The Steep Stuff Podcast
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The Steep Stuff Podcast
Emily Clarke - Pre Sunapee Scramble Interview
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What's up, fam? Welcome back to the Steep Stuff Podcast. I'm your host, james Lariello, and I'm excited to bring you guys another pre-Sunnipy Scramble interview with none other than 2025 Trail Team Elite Selection, emily Clark. I caught up with Emily just after her dub at the Ymez Mountain 15-Miler, which is a super fun New Mexico race. Nice little tune-up for her as she continues to get her training on in the Grand Canyon and in the greater Flagstaff area. We chatted all things Sunapee. We talked about her build and how her build has been going, which sounds pretty successful, as well as just kind of some pre-race stuff, as well as what it would mean to her to make the 2025 mountain running mountain classic 2025 team to go over and represent team usa uh, in the pyrenees, um, if you don't know that name, you probably should. Emily took also got second place at the way too cool 50k earlier in the year and has had top finishes at races like mammoth, as well as the broken arrow 11k back in 2023. So really looking forward to see where emily's race takes her.
Speaker 1:This is a fun episode. I hope you guys enjoy this one. Without further ado. None other than Emily Clark. Emily Clark, welcome back to the podcast. How's it going?
Speaker 2:going well. How are you?
Speaker 1:I'm doing great super excited to be having this conversation. I can't believe it. I was just telling uh, some other athletes. I'm like, oh my gosh, this went by so quick. I feel like we just chatted and here we are. It's soon to be scramble week almost. It's crazy.
Speaker 2:Yeah, the spring just flew by. It's wild.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah. How's training going? How's uh? How's your build for soon to pay?
Speaker 2:It's going really well. Um, yeah, I think things are kind of clicking right here, right at the right time. Uh did a lot of a lot of vert. I think we last chatted right after I ran a little 5K out in San Diego, yeah, and since then I think I've been in the canyon like four times and yeah, just trying to get the body primed for what's coming Nice. And I think it's kind of coming around here at the right time.
Speaker 1:I love to hear it. Maybe paint a little picture for the audience, Because obviously there's these mythical stories of Jim Walmsley running down to the canyon and then running out and I don't think people realize how difficult it is to run in the canyon. Maybe talk about what it's like to descend first and then have to climb your way back out. It's probably not very fun.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's wild but it's a super cool unique stimulus. So the canyon is 5,000 feet down and then you know, of course, 5,000 feet up. And that's kind of unique because often if we're getting that much vert, you know you're ascending first and then you just kind of float on down. But I kind of had a fun spring because it was a lot of like chasing boys down down the canyon, so maybe descending a little faster than I would have on my own and then and then you know just like having to step by step your way out and have that go a little better each time you do it. But it's cool, it's like an hour down. You know there's different ways down.
Speaker 2:Bright Angels closed all the way to the river right now. So we did a lot of like down Bright Angel, over Tonto, bop down Kaibab and then back up Kaibab, and they're each a little different and they each have their own little thing, but it's cool, it's like a canyon day, just feels like a lot of value and it's exciting to stack some that's amazing, yeah, and I feel like just the stimulus is just so perfect.
Speaker 1:How do you deal with the heat? Do you bring a ton of water with you, or like filters or like what's? What's the deal with that?
Speaker 2:yeah, I just try to be smart. I mean, we got so it was just magical little cloudy days randomly on the weekends when we were trying to go to the canyon, so we didn't end up with any super hot days, but you just got to know where the water is. So I bring a filter and you can get water at the river, of course, and then there's water at Havasupai Gardens and, yeah, you just plan it out and and try to build, build a day around it. Yeah, don't want to be, don't want to be cooking on that, climb out, yeah.
Speaker 1:With that heat. It's just different because it's dry heat, right Like yeah. How do you deal with uh cause, this race is going to be Northeast. Obviously, Northeast is known for its like humidity.
Speaker 2:How do you deal with humidity on uh, uh, especially coming from like the dry west coast? Yeah, I mean, I think that a lot of it is just like be being mentally tough. I mean there's not much we can do and it's nice to have to get like, uh, um, you know, real true humidity exposure. Um, and it's always like you know, humidity is the is the poor man's altitude, they say, and I believe it every time I go out there, um.
Speaker 2:But yeah, I've just been. I've just been, you know, running in the heat, getting used to that, and we'll try to like hydrate and feel right and, yeah, hope the body handles it well sweet, are you?
Speaker 1:uh, it seems like everybody's going out thursday or friday before the race. Race is obviously on sunday. Do you have plans to go out early or are you just gonna bop in a couple of days before, like what's, what's your plan for travel?
Speaker 2:So I'm working full time now and I just couldn't take all that much time off work. So, and there was a cheap flight, so I'm I'm flying in Friday night, I'll get in Saturday morning and then bop on up see the course on Saturday and then yeah, so it'll just be a little whirlwind. I'm lucky cause I went. I have a vision of what it's going to be like, a little bit that I can work with.
Speaker 1:Easy business trip.
Speaker 2:Yep.
Speaker 1:For sure, for sure. All right, let's talk like specifics of the course and stuff like that. Obviously, this one's going to be a little bit different from 2023, where it's a two-loop course just like 2023, but the second loop is different. It's going to be significantly more technical on the ascent. It's kind of like a very similar to the vertical course from last time around on the ascent top. Obviously, these races are a little tricky. When you're racing something like this where it's a two-loop course, right, usually I've just known from Broken Arrow in the past and other two-loop races usually the person leading the first loop is not necessarily the person winning at the end. What's your strategy going into this? Have you maybe thought that through Like it's probably? I mean, I would assume there's probably going to be some carnage somewhere in that race.
Speaker 2:So it's going to be interesting to follow Totally. Um, I'm feeling really good about the benefit of the Canyon, um, and some like specific workouts I've done just like in terms of being able to handle that second climb with that hard downhill stimulus and, you know, uphill fatigue already in the legs. Um, so I think my plan and I'm going to talk to MK and you know, lock in here this week but we'll probably be, um, just be like ready to hurt really badly on that second loop and trust the trust, the block that that I've got underneath me to to put me in a good position to do some catching.
Speaker 1:Yeah, are, are you? So? It's interesting because, like I know how ali races, like ali is so aggressive I honest probably a little aggressive too. It's just I'm so curious to see like the ladies race is going to unfold very interestingly. Like, are you one of the like, how do you race these races? Like, are you someone that like asserts themselves in the race right away? Maybe like sit back a little bit and kind of like what the race come to you, especially because it is two loops? Like what, how do you? How would you attack the front of the race?
Speaker 2:I guess my question um, yeah, that's a good question and I think it totally depends on the day and where I'm like, where. In general, like, the way I like to race totally depends on on where I'm at and in the context and all that. Um, I think I I want to be in a position to be competitive and so, like it's, it's a short enough race that we're going to be hurting Everyone's going to be hurting the whole time, um, and it's going to be, you know, probably a little bit of going out uncomfortably fast, um, but, like you know, within reason and also trying to trying to keep the mental engagement and trust and patience so that you can do some catching in the back half, even if you're not necessarily where you want to be after that first loop.
Speaker 1:For sure, and very smart. I think it's the smartest way to approach it. It's interesting because men, more so the men's side, people take it out so stupid fast. And then there's always so much carnage?
Speaker 1:They come right back to you. So it's just, I don't know. It's kind of funny. I love the way people race these races. What is your expectation? Like you're it's, you're in an interesting spot. It was your first year on, you know, trail team elite. You're not yet sponsored and I use that word yet Like you're still trying, you're very new to the sport and yet, like you find yourself in the spot where you could probably play spoiler on someone who might think that like they're probably getting an automatic spot. But like I'm sure you know yourself, sophie, right, there's a lot of like really strong ladies that are coming in there to like work their butts off to try to get a spot on here. Like, what is your personal expectation for this race?
Speaker 2:Yeah, um expectation for this race. Yeah, um, that's the thing. Like it's going to be such a cool, deep, competitive race and I'm trying to go into it without, without any major expectation. Um, I just want to get the best out of myself and I think that, like what that could be, like I have no idea, like it could be, it could be snagging one of those spots and I'm going to put myself in a position to potentially have that kind of day. But you know, if my best is 10th or 15th in a field like that, like that's great too. I'm just going to go out there and try hard and control what I can control and kind of be as flexible and responsive as I possibly can.
Speaker 1:If you have the day that you want to have, like if you have a great day out there, you get yourself a spot. What would it mean for you to make Team USA?
Speaker 2:It would be a dream, like you know just as someone who was not the most talented athlete in high school and college and has kind of just sort of like progressed a little bit every year it would be such a such a cool like everything coming together type situation. Um, yeah, we'll see. It's exciting to to have that like possibility on the horizon, like that's very motivating and inspiring, whenever that may happen.
Speaker 1:Yeah I love it. I love it and you're like, you're so young in the sport, you have so much time too, which is great like you could potentially make a few of these teams, which is like awesome. Um, what's the race day shoe going to be?
Speaker 2:Honestly, I'm still working that out, um, trying to figure out what the best, what the best option for the like maybe less technical, first half technical, second half combo. I might just stick with my like classic Solomon ultra glide, just so I'm super comfy on the, on the defense and stuff. Um, we'll see. Yeah, I'm going to try some, try some things out in my little pre race workout this week and probably bring a couple options and make a call when I see the course.
Speaker 1:No, I think that's smart. I mean, who knows it could be and this is kind of leads into the next question Like could be rainy and humid, yeah like, and like muddy and disgusting, like typical northeast stuff. Or could be sunny and 80. Let me ask you this. If it's, what do you prefer? Sunny and 80, or like humid, rainy, wet and like, just like the worst of the worst?
Speaker 2:oh, I don't know, I think I think it would be fun if it was super muddy and super muddy and gritty out there. Um, just like, add a whole nother variable to like this cool, cool competitive situation we're gonna have going on nice um everybody's answering it that way everybody likes the terrible, terrible weather yeah. And so we're on the start line and we're freezing and like, oh shoot, what are we getting ourselves into? But right now, as I sit in the sun and you know, I'm like, yeah, bring, yeah it must be nice.
Speaker 1:Oh man, I lost my train of thought, sorry.
Speaker 2:You're good.
Speaker 1:Oh man, give me one second. I got to let this go back to me. Oh, schedule, that's what I was going to ask you. Sorry, what is the schedule after this? Since the last time we spoke, has your schedule changed at all for what you're going to be doing this summer?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think I'm definitely going to just like lock in on Broken Arrow Probably won't make it up to GoPro just with like work and travel and try not to stretch myself too thin. But yeah, broken arrows, yeah, 23k nvk and then probably we'll transition to like 50k in the in the early fall. Um. So getting a good little block in july is kind of the plan. Um, I raised him as a couple weeks ago and that was a blast. It was a good little like band-aid rip. Get the systems like fully firing. I feel a lot better after the race than I did before the race and so maybe we'll hit some like more like local stuff in flag or in New Mexico, just for fun and practice and all that.
Speaker 1:Love to hear it. Well, listen, emily, I'm wishing you the absolute best of luck. It's going to be so much fun to follow this race and I hope you achieve your goals out there, and it's an amazing day for you.
Speaker 2:Thank you, thanks so much. Yeah, it's gonna be fun to follow.
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