The Steep Stuff Podcast
Welcome to the Steep Stuff Podcast, your source for all things Sub-Ultra Mountain Running
The Steep Stuff Podcast
#107 - Alexa Aragon
Welcome to a captivating conversation with Alexa Aragon, the rising trail running star who's taken the mountain running scene by storm. With remarkable top-10 finishes at the Broken Arrow Sky Race, Sunapee Scramble, and most recently, a second-place finish at Cirque Series Snowbird, Alexa has quickly established herself as someone the trail running world needs to watch.
What makes Alexa's story particularly fascinating is her unorthodox path. Unlike many elite trail runners, she balances her competitive pursuits with a full-time career as a middle school math teacher. Growing up in Montana in a family of runners (her parents literally met at a track meet!), Alexa excelled as a steeplechaser at Notre Dame before stepping away from competitive running to work in public health in Ecuador. It wasn't until moving to Utah's Wasatch Mountains that she rediscovered her competitive spirit through local trail races.
Alexa shares her refreshingly unconventional approach to training - "It's a little chaotic, it's just kind of what I feel like and what makes me have fun." Without a coach or structured program, she runs 30-40 miles weekly, complemented by rock climbing and mountain biking. Her race strategy? "Full send and find out" - a fearless approach that's yielded impressive results against established professionals. We dig into her experiences at Broken Arrow, her mountaineering adventures (including a 42-hour attempt at the WURL), and her passion for introducing underrepresented youth to outdoor sports through her school's adventure club.
Whether you're a competitive trail runner, weekend warrior, or simply love inspiring stories of people forging their own path, Alexa's journey demonstrates how making running truly your own can lead to unexpected success and genuine fulfillment. Follow along as she shares her experiences from hiding under rocks during thunderstorms to standing on podiums alongside the sport's biggest names.
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What's up, fam? Welcome back to the Steep Stuff Podcast. I'm your host, James Lariello, and I'm so excited to bring you guys an episode today with none other than Alexa Aragon. Super excited to get to catch up with Alexa. If you guys don't know that name already, you absolutely should.
Speaker 1:Alexa has been on a heater in 2025, with top 10 finishes at the Sunapee Scramble, the Broken Arrow Sky Race 23K and the Broken Arrow Ascent, and then most recently, just a few weeks removed from a second place finish at Cirque series snowbird Um. Like I said, she's been on a heater and she's pretty new to the to the scene in general. She's only a couple of years into the sport. Uh, last year she took a fourth place finish at the U S mountain running championship for Cirque series snowbird Um. Yeah, by way now living in the Wasatch, by way of Montana.
Speaker 1:Alexa's got a pretty storied history as far as athletics go with family, both in the running scene and as well as herself being a steepler from Notre Dame. So super exciting conversation. Alexa's got a very bright future in the sport and it's definitely someone you guys should have on your radar for someone who will probably be at the top of the sport in the next few years. So, without further ado, I hope you enjoy this podcast. None other than Alexa Aragon. It's time, Ladies and gentlemen, we are live.
Speaker 1:Alexa Aragon. Welcome to the Steep Stuff Podcast. How's it going?
Speaker 2:Great, happy to be here.
Speaker 1:Yeah, stoked to have you on, stoked to have a conversation. I feel like you've been having like a I mean not that you haven't had previous awesome seasons, but, like you know, between Broken Arrow and some Cirque series racing like you've been having like a. I mean not that you haven't had previous awesome seasons, but, like you know, between broken arrow and some Cirque series racing um, you've been having a great season so far. So I've figured this was a great opportunity to, you know, have a chat with you on the podcast.
Speaker 2:Yeah, thanks, it's been really fun. It's been one of my first like real trail seasons, so I mean, I guess last year kind of too. Um, I've been really surprising myself this year, so I was honored to get the invite to be on this podcast yeah, absolutely crushing it.
Speaker 1:I mean we'll get into it. But, like man, like you know, like top places of broken arrow both in the vk and the 23k, I was like damn, like that's, that's pretty solid. It's interesting because, like you'll see a lot of like circ series athletes like kind of stay in the circ series and like not, like you know, usually they'll just race that and not go out to other things like some of them. But it's cool to see other you know athletes kind of go out and, like you know, crush big races and stuff like that. What makes it kind of cool.
Speaker 2:So yeah, yeah. Yeah. It was fun because last year's Cirque series snowbird was the USATF championships, the classic, and so that was like what got me realizing like, oh, I could maybe compete at this level, so I should try and get into some bigger races. So I don't think I really believed that about myself. Um, before that happened and was just like signed up for the zerk series, so therefore in us classic champs and then did pretty well.
Speaker 1:So yeah, it's such a fun route, or for such a fun like grouping of races, if you will like. Especially the utah ones are fun yeah where are you from originally?
Speaker 2:I'm from Billings, Montana, but I live in Salt Lake right now Okay, how do you like training in the Wasatch?
Speaker 1:I love it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's so great. I mean, especially like being a teacher. I don't have like super flexible hours for training, so during the school year and the spring I'm able to just like get straight to a trail easily, like right from work. Just like get straight to a trail easily, like right from work. Um, it's really accessible, able to train elevation pretty easily. Um, there's so many trails, there's a lot of people who like the same thing, so like plenty of training partners, so it's been really fun.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, and I feel like the Wasatch, the scene has just grown so much Like. There's just so many athletes there and you know people like you've never, even heard of just like kind of coming out of the woodwork.
Speaker 1:So it's like, very like yeah depth is deep, so people like to say yeah, definitely just a lot of really athletic and hardworking and motivated people around here, so it's been fun for sure well, we already talked about like where you're from, kind of, but maybe give like, give me like the five minute elevator pitch on like your background with running, um, how you got into it, and then we'll talk about college as well yeah, okay, um, background with running.
Speaker 2:I come from like a family of runners so, um, I kind of like knew I was gonna be a runner when I was a little kid. Like my parents literally met at a track meet, um. So when I was little I'd run like the montana women's run for a little, like once a year. It was like two mile race, um. But just like, grew up being in the baby job, jogger, like seeing my parents run, raced in high school, earned a scholarship to Notre Dame, so I went there for college.
Speaker 2:I ran the steeple and the 1500, mainly the steeple. And then, like, after college, I stopped running for a little while, I thought about going professional and then went and lived in Ecuador and did public health for a little while. So it was like really hard to run there, didn't really keep it up, kind of just wasn't super motivated to stay in it. I did a few road races and then I moved out to Salt Lake three years ago and so one of my friends took me to one of the wasatch trail series trail races and I won the short course and I was like, oh, this is kind of fun to be competitive again. I was gonna just be chill, but then, like, put a bib on me and I get competitive. So, um, yeah, I got back into trail racing and then it's been like the last two years I started doing the cirque series too. Um, just kind of like seeing how well I can do in those shorter, like sub ultra distances super cool yeah, we got to talk notre dame
Speaker 1:like I told you I told you before we recorded this, I went to miami, so like there's that catholics versus convicts thing like, oh, yeah, I love notre dame, but that's okay. Um, in fact it's kind of funny. I don't know if you're a football fan at all, but like we play you guys again for the first time in a while, I think like early August or like mid August.
Speaker 2:Oh, that's exciting. Yeah, I don't pay attention that much, but I should pay attention to that game.
Speaker 1:No, for sure, For sure. How, uh, what was your experience like there? Like, what was it like going, uh, especially as a D one athlete? Like what, how did you like it?
Speaker 2:Yeah, um, I, I did like it. It was definitely challenging for me. Me, I ran like 25 miles a week, 20-25 miles a week in high school and so then when I, like, went to Notre Dame, it was a big wake-up call for me. Training that hard, I remember thinking like I'm not gonna make it through this the first couple weeks, um, and like every run was so hard for me, even the easy runs, um, and but I did make some of my best friends there, um, it was. It was challenging, for sure, um, like academically and um, athletically, um, but it was a good place to be and I'm thankful for that experience. There's definitely days that I was like what am I doing here? But there was a lot of good days too. Um, yeah, and the football games were super fun, the community there was great. Yeah, I would say overall, love my experience at notre dame yeah, what did you think?
Speaker 1:uh, let's talk about the program a little bit like. I know so many d1 runners that like either love their programs or absolutely hate them.
Speaker 2:Like, what was your experience like, uh, you know, especially running steeple and all that yeah, I mean, I think that's a hard one, because I it's changed a lot since I was there, um, and there were definitely things that I didn't love about it, and there were, um some athletes that were had a great experience and some that didn't. I think for me, um, I was a lot of a team player and like wanted to make sure like everybody was doing well, um and enjoying it and just like trying to take care of people, and so it was like hard when I saw that some people were not, um enjoying the team atmosphere, um, or the program, um. I think that I learned a lot, though, about like one of the things that I love the most that I took away from that is like I never pay attention to mileage. I just like run by minutes, because our coach always had us run like for a certain amount of minutes, and I think it makes me pay attention to my body more. It's like I'm going for an hour run Like who knows how many miles that's going to be on one day versus another, just depending how I'm feeling, or like if I'm on trails or road, um. So there's definitely some good takeaways from the program.
Speaker 2:Steeplechase was super fun it was my first time doing it when I got into college, um, and I had a really good steeple specific coach. So, um, I got pretty good at hurtling and I think it was like a good fit for me because it's kind of one of those races where the toughness is the most important thing. It's not as much tactical, but it's just like who's the toughest one out there, and I think that translates well to trail running and honestly, you see a lot of D1 steeplechasers out there on the trails now. So I guess the coordination and the toughness comes together well for trail running.
Speaker 1:So that's what you think it is. You stole my next question. I was going to say what do you? Because I ask every steepler, this steeple or that's like between Rachel to my check Allie Mac, like there's so many really high level like trail runners that come, you know, from the steeplechase I've Allie has told me it's something with heart rate being able to like keep your heart rate like real, like relatively under control. I've heard coordination Like is what do you think Like as far as why it translates so well?
Speaker 2:um, yeah, I think it's definitely about coordination and, I think, being tough, being able to jump over things, like I said, um, like kind of the stop and start. I mean being able to take a fall in the middle of something and get back up and continue, like I'm sure all of us have taken multiple falls on the track, um, and multiple falls on the trail, so I think being able to like shake that off and like stay focused is important part of both of those sports. The heart rate, I don't know. I mean my heart rate is crazy when I'm racing, so I can't say I also have like a super old watch that I do never I never wear one of those like armbands or anything like that. So who knows like how accurate it is, but it'll be like over 200. And so I don't think that's really in control. But yeah, I think it's really just like being willing to like put yourself in the pain, cave a little bit.
Speaker 1:Interesting. Yeah, I mean I feel like I said it translates so well, like I feel like there's just like so many of you guys that come over and I don't know it's different from like the traditional track, like some people are hit or miss um, even like coming from the roads, like merit, like marathon doesn't directly like translate into um like being a good trail runner, but for some reason the steeplechase, like you guys are all like, very rarely does someone come from the steeplechase and not do very well on trail.
Speaker 2:So I know it's like one to one kind of cool.
Speaker 1:I got to ask you about growing up in Montana like very wild place, like super cool, not a ton of people, like very interesting. What did that teach you about the outdoors from like a very young age? Like were you always kind of interested in the trails Like did you know that was a thing, or was it more like hiking for you and stuff like that?
Speaker 2:Yeah, well, I actually grew up like I mean a bit on the trails and like I would run on the trails when we would go, you know, like camping or like away for the weekend somewhere with the trail, like we'd go to the Tetons a lot running the trails there.
Speaker 2:Um, there's a lot of areas in Montana that we'd get on the trails or like the dirt roads, um, but mostly my outdoor experience was like mountain biking and fishing, um, my parents two favorite activities. So I feel like as a kid, those were the things that I was into and I think from that I just learned to like do the things that you love. And that's the thing about like trail running for me now is that I feel like it's become my my own, like run it's made running my own and like the thing that I love, not so much like the thing that I should do because my family is all runners or you know I have this scholarship, or like all those pressures that I used to have. Now it's just like for me and it's the thing that I love to do. So I think, um, yeah, being in Montana, just realizing that it's important to get outside and like do the things that you love and that make you feel, um, alive, and that it's okay to value those things.
Speaker 1:Interesting. Yeah, I mean, I feel like it's such a cool place to grow up to Like you. Just, I don't know it's similar to like. I talked to a lot of people that have grown up in Alaska and you know, you just develop more of an awareness too, for like grizzly bears and like moose and stuff. It's not like normal. Kids don't grow up like that.
Speaker 2:So it's interesting, it's different, um yeah, it's nice not having to run with bear spray around here.
Speaker 1:So that's true, and you it's like access is perfect in in, like the wasatch too, because like you are not like I. I last year I did alta search result and then I went up to grand targhee after it's not that far like it's actually like the access is pretty close, so it's not not too bad at all yeah, there's a lot of cool places in driving distance, which is awesome, yeah.
Speaker 1:One of the things you said kind of early in your story. We were talking about going working in Ecuador or down in South America, Like what was talk about that experience. It sounded pretty cool.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah. So I thought I wanted to do public health for a little while and I went and did an internship right out of college. Notre Dame was really great about being like, okay, there's, these are all the opportunities that you could have, um, after you graduate, and like sending out different like opportunities. And so I saw one one day and applied for it, and I went and worked with this um foundation called the Tandana foundation and so I was doing public health down there, um, and I did that for almost a year and I then I got into education somewhat through that like thinking about like public health, education was really important to me and then went back and got my master's. So I was only there for a short period of time, but it was.
Speaker 2:It was definitely a really impactful year or so of my life and I think that it, like in terms of thinking of running, it definitely was like a major turning point because it was like okay, now you're not continuing running, like you are doing this instead and you and you're choosing this different path. Um, and my both both of my sisters went on to be professional runners, but I kind of skipped that, and so it's interesting like reflecting on it now and getting more competitive now, like later in my life um, just thinking about how I kind of missed that step for this opportunity. But I'm really grateful for that and it's been cool to see like I can still kind of get into a space that's more uniquely my own in running um, without have gone going down the same path that most you know college do want to go straight professional, like running the track for a little while and then then go to the trails. I kind of skipped that professional track time.
Speaker 1:Do you put pressure on yourself, Like now obviously you said trail is more your own, but having like a dense family of runners, especially having two siblings that are like our pros obviously like I don't know, my sister and I are super competitive like I'm just a very competitive person by nature like, do you do you have that need to, like, want to like turn your trail career pro? Like because you probably will have that opportunity to if you continue on the track that you're on now?
Speaker 2:yeah, it's a good question, so I think so. I've been a teacher for 10 years now and I teach middle school math and I love it and I can't imagine having running be my only thing. So I think going pro in the sense where, like, it's the only thing that I'm doing would be hard for me. I still want to keep teaching and one of the things that, like, I love the most about being here and the access to the outdoors is getting my students involved. I have an adventure, an outdoor adventure club that I run at school. So once a month I bring my kids out to do different activities we mountain bike, we climb, we ski, cross country ski. Yeah, it's been really fun for them and it's a group of students that typically doesn't have access to outdoor sports. So I'm really passionate about that and I wouldn't want to give up that side. So if I could be pro and also still be supporting my adventure club or just getting students and at risk youth and youth of color into the outdoors, I would really love to have that opportunity. So, like, I've talked to a couple brands that thought that said maybe they could support me in that way. So, like I've talked to a couple brands that thought that said, maybe they could support me in that way too, like as a runner, um, and representing them and their brand, but also them supporting, like my passions and my students. And so if it could work out that way, then like, yes, I think I would want to take it to that level um.
Speaker 2:This year is the first year, like I said, that I've surprised myself and been like level Um. This year is the first year, like I said, that I was surprised myself and been like, oh, I can actually like be in the mix, you know, um, with some of these professional runners. So, yeah, it's kind of been the first time that I've been thinking about it and would love some support. Like getting to races on a teacher's salary is not the easiest thing unless they're like here, the Cirque series, in the in the Wasatch. So, yeah, it would be great to have that support. But I think my my main goal is to like have fun with it and to use it as like a stepping stone to help my students be able to figure out like what are their strengths in the outdoors and like what are they passionate about and like what can the outdoors bring to them and their growth.
Speaker 1:I doors and like what are they passionate about? And like what can outdoors bring to them and their growth? I love that. Let's uh, let's talk about, like, let's talk about your season, so far obviously top 10 at the broken arrow vk, which the ascent now so, and then top 10 at the 23k as well, which I think were like two, two races where folks got to learn your name, like people heard about you on the live streams and stuff like that um how did that?
Speaker 1:we'll talk about your races as well, like how they went for you, but also like how, how have they have things changed since then? Like, have you started getting more followers on instagram? Have like people started reaching out because now people are starting to know your name in the sport? Like how, how have things changed a little bit since then?
Speaker 2:yeah, um, yeah, definitely have had some more like followers on Instagram and Strava and, yeah, even just being invited to be on this podcast was huge for me. I followed you guys for a while and so it's just been fun to be like, oh my God, I get to be on this. So, yeah, it's definitely made me realize, like I said, that I can be in the mix and um had like a few conversations with some brands, but I don't have anything like solid and I I don't have a coach or like a training plan, just kind of out there having fun. Um, so very unofficial, but, um, it's been exciting to think about like where it could go.
Speaker 2:Um, and I've also been able to like connect with more professional runners and, yeah, I think like people, I've always kind of like even the last year, I placed pretty well in a couple of bigger races, but I've never been like on on top of like on a podium or like winning a race or anything any of those big races. So I think it's like my name has been consistently in the mix and now it's kind of like, okay, I'm still showing up there. So I've been proud of like being able to be consistent, even if I'm not like at the front of a race.
Speaker 1:No, I mean, like I, I gotta, you know, also preface this with the audience too, because I don't want to overstep, like your dude, last year fourth place in cirque series snowbird, which was the us mountain running champs, like that was also like a light out, like a performance, considering grayson was there, rachel was there, like every big, you know big name woman in our sport and man um so like showing up and just being able to throw down against some of the best in the sport, like you've already, you know, had an opportunity to prove yourself and you're just getting more consistent, which, which is crazy.
Speaker 1:Let's talk Broken Arrow. Obviously, the ascent was a weird kind of thing. Originally it was supposed to be almost 3,000 feet. Then they chopped it in half because of weather. Did that play into? Did that get in your head a little bit? I know, sometimes when courses are changed for athletes, it's like, oh, this isn't what I was training for, so it's going to be different. Like how, how did that play out for you?
Speaker 2:Yeah, so I had never done an ascent or a VK I know it's not really a VK, but um, so it was going to be my first uphill only race, which in my mind I was like I see myself more as a faster downhill runner than than an uphill runner, um, so I was pretty nervous about that. I was like I have no idea how this is going to pan out, but I'm just going to go out there and give my best, and I think that it being shorter probably helped me. I was able to just be like I'm going to go out, like I know this is going to be painful the whole entire time, so I'm just going to like go hard from the beginning and just see how long I can last. So obviously, if the course is longer, I might have absolutely blown up. Um, but yeah, I was like going hard from the beginning. It was like kind of crazy Cause you couldn't really tell where you were in the race.
Speaker 2:It's just like everybody, a mass going up the ski Hill, um, and yeah, I mean I didn't really know, like, where I was in the race until later on. Um, someone started saying like you know, top 10 women, like number nine, number eight or whatever. I was in the race until later on Um, someone started saying, like you know, top 10 women like number nine, number eight or whatever. I was at Um. So, yeah, it was really fun. I definitely thought that we were close. We were at the finish um, one of the first uphills, and like really pushed it and then saw how much farther we had to go and was like, oh God, um, but held it together. So, yeah, it was exciting and I think it gave me a lot of confidence for the 23 K to be like no, you showed up and like you showed that you can be a strong uphill runner. So like, don't think of yourself as only a fast downhill runner. Like you can also push on these climbs too. Yeah, I mean yeah.
Speaker 1:And it was so crazy to like the mass start First off the mass start throws me off in the sense where it's yeah, it's so and it was so crazy too like the mass start first off. The mass start throws me off in the sense where it's it's on like a ski hill, but it's like not a ski hill. It's like there's like plants and like, yeah, trees and stuff. I didn't race it this year. I've been on the course before. I'm just like what are you guys?
Speaker 1:doing like there's yeah this is such a weird start I know and this year it was like particularly strange too, because it like went from that to like road, to single track, to like road again.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and it funneled a little bit too at the top, so it was kind of like a traffic jam. So you're like scrambling up. I was like grabbing plants, like dusty you get funneled in. You'd have no idea where you're at.
Speaker 1:Proper, proper trail running for you, did you? How was like the recovery in between? Like, do you? Obviously it's saturday to recover and it's like what is it? 1600 feet. So it's not like a stupid, like hard. I mean it's a hard effort, but like yeah there's no descending, so you're not really damaging muscles like are you able to recover fine for the 23k or yeah, I mean I felt pretty good for the 23k.
Speaker 2:Um, I like did an easy run with my friend who came with me on the trip on on saturday. We just like explored around the area, um, and so that was fun. Um jumped in donner lake, donner. Um, yeah, I had a good relaxing day. Got to um see part of the 46k, see some of my friends finish that or cheer from the for them, um, from, I mean I was just watching like the live results, but just like fun to be in the environment, um. And then, yeah, 23k, I felt decent so I just kind of went for it.
Speaker 2:Like again this season has been I've been telling myself it's just full sudden find out. Like the thing about not having a coach or a sponsor, is it or a team is no one really cares if you blow up besides yourself. So I'm just like, okay, I'm gonna put myself in it and just hang on for as long as I can. And that's pretty much been my race strategy for all of these. Um. And yeah, I kept thinking like, oh, I'm for sure gonna blow up at some point in this race.
Speaker 2:I mean it was the longest trail race I had ever run, so I did the shortest and the longest race that I have ever done in the same weekend, yeah, and you know, like some of the climbs felt tough, but I think that's part of the sport. Like I always remind myself you're here to hurt, you're here to dig Like that's what the sport is about. So it's not supposed to feel easy. So I just kind of kept hanging on and then I was able to descend pretty quickly and I think that helped me, like, secure that ninth place spot.
Speaker 1:Did you? How did the race work out for you? Like were you in no man's land most of the time? Were you in? Like were you battling with any other ladies Like how was, how, was that working? Were you battling with any other ladies Like how was how was?
Speaker 2:that working, yeah, um, so the first three miles or so, it was kind of like the four broke away and then, um, it was like five, six, seven, eight kind of all together and and we could see the top four. Um, and it's kind of windy through the trees. I'm sure you're familiar with the course or if you've been there. Um, yeah, so, um, it felt like not completely no man's land, cause I had a couple of girls around me and I could also see the leaders there. Um, once we got to like the steeper climbs I, that's when there was like a little more separation, um, and yeah, and I could always, I always had eyes on somebody, which was nice because, yeah, getting disconnected is a little bit harder.
Speaker 2:And then up the climbs, allie Mack passed me and so I was trying to like latch on to her for a little bit. You know, like another amazing strong uphill runner. So I was like just try to hang on, yeah. And then the first descent my stomach was kind of not feeling great, so it was hard for me to push it. Um, and at that point I was like I think I had been passed by Allie, and now was a ninth spot and I was kind of getting a little separated um from the girls but yeah, so kind of took that first downhill a little easy and then felt better when we climbed back up to get ready for the last descent um.
Speaker 2:And then on that climb is when the men started catching up to us, because they started, I think, 20 minutes later. So that was kind of nice to like not be completely on my own. I mean, yeah, they were flying by me but yeah, and then I could look back and I saw sydney there so I knew she was like somewhat close um, and yeah, I was just honestly like really stoked to be in the top 10 at that point that I was just enjoying the whole rest of the way down and like couldn't really believe it.
Speaker 1:So yeah, that's so cool, it's so cool. Like you realize what spot you're in and you're having fun and you're working, but like you're still having fun and it's like, yeah, in the course, and like you get in that flow state almost which is it and it's like, yeah, in the course, and like you get in that flow state almost, which is it's like that's a hard thing to find, like it's, once you're in it, it's like, yeah, it's awesome.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it was so much fun, and the environment there too. I mean like people cheering down, like the last mile was super fun, the bell ringing bell.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, you know what it's. It's the environment's insane. I see I love it and I can't say I hate it. But I love it because when you're in the race it's so much fun but there's so much going on and so much you can literally just jump in just before the gun goes off and you're good to go. You don't have to yeah, that stuff, whereas broken arrow is like a whole thing.
Speaker 1:It's like a giant weekend. So, yeah, yeah, do you think, um, after this did golden trail series, like approach you to do any more races this year? Or like, are you thinking about possibly traveling or doing anything like that to do any of the other races?
Speaker 2:Yeah, okay, so they haven't. I tried to reach out to them to figure out, like, how do you even get involved in it? I mean I feel so new to trail running right now that I'm still figuring out like what are the big races Like, how do you get involved, how do you become like a golden trail athlete? And I was able to talk to Rachel at the last Cirque series a little bit, so like trying to learn a little bit more about the series and everything. So that's been fun to be able to learn from some of the um athletes that have been around for a while.
Speaker 2:Um, I would love to next year be part of that um, run a few of those Uh, like I said, getting to those races is hard for me. Um, so if I have a sponsor, that would be amazing because then I could actually afford to go to some of those races and compete. But yeah, I mean I, like I said, surprised myself and like getting a top 10 finish at a golden trail uh race really was exciting and made me start thinking like, okay, maybe I could go and run some of these other races and take that opportunity.
Speaker 1:You can hang with the best of them. And like and that's the thing too is like, and I don't know, maybe it's too. We'll put this out into the universe. We'll see if, because I know some people that are affiliated with that do listen. But like, if I mean it might be too late for series and all, but who knows, maybe not. You know, I know they do help with um, they help with all that stuff, and rachel I'm sure she's- that's what she was saying.
Speaker 1:Like there's some support, yeah yeah, there's anybody to talk to, it's her, she's the best. So, yeah, yeah she's. She's good people yeah she's awesome. So what does that leave for the rest of the season? Are you going to go up to grand targhee race, the cirque series race there, like what do you? What do you got planned?
Speaker 2:yeah, so actually I'm planning to run the rest of the cirque series, so, um, right now.
Speaker 1:Yes, grand targhee, or which one I'm still debating on if I'm going do targi. I would hope so. I'll definitely be at crystal, maybe a basin, I feel like I have to be at a basin, but definitely crystal.
Speaker 2:Yeah, maybe we'll see yeah, yeah, so I'm heading to the aliaska one this weekend, um, so I'm excited about that. That'll be a fun little trip, also before school starts. But yeah, school is back. Like august 11th we get back for professional development, I know, and then the kids come the next week, so it definitely gets harder for me to train and get to races once school's back in session. But I'm still going to try and prioritize it the best I can and get out to all those races. It's nice about the Cirque series Like I can drive to most of them, so I can do most of those in a weekend, quick weekend trip. So that's the plan as of now.
Speaker 1:Has the rut crossed your mind at all, especially being from Montana?
Speaker 2:Yeah, actually, um, so I've had some friends do it before and they had a lot of fun and I've, you know, I've always heard about it. I never really dreamed that I would be a trail runner, so I don't know. I just now that I feel like, okay, it would be possible to do that I would love to do at at some point. I know it's hard to get into, but, um, maybe I can like reach out and get an elite spot or something.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I would love to do that it's a little longer than I typically race, but it would be fun. I would say do the 20k over the 28k, because the 28k is is brutal absolutely okay, that's what I've heard that there's like some really brutal just like scree, field fields, and. But it'd be fun. That's the mountain that I grew up skiing, so it would be a lot of fun to be racing on it oh, hell yeah, big skies, dope.
Speaker 1:What a beautiful area, like super cool, I gotta ask you this. So you just took second place, uh uh, at cirque series. Snowbird to jane moss. Uh, who's? Also a friend of the pod, love jane. She's super sweet yes um yo, how did that race unfold for you? That course, I is so nasty, so steep, like 3 000 feet of climbing and like eight miles. Like how did uh, how did that race go for you?
Speaker 2:um, yeah, so well, we did the course course preview the day before, which I was like see, why are we doing this on friday? You?
Speaker 1:did the same thing to me at killington. I did the course pre-pro and I'm like injured, I'm like dude, I'm going to die. There's no way I could do both this and then the race the next day Anyway.
Speaker 2:I know it was definitely like getting in my head too, because I was like my normal pre-race is like three miles on the flat roads or something like that. So definitely got in my head a little bit, cause I was like wait, jane, she trained for she does two labs at broken arrow and I only do one. Like am I going to be able to hang with her? Like I'm just not a long distance girl but um, but we started off pretty fast Cause it was like downhill and through the parking lot. So, um, and I think Rachel was pushing the pace a bit and I was kind of like you, you know what, if I don't attach to her, like then I'm gonna be out the back door. Because I was just like didn't have the best week building up and was feeling like kind of tired, um, so I just decided like I'm gonna go and hang on to her as long as I can again like full send and find out. It's kind of been my um race strategy. So I went with her for a bit and we were kind of um, I think Jane was probably like had her eyes on us and was like right back there. Um, eventually she came up to us and then was like passing us, and so I then decided to kind of stay with her as long as I could, and there was a few times where we went like back and forth, um, but by the time we reached we talked at the top of the cirque.
Speaker 2:I was struggling to stay on her pace and so she just kind of like slowly distanced herself from me for a while until, and then up on baldy, um, I knew I was like a little bit of a distance from rachel, but I could tell that she was like right there. So I definitely pushed the downhill a bit and I pushed that section off of Baldy. I hate that part where you come like straight down and you get a bunch of like dirt in your shoes, yeah. So I hate that part. But I tried to push it and push the boulder field and that little, that last little climb, and then, yeah, it felt like pretty decent on the downhill. I kinda of.
Speaker 2:This is the same thing that happened to me when I ran a basin with Jane last year where, like I kind of knew she was long gone in front of me so it was going to be hard to gain a couple minutes on her on the downhill. Um, so it's just trying to focus on like continuing to push and hold my second place. Um, and I could hear like the announcers announcing her when she crossed the line when I was finishing up those switchbacks, so I was just like really excited that, um, she was the one to take the win that day. Um, yeah, we were joking, cause Steve told us that no one who has done the course preview has ever had the best race afterwards. So, yeah, we were joking that he was sabotaging our race.
Speaker 1:Honestly, you two have done the best, like the last year. Granted alta, he didn't even race. Michelino did. Uh, grant hargie shout out to michelino, he absolutely blew up um. And then I can't remember who did. I think it was julian who did not, julian car, another julian who did um the other one I blew up in killington. You guys are the only ones as far as I know yeah, we were like we broke the course preview curse.
Speaker 2:So yeah, just it was just a lot of fun. Like I love racing with jane and it was fun to like get to know her a little bit more. That past week um was really happy to see like rachel was um feeling better and like being on the podium with her is always really exciting. You know, she's such a accomplished runner in the trail uh races. So yeah, it was just a fun time and yeah, steve and julian do a great job putting on those races. I've always had a lot of fun at them. So, yeah, I had some friends there too. My sister was in town, so it was just like a fun afternoon.
Speaker 1:Super cool. I couldn't think of a. I mean, those races are stupid fun, like, especially like the Wasatch ones in particular. I feel like they get a lot more people, or at least a lot more hype to them. The Wasatch ones's like out, done snowbird, so it's a little bit different, so nice and fun. I got to ask you about training so you said you don't have a coach, you're just kind of figuring it out as you go. What does your volume look like? Are you doing a lot of flat stuff, mountain stuff? What do you like to do?
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's a little chaotic, it's just kind of what I feel like and what makes me have fun. So, basically, I mean I I kind of took like what I learned in college and I try and do a couple workouts a week and a long run a week. I probably run on average like 30 to 40 miles a week. I've definitely had, like I had like a 58 mile week a couple weeks back and was like, oh, getting up there. But I also mountain bike and I rock climb, and so I spend like some of my time doing that too. So, even if I am not running as much, I'm like still doing a bit of training and that's good for, you know, my cardio and everything. So, um, I one thing that I think has like really helped me is that I've been lifting with my friend who is a PT, um at Roadrunner Athletics, and so she is really helping me like stay injury free. So I think that's huge Um.
Speaker 2:But yeah, I definitely train on the road sometimes too not so much in the summer because it's so hot down here, um, but like every couple of weeks I'll do a road workout and then, um, my sister runs for um Nike and they were here for their altitude training and so I like jumped into a couple of their track workouts, um, yeah, yeah, so, but you know, so it's just like, okay, they're here, they're doing a workout, sure, I'll jump in on that.
Speaker 2:There's no like set structure really. I mean, you know, I I know the gist of it, like get a couple of hard efforts in, like getting some threshold work, in getting some interval work, in making sure I'm having rest days. But my rest days are usually like I'm going to go mountain biking or I'm going to go climb, yeah. So I don't really track my weekly mileage, a ton or any of that. And it's honestly been working for me because I think it makes me really listen to my body and do what I need and also, like keeps me excited about the sport and not feeling like, oh, I have to go do this run today. Like if I wake up and I'm not feeling good, or I start the run and it's not feeling like a day I can do a workout, then I just push it to the next day and I figure it out.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah. I mean, I think there's something to be said about like not making it a job, like the more you make it a job and like I have to do this, the less you want to do it. Or like it hinders performance when you're still having fun. I think that that's, I don't know, like everything's so new. Right, like you, you can always come up with different routes. You can always do you. Let me ask you this Like I know you said, like you do some stuff on the road, some stuff there, but like is it more like flat running or is it more it's more trails?
Speaker 2:but sometimes I'm just like chilling on a trail and just like running six miles with my friends and not really training. And then sometimes, like on Saturday, I went and ran temp really hard on the up, um, and then like had a really fun time coming down. So, yeah, once I get excited about something, I'll like go for it and like see how fast I can push it and, um, yeah, so I I guess it's hard to know because I don't really track it that often, but I think most of it in the summertime is trail running. I did um train for the Salt Lake half marathon. There was April 26th because I was going to do the sun and peace scramble June 1st and I was like I need something to motivate me and there's still snow on the trails. So I did a lot of road running early season, like March and April and but this summer it's been maybe on the roads like once every week or two weeks. All my other runs are on the trails dude, I can't.
Speaker 1:I'm sorry, I did not bring up son of p, I forgot to. Uh, you took a tap. You top 10 finish there too. It was like, dude, you're having such a crazy season, like what did you think about the? Uh? Sorry, not to completely change the subject, I just had this question for you, like what did you think about the Northeast trails?
Speaker 2:It was so fun. It was a mud bath though, but honestly I laughed out loud like five times during the race just because I was like slipping around and like face planning and you'd be just like sprinting downhill and all of a sudden your leg is like knee deep in a mud swamp that you couldn't see. So it was just, it was a fun time. The forest was really fun. It was like a lot of roots and trees, which I loved that I got a little bit in no man's land there. So I was just kind of like remember, you're not just like romping around in the forest Like you're in a race, you got to keep pushing. Yeah, it was fun, and again like surprise myself there too.
Speaker 1:So yeah, yeah, yeah, dude, what a season. Um, so I was on, I did the live stream first on a piece, so we like we had such a good time with Danny and MK, but like it was just really fun to get to, uh, you know, follow you guys throughout the course and kind of seeing as things unfolded. Like, did you feel? Like I feel like it was impossible to feel strong on the descents there just because, like you said, like you'd always be falling and tripping over stuff and losing David Norris lost a shoe, like it was wild. Like were you able to actually like hold ground on the descents? Like what did you think? Or was it?
Speaker 2:easier to make up ground on like ascending on the climbs. I think I was able to hold ground pretty decently on the ascents, to be honest. Yeah, I was like flying down the like once you got out of the swampy area and then there's that road kind of like down to the bottom of the course. I felt like I was able to really fly on that. The ascents were hard for me because it was like so slippery and wet, and so that was definitely difficult. I think my strongest sections, though, were like that like the road, where it was like probably less than 10% grade, just trying to like push as much as I could. You know, we had just done that big climb, so I think a lot of people were like in recovery mode and I was like I'm going to push it here, and I think that was probably like my strongest sections of the race.
Speaker 1:Super cool and you were close man Like do you think, uh, uh, two years from now you're gonna try and get on team usa?
Speaker 2:I mean, I would love to like it's crazy to even say that out loud, because I don't think at the beginning of the season I would have even thought that that was possible but I think this season I really proved to myself that like I can be in the mix and especially if I like start taking training a little more seriously, um, and like prioritizing it, like I don't want to sacrifice all the other things that I love to do, um, but at the same time I think there's like so much more room for me to grow as an athlete and like ways that I can take my training more seriously and like maybe be a little more regimented on my training schedule and learn from some of these pros, um, that can hopefully like get me to that point.
Speaker 1:Do you think you'll wind up getting a coach soon or stick with what you're doing?
Speaker 2:I don't know. I honestly have kind of loved doing my own thing and just like being able to listen to my body and like trust in my own decisions about training and it's. You know, I do like ask some of my friends sometimes like I'll reach out, I'll talk to Steve about like a course and be like what do you think I should do to prepare for this? And he'll be like, okay, maybe this run or just like hearing what some of the other pros are doing. And then I'm pretty close friends with Charlie Linton, who is the coach at the U. So if I'm doing a track workout or like a road interval workout, I'll like ask her you know, how much rest should I have between these things, like you know? So I I feel like I don't have a coach, but I have some like consultants.
Speaker 1:I don't have a coach. I coached for years and this is the first year I've ever not had one. Granted, I did get a massive injury. It was probably my fault, but like other than that, once you start figuring it out, it really works. It's like oh, and you have different people that in your repertoire you can ask questions specifically about workouts is where I struggle.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:You think this could be? Could I do this? Am I going to blow up here, like you know, just questions like that? But like, yeah, I think chat GPT a lot too.
Speaker 2:Maybe we should try that one. Yeah, I feel like I have enough you know, my sisters too like I've been in it enough to try to like piece it together. But I'm sure there's still a lot to learn about trails specifically. So we'll see.
Speaker 1:I got to ask you about rock climbing, like kind of mixing that in. Do you scramble a lot Like? Are you more like into the technical stuff?
Speaker 2:now, yeah, I do love scrambling. Um, last year my friend and I attempted the world and we got very close. We did not quite finish it but we did a lot of scrambling to prepare for that. Um, so, and then and like now I'll go and scramble with some friends. Like love getting up South Ridge quick. And yeah, I I definitely like love that part of the course too. When it gets like a little bit techie up there, it's fun for me. And like, even when I ran temp the other day, like my favorite part was like the end I was able to really push. It's not super scrambly but yeah, it's fun for me. And rock climbing I mostly like sport climb so it's a good recovery day. Like post race, hike up like one mile to the crag and just hang out, do some climbs, um, relax with my friends. So it's been a really good like side sport for me. I'm not like amazing at it but um, yeah, it's been fun.
Speaker 1:I feel like you can get super fit from it, like all the rock climbers I know are like monsters Like they're super fit. It's crazy.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it definitely helps and, honestly, like there's some times that I'm trying so hard on a route that I'm like trying harder than when I'm running.
Speaker 1:Yeah, oh, you can get your heart rate up there, it's, do you um? First off tell tell. Heart rate up there, it's do you um? All right, first off tell tell. I gotta hear about like this world attempt.
Speaker 2:Like, where did you guys bail? Like, how far did you get? Like what we? Um, we bailed off a south thunder after like hiding under a rock from a thunderstorm for like 30 minutes. So, um, so we, and then we had to go down bells canyon still, which sucks, that's the worst part of the world. So, um, yeah, it was. We definitely were a lot slower than we had hoped.
Speaker 2:Um, I ended up accidentally kicking a rock down onto my friend um on her head and she had a head injury and so we had to deal with that. It was really scary. It's probably one of my scariest moments in the mountains, to be honest. Um, and it was like in a chimney. It was like seven hours in on the cottonwood traverse. Um, yeah, so that was bad, but recovered from that like she didn't have any concussion symptoms.
Speaker 2:We watched her closely and then we just kind of like decided we're gonna just keep going to. We had all these people like helping us and supporting us. So we'd be like, okay, let's just make it to this person, and then she'd be like actually, like I think I want to keep going and so we just continue on, um, and so it kind of like I think the reason we got so far is that we took the pressure off ourselves of finishing it after that head injury and we were just kind of like doing it step by step and getting as far as we could, and so I don't know, I mean I felt really proud of us. It was like very slow, but yeah, after dealing with the head injury and just like taking our time at all the stops. I think getting that far was a big win and maybe we'll try it again, but definitely not this summer. We were like we need a break from that.
Speaker 1:How many hours were you guys out there?
Speaker 2:Because I know this is bad.
Speaker 1:It's like going faster out there for an eternity.
Speaker 2:Yeah, well, we were not moving fast. We definitely took a lot of time in the stops and like dealing with our injury. We definitely took a lot of time in the stops and like dealing with her injury. We, I think in total we ended like 42 or 43 hours. It was great, holy shit, that's so.
Speaker 2:I was like delirious coming up down bells canyon. Yeah, I was honestly feeling physically fine until we started going down bells canyon and I was like I'm done with this, like we're bushwhacking, it's raining on us. Yeah, basically it was like pouring rain. We had to hide under the rock and then we were kind of like we don't really want to do bighorn in the notch while it's like raining and stormy, so and we had been feeling it for that being out there that long.
Speaker 2:So, yeah, it was kind of like a wild thing to attempt, but I think it was like another confidence boost that I mean, there's not that many women out here doing that stuff in the wasatch, and so for us to be able to do that, you know we we had trained and we had like done all the sections, but you know we're not like the fastest scramblers or like the fastest mountaineers that are here and like the professionals that are here in the wasatch, but we still like could get that far. So I think it was cool to see and prove to ourselves that you know there can be more women out there going for those things and you're're maybe we're not going to be like sub 24 hours, but like we can still do it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you never. I'm just like you never know. The more you do it, the better you get and like, the faster you'll you'll improve. The reason I asked about was because it's it's very rare, especially in our sport. You'll find women that it's. There's a technical component to like some things like, um, where you can be a really good scrambler, slash, rock climber and then also be very talented at running uphill and downhill. There's not too many of them, and when you do find them, I always ask the question like is there any objectives like that? Interest you like the grand Teton or something like that?
Speaker 2:Yeah, yes, well, I actually would love to climb the grand we. I didn't attempt last year and got rained out, um, unfortunately, we like turned around and then started going down and then it was like a really sunny, beautiful day. So it's just one of those times where you like have to make the hard decision and, um, unfortunately, like sometimes you make that decision, you're like, thank god, we made the right decision. Sometimes you make it and you're like, okay, we could have, we could have waited it out and finish that. So, um, have never summited it, summited it, but would love to summit it.
Speaker 2:Um, I'm going to be around there in August and would love to go for it. Um, and then, yeah, I think in the future I would love to try and like go for more um, like mountain FKTs and um like scramble a little bit more and like add my trail running to scrambling and trying to go for some of those things. I think that's like down the road. A lot of those are like bigger days and again, like my mileage is not very high, I'm like a rare day that I'm running over like 13 miles. So I definitely have some work to do for that, but it would be really fun no-transcript.
Speaker 1:So it's like if you combine those things, there's a lot of things that like you can do that maybe the average really good runner might not be able to.
Speaker 2:So yeah, yeah, and I think I'm usually like out there with my friends just enjoying the day and, like you know, trying to be safe and have fun. Um, so it'll be fun to like try and push myself a little bit more and see if I can just gain those skills to be able to move faster in those more technical situations. Super cool.
Speaker 1:Is there anything like outside of? Obviously? We talked about Cirque series, we talked about golden trail. Is there any like race or effort that you've seen, that you're like? I want to do that in the next few years. Is there anything like that comes to mind?
Speaker 2:Um, okay, this is going to be random, it's not like a official race. But so my friend and I did skid drawing um in February, which, if if you're not familiar, it's like you have a horse and they have, and then you're tied, you're a skier and you have a rope and you hang onto it and you like go off, jumps and stuff. So that was really fun. It was our first time doing it. It was hilarious. It was a lot of effort for a kind of ridiculous goal.
Speaker 2:But there's these races that are called ride and ties and it's like someone rides a horse and you run and you like, and the person ties the horse there and then you run, you get to the horse, you ride the horse, you catch up to them and then, um, it's like, it's like a. Really I know I told you it's gonna be ridiculous. So I really want to do one of those, like just for fun. Um, I think I just like to keep my goals kind of like light-hearted too, um, where it like just go out and do what is fun to you. So that's been on my radar for like wanting to do a race like that. I'd love to run abroad at some point. I went to Chamonix last summer and, just like seeing all the pictures, the Mont Blanc marathon and all that um really inspired me. So that's my more serious answer to the question.
Speaker 1:Do you? Are you familiar with Mount marathon? I feel like you would crush that race.
Speaker 2:No, I'm not again. Like I'm so new. I like, yeah, tell me what races should be on my radar for Mount marathon next year.
Speaker 1:So Mount marathon it's like Sir Caliasco, but like different. It's like only three. It's a 5k, but it's like almost 3000 feet of vert for a 5k.
Speaker 2:And it just happened.
Speaker 1:Right, it just happened on July.
Speaker 2:It's always July weekend, it's super special.
Speaker 1:And I just I always bring it up because I always want more athletes to go there, because the field, like the fields, are already deep, but to get more you know just more people there in general, or get more people excited about it. It is such a cool race, yeah, highly recommend.
Speaker 2:I will definitely look into it, cause that short distance is probably more my thing anyways.
Speaker 1:It's sick. Yeah, and Mel, you know, marathon du Mont Blanc, it's not a bad one either.
Speaker 2:It's a good one Series and all that's another one, but that's a marathon Like that's a sweet race no-transcript, and I think that maybe part of the reason I'm not I am, I just am so new to it and I like didn't really believe that I can make those kinds of goals. But now, um, starting to get that confidence is helpful, and so maybe I'll start like setting my sights on some of those races, nice, nice.
Speaker 1:All right, I got some, some questions I got to get to. I usually keep these as formal about you questions. I'm curious who inspires you.
Speaker 2:Um, let's see. Well, I mean, I really get inspired by like seeing some of my friends out there who are still racing and, um, like chasing their goals and even just like not professional friends, just people who are like I want to do this thing, I'm going to work really hard for it and I'm going to go for it. Um, so I don't know, even just like talking with jane this past week and hearing about her goals and like seeing her get the win at the cirque series and just like doing super well in the broken arrow, like that was, was really inspiring. Um, my sisters, for sure, like they've been working really hard. My youngest sister, um, who is running for Nike, just like putting in the work every day to like reach these goals that she has.
Speaker 2:Um, yeah, and my, my grandma was a runner as well, and so, um, she kind of like was the toughest of all of us and was running every day and she lived till 95 and she recently passed Um, and we really think that part of that is because she would like she'd run three miles every day, um, until she had to start walking those three miles and then until those miles became like a half mile. So, but she was like out there um every day doing her little daily walk. So, um, yeah, I think the people that are willing to put in the work and um chase the things that are important to them really inspire me.
Speaker 1:It's a beautiful answer. I got to ask you about competition, like on a scale of like one, two as intense as you could possibly be. Like where do you fall on like the competition scale of being competitive? Like how competitive am I? Yeah, like wait, so let's say we're playing a board game here like, are you? Gonna crush me. Like is that, is that the plan? Like like how competitive are you?
Speaker 2:I'm pretty competitive. Like, even if I have no business being competitive, I am pretty competitive. Um, I think it runs in the family. I think, like, like I said, like back to my friend taking me to that Wasatch trail race, I was like, oh, I'm just gonna like jog this and then, like you put a bib on me and I'm like I'm racing and so I think I can't help myself sometimes and I think that's like part of why I do well, even like with my training being so chaotic, I just like getting a race and I'm like, okay, like you're here to compete and I'm able to lock in on that pretty well super cool.
Speaker 1:Um music. Gotta ask you this is a two-parter one do you ever listen to music during workouts? And two, what's what's the song right now, or like what's your?
Speaker 2:okay, wow, the song okay. I definitely listen to music during workouts. I work out on my own a lot of times, so that's really helpful, because then like can't hear how hard I'm breathing. It's a good distraction. I think the song that I listened to before Broken Arrow was Ready For it by Taylor Swift, and it actually really got me pumped up, so it got me some good luck. Yeah, okay, all right.
Speaker 1:Very cool, very cool, um damn, oh, that was going to ask you nervousness.
Speaker 2:Do you get nervous on start lines? Um, for sure, yeah, definitely. I think that that's like I can't imagine not being nervous on a start line. Um, yeah, start lines is like when you panic, panic about everything, like are you wearing the right socks, like things that you never think about in a workout, and then all of a sudden, you're like I need these exact socks. I like am I taking the right fuel? I remember like in Broken Arrow they had a meeting about the fuel stations for the, for the elites, and so I was like I have no idea how to do that, I don't even know. Like I was like trying to look at what other pros were doing, or like before a centipede scramble, I was like are they taking their water? If they're not taking their water, I'm not taking water. And then I just like quickly took my belt off because I didn't see any other professionals taking their water. So I definitely like get those nervous jitters and like making those last minute decisions. Um, yeah, for sure, get nervous.
Speaker 1:I like it. What, what shoes are you wearing these days? Like what do you? What do you like to wear?
Speaker 2:Um, I run in the Bushido threes, the last one to you guys, bushido's really.
Speaker 1:Yeah, they're super comfortable. I'd never seen people racing those really.
Speaker 2:Well, okay, so so I've been. Yeah, that's so I've been. Yeah, that's what I've been, that's what I scrambling and training yeah, so I definitely blow through them really fast. So I literally just ordered some new ones before this podcast. So, and then my sister, the one that runs for Nike, got me some of those. Like they're like the fast super shoe, I think there's. I don't know if, if there's, it's like alpha fly or something like that for trails yeah, oh, the and so I ultra fly yeah, ultra fly.
Speaker 2:Okay, yeah, ultra fly. So she got me some of those um, and I've been racing in those a couple times and I really like them. So they're not quite as like technical for so i'm'm not sure if I'll wear them for Alaska or not. I have to figure that out. I'll probably like have some nervous panic about that before the race.
Speaker 1:I'm just curious to see if you do wear the Bushido's. I'm so curious to hear, like, how that goes for you, cause like that's a great technical shoe, but I've, just like I said, I've never seen anybody racing them.
Speaker 2:just because it's cool, it's a cool ship yeah again, I don't know what I'm doing here, so I just wear whatever I have cool, cool, cool.
Speaker 1:Well listen, alexa. I thank you so much for coming on. This is a great conversation. Um, I'm sure I'll bump into you at a cirque series race. Hopefully I'll be one of them in the next few months or month or so. So wish you the best of luck in your season. Really appreciate you coming on for a chat.
Speaker 2:Thank you. Thanks for having me. It was great talking with you. Yeah, thank you.
Speaker 1:What'd you guys think? Oh man, I want to thank Alexa so much for coming on the podcast. It was a great conversation, really looking forward to where the rest of her season is going to take her and just what she's going to be able to do in the future. Like I said, someone that definitely has the talent, ability to be at the top of our sport. Um, before you guys get going, give her a follow on Instagram. I'm going to link it in the show notes and you can. Also, if you are listening to this, you can find her underscore Lexi L E X. I underscore A R a G O N. Give her a follow, let her know what you guys thought about the episode and send her for her, some words of encouragement. She takes on the rest of the Cirque series races in 2025. Guys, if you enjoyed this episode and you continue to be a supporter of the podcast, if you haven't already, please give us a five-star rating and review on Apple, spotify or wherever you consume your podcasts. And yeah, I've got a lot of good stuff coming your guys' way. We're finally back from the East Coast, we're finally starting to get some things scheduled and we've got a lot of fun episodes with a lot of cool athletes and just race previews and collaborations we're working on over the next month or so. So some cool things on the horizon and I appreciate you guys tuning in and your patience as we're starting to ramp back up and hopefully have more episodes your way. So thanks so much. Have a great rest of your week. Listen up, guys.
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