode we talk about running - anytime and anywhere - and why running can be a catalyst for understanding our human condition.

We talk about the values of Like the Wind: diversity, independency, inclusion, honesty

We talk about the culture and the history of running, why it's important to give more credits and recognition to the elite athletes, listening to them, putting their interests in the center of our attention as they strive to push the sport forward.

We give a view on the current running media landscape, the evolution of written and online press and the way we consume information, and how Like the Wind is navigating through all that.

We also talk about the uncomfortable and ugly things related to running and why it's important to talk about them, something that Like the Wind does in a very interesting way. 

Get inspired. It's not how to run, it's why we run

Subscribe to Like the Wind

Follow Like the Wind and Simon Freeman on Instagram

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Thailand was the stage of the first ever unified Mountain and Trail Running World Championship (the two events used to be separate), from November 4th to the 6th. Francesco talks about his experience - and individual silver medal! - in the short trail, his feelings, the ambience, atmosphere and results from this championship. 

Madeira was the perfect scenery for the Golden Trail World Series finals, won by Remì Bonnet and Nienke Brinkman. The event was held as a 5 day stage race, with more than 100km and 7000m to climb! 

Finally, we talk about the end of the WMRA World Mountain Running Cup, which had its last stage in Chiavenna, and some other important, iconic appointments of the end of the season: Festival des Templiers, Transvulcania, Javelina, Diagonal des Fous, Puerto Vallarta by UTMB (where our athlete Kertu Palo took 3rd, qualifying for UTMB!)

Resources:

World mountain and trail running championships results

Golden Trail World Series results

Application for the world mountain running cup 2023

Singletrack podcast: should professional trail runners have agents?

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Ryan Thrower is a professional photographer and film maker, and the creative director and co-founder of Freetrail.

Besides being an athlete, I’ve always been interested in the way we communicate our sport, because I think the way our stories are told and shared really influences its development.

Stories have the power to inspire people, to give motivation, to share knowledge and information, and I think that as humans our necessity to tell and listen to stories is written in our DNA.

In this episode we talk about storytelling related to trail running: connecting the athletes and the audience through the power of stories. We talk about different languages and platforms, we provide some ideas on how to build an effective communication depending on the message and the audience, we discuss how social media have influenced the development of trail running and the public figure of the professional athletes.

We also talk about the current state of the sport, which Ryans sees through his peculiar eyes of storyteller and athlete himself, about Freetrail’s mission, vision and projects and about what’s it’s like to work with some of the world’s best races and athletes.

Follow Ryan's work:

https://www.ryanthrowerphoto.com/

Begin again

Peak Life Experience

Rachel Drake - Training for UTMB OCC

Enjoy!

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Gian Marchet Schictanz is a professional trail runner from Switzerland sponsored by Brooks.

He burst on the international trail running scene after his second place at the year Lavaredo Ultra Trail, one of the most famous and competitive ultra trail races in the world. After a great battle with the winner, Hannes Namberger (listen his interview on Spotify or Apple Podcast), he was only 10 minutes back after 120km, +6000m and 12 hours of running, in one of the most exciting races of this past summer.

Besides this great result, I decided to have Gian on the podcast because he’s also a very interesting athlete in the way he tries to use data and technology to improve his own training. We talk about how he structures his training and how he plans his races and goals for a season, how he balances intensity and volume, how he recovers, in a simple way that is useful to runners of any level and experience.

Gian is currently recovering from an injury which forced him to drop out from CCC, and this conversation has a lot of information about how to handle an injury (stress fracture), stay motivated and fit even without being able to run.

Get inspired, follow Gian on instagram (he always gives great insight about training) and wish him a speedy recovery!

Gian's personal website: gianmarchet.ch

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Anders Kjaerevik is professional trail runner from Norway sponsored by Salomon.

He’s mostly famous for two things: being an “experimental mountain runner”, as he likes to call himself, and being extremely good on the downhills.

Right now he’s competing at the Golden Trail Series final in Madeira (5 stages, a total of 109km and +7300m), where - of course - he’s the leader of the special downhill segment classification!

In this episode, we dive into his love for the sport and for training, how he likes to experiment different training techniques (this summer he was running a super high mileage with multiple weeks in a row over 300km and +10000m of elevation!), how trained for this season and what his strategy is going to be in Madeira.

But I think the most interesting part is when he gives his tips and advice on how to become a better downhill runner. Visualisation, strength for the quads and handling the risk on technical terrain: learn from one of the best in the world!

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Albert Jorquera is a journalist, author, community manager and runner specialized in trail and mountain running. He's one of the voices from the sport that is contributing to its popularity and expanding its audience.

Albert travels to the world most famous trail races to tell their stories and showcase the athletes, the competition and the values that make our sport so interesting and unique. He's also been working to bring trail running on the large screens, managing and broadcasting several TV streamings in English and Spanish for races like Transgrancanaria, L’Olla de Núria, Salomon Ultra Pirineu or The One Race, the final of the Golden Trail World Series.

In this conversation we discuss about the past, present and future of our sport from a media standpoint, what are the most interesting trends and why we are in a very exciting moment for the development of trail running.

The episode is full of tips and advice for people wanting to enter the media side of the sport and become journalists in trail running.

Enjoy!

Follow Albert Jorquera on Twitter | Instagram | Runedia

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Andreu Blanes is a Spanish runner for Club de Atletismo Serrano.

He really is an example of "any surface available", with world class results from the track (7:52 3000m, 8:33 3000st) to the roads (62:40 half marathon) to the trails and even off-trail (orienteering)!

Andreu had the race of his life at Sierre-Zinal 2022, where he ran 2h29' at his debut in this classic alpine race. But at the time when he ran, he didn't know he was the actual winner of the race. His victory only came after the disqualification of Mark Kangogo (KEN), who tested positive for two prohibited substances after in a WADA control after the race. The men's race results were then corrected and Andreu became the second Spanish runner to win Sierre-Zinal after Kilian Jornet, and one of the five men in history to have run under 2h30. 

We talk about how he felt after he learned the news about Kangogo's disqualification, how antidoping controls need to increase and improve in the sport of trail running, and how this whole (sad) situation didn't change the memory of the perfect day he had in Zinal.

We also cover his race strategy and his training leading up to SZ, how he successfully managed to transition from the roads and track to the trails, thanks in part to his orienteering background, how he combines training on flat and in the mountains, how he's preparing to race at the World Mountain and Trail Running Championship in Thailand (November 6th).

Get inspired!

Follow Andreu on instagram: @andreublanes

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Kertu Palo is a Vert.run premium athlete from Estonia living in the United States. 

Kertu has been my very first athlete that I've coached since I started collaborating with Vert. We finally had the chance to meet for the first time in person  in Flagstaff, where we both ran Flagstaff Skypeaks - she did the 50k, placing 4th, I ran the 26k which was part of the Golden Trail Series. 

Kertu started training with Vert in 2020 and she's made huge progress thanks to the guidance from Vert and her amazing dedication and consistency in training. The way she's discovered her strength and weaknesses, how she's grown as a person and as an athlete, how we've developed our relationship has been a rewarding and inspiring experience for both. 

It's great to feel part and connect with the trail running community, and Kertu is the perfect example of how to train with a smile, how to enjoy spending time on the trails surrounded by nature, how to take care of your body and feel empowered thanks to trail running.

I hope you can all relate and find value in this really nice conversation. Enjoy!

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The Golden Trail Series coming to the US, the final rounds of the World Mountain Running Cup and the preparation for the 2022 World Mountain Running Championships in Thailand and the Golden Trail Series Final in Madeira.

More: the 24h world record, the marathon world record, Run Rabbit Run, The Rut, VK+Trofeo Nasego, Canfranc-Canfranc, Mammoth Trail Fest, Skyrunning World Champs, Redbull Dolomitenmann..

Many exciting things happened during the month of September in the trail running world!

Get inspired with:

Race recap from Pikes Peak Ascent + Flagstaff Skypeaks (video)

Kilian Jornet's article: Training for long and short trail running

More resources:

GWTS Final Ranking

World Cup manager role

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Pikes Peak Ascent is a 21km race from Manitou Springs, Colorado, to the top of Pikes Peak, also known as America's Mountain. It climbs 2380m of elevation gain, from 1920m at the start to the 4300m (or 14115 ft) of the finish line. It's one of the most competitive mountain races in the US, that has traditionally had such a great importance for the history and the development of the sport, inside and outside of the United States.

This year the Ascent was chosen to host the 5th stage of the 2022 Golden Trail World Series. It was won by Remì Bonnet (SUI, team Salomon/RedBull) and Nienke Brinkman (NED, Nike/NN Running Team).

Full results: https://results.pikespeakmarathon.org/2022/PPA/

It was a great experience and a good race for me: I was 5th overall in a very competitive field of athletes, and I'm quite happy about my 2:12:56 finish.

Besides my little personal achievement, it's been great to share a few days together with lots of amazing athletes and interesting people. The European athletes and media team of the GTWS took the chance to organize a road trip through Colorado, Utah and Arizona in between Pikes Peak Ascent and Flagstaff Skypeaks, that is scheduled for Sunday, Sept 25th.

This episode is an inside story told by the athletes on their experience at Pikes Peak, extending their reflections to their 2022 season.

I hope you enjoy it, and thanks to everyone who has contributed to record this episode!

Give all the athletes a follow on Instagram 😉 it's a great way to support them!

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Peter Maksimow is a lover of mountain and trail running at 360°. There aren't enough words to describe the passion and the incredible value that he has brought to the sport.

Peter lives in Manitou Springs, Colorado, at the bottom of Pikes Peak. He works for the American Trail Running Association, taking pictures and writing stories to showcase the athletes hand the events, and to bring these stories to the people. 

In this episode we cover many different topics through Peter's great perspective: the american trail running scene, Pikes Peak marathon, women's participation in trail running, the state of the sport from a media and an athlete's standpoint, how we need to preserve the spirit and values that have always been present in trail running, and that make it such an incredible sport and warm community, balancing that with its expansion and growth.

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Petter Engdahl is a Swedish trail runner sponsored by Adidas Terrex, Redbull and Maurten.

He's coming off a huge win at CCC, breaking the course record and becoming the first athlete to ever go under 10h in this 101km, +6100m of elevation trail race from Courmayeur to Chamonix, around Mont Blanc.

We talk about Petter's preparation, fears and expectations before the race, his strategy, nutrition, gear and much more during the race. In doing so, Petter shares a lot of good information and tips on how to perfectly execute a 100km trail race!

We also discuss about Petter's athletic career in skiing and trail running, his studies in industrial design at the Trondheim university, and what it means for him to be part of the Adidas Terrex team.

Get inspired!

Follow Petter on Instagram @petter_engdahl

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It was an incredible month of races and performances by so many inspiring athletes across the world.

UTMB week was a chance for the Vert.run team to finally meet and hang out together. Our founder Moisés raced UTMB and finished in under 25 hours. We had a great time meeting those of you who came to our Vert Run + Breakfast last week. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for coming to meet us in person.

We crewed and cheered the runners of OCC, CCC, TDS and UTMB. Our co-founder Kirsten Kortebein also ran ETC in Courmayeur!

We were inspired by the performances at Sierre-Zinal, where a new wave of African runners proved how much potential there is in trail running for them too. We cover in detail the results and the performances at Sierre-Zinal and Stranda Fjord Trail Race, last month's stages of the Golden Trail World Series, we talk about Trofeo Kima, Thyon-Dixence, Fletta Trail, Leadville 100, Comrades Marathon, Challenge Stellina and many more races.

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Dillon Quitugua is an Hawaiian trail and ultra runner sponsored by Janji.

Dillon recently ran the 100 mile perimeter of Guam, an island in Micronesia, in the Western Pacific. In doing so, Dillon wanted to change the perspective that Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders don’t do certain things outside the traditional paradigm. He wanted to empower his people and promote sport and physical fitness among his people. Dillon named the FKT after his father and he's now planning to organize a 100m race on the same route.

He's also founded The Tribe Collective, a project with the mission to empower individuals to be their best selves through unity and service, and uplift Pacific Islanders. The organization is launching a full scholarship for a Pacific Islander to travel and trek to the Everest Base Camp at the foothills of Khumbu Glacier in 2023.

Where did these ideas come from? how did Dillon get started with trail running? what was people's reaction to his feat?

Discover Dillon's story and follow his projects and adventures! @dill_daddy

More on Runners World article

Share this episode on social media 🏃🏽‍♀️📸

Rate and review our podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcast - this will help other trail running enthusiast find the show! ⭐

THANKS! 😊

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What are the most common injuries for a trail runner, and how can we deal with them?

What are the best strategies to prevent injuries?

Is it true that trail runners tend to get injured more than road runners?

Cross training tips: how is it possible to train for trail running without actually being able to run yet? 

How can we better deal with the mental challenge of being injured and not being able to run, working our way through rehab?

In this episode, we talk about injuries, recovery and prevention with Vert.run coaches Max Keith and Manu Ramirez! Enjoy this conversation and if you've learned something new or found it valuable, please let us know!

Share this episode on social media 🏃🏽‍♀️📸

Rate and review our podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcast - this will help other trail running enthusiast find the show! ⭐

THANKS! 😊

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July was a relatively "more relaxed" month in terms of racing, compared to the previous month. We saw most of the elite athletes putting in great training blocks towards their big  goals of the season, more shifted towards the end of the summer (UTMB week, Sierre-Zinal..). Nonetheless it was very exciting to follow the trail running scene and catch up with its diverse and fun community. 

With the heatwave that we are experiencing in Europe, the glaciers melting and the landscape changing, we get the change to touch a very important topic: climate change and trail running, some ways to address this problem and how get involved in climate action. Some examples?

Support Footprints Running Camps - Kilian Jornet Foundation - Protect Our Winters. And of course use our power when we VOTE!

Learn about what you can do as an athlete and an individual on the Athlete Climate Academy

With the pause of the Golden Trail World Series - getting ready for Stranda Fjord Trail Race and Sierre-Zinal in two consecutive weeks, we followed in particular the World Mountain Running Cup, where the kenyan athletes Joyce Njeru and Patrick Kipngeno have a clean sheet with super impressive performances at Grossglockner Berglauf, Montée du Nid d'Aigle and Giir di Mont. We also followed theUTMB World Weries at Speedgoat, Val d'Aran by UTMBandUltra Trail of Snowdonia, the Skyrunning World Series at Skyrace ComapedrosaandSchlegeis 3000 Skyrace, and some of the most famous, iconic classic races of our sport, such asHardrock 100m (with victories by Kilian Jornet and Courtney Dauwalter)andMount Marathon Race(where Allie McLaughlin set a new CR!)

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Dakota Jones is a trail and ultra runner from Colorado and an environmental activist.

Coming off a third place finish at Hardrock 100m Endurance Run behind Kilian Jornet and Francois D'Haene, we sat down and chatted with him about everything that is going on in his life. 

Dakota is not the average trail runner. He surely is one of the most established and successful athletes in the sport, having competed across the world over any distance and terrain, from VKs to 100 milers. But he's not just that. Dakota wants to use his broad impact on the trail running community to raise awareness towards the environmental issue and do something really impactful to protect our planet.

A few years ago he felt the need to go back to university, where he's currently studying mechanical engineering. He founded Footprints Running Camps, which aims to develop leaders in climate action, combining environmental education with direct action. He's a very curious and thoughtful person; he's passionate about everything he does, and when he does something you can be sure he goes all in.

We talk in detail about his Hardrock experience, what it felt like to race with Francois D'Haene and Kilian, the story of how he got inspired to run 100 miles by Kyle Skaggs - who paced him over the last 10 mile of the race - his friendship with Kilian.

We talk about science, environment, Footprints and the trail running community.

Lastly, we discuss his collaboration with NNormal, the outdoor brand founded by Kilian Jornet and Camper in 2022.

Watch the 2021 Footprints movie and get inspired!

Support Footprints with a donation here! Right now you can double your impact! Up to $15k in donations will be matched dollar for dollar, thanks to Patagonia Trail Running and Fat Tire.

Follow @thatdakotajones and @footprintsrunning on Instagram.

Thanks for listening and please share this episode if you enjoyed it!

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Hannes Namberger is a professional trail and ultra runner from Germany sponsored by Dynafit.

On the last weekend of June he won Lavaredo Ultra Trail, a 120km - 6000m of elevation race in the Italian Dolomites and one of the most famous and iconic ultra trail races in the world, this year part of the UTMB World Series.

We talk about his race strategy, including pacing, nutrition and hydration, how he prepared for it and how he had to restructure his training and racing plans after he got Covid, only 6 weeks before his goal.

We get very specific into training, talking about specific trail workouts, tapering for a trail race, cross training, winter training and more.

We also talk about balancing an elite runner's career with a normal job, how he got into the sport of trail and ultra running after being an alpine skier, how he's recovering from Lavaredo and how he's planning the next big goal of his season, UTMB.

Get inspired!

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What should we eat during a trail race? how many calories should we aim for?

What are the best types of gels? caffeine or no caffeine?

Are carbon plate shoes the future of trail running shoes?

What's the best way to refill a camelbag? 

Just a few of the many interesting questions that I discussed with Vert.run coaches Max Keith and Manu Ramirez! Enjoy this conversation and if you've learned something new or found it valuable, please share it on social media!

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We are in the swing of things! June was packed with awesome races and performances by so many athletes across the world

Broken Arrow Skyrace, Lavaredo Ultra Trail, Marathon du Mont Blanc, Western States 100 mile Endurance Run and more...

We talk about races, athletes, series, sponsorships, interesting projects and news from the trail running scene that have caught our attention and we feel that are worth sharing. !

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Mimmi Kotka is a professional trail and ultra runner from Sweden sponsored by La Sportiva.

Last weekend she won Lavaredo Ultra Trail, a 120km - 6000m of elevation race in the Italian Dolomites and one of the most famous and iconic ultra trail races in the world. 

We talk about her race strategy, the difficulties that she handled, especially in the last section of race, and what this win meant to her.

We also talk about how her professional running career started, her most competitive years and best performances in the sport, her struggles with RED-S and how she dealt with it, finally coming back to train and race like she knows she can. 

Get inspired! follow Mimmi and discover Moonvalley, a plant based sport nutrition company, that she founded with her friends and athletes Ida Nilsson and Emelie Forsberg.

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Sara Alonso is a professional trail runner from Spain sponsored by Salomon.

At only 22 years of age she's quickly becoming one of the best of our sport, with impressive results in many international races, especially in the Golden Trail Series, and a fans' favorite.

During the first part of her 2022 season, she won the Transgrancanaria Marathon, she finished 3rd in a ridiculously competitive Zegama (under the old course record) and she became national mountain running champion.

We chat about her training leading up to Zegama, how's she's getting ready for Mont Blanc Marathon, what it is like to compete for the Salomon Team, how important it is for a young athlete to handle the pressures and to remain concentrated on training and racing, despite the distractions coming from social media, sponsors and the increased popularity.

Enjoy the Spanish locura!!

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Summer training, tapering, training in between long or intense races, hydration, quality vs quantity, altitude training, prep races...

...Want more?

What should I do if I miss a workout? 

How should you manage tapering for race day?

Should you maintain strength/conditioning and core routines as you get closer to your race goal?

How much does your training history from a young age matter in your running career?

These are just a few of the classic questions that any trail runner has asked him or herself at least once. Enjoy this conversation between Francesco Puppi, Max Keith and Manu Ramirez, our Vert.run coaches, as they clarify some doubts, debunk myths and shed light on some of the most common questions related to training and racing in trail running.

If you enjoy this episode, please share it on social media!

Also, please rate our show in Spotify or Apple Podcast, this will help reaching other trail runners who might find this content interesting. Thanks!

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What happened in the trail running world during the month of May 2022?

We talk about races, athletes, series, sponsorships, interesting projects and news from the trail running scene that have caught our attention and we feel that are worth sharing. Special mention: in-depth review of Zegama 2022!

Resources:

Grayson Murphy's training logs

Joe Gray's interview on New York Times

Kilian Jornet's article about the current status of trail and mountain running: Who is who in trail running 

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