The Steep Stuff Podcast
Welcome to the Steep Stuff Podcast, your source for all things Short Trail
The Steep Stuff Podcast
It's Sunapee Scramble Week !
The mountain running community holds its collective breath as we approach the legendary Soonapie Scramble – the definitive American mountain running championship that will determine who represents our nation on the world stage. This Sunday, June 1st, 2025, Mount Soonapie in New Hampshire becomes the battleground where dreams are made or broken as elite athletes compete for just seven coveted Team USA spots.
What makes this year's competition particularly thrilling is the extraordinary depth of talent. The men's field features mountain running royalty like Dan Kurtz and Mason Copey, alongside the legendary David Norris fresh off his Mount Marathon victory. Meanwhile, the women's competition showcases powerhouses Lauren Gregory and Ana Gibson, who recently stunned with a top-15 finish at Zagama against international competition. These athletes aren't just racing for personal glory – they're fighting for the honor of wearing the Stars and Stripes in the Pyrenees against the world's elite mountain runners.
Throughout this electric week, we're bringing you exclusive, in-depth conversations with every top contender, revealing their preparation strategies, mental approaches, and personal journeys to this pivotal moment. It all culminates Friday with our comprehensive race preview featuring co-host Nick Tusa and the architect of this brutal challenge himself, race director Tom Hooper. Whether you're a dedicated mountain running fan or new to the sport, you won't want to miss this week's coverage of the event that will crown seven Americans as our nation's mountain running ambassadors. Subscribe now and join us for every breathless step of the journey to Soonapie Scramble glory!
Follow James on IG - @jameslauriello
Follow the Steep Stuff Podcast on IG - @steepstuff_pod
Use code steepstuffpod for 25% off your cart at UltimateDirection.com!
What's up, fam? Welcome back to the Steep Stuff Podcast. I'm your host, james Lauriello, and guys, I am so pumped. It is Soonapie Scramble Week, that's right. This Sunday, june 1st 2025, is going to be the Mountain Running Championship in the Mountain Classic Distance, taking place at Mount Soonapie, new Hampshire, the Soonapie Mountain Resort, if you will. The top four men and the top three women are going to be crowned to go represent Team USA, that's right. Represent the Stars and Stripes in the Pyrenees against some of those Euros and other world-class competition that we go up against. It's going to be super fun. It's going to be crazy.
Speaker 0:Guys, this week I'm going to be bringing you interviews with the elite men and women. That's going to include Dan Kurtz, mason Copey, remy LaRue, andy Wacker, taylor Stack, tyler McInliss, and cannot forget Mount Marathon champion David Norris. We're also going to be bringing you interviews with the elite women. That's going to include Lauren Gregory, rachel Tomajek, jamie Brusa, sophie Wright, flannery Davis-Lubb, sydney Peterson, emily Clark and can't leave out Ana Gibson, just coming back from a top 15 finish at Zagama.
Speaker 0:Guys, I'm so excited for this week. The energy is palpable. We have a lot to bring you. Keep a lookout for these interviews dropping throughout the week and it's all going to be topped off on Friday. And that's going to be topped off on Friday with a pretty badass race preview episode with frequent co-host Nick Tusa, as well as the man, the myth, the legend race director, Mr East Coast Tom Hooper, who's going to be helping partake throughout the entire week. So lots of big things, lots of big stuff. I hope you guys enjoy this one. I'm so excited to bring you all of this. Like I said, this is one of the most exciting weeks in our sport, where we are going to pick seven amazing athletes to go represent Team USA this year. So, yeah, buckle up, enjoy and here we go.
