The Steep Stuff Podcast
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The Steep Stuff Podcast
World Championships Race Preview & Analysis - Uphill, Mtn Classic & Short Trail with Robert Prosser
The mountains of Spain are set to host an unprecedented gathering of mountain running talent as the World Mountain Running Championships descend upon Canfranc in the Pyrenees. This year's championship field is arguably the deepest ever assembled, with elite athletes from Kenya, Uganda, Italy, France, Spain, and the United States poised for an epic showdown across four grueling disciplines.
The championship courses themselves present extraordinary challenges. The vertical race features nearly 1,000 meters of climbing over just 6.4 kilometers, while the short trail packs a staggering 12,000 feet of elevation gain into its 45-kilometer route. These aren't your typical mountain races – they feature sustained climbs and descents that dwarf what most American runners encounter domestically, with technical terrain that will test even the most seasoned mountain athletes.
Kenya's Patrick Kipengeno seeks to make history with a third consecutive vertical championship, while Team USA fields perhaps its strongest contingent ever. Christian Allen makes his world championship debut with legitimate medal potential, Anna Gibson represents an exciting American talent who could surprise everyone, and the accomplished veterans Joseph Gray and Grayson Murphy each chase their third world titles in different disciplines. The Spanish team, led by technical descending maestro Manuel Morales, will enjoy home field advantage on courses that seem tailor-made for their skills.
The team competition adds another compelling dimension, with nations scored based on their top performers in cross-country fashion. This creates strategic depth requirements beyond individual brilliance. After Kenya's dominant showing in 2023, teams like Italy, France, Spain, and the USA all bring squads capable of challenging for team medals.
Whether you're tracking the established champions, the emerging talents, or the team battle, this championship weekend promises mountain running at its most thrilling and competitive level. Watch as athletes push their limits on Spain's demanding terrain in pursuit of world championship glory.
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Welcome back to the steep stuff podcast. I'm your host, james Lauriello, and I'm so excited to finally bring you guys a breakdown episode. This is gonna be a race preview for the vertical, the mountain classic and the short trail for the world mountain running championship that's gonna be taking place starting tomorrow, the 25th of September, and running through the weekend and the 28th, kicking off with the vertical as well as the, subsequently followed by the long trail short trail and finally ca kicking off with the vertical as well as the subsequently followed by the long trail short trail and finally capped off with the mountain classic that's going to be taking place on Sunday. I'm joined by co-host Robert Prosser. You guys might recognize that name from Substack and Instagram. Robert is a local Colorado Springs-based Substack writer as well as podcast host, where he runs a sub stack called Rob runs round and he frequently comments and commentates and discusses and talks about free trial fantasy picks, as well as provides his own race preview episodes. He's an absolute brain, has extremely good recall on a lot of these athletes, so I think there's going to be a ton of value for you guys looking to lock in your free trial fantasy picks.
Speaker 1:I'm super excited about this, um, and it's just exciting to uh get to spend some time with Rob talking to him, uh, about what he thinks. Um, as far as the winners and picks are going to go for, uh, the world mountain running championship, um, it's kind of funny how we kind of lean back and forth, where I'm a little bit more on the American rah-rah side and Rob is a little bit more data-based. So we provide some good balance there as far as our selections and picks. I think there's some good banter back and forth and, just like I said, hopefully a lot of value. So, without further ado, I hope you guys enjoy this one. We do start and kind of bounce around. This is a preview episode, like I said, for all three, some ultra categories, which is going to be the vertical, the mountain classic and the short trail. Guys enjoy this one Really. Appreciate you tuning in and thanks so much. It's time. Thank you, ladies and gentlemen. We are live. Robert Prosser. Welcome to the Steep Stuff Podcast. How's it going, man?
Speaker 2:It's going good and happy to be here and grateful you invited me, so I'm excited to talk about Worlds today.
Speaker 1:Yeah, dude, I'm excited to be able to do this. You know you're a local in the Springs now and you know you and I bumped into one another on the trail. I had no idea you were doing media stuff and I was like, oh well, this could be a perfect opportunity to talk about worlds, have a conversation around it, and it's a huge week, probably one of the biggest weeks of our sport so far. So, um, yeah, dude, maybe tell, tell the audience a little bit about yourself and like your background and your sub stack and the stuff you're working on.
Speaker 2:Yeah for sure uh, yeah, it was a cool coincidence. I've known that we were both in the springs and I think, uh, just scheduling wise then also me being gone a lot of this year for military stuff um, and kind of just worked out that we ran into each other when we did. And then, uh, yeah, kind of been trowing uh, this past. Pretty much for this whole year I've been doing, uh, a podcast on substack.
Speaker 2:Um, for anyone that's a big fantasy free trail fan and likes to make picks on fantasy free trail, I pretty much break down all the races that are going to go on there. I kind of make picks for top five or top 10, depending on how deep they're going Uh, and then just talk about each of the runners and their kind of same goal as your podcast to build fans within the sport, uh, to get people excited and kind of to get people interested in the individual stories of each runner. And so, um, yeah, that's on sub stack at, rob runs around and yeah, it was just kind of a cool coincidence that we happen to run into each other and I'm very excited, cause I think that as we talk about world today, we'll like we'll see that this is probably the best, almost definitely the best worlds, uh, from all the countries we've ever had, so that's like pretty exciting as well.
Speaker 1:It is deep, man, it was so deep. Um, yeah, dude, one of the things I really enjoyed and I just gotta give you your kudos like the Matterhorn Ultrax Extreme episode. I was like, oh man, that's a, it's a great race and it's a great race that like only like the euros follow, like it's not talked about a lot in America, like I've had a lot of teammates of mine run it, um, and just like I personally wanted to do that race for a long time and it's just, it's just so epic, so that one, the series and all one like there's a lot of value there. So keep doing what you're doing. I love it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, ultra case, I actually, um, I almost raced that this year and I was really really tempted to and, yeah, I totally agree, I think I tried to be.
Speaker 2:I really like European trail racing and I feel like every country in Europe kind of has its own like mountain culture, um, and I try to not be like the unknowledgeable American that like only knows us trail runners Like we have a lot of amazing trail runners, but I also like, really like european trail runners, and I think that, uh, when we talk about these worlds teams, like when I talk about some of the spaniards and the french guys, like you'll see that, yeah, there's some really cool guys abroad, um, and sometimes on the western audience, we don't really get to highlight them as much or we don't know them as much if they don't know, if they don't speak english as much. So I definitely try to focus on that. And ultra k is an epic race and now you mentioned that too. Actually, if anyone wants to see like the most beautiful video ever, ever, um, if you go to the sky running world series page and you look at the manuel marias who we're going to talk about on our preview here soon, if you look at his downhill from the ultra k race, it's just like. It's like poetry, emotions one of my favorite things. So, um, yeah, there's some really beautiful races out there. So, for sure, for sure.
Speaker 2:And you just and you just got back from Austria, correct?
Speaker 2:Yep, just got back from Austria. I originally was going to race the Adidas Terex race that was over there, and we had a scheduling conflict where I had to come back a week earlier, so I ended up doing a race and just the next Valley over from uh, bagdestein, I did a race at uh in a town called gross oral and uh, yeah, it was just like a cool 50K pretty mountainous race about two hours south of Salzburg. So it was cool, that was fun, and then also just got back Slovakia, the Tatra Mountains that are right on the Polish and Slovakian border. That was probably the coolest thing I did on the trip. The Tatra Mountains are really, really sick and I think they're kind of in that category the Pyrenees, where people don't get the hype that Mont Blanc, maybe like the swiss uh alps and stuff like that get, but um, the tatras, they're not as high elevation lines, they're only like 8 000 feet ish, but the peaks are like super sick so really cool place, technical too, like the tatra sky race, and there's only quite a few like.
Speaker 1:I mean, I think golden trail was supposed to had a race last year. They got canceled there. Yep, that's beautiful, beautiful area. Um, all right, let's get into. It could dive into. Uh, worlds happening this week, september the 25th through the 28th. Uh, this is the world mountain trail, world mountain and trail running championship taking place in confrank paneros. Um, did you look at all at the weather?
Speaker 2:uh, I have not yet. Uh, I have not specifically yet, but I heard other people talking about it yeah, so we can even look at it right now. I'll pull it up as you're saying, all right as you're looking it up.
Speaker 1:One of the things I'm going to talk about is, once, what's really interesting about this race is, I think, a lot of ways, the scoring as well as the overall system that it is. There's obviously going to be overall medals for the top three, but there's also going to be medals for the team system, almost kind of like a cross-country race, where the teams are ranked based off points, um, which is pretty cool. As far as far as place and time, um, yeah, I don't know, you got what?
Speaker 2:do you got seen over there for confrank yeah, so right now the weather is looking pretty good. Um, thursday, friday, saturday if I'm doing my math correctly, that should be championship, or even friday, saturday, sunday. But the ranges are kind of from 60 and the highs to 34 and the lows, and it's not really showing much precipitation. So, um, it seems like it'll be cool and clear as of right now, but obviously that could change and I imagine the long, the longer the course is, the more variable the weather is. But right now it looks pretty nice, considering the weather, not too hot, not too cold. Um, so it seems like they probably timed it well, weather-wise, sweet that's.
Speaker 1:it means such a cool area. I don't know if you saw jasmine luther's uh instagram story recently. She uh, like went to jump over a log and like it's a wild course. Dude, she went to jump over a log and there was a wild boar hanging on underneath of it and like she scared it and like it ran off and I was like, oh man, I just talked to about this and it's kind of a crazy story. But yeah, like it's a very wild course, like there's wild animals on it. There's cows watch out for them. Uh, wild boars. I don't know if there's bears in the area. I know Europe has areas with lots of bears, uh, but yeah, just a very wild and out there course.
Speaker 1:Um, let's talk about the distances. Maybe we start with a Thursday, the 25th. That's going to be the uphill, the vertical race. That's going to be about 6.4 kilometers with about 990 meters of climbing, so that's about 3,280 feet. So perfect.
Speaker 1:Vk, the Mountain Classic, is going to take place on Sunday, the 28th. That's a 14K race, 14.3k, so it's 8.8 miles, with about 775 meters or 2,542 feet of vertical short trail. That's going to be 45 K, or 27.6 miles, which is about 3,657 meters of climbing, so that's about 12, 12,000 feet. That's so crazy that, like the, the short trail course, I think is in my opinion from the people I've talked to, it just like kind of sticks out to me as like one of the more gnarly bang for your bucks. For 27 miles you're getting up to well like 12,000 feet of verticals, bananas. And then there's a long trail 82 K, which we're not going to be previewing today. We're only going to be previewing the uphill, the classic and the short trail, but the long trail just for stats, 82 K, 50 miles and 17,759 feet, which equates to about 5,413 meters of vertical gain, which is bananas as well.
Speaker 2:So, yeah, what sticks out to you about some of these courses? I think the most noticeable thing in my mind that, especially, we don't really experience this in the States, or if we do, it's not as as frequent. Um, looking at the short trail course, I'm looking at the very first climb and I can't see what the starting elevation, but it's probably like a four, five, maybe even six thousand foot climb and then they'll often have like four, five, six thousand foot descents. Uh, last year I did a race in the pyrenees, not in confrank but um, a little bit more towards the andorra border, in a town called real, and the thing that stuck out to me, I had a six mile descent with like six thousand feet of descending, and we just don't have descents like that in the states, either that steep or just that prolonged.
Speaker 2:I mean, even if we're, you know, out here in colorado going on a 14 or the most we're going to go down is like four or five thousand feet or even like pike's peak, you know it's spread out over, you know half marathon to get down, so we don't really have anything that's like that rugged and or that really that steep and so, um, looking at a short trail course, I'm just like a lot of people are gonna come out too hard in the first climb and descent and get pretty cooked and then not have likes for the next two big climbs. Um, that's kind of the initial thing that stands out and then, yeah, it's just super rugged, like you said. I mean, it's really impressive how much they're fitting into such a short course, um, but I think that's exciting because it really opens up the course to not people that are just really fast. It really takes a lot of durability, uh, and also a lot of technique when you're descending to not blow out your quads in the first couple of descents.
Speaker 1:So I couldn't agree more. I think if you're like more of a finesse runner and less of a technical runner, like I think your Manuel Morales is of the world, are going to have a lot of success. You're in, you know, um, there's so many like technical based athletes lucas, alpero, that like stick out to me, that I think will have success. But if you were just someone that, let's just say, if you're not multi-dimensional and do not like running on really burly technical terrain, this is going to like, and if you're not mentally prepared for it, I think it's going to you up. It's funny. You said something like as far as like, not having it in the States like this is such a first world problem and I do love living in Colorado, but like this is where I do get envious of the Wasatch guys, because there are, I think, longer runnable climbs is something we don't have, and longer runnable like steep descending is something we also don't have in colorado, I mean, we also have a lot of good things, but that said, it's funny. You say that like I think we're almost not to do a detriment, but we get a little bit less prepared in certain states where, yeah, like I don't know, dude, you look around the springs, it's like, unless I'm running up blodgett, which is 2500 feet or 24, 2500 feet vertical, and you're not running the entire thing, you're hiking a good chunk chunk of it as well. But that said, it's like that's such a technical, hard climb. It's like we lack that specific 2000 to 3000, maybe 4,000 foot climb. Um, that's runnable, uh, in a short distance. So yeah, going back to the other thing, the other thing that stands out to me is the up like.
Speaker 1:So the two courses that really interest me are both the uphill and the classic. So both of these courses have had races on them before. Unlike the actual short trail, the long trail, the mountain classic specifically had a race on it last year, where it's this perfect two loop system. I'm very curious to see how guys are going to take it out on this, or they're just going to go for broke on the first loop, hang on for dear life on the second. It seems to be kind of the attitude I've gotten from athletes like Remy Leroux and others that are going to be racing the mountain classic.
Speaker 1:And then Christian Allen really gave me some good bait on the vertical, where it seems to be his type of course, very runnable, obviously steep, but lots of good footing, very runnable, less hiking in there. So it's going to be interesting. I think there's going to be a lot of play good play for the Americans on this, because a lot of the climbs are very runnable, um, and the the sense of where we're going to find out we're going to find out who's the most prepared for this type of race Um, because there's a lot of like very long techie switchbacks, a lot of long descents. Um, yeah, so that's kind of what I got there.
Speaker 2:Yeah, um, yeah. So that's kind of what I got there. Yeah, I'm excited. I think that it's cool. Uh, like you said, jasmine luther's video. I've been watching some ruby lundquist I follow and a handful of others that are on the course right now. Um, and yeah, it just looks gorgeous. Uh, and yeah, there was a race on it last year and you're right that some of the courses overlap, so hopefully that gives us a little bit insight into potential time ranges and also kind of where people made their moves as well. Very true.
Speaker 1:All right, let's talk about. I do want to get into the American contingent just because we have, for this specifically, we do have a very large American following. I'm just going to name the names off on the uphill, the classic and the short trail, for both men and women. Starting off uphill for the women, the team members are Anna Gibson, sydney Peterson, hillary Allen and Jessica Brayu. Uphill, for the men are going to be Cam Smith, joseph Gray, christian Allen and Tyler McCandless. For the Mountain Classic, anna Gibson doubles back from the uphill to the Mountain Classic, as well as Allie Mack, courtney Coppinger and Lauren Gregory. Cam Smith as well is going to be doubling back from the uphill to the Mountain Classic, along with David Norris, mason Copey and Taylor Stack, and then the short trail team is going to be Grayson Murphy, ruby Lindquist, lindsay Allison, helen Minow-Faulkner, jane Maus and Tabor Hemming, and then the men's short trail team which is crazy, how stacked these teams are uh.
Speaker 1:David sinclair, eli hemming, michelino sansari, seth ruling, noah williams and max king. Um, I do want to give a note for casuals or people that are just tuning in um ryan becker, um did have an injury. Um at, uh, sorry, at um speed goat this year. Um, and is going to be replaced by Max King, who has a ton of background. I mean, I think he's like the 2011 mountain running champion. I wrote this down somewhere, I don't know where it is. Yeah, 2011 mountain running world champion from Albania, which is kind of a crazy place. Yeah, max brings decades of experience. It's kind of crazy how many Worlds teams he's been on lots of. Uh, I think there's going to be a lot of good storylines around the americans.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think max also has the master steeplechase, uh, us record, if I'm not mistaken. I think he just broke it last year, um, and yeah, he's been. If there's like a record for as many us teams as possible, joe gray obviously has it, but max king is probably second in line. So it's right there, tons of experience it's interesting.
Speaker 1:What do you think about this? We have two of our like long-standing american men on this team. Max king and joseph gray are both.
Speaker 1:You know, joe is going to be 42 this year and I think max is already 43, 44, yeah I think he is so I I mean, I hate to say it, but but like, um, you know, being friends with Joe and knowing Joe, like I do wonder, like, is this, is this? It Is this the last go for for worlds? I doubt it, Highly doubt it. I think Joe makes at least one or two more worlds teams, but max three 30, 40, sorry, 43, 44. This could be the last go for him.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean, it's impressive. Every time I think he can't do it again, like every year he just still stays as fast, like he's a really really speedy and really really durable athlete. Um, and yeah, it kind of feels like joe gray and him might be like the ludo pomerays of like the short, short trail world, but I think that long trail has some things that favor, uh, age and experience, and I think that it's really impressive that max and joe are still kind of running in more or less like the young man's game where the the short and like fast twitch muscle fibers are really really important uh, but they're still like I mean they'll smoke any of us in a race any day. So yeah, it is really impressive.
Speaker 1:But I don't know we'll see.
Speaker 2:I mean, I thought joe I'm not gonna say I doubted him, but I didn't. I didn't think I didn't know that he would be up there as well, as he was at Broken Arrow. So it's really cool to see him targeting races and still knocking out of the park when he wants to.
Speaker 1:Who did you have on that? I'm just so curious who did you have on that podium for Broken Arrow?
Speaker 2:Broken Arrow. I'm pretty sure I did have Christian Allen. I mean, I feel like I had to have Killian Drené, but I wasn't expecting the jet lag. And then I'm trying to think who else raced I might've had. I don't know. That's a good question. I don't remember, cause I'm trying to think to the field and I just remember it kind of took me by surprise, like cause I, like Killian, obviously didn't run a great race, having just got in from this, uh, from Europe, but yeah, I don't know.
Speaker 1:Think I had joe gray on there, so I will admit that I was wrong. For, for sure there.
Speaker 2:So yeah, you heard it here first.
Speaker 1:I'm kidding no, no, no, dude, it's funny. What if I were to tell you that, like, maybe it wasn't so much jet lag, maybe killing blew himself up. From what I've heard, that's just gonna put that one out there in the world. I don't know, he did have a great race. Western states look at that. But yeah, I don't know. I it's uh, dude, it's a young man's game and Christian is so talented now and you see guys like Taylor Stack coming up and just so many really, really talented young men in the sport, and it's just getting crazier. So it's been fun to follow. All right, let's get into some storylines. I already said Max King is going to be replacing Ryan Becker. We love you, ryan. Shout out to Ryan.
Speaker 2:Spigo almost killed her. He really looked awesome this year, so that's a bummer, but I hope he heals. I know he's always had Kelly's issues here and there, but yeah, he's really impressive and it's really fun to follow him.
Speaker 1:Yeah he's the man Max. Like I said, 2011 World Mountain Running Champion from Albania is going to bring a ton of experience. Another storyline I have I do I had to throw out joe in there uh, searching for his third world championship. And second, so it'd be a second vertical championship. Um, he was fifth in 2023. His two championships one in the vertical and one is was in the mountain classic um, I believe one was 2019, I think the other one was 2016. Um, grayson murphy is also going to be in this race moving up in distance. Uh, she's going to be searching for her third world championship as well. Um, this time she is in the marathon. Um, she was a previous winner in the mountain classic back in 2023, and she was also a bronze medalist in the uphill in 2023.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and I think it'd be cool. It's really impressive how versatile she is, and so that'd be pretty sweet if she could get medals in every category is something I was noticing with that, cause she's already got, like you said, a gold uphill, a bronze in the uptown and then maybe potentially a metal here in the short trail, and then maybe she just keeps moving her way up to the long trail stuff, cause she's kind of doing longer and longer races. So that's a pretty cool versatility there, yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and you know I can. I really respect it. I like to see Grayson you know it's always interesting if you I would say Grayson's a master Like it's always interesting to me people that find mastery at a certain sport or whatever, crafted as you do in life. And Grayson definitely has found mastery at a lot of things that she's done in the sport and now is like you know, by moving up in distance. There's a lot of unknowns there for her and you know you see her throwing, you know throwing darts at the wall, racing 50 Ks broken arrow, and she took a shot at speed goat as well and is definitely trying, you know, to figure things out and see you know the stuff she likes and the stuff she doesn't like. So I think it's really cool. I don't know.
Speaker 2:I admire that and people that don't just do the same thing and expand out and try to do new stuff yeah, and it's cool because we're seeing her get better at it each race because, like you said, a fifth at broken arrow and then third, you could argue. Spigo wasn't as deep, but she went under a very stout previous course record and just happened to be third because the other two females also knocked out of the park. So, yeah, I think she's getting better with every race and I'm excited to see how she does short trail for sure for sure.
Speaker 1:Um, dude, what. I think there's a lot of experience here too. I think I counted not including u20 or junior teams. We've got seven athletes between the three distances that are represented on team usa. So you're looking at um. You know. Sinclair, noah, max all have experience, grayson, joe there's quite a few um, but it's interesting to me as well as well, for, like new people, like anna gibson. This is her first go at worlds, which is kind of crazy, and I don't think we really know how good anna is yet. I don't think anna really knows how good she is yet. It's going to be really interesting when she figures it out. Like. That is one person to me that I think like has potential, not just for a medal, but to like actually like win a couple of these races, like or maybe multiple medals, which is kind of crazy.
Speaker 2:Um yeah, I think she's our best shot for short and uphill I. I think I have her at the top of my list for the us and she is really talented. I think I first saw her in the rut in 2022. I think she did the 10k and potentially the vk as well and won both um and she's just like insanely talented. I knew that.
Speaker 2:You know like I didn't really know dean if it was in 2022, but I knew that if somebody rocked up to a race in a dina fit outfit, they were like probably pretty speedy, because I was like cam smith her and then, I think, also did speak out that year and it was like adam loomis and some other guys and it was like all right, whatever this brand is like these people mean, like they mean some serious stuff in the mountain racing world. Um, and yeah, she's insanely talented, insanely speedy and she just seems really seasoned, like uh, she seems to be very smart and like tactical runner. Um doesn't make a lot of like kind of go out too hard mistakes. So I I think she's looking really good for both races.
Speaker 1:So yeah, no, I agree, I agree, it's crazy man like she. I mean, I think she appears to be healthy now from all indications, like everything seems to be firing on all cylinders, but she was like pretty I don't want to say severely injured, but like injured pretty solidly before uh series and all. So it's uh with an ankle issue. So it's kind of crazy to think now that, like, if we get her back, uh kind of at full, you know, like pretty much full gear, full gas, like it's gonna be, you know it should be a great race for her, I would hope. Um, what do you think about christian allen? This is his first world like dude, I'm such a fan. It's like he's an interesting character. Um, like he's a very big presence in the sport. Like what do you think about as far as what he represents, not just for the sport, um, but his potential?
Speaker 2:I think uh that uh water is gonna have to test his mullet, because I think it's an unfair competitive advantage, because it gives him more lift, uh, when he's going uphill so I think that's the first thing to keep in mind.
Speaker 2:Uh, I think he's definitely one of the most talented runners we've seen come to the sport. Um, you know from his background at uh, first weber state, and then I think he just started doing really good there, from my understanding, then moved kind of up to byu, which was like one of the premier track and field uh programs. Um, but yeah, I think that he is probably our. You know, joe gray has the experience, but he's possibly our best uphiller. But joe gray, having that extra experience factor, kind of makes it tough. Um, I think he could really knock it out of the park. But his racing this year has been a little bit of a mixed bag with um. I think he's had some like back tightening up issues, uh, and then he's also tried to stand at some of the longer 50k's which he's still figuring out. We saw that in OCC last year when he came out and just like went from the gun.
Speaker 2:So all to the wall and, uh, that strategy didn't pay off. But for us spectators back home it's really fun to see somebody do that, um, and you know, just it's kind of like a learning curve, um, but he's obviously very, very good at this vertical stuff, uh, and he really knocked it out of the park at Broken Arrow. So I think, as long as he's kind of got solved whatever was tightening up in his back on some of these races because he's kind of been a little bit up and down this year I definitely think he's probably our strongest uphill male. If I had to guess out of that list For sure Especially with you saying it being a more runnable course too, if it was something a little bit steeper, more hike oriented, I might lean more towards Joe and Cam Smith, but if it's pretty runnable, like that's his bread and butter, so runnable yeah.
Speaker 2:Not for mortals, but for the rest of the elites.
Speaker 1:So it's going to be interesting and this isn't me just like home cooking with Joe, but like Joe brings it dude, like he got fifth in 2023. He was right behind Patrick, like he was like basically basically right in the mix the whole time. I don't know like it's. It's going to be very interesting. I do think raw talent, wise christian, is the best shot. I, but I don't. I think just with experience too, like I wonder how joe mixes into this, like, and I think tyler is a great anchor and I think cam's a very consistent one as well, I think I mean, I, I can't say other than christian. I think that, like, I think christian's got the best shot of an individual medal, but I think, from a team perspective, this team has a good shot at getting, I think, a second place or a third. In my opinion, from a team perspective.
Speaker 1:One more thing I wrote down is Ally Mack also in the race as well, uphill world champion from 2022 in Chiang Mai, and she's going to be chasing her second world title as well. So so many like let us store conflicting storylines in here with just athletes on the american side that are former world champions that are going to be in the mix for this race? Yeah, definitely, definitely. Um, all right, so I got some math questions for you. It's gonna be an interesting one. Um, I like math out of out of the three. We'll do this for men and women out of the three. Can the three distances uphill, classic and then short course. What team do you think men and women have the highest utmb indexes? Combined average wise, this is a good one oh, this is a good question.
Speaker 1:I didn't even think to look into that one thing I will say joe does not have a UTMB index and that's something that's actually kind of funny and I'll bring it up real later.
Speaker 2:So this is just for the uphill race we're talking about.
Speaker 1:This is for uphill, classic and short trail. Out of all three, which men and which female team do you think of the teams combined has the highest UTMB index? That team, bnx. Oh, that's tough. Kenya doesn't really have much of a short trail team.
Speaker 2:So that's gonna. No, just I'm sorry, just for us just for us, oh for the us. Oh which? Which one of those three on the men's side, one side, both you could do either, are there, let me? I feel like our men's short trail team has a pretty high UTB index. So that's my guess for the men's and then the women's. I feel like probably the classic would be my guess on the woman's side.
Speaker 1:You got it. You got both of them. Wow, Nice work dude.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I was just trying to think of, like, who was on each team.
Speaker 1:So it took a little longer, but I was like I think that's that at least like vibes, why that's what the vibes get me I don't know. Like um, but yeah, how close, yeah, it was a pretty spot on, yeah, the average for our female classic team. For the americans the average index is 752.5 and for the short trail it's 885.6. It it's really interesting because I just based off my picks and like just looking at the other like comparing indices, um, and looking at other athletes, like in these conflicting races, it's like I, the women's classic team makes them like a lot of sense to me, but the men's short trail I actually don't have like I think I have them getting. I don't have an individual getting a medal, I have more of a team getting a medal.
Speaker 2:When I look at it compared to cause's short trail is just so stacked this year yeah, and I wonder if, uh, that still would have been the same answer if you computed that before some big ccc results from, like david sinclair and, uh, eli hemming as well, and eli hemming went to occ last year. But, yeah, I could see.
Speaker 1:Yeah I agree, that sounds that sounds about right.
Speaker 2:It sounds right with the vibes, so it's all very close though I mean.
Speaker 1:so the men's uphill, excluding Joe Gray, is an 8.54.76. The men's mountain classic is 8.72.25. It's crazy thinking about the men's mountain classic team, because the person with the lowest index is actually Mason Copey, who I think has the chance outside Taylor Stack of doing the best on that team. It's just that Cirque Series races don't get counted in utmb indexes, which is bullshit in my opinion.
Speaker 2:But yeah, and I'm saying anything with joe gray, like joe gray not having utmb index, but like so weird I'm sure his etra index is very, very high and obviously they're kind of comparable. They're not exactly the same because they don't. I don't, I don't know how they get into the formula but they don't perfectly match up. But it's like very joe gray not having utmb x is kind of stupid.
Speaker 1:So it's so weird, it's so strange. Um, all right, let's talk about. Do you want to talk names and storylines internationally? I know you've got you prepared, uh, pretty deeply for a lot of these, so, yeah, yeah um.
Speaker 2:So storylines that I have for the men's side of the uphill um, I put ken, patrick kip and jano pull a MJ and go for a three-peat, because he's going for his third uphill gold in a row. I put does Kenya last time at Worlds in 2023,? They clean swept both the uphill and the classic distance on both the men's and the women's side. So that's another question too Will they kind of have a clean sweep on the uphill and the classic like they did last time? And then another thing I said was can joe gray add yet another medal to his already bursting out the seams metal cabinet? And then, is our swiss rocket remy benet back to remy form? So I was on the men's side and then the women's side. Most notable storylines um, I put no returning champ andrea meyer, who's kind of like a VK goat the year that she won world.
Speaker 2:She won like every VK she did, I think, minus one, and they were all super competitive with tons of East Africans, tons of really good European runners. Um, and then other things. We've got a lot of returning top teners for the top 10 from 2023, phalaris, scout Laura and Christelle. And then last two things I put is queen mod. Math is back to mod. Math is form and it can scout ad can continue a killer year and her WMRA, and then also can anapodia on a podium, because I do think she has a very legitimate chance. So that's kind of what I had. And then I guess names. Do we want to talk men or women first? What are you?
Speaker 1:Let's talk male names for the vertical. What are the names that really stood out to me? There's quite a few. I think the Canadians have a lot of depth, which is kind of surprising. I think people sleep on Alexander Ricard. He's one of the last people to beat Joseph gray, other than Christian Allen, in an uphill race. He did it in 2023.
Speaker 1:On us to turf um at the sun of peace scramble to get like you know. I guess it was for um the selection race to go to worlds, where Alex did it, and Alex has been consistently like one of the best uphilling men on the planet, which is kind of crazy. Um Remy LaRue is also another one to watch. He's had a very I think he's raced 25 times this season so far. Um, I know he's a little tired but also like things have come around. I know he kind of battled back from like a small foot injury. Um, remy LaRue to me, to me and this is I know other people have their thoughts, but like to me, I think is a better mountain classic athlete just because of what I've been able to see him do on the mountain classic between etc. Races like cirque series, canon. Obviously, etc is substantially more high octane than cirque series canon, but he got a fifth place finish at etc. And I think that was enough, proving against the europeans that remy is truly one of the best mountain classic athletes in the world. Don't sleep on him. In the vertical, though, I think he's an extremely good uphill runner.
Speaker 1:A couple other names that jump out to me for the vertical men obviously Jacob Adkin, finlay Grant, another great Britain athlete. Lucas Earl, whose name people might recognize from the Broken Arrow 23K, who's a German athlete, andrearea rosten, who is an italian. I believe he's also won the broken arrow ascent before in the past when it was formerly the vk. Obviously patrick kip and gino um this would be his third kenyan um, it is interesting to me and I got to get your thoughts on this. This is the first worlds and I gotta look to see if he's actually lining up. Obviously he's on the list. Remy's kind of hit or miss, so I don't know, especially this season kind of battling back from injury. You said he seems fit or appears fit on a strava yeah, he's been posting a lot on instagram too.
Speaker 2:This is the first worlds we've ever seen remy in yeah, that's my understanding as well, and for somebody who has such like vk stature I all going back into like this being the deepest world field I feel like somebody like Remy coming to this world, it's kind of gives it like added legitimacy of like, hey, this is worlds is a big deal now in trail running, uh, and not only do you know, some events have been competitive here and there, um, but I really think that kind of goes to show like he's targeting it, taking it seriously, um, and he didn't it taking it seriously, um and he didn't.
Speaker 2:He didn't get to race much in golden trail series because he's been injured and coming back from injury, but I think that this is a good sign, uh, yeah. And then, with regards to some of the other names you mentioned, lucas earl is definitely somebody that I think everybody should keep on their radar. Super young german guy. He runs d1 collegiately. I think he went from wingate to like nc or some bigger program, I don't remember who, but he is really, really good.
Speaker 2:Last year at the European Trail Champs he was second in the Classic and third in the Uphill. He won ETC last year, so that's the U-Team B 50K and then the year before that he won YCC, which is the youth race for U-Team B as well, and we also saw him go top five at broken arrow. Um, and we've seen him run uh a lot of races with uh and stay up there with the east africans of beauty, east african like the kenny runners and stuff like that. Um, totally agree, I think. Alexander ricard, not only did he beat joe at the sunopee, I think he also beat him, if I'm not mistaken. I was trying to look up the result, um, but I think he beat him at mount washington this year as well in the uphill so, um, and kind of like, edged him out right at the end.
Speaker 2:Uh, so definitely somebody. I do agree he could be a sleeper pick, um, like his results don't look as good on paper, but when you see him beat somebody like joe gray, especially at an event that he's won that many times, that's really impressive. Um, yes, I think italians in the vk andrea rosten is really good. Uh, there's a couple of italians like luca merle, italian, uh, andrea rosten, and I think I had one other one written down. Um, but the italians race vks a lot, they race wmra events a lot, so they're really experiencing this kind of thing and I think as a team, I have them getting a team medal, um, because I think they will have, even if they don't necessarily have a medalist. I think they'll have a lot of people in that like 5 through 15 range. And then I'm trying to think if there's anyone else you would uh drop.
Speaker 1:I don't know if I'm getting that last name right. He was fourth in the mountain classic.
Speaker 2:In 2023 he's moving over to the vertical, so it should be fun to follow and see kind of what he's able to do if he's able to uh, um, you know, make moves as far as the vertical goes, versus the, the uh up down or the mountain classic, if you will yeah, so the one thing we got to look out for and this happened I still remember when I made my fancy free trail picks in 2023 and I made all western picks, uh, and basically, if I'm looking at the results from the uphill, last time, uh, one through five, everyone was kenya or uganda, except for jo, so, and then there is a Kenya also.
Speaker 2:Uh, phil mom was seven, so it was Patrick Kip and Jano leave it. Kip Kip Kip, kip, kip, kip, kip, kip, kip, kip, kip Kip K for, uh, I definitely think that we're going to see probably at least two kenyans and at least one or two ugandans. For the ugandan guys, like you said, elliot churro is kind of the experience pick because he got fourth at worlds in 2023, but a sleeper pick that people should look out for is isaac kibbet. If I'm looking at the right isaac kibbet on uh world athletics. He ran a one hour and 22nd half marathon in 2021, so that's it's fit what score 34 pace that was 2021, so that was a couple years ago.
Speaker 2:But uh, last year he ran a 217, which is honestly kind of slow for that time. But he also ran a half in 101 36 last year, so a little bit slower. Uh, I didn't see, I didn't have his 10k results written down, so, um, but yeah, I mean a half marathon time like the. I do agree like 5k, 10k is a little bit more applicable, but I'm just like, if you're running an hour half marathon, that's, that's filthy so disgusting um.
Speaker 2:So yeah, and then another one I had written down uh was samuel simba churrop. His middle name is simba. That's pretty sick. He's a 13, 29, 5k guy on the roads, 13, 46 on the track, and then he had 2802, 10k um. He's only 19 years old, but I definitely think he would be somebody to watch as well.
Speaker 2:It's kind of a mix because a lot of these guys will have the leg speed um, but I think if what you're saying about the course, where it's more quote-unquote runnable um, like, the less hike oriented it is, the more it kind of favors not only christian allen's but also like these guys coming from uh, uganda, and I still think you know Pat it's.
Speaker 2:Patrick is, like you know, two golds in a row and he really hasn't lost an uphill race and let's see reigning world champ on uh, one of the best climbers, if not the best. Uh, he's got back-to-back golds. He just, I'm pretty sure, from what I could tell, broke the course record at Red Bull, which is like an uphill and and so that means he's really fit. He ran even faster than when he won his 2023 gold. He hasn't raced as much in the W W MRA, so like the vertical type races this year cause he I think he's focused on winning golden trail a lot Um, but we just haven't seen him lose an uphill race and like a long time, so I think it's his race to lose, in my opinion.
Speaker 1:So I would agree with that. I think that's all right. Let's move on to the women. I think that's a good spot too.
Speaker 1:A couple of the names that I threw out there that more interested me more than anything. There's a few Canadians that kind of popped out that I was kind of surprised with one being Emika Clark and two being Jade Bellsburg. I think Jade, on the North American scene, has had a lot of success at races like the Broken Arrow Ascent and VK things like that, whereas Emika Clark has traditionally been more known as a more sky running type of athlete but has mixed it up even in the golden trail series. This is the first vertical race I've seen her in, so that, you know, kind of makes me wonder, like that would be kind of cool.
Speaker 1:Um, a couple other names that stick out for me flores kasang, second place in 2023. Um laura hottentrott with the last name, that's the best last name I've actually ever heard on the podcast um laura hattentrott uh german athlete, was fourth in 2023 as well as back in this race. Uh, another one uh, who has lived stateside but is an australian. Um friend of the podcast is laura hamilton, who's had some success uh worlds back in 2023 as well in the vertical. Um, that's all I had written down for the women any, any women specifically for you that stick out yeah, I got a couple to add to the list.
Speaker 2:Um, I and I think laura. I think it's hot and rot, but I like hot and trot better so I definitely.
Speaker 1:I literally wrote trot t-r-o-t, so I wonder if I didn't like auto-correct it.
Speaker 2:I think it's hot and rot but um, but yeah, I definitely have everyone that you had mentioned and then other ones to point out. I I would say Maude Mathis is on right now, I think, for both the short trail and the uphill. So Maude from Switzerland, pretty much, yeah. So she pretty much owned the Golden Trail World Series until about two years ago and she's been kind of on an injury cycle the past two years. But everything about her racing so far her third place at series and all makes it look like she's very much back. She had some mediocre results in the Euro champs last year but it was mainly, uh, she was still coming back from injury. So, um, other ones scout Adkin I mentioned her a little bit earlier.
Speaker 2:She's a UK runner, yep, super good, super good at these WMRA type events. And then a couple other names to keep an eye out for Christelle de wall, french vk specialist, uh. Susanna sapunki, a finnish runner who does a lot of wmra, one that I would really highlight, I think. Germans on both sides, so we had luca early on the men's side. Nina engelhardt is somebody who we want to look out for. She was the euro vk champ, uh, for the women's race last year and beat out a lot of people are in this field, uh, at least from europe, and she has beat out a lot of the kenyans as well.
Speaker 2:Uh, and then two more names, or three more names, I'd say ariya liachi, swiss runner, top five at sierras and all, I think, two years in a row. And then nelly clement is somebody who I was not familiar with until doing research for this podcast, but everything I'm seeing with her makes her look like a really good pick for a vk top 10. And then marina bay. We've seen her a couple times at uh golden trail world series, multiple top six, top sevens and these golden trail series this year. So that's kind of the rest of the names I was looking at. Um, yeah, I think that let's talk mod.
Speaker 1:Yeah, let's talk mod. Yeah, please. I do want to ask you about mod and the reason I say this is like so I think of mod. I actually and I think the splits kind of prove this I think mods a better descender than she is up pillar, so that was kind of had my me questioning, not questioning, but more so I put more of a question marker around, like, for instance, like mod in her years that she's won, let's say, pike's peak and set the record she owns the female marathon record has been she's won that race on descent, not necessarily the uphill. So I'd be very curious to see, like, what she could do in a potential uphill race like this and where she kind of fits into the mix, especially with um someone like scout atkin and maybe you can provide some more I I didn't follow as much wrma results this year yeah, yeah, like, what do you have for Scott Atkin? Cause that's someone that stands out to me that has potential to win this race.
Speaker 2:For sure. So, yeah, so, both on the mod and the scout thing, uh, mod actually I did dig, cause I didn't recall this either, but she actually got third in the uphill in worlds at Thailand, which kind of the beginning of her injury, um, but I do agree she is. I mean she's a world-class trail runner, but she I typically, I think I feel like when her and like udith, weeder, yo-yo, typically udis takes the weed on descents and then mon gets it back and I think because it's more runnable. Once again, getting back to that, I think if this is more of a hiking oriented course that favor her more, it might be a little bit lesser her the ball in her court with a little bit more runnable. Um, and I thought kind of the same thing as you, but I was like, oh, she got third in worlds at thailand, so obviously she, yeah, she just doesn't tend to race a lot of just uphill, um, but she has some good uphill results, uh, and she often passes people on climb scout adkin wise, um, so yeah, first in the wmra standings, points, wise, it's kind of a pay to play. So like, the more events you do, the more points you get. But she has had really consistently good results, um, and I like wmra events, especially for these uphill and classic distances, because that's where you're going to see the deepest fields, because that's where you're going to see east africans kenyans not so much the ugandans but kenyans are going to be running them and there's going to be multiple kenyans along with, like the best italians and french people and stuff like that. Um.
Speaker 2:So some of her results this year, so her kind of breakout on a lot of people's radar, was a second place at series and all last year.
Speaker 2:She also got second at the euro uphill championships, last year, only to nina inglehardt, uh, and then so far this year she's got a one at Giro de Mont uphill, which is an Italian one, second at the French VK champs, and so throughout this podcast you'll hear me say people got second at French VK or like French and Italian VK champs. A lot of people go race them just because they're competitive. It's no different than like Jade Bellsburg coming over here and racing our races Cause it's really competitive for like the qualifiers, um, but she got second at the French VK champs, which had Kenyans, that had Italians, that had French people, um, but basically it was just a really deep field, and then she also got second at vertical and a Sago. So I think she's a really strong pick for the top 10 and probably even a top five, cause she just was a really smart racer and she races a lot of these VKs Um, so she's like very sharp when it comes to them as well.
Speaker 1:So when do you think she fits into this mix?
Speaker 2:Uh, I think I like her best on up down more than just up. And I might be a little bit biased, because she did race 2023 worlds and I think she was like 17 to 25 somewhere in the. I think she was in the 20 somewhere. Um, so I think she, I think if there's a descent in the race, it really favors. Uh, that's where her strong suit comes in.
Speaker 1:So I don't think I have her as high on my list for pure uphill racing, but I think that she could do pretty good in the classic. Um, when you have a climate of descent in it, so interesting and she's on the short trail team this year, so she's not going to be doing the classic, it's just the vertical. And see, I, I think she's. She's an interesting character because she has so much range. You know, like talk about someone that's really really talented both and kind of on both ends of the spectrum, and she could erase, like every race in the us.
Speaker 2:And yeah, I mean, she was, uh, I think she was second to eliza, more in for both the classic and the uphill at the canadian vk champs last year. Eliza might be somebody to watch as well. She's had some good results. Uh, I think she just had a top 10 at series and all but uh, yeah, it is really impressive that she can make every team in both Canada and then she makes she would have made the U S long trail team if she wanted to. So, um, she is a really, really impressive athlete and I'm excited to follow along. She's got a good sub stack too. She's a good writer, so yeah her sub stack is actually awesome.
Speaker 1:Yeah, all right, let's move on to. Let's talk about the mountain classic and we'll start with the men. Um, obviously, as I already mentioned, remy Leroux. He's going to be doing the mountain classic as well as the vertical.
Speaker 1:Remy stands out to me. I think he's a farce, in my opinion, a far superior and has really developed into a more superior mountain classic athlete. I guess I'm inside baseball from him on, like how he plans to race the race and I'm just very interested to see how this plays out, because I think he's gotten more, maybe a little bit more, aggressive with some of these races as time has gone on and he's I think he's 25 races deep into his season now and I think that makes things a little more interesting. Um, one of the things that stands out to me big time for him was a fifth place at ETC. I think he had no idea how competitive that race was going to be and got into it and was like wow. Um had a little bit of a harder time in races like maybe series and all um and like the plitzalpin glacier trail, so he definitely seems to favor better in more of the mountain classic type of races. Um had an injury at sunopee, which was why we didn't see as much of a performance out of him, even though we still went top 10, but you're talking about someone that has the ability to completely win a race like that.
Speaker 1:Other names I'm looking out for, obviously, we talked about lucas, earl um and cesar mastery. Uh, he's the italian who was second place at etc this year. Um. Timothy cubette is also on the start list, along with philomon, who second place in 2023. Um, maybe the odds are favorite to win this race this year with the with. Uh, the champion. Uh, not returning um. And bogdan damian from romania is also someone I had on the list to keep an eye on, as well as jacob abkin from great breton.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think uh agree with all that. I don't did you mention taylor sack well, I didn't talk about.
Speaker 1:I didn't talk about americans. Yet okay to talk about americans.
Speaker 2:Uh, yeah, I guess the last international name I would add, or maybe one or two others. I'd probably put theodore klein uh, top french runner at the french classic champs, which had a lot of kenyans. Um, he was the top french guy even though he's only fifth, but it was a really deep field, so a lot of these guys that are racing here he raced, and then only other international. Last two names, I'd say maybe jan Torea, young Spaniard, solomon runner, and Xavier Chevrier, italian runner, who also took a top 10 spot in the 2023 Classic.
Speaker 1:On the topic of Taylor Stack, what do you?
Speaker 2:think. I think that he actually might very well be our best our highest finisher for the Classic, be our best, our best, our highest finisher for the classic. I've been really, really impressed with both of his races at pete's alpine glacier, uh, where he was in second place for a lot of it and really just got outkicked on a road like a flat, runnable road section at the end, but he was right in the middle of essentially a kenyan sandwich, like there was two kenyan runners on either side. Um, so to be able to run up front with, uh, some of these really good like Milmani runners and, uh, the other running groups that come from Kenya, I was really, really impressed by that. And then I was also really impressed, I mean, his Sears and all debut 12th place, just outside of the top 10, but really ran a smart race. It's hard to knock Sears and all out of the park right away, um, and I thought that was really impressive. I wasn't surprised that he was our top American. Um, I thought of Chris. I know if Chris Allen has a good day he can also go top 10. Um, but I think he kind of had the back issue or something that pushed him back towards like 20th.
Speaker 2:But yeah, I've been really, really impressed with Taylor stack and I think he is probably the best bet. I do agree, mason Copey looks really really good this year. Um, and they both looked really good at broken arrow. I think they finished back to back in like sixth and seventh. But I think that taylor, having the experience racing against some of these east african guys in a type of race that's similar to this, I think that really really helps, because these guys are going to be fast and it's definitely a different type of racing when, um, when, a lot of these kenyan guys have been running wmra events, so they're kind of really familiar with, like, what this format is going to be like, um, and I think that, because taylor stack did so well at, uh, pizza alpine glacier and has raised some of these guys, it'll be good.
Speaker 1:So I think taylor's definitely having a year. What do you think about and this is out of pure curiosity um, what do you think about david norris, like? What do you think he ends up in the mix?
Speaker 2:yeah, that's a good question. I'm not gonna lie, I was really, really surprised when he won centipede, not because I don't think he's an amazing athlete, but just because I was like I don't know. I know he's got Mount Marathon figured out and his times in Mount Marathon are insane. Um, I ran Mount Marathon not the race, but I just ran the mountain, like last year when I went to Alaska, and just like trying to fathom the times that he puts down on that, of course, are insane. I, what I was really in surprise with surprised with Davis, is that, or with David Norris is that he didn't.
Speaker 2:I was surprised that in Sunapee he took the lead on the second climb coming out. Yeah, like I figured if he was going to win he was going to be in the front, but I just didn't see him being as fast as, like you know, mason Copey and Taylor Stack are both super speedy guys and then Cam's really an amazing climber. I was really, really impressed, honestly, and I mean mean, I guess we had seen glipsons of it, because she, he did, uh, what'd he do? He did like second or third at circ series, I think, between like patrick and philemon.
Speaker 1:So ah, yeah, that's the race I was gonna bring up. We'll get into that, okay, okay yeah.
Speaker 2:So like I was actually really surprised and I'm really curious, I think he could totally burst my bubble and prove me totally wrong and he could be the top uh finishing american. Um, yeah, it was cool to see him figure out OCC. He hadn't really figured out I don't know if his nutrition or pacing in longer ultras he hadn't really hit his potential in his VDK, but it was cool to see him go top 10 at OCC this year. I think he finally kind of is dialing it in on the ultra distances but yeah, he very well could be the top finishing American male.
Speaker 1:It's interesting, so it's funny man like it's. I think a lot of people are going to look at philomon and think he give being the series and all champion are going to be thinking like, okay, this is going to be the odds on guy to beat this race. Dude, I was in cirque series brighton last year and I first-handedly watched him beat philomon and, like philomon has, I have watched philomon struggle in certain races and be hit or miss. I just don't know, like I know series and all is an, a race you're going to peak for right is worlds also. You know, can you, can you try and peak for that? I don't know. So I do throw a lot of question marks in there. I do think philomon's definitely going to be in the top top five, easily probably the top three, but I I don't know. I don't think he's as unbeatable as someone like a patrick, maybe on the ascent right I would agree.
Speaker 2:I think that we've we're seeing. Last year philemon was like perennially the bridesmaid. He had so many second places and I don't think he won. I think if you look at his wmra, I don't think he won a single race and I think he had like 10 second places and these are all super deep, whether it's sierra's and all or whether it was whatever. And I kind of think this year we're seeing a little bit of different film on where he finally got a win early on in the season. I don't remember what his first golden trail win was, but he's kind of carried that on uh with the sierra's and all win. And I kind of think we're seeing like more of a little bit more dialed film on.
Speaker 2:I think last year his confidence was a little bit shook because he was getting so close to wins two seconds at sierra's and all you know what. Two seconds at headlands or whatever, like he was always like one second off of a win and uh. This year I feel like it's a little bit different. So I do agree, definitely in the podium makes probably a favorite, like you said, silver medalist coming out of 2023 worlds, and I think that he's not a pure uphill guy. If you look at his wmra stuff, he doesn't do as well in the uphill, but where he really shines is his up down stuff. So I think this is kind of his race to lose, but there are a lot of guys that are going to challenge him. There's a lot of good kenyans in this race too. I think that they're going to be. Uh, I think it's gonna be really tough to beat kenya for the team gold in this event.
Speaker 1:So it's gonna be interesting, like I definitely I think america. I do think america is going to show up, like I think we've always been in previous iterations in previous times, like I think these and just even talking to the athletes man, like so many of our american contingent is just are just really eager to prove that, like american trail running is not to be slept on. So that gets me hyped, also puts little chills on my like, makes my hair stand up a little bit, gets me all excited. So I don't know. We're gonna, we're gonna find out. Let's talk about the women in the mountain classic. Okay, um.
Speaker 1:So some names that stick out to me Julia Font, from Spain I think Spain just got a force dude between the short trail and the Mountain Classic. It's going to be fun to follow. Dalia Alonso as well, from Spain, as well as Julia Lalonde, france she was fourth at ETC. Marie Nivet, another one, seventh at ETC. She was French. Joyce Mutani, obviously a Kenyan. Scott Outkin, from Great Britain, is going to be in this race. Alice Gaggy. Laura Hamilton, as well as another one from Australia and, I told you, julia Font as well, and I got one more fourth place from 2023. Valentin Rudo, as well, from Kenya, so the Kenyans are also very well represented in the women's mountain classic. This is going to be, I think, the best squad we're bringing is going to be the USA contingent of the women's mountain classic. But this is not going to be an easy race to win. This is but to get golden. It's going to be very difficult.
Speaker 2:No, I think Kenya is going to be really good. Joyce is where they. That's the same Joyce that wins a lot of golden trail series. Sometimes they put her as Muthoni, Sometimes they put hers in Najayru. I'm not sure if that's how it's pronounced, but yeah that's kind of like interchangeable.
Speaker 2:Um, yeah, also glory to bet, who I think was she was not in the top 10. Um, but uh, also another really good kenyan runner. And then, yeah, a lot of the people doubling back from the vk. So eliza moran on the canadian side. Who else did we say? Uh, susanna sapunki again, and then nelly clement, the french one, who I think is definitely somebody to look out for, and I think that's about the only other name I'd add. Uh, internationally is uh, martino malarn malarn chick. Yep, uh, who just, you know, won uh ccc um, but really really has a lot of like speed. I I didn't see a lot of results for her on vk stuff, but I'm really curious to see how she kind of mixes it up coming off of a win at ccc um. So that'll be kind of exciting to see as well.
Speaker 1:So it's interesting. We've seen a lot of these athletes brace at utmb weekend and there's a especially more so for your Eli's, your David Sinclair's, your CCC athletes um, that mixed it up and then go to some of these longer distances, maybe like a short trail or something like what is that recovery like? Like I, it's got to be really difficult to bring it around and feel 100% you know.
Speaker 2:I don't know. No, I totally agree.
Speaker 2:When we get to the short trail preview, I will definitely be harping on that and I think that, uh, we, you know, probably have two of the best, if not like the two best 50k trail runners in the world, uh, with david and eli, but I gotta think that, like, ccc is gonna not make one of them as sharp and that, even though we probably do have the two best, we either might not get the medal or, um, one of those two is not going to score points which would be like the top three finishers for us. So, yeah, I definitely have my reservations, but I am excited to see, and I mean, you know, a classic race should hopefully only be like an hour, hour and a half. So maybe she's even smarter than David and Eli because she's only going to be out here for, you know, an hour and change if that. So it's true.
Speaker 1:All right, let's talk. Let's get into short trail. I'll let you take it away. Um, I do find it really interesting, though One point I'll make before as we get into it, for the men, like the entire men's podium is back in this race this year between Stian Thomas Roach and Luca Del Perro, all returning from 2023.
Speaker 2:Yes, that is very exciting. This is the only one I don't have the results from 2023, but you're totally right. Uh, results from 2023, but you're totally right. Uh, the big storylines I highlighted, uh, on the man, I was like holy crap, there's too many to talk about. There's 211 uh dudes on fantasy free trail that are registered for the short trail, but storylines, uh, stacked field with all the usual suspects who tend to crush at both occ and golden trail series. So I think the short trail is kind of a cool mix up where we're going to see the guys who are really good at utmb 50ks, really good at golden trail series, and then even the third category we talked about a sky running world series which a lot of times the U S audiences don't know as well, cause we don't have the U S sky runner race anymore, um, but I think a course like confrank is really going to favor guys that are really good at sky running. So I'm going to talk a lot about sky running results.
Speaker 2:Um, one thing you already kind of touched on uh, one of the big questions marks I have is does CCC hurt USA's chance of meddling in both the team and the individual results? And I think the answer for me is yes. And then I think that on the women's side I put does Francis no racing U? Team B policy results and another team and individual gold, cause last time they won the team event as well, uh, and they won the the short, uh woman's individual gold, um. And then I put spain's teams deeper than the mariana trench on the women's side, so I'm really impressed with them uh, I put switzerland maybe neutral, but the team they're uh sending means war.
Speaker 2:And then I put does us have the depth they can beat with france, spain and switzerland? Uh, especially without jen lecter and then ken grayson, medal in another world mountain trail classic discipline. So dude.
Speaker 1:The swiss team for the short trail and the women is like therese laboe mod mathis jude.
Speaker 2:We use the wider like it's deep dude I mean it's spain as well, like it's, it's yeah, um, and they meddled last time too, they were. Let me before I quote they were.
Speaker 1:They had the silver for, uh, team competition for the short trail that makes sense in france so yeah, all right, let me get into some names really quick and then we'll kind of because I do want to, I really want to get into the discussion on uh, like manuel antonio martinez and others like that, just some names that I have off the top of my head um, shout out to boulder right. Uh, north face athlete, johnny luna lima, who's going to be competing on behalf of brazil. Um, sam hendry, a canadian, who's going to be in this race. Dude, it was so funny. I don't know if you watched the live coverage for occ, but they're like they didn't really know who sam hendry was and I was like, oh, y'all must have forgot.
Speaker 2:Like um, yeah, they were sleeping on canada. I was thinking the same thing. He's really impressive. I saw him race speed goat last year and I actually got to spectate. I was on the course and I was talking to, uh, just a group of people are on the course and they're like, oh, yeah, we're expecting our son. I was like, oh, where you guys from? They're like, oh, we're from, we're from canada. I think he's from canmore, if I'm not mistaken. They're like, yeah, our son should be here. And then, after like talking to them for about 10 minutes, I was like, wait, is your son, sam hendry? And they're like, yeah, that's our son. And I was like, yeah, your son's a badass, like he's probably gonna be here in no time. So, yeah, he got second. Uh, speak out.
Speaker 2:That year that was the, the year, the nordic skiers, where david sinclair set course record. Sam got second. And then scott patterson, who's uh, alaskic, yeah, shredder, who had won every race in Alaska. Um, and I didn't know about him until I went up to Alaska, but then I saw his name on every segment in Alaska and uh, yeah, he crushed uh, spigo. But yeah, he, it was funny, cause he does. He is really, really good at climbing and he also has lots of good leg speed, being a skier from university or skiing at university of.
Speaker 2:Utah, so yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, interesting. He's in medical school now too, which is interesting as well, so I like to see him mixing it up and doing both. I know for a year there he was on the solomon international team and I guess trying to balance that you know, being an athlete at the highest level as well as medical school is probably not the easiest thing in the world to do, so it's not a good balance, yeah I think he wanted to go in the states, but it just worked out better in canada and I think he he might still be in canmore, which, from whatever it says, canmore is like it's outdoor heaven out there, so it's amazing.
Speaker 1:Yeah, did you got to? Uh, I don't know if you've ever put it on your radar, but meet the minotaur. Yeah, it's definitely sick race.
Speaker 2:It's hard to get to in my mind. I'm making excuses now, but yeah, I would love to do. Meet the minotaur definitely is like it looks really sick.
Speaker 1:So yeah, um, it's a couple other names that stick out to me Josh Potvin, canadian, um, probably most, he had some. Uh, he had some good finishes this year, both at speed goat as well, as he was the champion of the Gorge waterfall 50 K um beating out Liam Miro, who is one of the, you know, extremely well-known sub ultra athlete in the space. Um, alexander Ricard, what do you think about Alex in a short trail type of race, Like I've always known alex, as I think the audience does, for being just like one of the best uphills uphillers pretty much on the planet. I've never seen him do like super long stuff like this, so it's interesting to see him in the short trail kind of mix it up yeah, I'm not sure what to think.
Speaker 2:I don't see like none of his result. His uphill results are really impressive and I haven't seen a ton enough of his like short trail results. I think he had some stuff in canada, but I haven't seen a ton on. And this is like euro biased, kind of the same way that I don't know. If we see us people do good at us races, we expect them to do good in euro races. Um, so I'm excited to see him race against, uh, some of these european guys, because there's so much talent when it comes to the short trail, uh. But yeah, who else? Who else were you thinking to, or who else? Do you have any list?
Speaker 1:antonio martinez, who's been just a perennial contender both on the skyrunner series as well as um occ, year after year. I think this year was his. I think he was still top 10 at occ but his worst finish uh he's had in a while and he's I know he's been training with, like ben demon, uh a6 perennial contender. In my opinion, like I think, antonio has uh kind of all the tools to do really well at a race like this. Yep, uh being on the spain team. Another name that sticks out to me one of the best downhillers on the planet, manuel morales.
Speaker 2:I'll let you take it away on him, but yeah, he sticks out to me big time yeah, manu maru Marias, I think, is really well known from the European audiences, but the U S audiences don't know him as well. He's a Spanish guy. He runs for new balance now, but he was a long time Scarpa athlete and he just is like one of my favorite people to watch. Uh, go follow him on Instagram If you don't already. It should just be Manu M A N U and then Marias M E R Il-a-s.
Speaker 2:But he is one of the best technical runners and definitely one of the most technical descenders. He's a previous winner of zagama. He also has, I want to say, seven top tens there and I think most of those are top fives, with the exception of like one. So he's perennially one of the best runners at zagama. Um, I think he has a pretty big home field advantage too. He lives in not canfrank version of the pyrenees, but he does live in the pyrenees, uh, and I think he was a mountain guide out there for a long time. So I gotta believe that he has some of the best course familiarity um long before this race ever came around and then probably has been prepping a lot. Um, he hasn't raced as much this year compared to pat previous years. Um, after he was coming off an injury from a pico de europa race which he's won five, six, seven editions of um.
Speaker 2:But he does have a couple top fives at sky runner world series races and most recently he did just go second at ultra k's, which is a very, very technical, like we talked about earlier and like I mentioned earlier, him on the descent is like it's poetry in motion, it's really really pretty. So, um, and I think he was under the previous course record, but I think I forget it was william buffelli, but somebody beat him um, but they were both under the previous course record. Yeah, I think the spaniards and italians you really have to watch out for if anyone is spanish or italian and if they're sponsored by scarpa, they're probably somebody to look out for, because there's like a ton of italians, guy runners or scarpa, uh, or war scarpa. And I totally agree.
Speaker 2:Antonio martinez perez, um a disappointing quote-unquote eighth place finish at occ, but really that's only because he had three years in a row of top three finishes and honestly the course change didn't favor him this year. Um, he would have made a lot of moves on the last descent and then there wasn't a last descent, it was kind of just one big climb, one to make descent, uh, and then a lot of road running at the end. So it wasn't really his type, of course, uh, with the change that they they did last minute, um, cause he would have gobbled up a lot of people on the last descent.
Speaker 1:Um like.
Speaker 2:even Jim, you know, said that if, if there was the traditional course, he was like, uh, christian would have, would have gobbled me up on the descent if we didn't have that road part at the end. So he really kinda I mean, you gotta race the course too, but it's like it was a last minute change, so yeah, Interesting.
Speaker 1:Um, all right, so a couple other names that stuck out to me, some French athletes. Fred trenchard, who's kind of a household name both on the sky runner series and, previously, the golden trail series. Uh, thomas Carden, another French athlete. Uh, christian Jones, who as well was one of, I'd say, more of a favorited athlete. Uh, going into OCC. Very good technical runner. What do you think about Christian?
Speaker 2:Yeah, christian is definitely somebody I've highlighted and I think he's continually gotten better, year after year. Um, I heard something on a podcast or something the other day. He's made the okay, so my notes. Uh, I think he's qualified for their cross-country worlds team for great britain also a great bidding great britain orienteering team. I think he's got a couple orienteering world world medals. Uh, he's run a 103 half marathon of the half marathon world champs uh 13, 45, 5k and he's got a 10k in the low uh 28s but more impressively, uh, for this course. Um, we saw him go fifth at occ but he was up there as high as second and just everyone was kind of going balls to wall at the end and he um got mixed up uh and ended up on the back half of that. And then he had a really, really solid win at ultra trail, snowdonia 50k, which everyone says is like insanely. It's that weird kind of uk technicality where it's like this tussy tussocky like grassy, like stuff yeah, it's like fell running.
Speaker 2:um, that's really hard to prepare for and I think, like when I raced in the pyrenees last year, there was a lot of weird like very steep, not rocky, but like steep, uh grassy, kind of like nolly 12 to 1400 foot, like uh climb per, uh ascent per mile climbs, and so I think that he might have uh a pretty good job here, um, and then, yeah, other stuff. I'm pretty sure he's from wales, so I think that that suits a technical course, um, but he also has that nice mix of like crazy, like speed as well, and he also is a returning. And then, yeah, other stuff. I'm pretty sure he's from Wales, so I think that that suits a technical course, but he also has that nice mix of like crazy, like speed as well, and he also is a returning top 10 from 2023. He was ninth in the world short trail and he's only gotten better since then, so I think that he could go top 10.
Speaker 2:He's also a good follow on Instagram. He's really transparent with his training. He might even have a sub stack too, but his either way, his training that he recaps on instagram. He shows you like everything he does, all his workouts, everything, and I think that's cool from a transparency perspective.
Speaker 1:so dude, amazing, amazing, all right, so, dude, there's so many names on this mensels luca del perro, from italy. Davide magnini, who is the 2025 uh marathon du mont blanc champion, was really looking forward to seeing him at occ, but he pulled out due to an injury. I would I don't know if he's healthy and back I would expect to see him on the start line for italy. I did not see him pulled yet, so I have some insight.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so davide is like probably, if I'm most excited about manu, davide is probably like pretty, a pretty close second place. He's kind of like on that mod train where he was really dominant the golden trail world series. He's got multiple marathon de mont blanc wins, including this year, um, but really in like that 20, the early kind of forming of the golden trail series 2019, 2021 and even into 2022. He was one of those names up there with remy who was like always finishing top, top, top, super speedy italian guy. Uh, he was. He's a new balance guy now but I think he was a solomon runner back then. Yep, um and uh.
Speaker 2:But anyways, I was really, really excited to see his return to form because we've seen him win giro de mont this year and marathon de mont blanc, which was still a very deep field, even though it wasn't golden trail because it had a lot of prize money. Um, he didn't do cc or occ and I was concerned because his his strava kind of went dark, but he did just race a vk about a week ago, um, so that makes me think he's more so hiding more of his training, cause I don't think he's not done any running in the past two weeks and then just popped off on a VK with like a five oh five gap or whatever. So, um, I do think it is still a little bit up in the air if he starts. But if he starts, yeah, he's definitely somebody to watch.
Speaker 1:Um, just is a really, really talented guy. So, yeah, other names. I had daniel pattis, another italian. Do the italians are so deep in this? Uh, timothy cabette, kenyon, um 2023 world champion stian ungerman is back in this race. Um, how has had some success, but a little bit of a bumpy ride as far as races like series and all goes. What do you think as far as stian being back in the mix?
Speaker 2:I think he's getting better with every race and there's a lot of rust to bust off. I think it was pretty impressive. He went ninth at zagama this year in a pretty deep field. Um, I agree that sears and all wasn't his best showing, but I also don't think that's a course that really suits him. In the same way, I don't really think it suits somebody like uh elizine elizawi, like I think that something like this suits stian a lot more. I definitely think he has a strong shot at top 10. He's got tons of world experience. He would be he would be in patrick's situation if not for the doping, um, for the doping negative test. But basically, you know, he is essentially the defending champ of the last two short trails, um, and so I don't think we're going to see that sharp of a sion where it's. I don't I'm not expecting him to go gold or really even medal at this point, but I do definitely think that he will. I think he has a strong chance to top 10. Yeah, and I agree with all those names.
Speaker 1:Also Roberto De Lorenzi as well, and Rui Ueda.
Speaker 2:Yep, yeah, roberto, I'm a big Roberto fan, the same way you're talking about Remy Leroux racing 25 times.
Speaker 2:This year, I think Roberto raced 30-something it was like every weekend and I mean obviously they weren't all ultras, some of them were short, some of them are long, but it's really impressive how he kind of like uses races to get fit. And I mean he talked about I think he interviewed with Francesco Pubbi and he talked about like how his really two circled races were Sierras and all and were Marathon, marathon de mont blanc, and those were his two best results fifth at sierra zanol and third at marathon de mont blanc and that was on top of. He won the sky running world series last year and won multiple sky running world series events and he also won the or, excuse me, he was top 10 and golden trail series and had a ton of top five, top five, top tens. They're super consistent. The only thing about de lorenzi he hasn't had the same year this year. He hasn't been on that kind of form. Last year it was like if I was making fantasy free trail, I was always going to put him in my top 10 for any race he did because he was that consistent. We haven't really seen the same roberto this year, which is a bummer. I hope he kind of gets through some redemption here and kind of comes back, but we haven't quite seen the same level of roberto. In my mind, roberto last year is luca del pera. This year Luca Del Perro has been super consistent. He's been getting more and more fit. He's had top fives at Zagama, he's had wins at Skyrunning World Series races and he is really really good at this type of technical stuff.
Speaker 2:And two other, I was gonna say or three other names international Sylvain Cachard, french runner for Hoka, multiple top tens at Sierras and all. And he was third at ultra trail snow down here behind Christian Jones. So he's got some good finesse on the technical stuff. One that kind of came across my radar was Skyring world series and then eventually Sierras and all. Martine Nielsen, the Swedish runner for VJ. He went six at Sierras and all, which was really impressive. He's had a couple of wins at some technical sky running stuff. Wins at, uh, some technical sky running stuff uh, taster sky marathon.
Speaker 2:And hope konig he didn't do his good at ultra k, so maybe this is, but that's kind of a different level of technicality, so tough to say. And then the last two guys I'd say look out for thomas roach, uh, uk runner who lives in austria, super good at technical stuff. He was second in worlds in 2023. He's one of those guys kind of like max, where I think he's actually in the 45 to 49 category but he still races really, really smart and he helped uk take the team gold uh that year with uh john albin and chris jones and then last one, andre valenz, uh spanish teammate of antonio perez, also his training partner, winner of sierra's and all in 2023 and then second at sagama this year, um, and he went top 10 at worlds, but in the classic race in 2023.
Speaker 1:So the depth, depth, dude, this is such a deep race it's, it's stupid, like um, yeah, I don't know. This is one of the ones that are like it's just impossible to predict, like it's so hard to kind of figure it out. And it's weird too, because we, from the American perspective, do have two of the best runners on the planet in this race.
Speaker 2:And it's hard to figure out, okay, like how is that going to match up and how is that going to stack up when it comes to ccc? Still in the legs? You know, yeah, definitely. And it's it kind of feel it's interesting because eli people have known about worldwide because he's race golden trail series and last year he won occ. So I don't think he's any stranger to the european crowd.
Speaker 2:But I kind of feel like david sinclair was like our little, you know, like best kiss kept secret, where, like if you did the races that he did, like the, the first year I really kind of got into trail running. I raced speed goat and, uh, run the rut, both speed goat, he won and then run the rut, he set the course record broke, killing jordaine's record, uh, and then we've seen him do the same thing I broke an arrow. Some of those records have been broke. He still has the speed goat one. But basically it's like he's won every mountainous 50k and he almost went to OCC, I want to say in 2023, and I don't remember if he was injured or I think he's nursing injury, but it's like he's kind of like our best kept secret and so it's so exciting for him to go to CCC. It was so exciting for him to go knock it out of the park on his first try and it feels like he would even do better at like.
Speaker 2:I feel like he would do just as good, if not better, occ maybe not this year's edition of it, but like the previous years and so, um, yeah, I totally agree that Eli and David on any given day could both take a gold, but I really think that one of them will probably be affected by having CCC in their legs and I think I would lean towards that being Eli. But it's tough to say because it sounds like he's been talking about how he's had some like thermal regulation issues because he kind of like overcooked himself at OCC last year because he got so hot. Um, so the other thing I noticed was if the race was hot, that I'd be a little bit concerned, but based off the forecast we looked at, doesn't look too bad. Um, but he has talked about how he's had a hard time regulating temperatures since winning OCC last year because he just like absolutely cooked himself.
Speaker 1:That's nuts, if that's all right. So that reminds me it's a completely different situation. But have you seen this issue that germans had with, uh like not being able to use his legs, and it's like more of a neurological thing?
Speaker 2:yeah, yeah, and it's like very specifically, like right as soon as like he'll be good for up to six hours of activity and then as soon as he gets like six hours. I haven't seen the most recent stuff other than like katie talking about being concerned about it in some of his posts and he's always joking. It's funny, like well, luckily he can. He speaks english pretty well so he can make the jokes in english, but it's always funny.
Speaker 2:When you like, translate french jokes and you know an instagram and you're like that's true maybe we don't have the same humor, you know, or something like that, but, um, yeah, it seems like he's definitely keeping a good like head on his shoulders. But yeah, it's concerning. I mean, you know, even if you're not even a, you know, elite athlete, even if you're just, you know, like me and you're like running in the mountains, it's like I'd suck pretty bad if you could take away like your one not your one coping skill, but one of your biggest coping skills for getting through anything.
Speaker 2:So, yeah, I hope, I hope they get that solved and I hope he gets more answers, because right now it sounds like there's still a lot of question marks around like what's going on?
Speaker 1:so crazy it's. So you get these weird like things. Man like eli, not being able to like thermoregulate, like what the hell is that? Like what did you cook in your body? That like let has led to this. It's kind of kind of nuts when you you push a lever too far and it's like you don't really know that you did that, and then you find out, it's like when you go over you know the spectrum, which is kind of nuts. So, yeah, wild stuff. All right, let's talk, let's get to women on the short trail, and then we gotta get to picks for sure all right, let's.
Speaker 1:There's so many names on the women short trail team, I'm just gonna throw out a few, and then you throw out what you got. I've got, first and foremost, the easiest ones sarah alonso, repping spain. Malin osa, who's also on the spanish team. Marta martinez is also on the spanish team. Clementine joffrey, french athlete, 2023 champion at worlds. Lucilleille Germain, french athlete. Naomi Lang, from Great Britain, is going to be here as well. Daniela Omas from Germany, who was in the top 10 in 2023 as well. Caitlin Felder from New Zealand, and then the Swiss team Therese Lebeau, maude Mathies, judith Weider, and then we also can't leave out Tove Alexanderson as well, who was second place at the Mountain Classic in 2023, who's also in this race. So the international depth between the men and women in this is nuts it is nuts too.
Speaker 2:Yeah, there's a ton and I'm really excited. Last two international, I'd say ikram marsala too, also spanish crusher, and then adeline martin as well. Uh, she's on the french team a lot. Yeah, this team is nuts going on the Tove ticket. I've kind of forgot a little bit about her.
Speaker 2:If you watch the early golden trail episodes, especially the one in 2020, when they basically just like created a bubble for COVID on uh on the Azores and the the stage race kind of concept with four of them, she appears a lot in that documentary version. Um, and she's like gutsy dude, like she like races, like all out and just like throws herself like she had some good results. I think she had a win in a second place, uh, in the four days, but she just basically raced every day like it was her last. Um. I was looking at her instagram because you, even though she has such a high utmb index, I was a little bit surprised at how high it was. I was like, well, she hasn't raced in two years, like what's been going on with that? And so I went and looked at her instagram, uh, and from her instagram, 21 time world champion orienteering uh, she, let's see. So you got second.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we said talk about second the world's classic race in 2023, uh, and she's really good at technical races and in her past she's won limon sky race and sky racing matheson, uh. But the other thing too is that, uh, last year in schemo she, from my understanding, placed gold in the individual schemo championships and silver in the vertical. So I gotta think she's like gotta be one of the most like fit people in this race overall when it comes to like aerobic abilities. Um, the only thing I'm hesitant is like this is a pretty long race for somebody to not have raced, to have like a race result on itra or utb or wmra for the last two years. But I gotta think she's like one of the most fit people on the line, so I'm really excited to see her race.
Speaker 2:I think she could surprise a lot of people. But, uh, I almost would rather see her in like the classic again or the uphill, because you know that there's there's nothing really you have to worry about as somebody who just has like a huge aerobic engine but hasn't been running a lot. But yeah, it seems like she's still been doing a ton of orienteering this year, had a ton of good results. She's like a really gutsy person, so I bet she'll be out there with a lead pack and I think, uh, maybe she kind of like zach miller either she goes big or, uh, she doesn't make it through the race, but I think she'll be like up there pushing really early.
Speaker 1:So goes bigger, blows up.
Speaker 2:Yeah, goes bigger up, but that's what we like to see as fans. Uh, clementine joffrey uh yeah, she took me by surprise in 2023 when she won, but she's basically just hit home runs since then. Uh, she also won the euro trail. They didn't have a long trail and short trailers had one trail. From my understanding it was like a 58k, so it's kind of like in between, um, but she won that trail championship again last year, uh, for euros, and then you know, top fives at OCC Tomplier, uh six that marathon of Mont Blanc.
Speaker 2:But I think this is really where, and especially with like, how much focus these like French guys are giving the trail, like they weren't. I was curious cause I noticed that some of the French team was racing ETC, but I think their team policy says 30 days before, and I was double checking and ETC was like the 26th of August and I think the short trailer uphill was like the 27 28, so it was like just outside of that 30 days, because that's why we mostly didn't see uh french people race in any of the of the uh utmb advances, but like, uh, but, etc.
Speaker 2:I think was just outside that window, so we did see some of the french team race that um. But you gotta think that like these, I mean the yeah, the french government prioritizes it, the french team prioritizes it um, I think a lot of these french racers are going to be, uh, really ready to go, and I think clementine, like targets, races really really well, so it's it's gonna be hard to bet against her, but it's also like this field is freaking stacked it's so crazy, it's it's nuts to see between the french, the swiss and the spanish like I, and the fact that we're sending a world champion on the American end over.
Speaker 1:I still don't see how the Americans fit in this race. Like it's there's so much experience and so much depth and like it's kind of crazy Like we're sending a grand Teton record holder, we're sending a world champ, we're sending so much depth, but I don't know. Yeah, it's, there's a lot of question marks. On this One quick side quest, I do have for you what. On this one quick side quest, I do have for you, what did you think of, etc. This race kind of really stuck on the radar for me this year, especially after talking to remy larue and seeing how competitive it was. Like this to me seems like a new event on the short trail side that I think really is worthy of coverage in 2026. That just kind of blew my mind and like dan kurtz was there like a quite like there was quite a showing from the brooks team, but just in general the depth was extremely deep on this yeah, totally agree.
Speaker 2:I'm pulling up the results as we do this right now. Um, yeah, I think, etc. Historically, just because it's not technically one of the majors and because there's I don't from my understanding, there's no prize money for it.
Speaker 2:I don't even think so, but I think that it's just getting bigger and bigger and I think that I wouldn't be surprised if that changes next year. Given how popular I think utb would be really wise to put prize money up with it and kind of go to bat against the golden trail series. Not that they need a whole series, but just like with how popular golden trail series is, they already kind of have their ycc for the youth. But this is like kind of a perfect feeder, like hey, you're not quite not ready for occ, but maybe you just don't want to step up to ultra stuff yet. Yeah, I totally agree.
Speaker 2:Looking at the top 10 list, we're going to see a lot of these same guys, uh, this weekend. So, uh, alan santa maria blanco, spain guy, he's going to be racing, I want to say uphill and classic. Cesare marestri from, uh, italy, he's going to be racing, uh, at least one or two of those events we just talked about him. Uh, alberto vender, I'm pretty sure he's racing as well on the span side, on the Spain side, uh, or no, italy, excuse me. And then Remy LaRue, finley grant is going to be for the UK.
Speaker 2:You mentioned Dan Kurtz, yeah, so just lots of really, really good dudes. Uh, quentin Milo. He's on the French team. So yeah, I do agree, it's kind of becoming. I actually was looking pretty heavily at those results for kind of getting ideas of who to watch and who's fit on the women's side. Uh, madalina florio, one, but then maria fuentes she's spanish, I think she's racing the short trail, if I'm not mistaken, um, but she seems to be a little bit better in the vk and shorter stuff. Naomi lang, in third place we talked about her julia long and fourth, uh, marie neve, also anna hofer for italy, and then jess brazzo and martina cumulato. So yeah, I definitely agree. I think it's going to become more and more like an indicator for who's fit.
Speaker 2:I think it's going to become like another golden trail race, honestly. So, yeah, um, but also, if you're like hoka, you're more likely to race it, because we don't see a lot of hoka athletes and golden trail stuff, um, so this will be kind of like the shorter, speedier people notable absence, at least ponchette.
Speaker 1:I don't know what's up with that. She's very popular on the world scene too. Like has raced in previous iterations and was at the championship last year, so I wonder if she's injured or just has different goals this year, but she's definitely absent from the start line yeah, so it looks like she raced.
Speaker 2:Looking at her using b, she did race the qualifier for the vk. Uh, for france, but it has her as dnf, so yeah, it's totally possible. Yeah, I think she was. Did she eyeball? Is she the one she just took the? Uh mont blanc or the? Uh? Yeah, didn't she just take the mont blanc?
Speaker 1:yeah, back in man on skis.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and that week where it got broke like three times yeah um yeah, super capable mountain athlete.
Speaker 1:I imagine she did try to qualify um mainstay on the golden trail series for years.
Speaker 2:Yeah yeah, and just a really good storyteller. I think she's with our tarix now too, which is cool. Um, yeah, there's a good newsletter called mile and stone. That's like a french newsletter, but they put it out in english too.
Speaker 2:Um, and it talked pretty in depth about, like, selecting the french trail team, and most of them were qualifiers, with the exception of a handful, like clementine didn't have to qualify because she was a reigning world champion, um, and I think there was like one or two others that didn't have to race in, but for the most part, it was mainly qualification. Benjamin rubell didn't have to qualify for the long trail because he was also reigning world champion, so, but most of them had to race in, and most of those races were really competitive and that was like a good place to look for who for me, that's what I was looking at for who's going to do well, because, like I said, we had italians there, we had kenyans there, so it was like a really, really deep kind of tune-up race uh leading up to worlds, so I love it all right, man, you want to?
Speaker 1:uh, you want to get into pics sure you got any more anything to hit before we get into pics uh, I think that's everything.
Speaker 2:I'm really excited for the short trial in both the men's and women's, and it's possible that you know I watch a lot of golden trail and also some ultra stuff, um. But this like from a fan perspective. I think most of the well-known athletes out of the three we talked about today are going to be in that short trail, um. But I'm equally excited for all the races, but this one just really is like I'm really curious to see how it goes. So I I love it.
Speaker 1:All right, I'm going to let you take it away. So we're going to start. Let's start with the women's vertical, okay, um, so we're going to do this in a couple of different ways. So, women's vertical, we'll do the individual. Give me your top three and then give me your top three teams.
Speaker 2:Okay, vertical women's vertical individual top three and top three teams. So for the vertical, one second I'm gonna pull up I have my teams listed right away so I might do that and then I'll pull up the runners. Uh, for my teams, team picks. In the vertical, I'll go three through one. Actually, I'll go one through three. So I think for gold, I think I've got Great Britain in gold Between Scout Adkin, who else did I have One second. Let me pull up the uphill chance. Let me go female, yeah, between I don't know I also had.
Speaker 2:Am I looking at the right race One second? Let me double check? Yeah, uphill. Yeah, I think I had. So I also had. Am I looking at the right race One second, let me double check? Yeah, I'll fill. Um, yeah, I think I had so great branding gold. Uh, second place I had Germany, and third place I was between Kenya and France. Um, yeah, scout, I can. I think he's going to do really, really well here. And then there was a handful of others.
Speaker 2:I don't remember why I picked some of them, though kenya for sure, uh, between phalaris is going to be getting points. And then I think also, who else did I have? Yeah, I'm trying to, I'm trying to think, but great britain, germany and kenya is kind of who I had, and I guess great been kind of on the back of scout Adkin, germany, I think Laura Hottenroth and Nina Engelhardt will do really well. And then between Kenya and France, I think honestly I might lean towards France, because a lot of these VK specialists between Christelle de Waal, marina Veil and there's one other one that I'm not seeing. But yeah, that's kind of what I'm leaning towards.
Speaker 2:If I had to go to individual top three sorry, I got a little I was like why did I say that? But uh, individual top three I would probably have to have nina. I think I'm leaning hard towards nina coming off of euro tramp, so I'd have her, probably with the gold, and then I think that I would have uh scout in second, and then I would probably have Nellie. Clement is who I was looking for on the French side, and that's why I think France will be in third. I think she'll be in third. So I'd probably go Nina and then scout, and then Nellie Clement. So what about you? Where were you thinking and who are you looking out for in this race?
Speaker 1:this is tough. This is tough, so I'm gonna say it's hard for me to go one through three. I do say for team wise, I'm gonna go kenya. One because of floris. I think floris is gonna get up there saying it's hard to say, but the kenyans are so dirty, like they're so good, so it's like it's very hard to like go against them, team wise. In second place for team wise, I'm going to go great britain because I do think scout is definitely going to get up there. In third place is a kind of a wild card. I'm going to go canada.
Speaker 1:I think emica clark and jade bellsberg I have. Like I think Emika Clark will probably shock people. I think she's had good results at like Golden Trail level races, so she's got wheels. I think there's a lot of question marks as far as her in a VK. Let's see what happens. And Jade Bellsburg is just always very consistent, so I'd like to see that. Um. And then on the women's vertical, I'm I'm gonna throw, I'm throwing some wild ones out of here. I'm gonna go on a gibson.
Speaker 1:First place cool, I'm not opposed I think she has a very good chance of meddling honestly um, second place, I'm gonna go for rs saying, and then I'm gonna go third place, scott ack, and I think my podium is very safe, with the exception of anna. Just because I don't like I really think anna has the ability to to metal, I just I don't know where we're at yet. Like I, I I look at anna as such a good uphill athlete. She's also really talented on the up, down and mountain classic, so who's to say that couldn't happen? So that's kind of where I'm at. I think I, I like I don't know. Like I um, this is my americanism speaking, but, like you know, obviously home cooking and there's always bias there, but at the same time, um, I'm just like I said this earlier in the podcast like I don't think we really know how good on it is yet I think like there's a lot of potential there, um, for her now and in the future to be one of the greatest american mountain runners of all time.
Speaker 2:So I don't think anna is like a crazy. Yeah, I think she very likely will go top five and probably will medal. I regret not making my picks before I came to sit down and record with you, because I think flairis is a very strong pick and I think she will definitely be top five. Uh, and last thing I would add I think laura hottenroth will very likely go top five. I think this course favors somebody like her. She's got a 224 marathon. She was fourth in last world, uh, and so, yeah, I do think, um, yeah, and then, yeah, I think it's just with the french team targeting it between crystal, uh, dewall, marina bay and uh and nelly, who I keep forgetting her name. I think that they'll probably have like three in the top 15, so I'll have a pretty good team result.
Speaker 1:Yeah I think that's a good pick.
Speaker 2:So do you want to go to the men's side?
Speaker 1:next let's go men's side.
Speaker 2:I'll let you go first for team okay, and one other thing, with the woman too. It's tougher to find the world athletics results for the female ugandan runners, but uganda is sending a full team, so we could very well have, like they have, five ugandan females running they do we could easily see them in the medal count, um, and I would not be surprised at all for the men's picks.
Speaker 2:Uh, so for team picks, I've got kenya with the gold, I've got uganda with silver and then I've got italy with bronze, and that's kind of what I touched on earlier. I think italians, uh, do very well in the vk. I don't think we'll see necessarily meddling, but I think that we'll see a lot of five through 15 or five through 20. And that's kind of the name of the game. You want, you know, three runners up there in like the top 20. With the men, okay, let me see. Yeah, top three. I still got to go.
Speaker 2:Patrick for the gold. I think a three-peat is very likely and I think a three p is very likely, and I think until we see somebody beat him it's kind of like killing out Sears and all or something it's like until I see somebody beat him, I'm not gonna bet against him. So, uh, patrick with the gold is gonna be my pick, and then I think I want to go. Let's see, do we have? I think I want to go, I'm gonna go on a limb. I think there's gonna be a Ugandan somewhere in the top three I'll go with the guy, sam Samuel Simba Cherope, the one of the 13, 29, 5k and 28 minute 10k, only 19 years old, but I think that we saw a lot of Ugandans in the top 10 last time, so I think he could be up there.
Speaker 2:Third place I think I want to go with lucas airway. Um, I think he's definitely going to be somewhere in the top 10. I could see him as high as top five, um. But I'm also really curious. I think remi could be up there too, but I'm hesitant with him coming back from injury. So, yeah, I'll go, patrick, uh, samuel simba chirope and then lucas early, I like these.
Speaker 1:I like these. These are getting good. All right. So for my teams, I'm gonna go first place. Kenya as well. I think patrick locks it down. Um, I do think patrick is a three-time champion. I just don't see anyone. I don't see anyone eclipsing him in this race. But what do I know? Uh, in second place for team wise all right. So think about it this way for scoring, I'm going to go team USA.
Speaker 2:Okay.
Speaker 1:And so hear me out. All right, if we get somebody like Christian on the podium or top four, you've got a lot of good anchor guys, like I think, top 15, it's very possible to get someone like Joe and Tyler in there and we don't really know where it can. Camp strength is uphill running and has a ton of experience. Don't be surprised to see cam in the top like out of the top 20. Like I do think there's a strong possibility that we could have either no one on the podium or one guy on the podium and still get in that second or third spot would not be surprised there.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think to piggyback. I think we haven't talked about tyler. Uh, nearly enough, so we're gonna get some credit. I did hear your interview with him. He's a really likable guy. He's really impressive, uh, he's. He's kind of up there, we know, with the joe gray and the max where he's still running like a what sub 14 minute 5k and he's in his early 40s like that's really nuts. Um, and also just hearing him and kind of seeing how he's raised the past couple of years, if this is more runnable, like we think it is, then I think that's more favors him. If it's more of like the hiking and like more technical or like the parts of Sunapee, what's the one really crappy part that I like?
Speaker 2:that is like yeah, like hands on knees, hiking uphill, like if it's something like that. I don't think he's talked about Cause even when he made the world's team last year and raced in italy, he talked about how, like, that's not his cup of tea, where it was like steep running on slick stairs or whatever. But I think that if it is more runnable, his leg speed is really, really awesome and he is a really experienced racer. So I think we kind of need to give some credit and I totally agree that. Yeah, I think he would be getting the points along with, uh, with christian assuming christian has a good day, and then Joe Gray just being like a staple, so yeah, I don't disagree with that at all.
Speaker 1:And, like I said, I love Cam. Cam's probably one of my favorite people in the sport and has become a friend. I just don't know where he mixes into it.
Speaker 2:I think he looks better for the up-down than he does for the VK and with the way the race currently is, but he has seemed the fastest. I didn is um, but he has seemed the fastest. I didn't look at his rut 28k compared to past years but um, he does seem like he's the most fit. He's been out of the past three years and he's always we know he's always very good at climbing, so yeah and I don't know it's gonna be interesting.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I and he did torch the vk man. I mean it's yeah, I don't know. All right, so back to uh selections. I'm gonna go first patrick. I just think patrick's gonna be really hard to beat. Um, I don't know, I never really pick remy in races, but like, with remy back and doing this first worlds, he is one of the best uphillers on the planet, or at least was 2023 pikes peak marathon champion. We don't know where he's at, coming back from uh, you know, from injury. We'll see. So I'm just gonna throw remy in there a second I think.
Speaker 2:I think remy's a great pick. We we talked offline Like he does this one race every year in Switzerland called Nerevu Molison, and I'm sure I'm butchering that, um, but basically that's the one where I think the highest scoring intra index ever is him winning that. The same year he won the broke the Pikes Peak uh scent record only. Like usually it's like a 56 minute race or I think his course record is like 55 high um, and he was only about like 20 seconds off that this year. So, and he does that race like every year, so it's a pretty good fitness test and that was like pre-injury or whatever, but I gotta believe it, and he only had a absolutely dominant schemo year as well. So I think he's, yeah, I think that's an awesome pick.
Speaker 1:So and then in third, if I think, if we do have a chance of getting on the podium, I think it's going to be christian, like. I think if christian has a performance like he did a broken arrow I think there's strong opportunities there to get on there. To get third, um, I don't know, it depends on what type of christian shows up. I did talk to him the other day and he seems very you know, he's over there with his family. He seems extremely motivated. I think there's a lot of I don't think there's a lot of pressure to perform here, but I think it would be tremendous for his, I think, I just think it would be tremendous for his, for his resume, you know.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and we've seen him do well at WMRA type stuff Like he did. I want to say he got second. Yeah, he, I mean he's done well at this type of race before, um in racing internationally, so I definitely think he could, he could do super well.
Speaker 1:So all right, let's go, uh, let's go. Mountain classic I'll let you take it away with teams.
Speaker 2:Okay, Uh let me pull it up real quick. Short trail classic. Okay, here we go. Um, so, team wise, do you want to go men or women first? Let's go women first. Women's team picks.
Speaker 2:I've got gold kenya, silver usa and bronze france. Um, yeah, uh, with kenya, between joyce, valentine rudo and gloria chabat. I think all of them will be point getters and I think I probably see all three of them in the top 10 up in the air of joyce. Joyce has kind of been up and down this year. I could see her winning gold. I could also see her getting 10th, but I think all three of them will model usa, like you said, I think uh and we talked about that with the intro index. I think that it shows, and I think this team feels like uh, the best female out of the three that we've talked about so far. Um, so I think between uh having I think that both anna and anna and lauren gregory are going to do really, really well here and Laura has uh. Lauren Gregory has a world's experience and then Allie Mac obviously has tons of experience we haven't seen a race as much as she had in the past this year but I think all three of them will race, uh, super well. Uh. And I think, even if Allie Mac doesn't have a good day, I think Courtney Covinger picks up the slack and goes really good at uh, golden trail series and she's been a really consistent racer, so, uh. And then bronze france, um, between, yeah, christelle de wall, nelly clement, who I've talked, we've talked about multiple times on the different events and then also julie long and marina bay. So they kind of have like an extra woman could have a bad day and as long as three of them are good, they're good to go.
Speaker 2:Um, and I put a question mark next to ugandan woman because they are also sending a full team there from what I can tell. Like I said, their world athletics indexes are a little bit harder to research and they didn't publish their. They published their team but they didn't publish their team results, like Kenya for their qualifying race. I could see who did what and that also kind of influenced my picks. Um, uganda didn't. So I think they're a big wild card as well. Top. So I think they're a big wild card as well. Top three individually. This is where I should have made my picks.
Speaker 2:Before Anything, I say I'm liable to change and I will change my fantasy free trail like 45 times. But off the top of my head, just looking at this list, I think, let me see, I'm definitely going to have at least all right. I'm going to have at least All right. I think I'll probably go Scout Adkin, and First. I think she actually is probably better at the up-down stuff than she is just at the VK. And then I think I'll go Valentin Rudo, coming off of fourth place in our last race and let's see. Actually, no, I'll go Scout Atkin first, I'll go Nelly Clement from France in second, and then I'll go Valentlly clement from france in second, and then I'll go valentine rudo in third. Uh, nelly clement really impressed me because, uh, french up down champions, she won overall and she beat a field that included joyce gloria and scout atkin all of her running this race and who are, in my opinion, going to be in the top 10, if not the top five spots. So I think that she'll be kind of like that sleeper pick.
Speaker 2:And am I missing? Oh, nina engelhardt. Oh, dang, I'm missing nina engelhardt. Hmm, I might swap out glory to bet for nina engelhardt. So I'll go scout first, uh, nelly second and nina third. So, yeah, damn, this is close. This is tight man. I feel bad not having a kenyan runner in my top three, because I think there will be one, but I think there are some really really good up down europeans.
Speaker 1:So val, and it's hard to bet against valentine, who's was fourth in 2023. Yeah, she was fourth.
Speaker 2:And then she really likes the third and fourth places. So that's why I was kind of on the fence. I had her in third and I was like I think she'll probably go third or fourth, like she has a ton of thirds third at golden trail series, no only third at trophy onisego, third at the wmra in china this year, third at the french up down and then a win at jared amant.
Speaker 1:So so I'm gonna go teams, I'm going usa gold. I think this is, if we're gonna do it, this is the opportunity to do it, in my opinion, yeah. Second, I'm going to go France. Third, I'm going to go Kenya. I do have Valentin Rudo in that first spot and I have Ana Gibson and Lauren Gregory working together in second and third.
Speaker 2:Nice. Yeah, I honestly think Lauren could do really well here, and I think Ana, I don't know. I guess I need to be more gutsy and put my money where my mouth is, but I really do think on a good metal here.
Speaker 1:So yeah it's. It's interesting to me like I think in one of the races on is gonna get a medal. I really do, I just don't know. I think the mountain classic might be more. I don't know, man, it's hard to say like she's she almost caught Michelino at rendezvous, dude. Like she's so fast and so good on the uphill now it's kind of crazy.
Speaker 2:So I don't know um I think I had ptsd from 2023 worlds, when I had really high hopes and put up a ton of like uh, us or yeah, and then I just watched kenya and uganda like destroyer absolutely but, to be fair, the women's race was more well-rounded and like a top 10.
Speaker 2:There's three kenyan females in the top 10 in 2023. But I mean we also had USA got the gold, sweden got, you know, silver, we had Germany, romania, czech Republic, france and Great Britain. So I think there is like a good, a really good mix.
Speaker 1:So all right, let's go to the men. I'll let you take it away, okay uh, men's uh for classic distance.
Speaker 2:I have Kenya getting the gold. I have Kenya getting the gold, I have Uganda getting the silver, and then I have bronze. I do have the US in bronze and I could potentially even see them getting the silver as well. And then individual medals. I still think. Phil Monn, it is his race to lose, Like we said, he's had up-down years, but I think he's really, really dialed this year and I think he has a lot of confidence and even his WMRA races pretty much anything that's up-down, he wins. He doesn't really win the vertical stuff, but he wins the up-down. And then I think I'll probably go with. Let me see. Fifth, where are we going to start the race?
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:I can't decide. There's definitely gonna be two Kenyans in my top three and I'm trying to decide between Michael Salelo and Paul Machoka for the next spot. I think that I'll probably go with Paul Machoka cause he is the top ranked runner per WMRA standings. He's got lots of good results and he does really, really good and uh up down races. So I think I'll probably go him in second and then I think lucas, early from germany in third. Um, him and nina engelhardt. I'm really, really impressed with their euro results last year and they. Nina doesn't race as much, but lucas has raced a lot of races with kenyan guys at like wmra events. He did one in china and he still beat out a lot of guys, um, so I think he can hang with a lot of these East Africans and can do really well. So I'll go Phil Amon and first Paul Machoka and second and Lucas early in third. What are you thinking?
Speaker 1:I definitely have Paul Machoka in there. Um, I have us. I gotta say, like I think this is the other same thing. If we like, just as it was for the mountain classic for the women, um, it's the same thing for the men, like if there's going to be a men's team that's going to perform really well here, like this has got to be the one. Yeah, um, I don't know, I I'm like kind of waffling back and forth between kenya and usa. I have italy kind of, or germany kind of, in that third spot from a team perspective. Um, somewhere it's got to be usa or kenya, maybe leaning more towards usa, but it's hard to say um.
Speaker 2:You said italy was considered. You're considering too. What was that? Did you say? You're considering italy for a spot as well?
Speaker 1:yeah, yeah, lucas, earl, um, I don't know man. So I do have taylor, so this is the only one I didn't pick a podium for, and just because I'm like so on the fence. So my problem with philomon is that I've seen him beaten like I've watched it and I'm like man, I don't know, like it's, it's. I do think taylor stack has not had the race that like he's had some amazing races, but I don't think he's had the one yet. This could be be it. I've watched David Norris beat Phil Amon, so I could definitely see that happening as well. I think there's a lot of people in a mountain classic race, so I don't know, I mean, those are all people I could see on the podium.
Speaker 1:I'm going to defer and that's what I've got. I do have United States Geffler getting a medal. I just don't know how it falls into place like I could see this being. I could see this being a gold or I could see it being a silver. I think anything less than that would be possibly disappointment for the talent level of this team.
Speaker 2:So yeah, I also think that italy could be. Uh, they did get. They had two in the top 10 last year, both of which are returning cesare mastery and xavier chevrolet. And then, uh, another guy, isaac o costo costa excuse me, beat uh, cesare maristri and the uptown champion. So I think all three of those guys could go top 15. That could also be a potential team medal as well, because they like these type of classic trail races.
Speaker 1:So it's so hard to tell. I mean, this is my distance and I just can't.
Speaker 2:It's hard to pick man, it is well, the margins are so thin, like in ultra. You know, if it's like a one minute race it's close, or you know ccc being 20 seconds apart. But you know, if I'm looking at the top 10 from last year, you know it's like, uh, eight seconds between first and second, five seconds between second and third, uh, and then I guess there's almost a minute and then one second between, you know, fourth and fifth. Like you know, the margin, the margin for error, is very, very thin, and so if somebody has a bad day and it's just a little bit off, it's like I have a question has paul machoka raced philemon head-to-head this year?
Speaker 2:uh, I imagine they have had to.
Speaker 1:Let me see because I'd be more inclined to possibly pick paul machoka. I don't know why I'm shitting on philemon, but like I've just seen him lose before and I'm just like I don't, it's hard to say I think they probably have.
Speaker 2:I want to say paul ran the top five at sierras and all and lost there. Uh, and let me just double check because I didn't write down as many of his results. Um, but he, I'm 95 sure that he raced sierras and all. Let's see. Yeah, he did race here as an all, he got fifth. Geraldamont philemon didn't race. And then he raced the up down french championships, got sixth. Yeah, I think sierra's and all might be the main place that they raced this year. Uh, he raced golf, adela sola, and got third, which philemon won. That I'm pretty sure. And then Trofeo Nisego I'm not sure if Philmon raced, let me double check uh, he raced. Uh, they both raced Phil. Uh, trofeo Nisego, which is really competitive Italian race, and Philmon won that. So he's beat him head to head every time this year, from what I can tell.
Speaker 1:So all right.
Speaker 2:All right, maybe Philmon it is then, like I said, philmon is like winning running much better he had so many second places last year and I was like he's just got to get one win.
Speaker 2:And then he's like, hey, I'm back on it and he legit didn't have a win last year, even though he had, you know, two golden trail series where he's within two seconds of uh but you know, so far this year I'm looking at, you know, when it's here, isn't all uh second at the french up down champs, and then yeah, I mean he's just won a lot more. So trofeo nisego golfa de la sola, uh, yeah, so he's got three or four wins under his belt.
Speaker 1:So all right, let's pivot to women short trail.
Speaker 2:Okay, I'll let you take it away, all right women's short trail okay, I'll let you take it away. All right, women's short trail, let me get it pulled up real quick. All right, short trail. Women's side, on the team results, I've got, uh and this was tough, um, but I it's definitely gonna be some order of these top three. I've got spain and gold. Uh, gold position spain. Silver. I've got france and bronze. I've got switzerland. I can almost guarantee it's gonna be those top three or like it's gonna be those three, but I just don't know in what order.
Speaker 2:And um, and it just blows my mind like spain has legit like six or seven women that. So basically, they have tons of wiggle room. If, like, even if sarah alonzo or malo and osa has a bad day, it's like you still have, yeah, patricia pineda, martina martina. Martina is um at the bottom of the list because I think they misspelled her name is oyhana cortazar, who's also she was top 10 returning world. Um, so they just have a ton of people where, like, if multiple of them have a bad day, they're still in really, really good shape. But then, likewise, I mean france, uh, has an insanely deep field. Switzerland has a little bit less wiggle room, but they're some of the most consistent racers. Udith weeder never misses. Um, maude doesn't really miss and I think, with racing now that she's back to her health, I don't think she will. And then, uh, therese labouf, like you said, like she's like one of the most consistent racers. So I think that those three were definitely gonna score and score well, um, but switzerland just doesn't have as much wiggle room if one of them doesn't. And then if they had that orioleachi uh, female racing also as well, I'd be like that. Actually, I could see them going even higher, because she did super well at uh, sears and allen is really fast.
Speaker 2:And then, yeah, I mean on the on the french side, like returning world champion, uh, lucille germain has been knocking out of the park with sky running uh races this year, so I think she's super good, uh. And then adeline martin, not as well known, but she got third at euro tramps, uh, euro champs, short trail last year. I think she also has a win in worlds in 2019, if I'm not mistaken, uh, or at least a silver medal. She meddled somewhere there, uh. And then she, yeah, she just is really consistent.
Speaker 2:I didn't know about her until, I think, the last world. She raised her the euro champs, one of the two, and then spain also left out ikram or solo too, like. So I mean, they just have so many people that are gonna like that can race really well. Individual medalist wise, though, um, this one's so hard, yeah, this one's gonna be really hard, and this is where, like, I should have made my picks before. Um, I know, ma or, excuse me, I know I'm gonna have udith somewhere in the top three, so I'm just gonna think out loud, real quick udith for sure in the top three. Um, one person we didn't even talk about was caroline kamatai, for kenya yes, another I'm a little hesitant because this is gonna be her longest race.
Speaker 2:It's gonna be two hours longer than her longest race, which was rastanaka, and then took about like three hours and 15 minutes. You got to think these women are probably gonna come around five ish hours if I had to guess. So that's my only question, with, like, it being super technical, I could be totally wrong. I mean, I thought, yeah, she's done really well in every race she's done so far. But uh, udith, who else do I want? I feel like clementine's got to be up there and let me get a spaniard. Let's go, sarah alonzo.
Speaker 1:So, um, yeah let's get some home field advantage. So what about clementine? You don't have Clementine in there. You know, I have Clementine, I have Clementine.
Speaker 2:I think. So I uh, in order. I think I'll still go Clementine to defend Judith, and then Sarah would probably be how I'd want to go. Um, I think she's a better racer than Clementine, but I think, with Judith having just race OCC and Clementine being fresh and she also just targets these type of events really well, I mean I feel like, heck, she's the defending champ, so it's her slues. So, yeah, I'll go Clementine, judith and Sarah Alonzo. Um, I think mods also paused for like a really really good day and I think she's going to be up there somewhere thinking oh my god, like pretty much same exact thing you have.
Speaker 1:So women's team I've got just in different order, I've got switzerland getting the getting the gold, I've got spain in second, france and third, and then, for the individual women, I've got clementine joffrey uh taking the dub again, sarah alonzo in second, udith wider in third clementine sarah yeah, so it's like it's pretty much the same exact little different order, um I totally think, I totally agree with your switzerland pick.
Speaker 2:But I'm like hedging my bets because I'm like if one of them like we don't really see udith or maude have a bad day and terese really honestly super well. We've seen maude with her injury stuff, but it feels like it's a new mod. But yeah, I mean I could easily see udith and maude both in the top five and then terese like seven through ten, and it's like it's gonna be pretty hard to beat a team like that.
Speaker 1:So what do you think? Where do you think team usa falls into this one for the short trail women? Because, remember, we do have grayson in the mix. Has grayson, like improved enough to prove or show you know, in the mix with these women, because she's so good and I feel like we have her almost as an afterthought yeah.
Speaker 2:So so, talking about, uh, us women yeah, we've been slacking on some you've mentioned, so we've already mentioned Jane, uh, who we're excited to see. Uh, and her grantee, tom time was amazing. Uh, ruby, who's been getting better and better every year. I first met her at run the rut Super, and then Lindsay Allison as well we haven't even mentioned all podcasts and she's been getting better every every race that she's done so far this year. And then, like you said, grayson, and then also we've left out Tabor Hemming. Tabor has had a bit of a up and down year.
Speaker 1:I was really impressed and I think, if she I mean what it could have showed her but like it could have easily been a Hemming sweep at OCC, she led through like 20 miles and then I don't remember what ended up being the issue. Um, she broke bone.
Speaker 2:I think she's something. I think I think her breathing locked up or something. Something caused her not to finish. But um taber is definitely just as talented as uh as anyone in this field, so I'm really curious to see if she can get a bounce back. Race um, because she also she dnf ccc. Did she race ccc this year? I can't remember. I thought I saw her in the start list.
Speaker 1:I think she started ccc, yeah, but she didn't but I don't, I don't think she finished, so she did yeah I'm not sure, um, what happened there, but yeah, you're totally right.
Speaker 2:I think, grayson, I very likely can see her going top five and potentially even getting a medal. Um, because I do like that. She's gotten better at every race and I know she has some stomach issues is the ibs or colitis, one of the two, something along those lines, um, but it seems like she's really learning how to deal with it. Um, because I would be more nervous about that kind of stuff and an ultra than I would in the typical races that she used to or, you know, used to do with the up down um, but it seems like, you know, she's only gotten better with with every ultra. So, yeah, I could very well see grace in the top five, um, and then tabor, on a good day, could definitely go top 10, and I'm excited to see where jane uh races as well she just doesn't have a lot of like deep race experience.
Speaker 2:But she's very talented. So, yeah, um, I was really excited about the fk, the grand titan fkt, too, like the titon, the grand is just like it's. It's so iconic, it's so pretty the tetons are like. That's why I moved out west. Like um, it's just one of the most beautiful mountain rangers in the world, in my opinion. So, yeah, so, um, it will be very interesting to see. Uh, and I honestly think toby alexanderson is like a big sleeper question mark even though it's weird.
Speaker 2:It feels weird calling her sleeper when she's the second highest on the fantasy free trail picks with regards to utb index. But it's like I forgot who she was for a second and then when I saw, looked her up I was like, oh yeah, it's this chick.
Speaker 2:That like when she raced golden trail series, like she just left it out, kind of like ally mac or zach miller, like she just goes and she goes hard and it's either gonna you know, she's gonna blow everyone out of the water or she's gonna blow herself up and uh, I she ended up at golden trails. Here is with like blood on her knees, mud on her face, like she just looks like a like a tough mudder poster or something like that.
Speaker 1:So let's go man. Uh, we'll just wrap this up with a short trail. Um, I'll let you pick, take it away with teams and then individual.
Speaker 2:Yes, teams, it's tough to bet against the three biggest mountain racing countries, and definitely in Europe, if not like the world. I've got gold, italy, silver, spain and bronze will be France and Italy just has. If I'm looking at Italy's team, luca Del Pero, let's see who else Davide Magnini. At Italy's team, luca Del Pero, let's see who else Davide Magnini assuming he starts Daniel Pettis, lorenzo Beltrami, and I feel like there was even one more that I didn't have written down, but they have like 60. Yeah, they had another link, lorenzo Roto. So they basically have, like they have a lot of room and I think that it's pretty hard. Like, luca's for sure going to be in the top 10. I think that adobe day, if he finished, if he races, he's going to be in the top 10. Daniel is insanely talented. He's also going to be top 10. He's kind of like roberto di lorenzi in that way, where he's just like steady chugging. His third place at zagama was awesome this year, uh, and he just missed out. Yeah, he was top three at zagama, um. And then lorenzo beltrami has been kind of up and coming sky runner uh, fifth at zagama, kind of a breakout, but he also has a lot of top fives at uh, at sky running world series races, and he also had a fourth in the valdoran 50k, which was the utmb major for uh, for the utmb 50k, or like for the euro, like they're a coven of canyons, basically, um, yeah, so I think that they're super deep. And then, with regards to spain, I can easily see spain taking the gold to um home, home field advantage. We talked about mando maria's, we talked about antonio martinez perez, we talked about, uh, andrew blanas, and then yeah, and so they're looking really good.
Speaker 2:And then, for france, I mean france, france is like they're, in my opinion, they're the favorites when the overall medal again, just because they're focused so much on it, um, but I'm hoping that you know, the us can change that, or, uh, I don't know somebody else, but like they're definitely putting all their eggs in this basket. So, france, between tomas carden, uh, who else do we have? Yeah, tomas carden, and then fred tranchard is definitely going to be top 10 somewhere, and then sylvan kashard could definitely have a really good day out there as well. So, um, individual medals this is definitely going to get exciting and this is tough because it's like, um, who do I want to go? All right, I think if I had to go gold this is tough because steon used to be like the automatic pick and it's not that case anymore, but that's good because it means troning is more competitive and exciting, uh, so I think I want to go.
Speaker 2:I'm gonna go three through one. I'm gonna go luca del perro in third. I definitely decent lock for the top 10, probably lock for the top five, and I think he's just getting better every race this year. So I'll go luco in in third. Uh, lucas del perro. And then I think I'll go david sinclair in second. I think he's gonna be the one who recovers better from ccc. His training still looks insane. I'm hoping that he's not overcooking it, but he's like throwing down some really good times and some new england routes and go going and taking some like run the white uh segment challenges and stuff. So I'll go david for silver another second place in a big race for him. And the gold is really hard, because I'm like if davide races, I think he can win, but I don't know that he's going to race.
Speaker 2:My heart wants me to cheer for Manu because I really, really love Manu, and then, uh, but I think that I might go with Tomas Cardin from France.
Speaker 2:Um, he's not really as well known from the U S audiences but he's won a lot of the big french races, including tomplay and a6 uh, which is like. Those are two like 15 mile-ish races. Um, he was the european short trail champion last year with that like 58k, with like 4 000 meters of vert um. This year he's got a six at zagama um, which was impressive because when I watched the race he came out really hard and I thought he blew up, but he actually just kind of backed off and then ran his own race, um, which was really mature. This year he also got a third at marathon mont blanc behind davide magnini. The only question mark I have is I don't know that he's as good on the technical stuff as somebody like manu, so that would make me want to pick manu, but I'll pick tomas cardin for first, so I like that I like it all right, I'm gonna go spain, and first for men or for the team, sorry, okay, uh, I'm gonna go italy in second.
Speaker 1:Third, I'm gonna go usa. It's hard for me to not, I don't know, dude, I want to go usa over france, just because, if we are bringing heavy hitters, think about it.
Speaker 1:I mean between david sinclair, david sinclair um eli, noel williams, michelino sinceri, and michelino has yet to figure out a race this year, but has figured out what the problem is okay, that's good if we get a prime michelino, that's like broken arrow level, or like speed goat champion level michelino, or great, let's say grand fkt holder michelino, like yeah, that's, that's no joke, I think he can mix it up with the europeans, um, and then you get max, who's got? You know, obviously gonna pull like he's I don't want to say an anchor, but like definitely gonna score I think he's, yeah, I think he's gonna be in the top three.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and I don't even think we did. We say seth ruling saying and then we got, we got through your boy.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we got seth ruling, who you know is another broken arrow 46k champion.
Speaker 2:I don't know, that's what I said he's won run the rut and he's run broken arrow.
Speaker 2:So like we don't think of him because his most recent race results aren't technical, but like yeah I mean, run the rut is like the closest sky race that we have in the in the states, and then he's one broken arrow. Um. He's a big question mark for me because I think he could do really good um, but he's kind of had a mixed bag of results, like ccc had what fifth or sixth, then he also had a dnf yeah um, and so I don't know.
Speaker 2:I'm excited to see him race. Max King, I think could kill it. No, williams, I'm excited to see race as well. I think he could be kind of a sleeper pick. And then, yeah, you're right, michelino, I mean, he's won. Run the. What did he take Sinclair's course record at? Run the rut? If not, he's very close to it.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:He actually does have it. He's definitely on top three multiple times he's won.
Speaker 1:That's. What got him on the map was a speed goat win.
Speaker 2:He's actually won it and he's won broken as well so he's kind of david sinclair, and then he's won them all and then david's just been a little bit more recently winning them and um setting course records on them, so it's like, yeah, dude, he definitely this could be an amazing team could be.
Speaker 1:I don't know, it's hard to say I hope he knocks it out.
Speaker 2:He's kind of had a mixed bag, or like you know. Yeah, I'm cheering for him big time.
Speaker 1:So I'm going to go, luca Del Perro winning Nice.
Speaker 2:I like that.
Speaker 1:I'm going to go, antonio Martinez Perez also in second, I think he you know, dude, it just made me like really think about it. Just because he's such a good technical runner and because of this way this course runs, I it's just very out there. It's very technical, it's very technical, it's very, I don't know. I think this is more his course than something like occ, yeah, and I think he just didn't get a chance to. I mean, dude, he's been training with ben demon, he's been training with like a lot of some of the new asics athletes. I think he I don't know, I think he's definitely better on paper than or definitely better than what, maybe what he shows on paper. Uh, and the third, I'm gonna go david sinclair. I think david sinclair figures it out and I think he's the one for the americans to do it. Um, I hope he lies up there, I hope the americans are up there, but I do think. I think this is a meddling team. I just don't know where it falls.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think antonio is a really good pick.
Speaker 2:Looking at the course again, like they're, the course I'm looking at has the ups and downs and the high points, but it's not showing me how long the descent is, but there's a very long descent at the end and I think that Antonio could easily like gobble up you know three, four or five spots, like we've seen him doing OCC and yeah, and he actually mainly trains with the Andrew Blond is guy that we mentioned, and I can honestly see Andrew Blond is meddling as well with his second place at Sears and all this year, or, excuse me, at Sagama. Um, he wants here as an all in 2023. That was really, really impressive and he kind of raced and came out and, uh, led from the gun and when Elzean took the lead, I was like, oh no, he's cooked, he's gonna, he's gonna fade and he just like stuck it. He. He's been getting a lot of training out here with Antonio. I wouldn't be surprised to see either of them in the top five because they're both really talented. I like Antonio, he's one of those Skyrunners.
Speaker 1:Not.
Speaker 2:Italian but Spaniard. Between Spain and Italy there's so many good Skyrunners that are sponsored by Scarpa or have been sponsored by Scarpa at some point.
Speaker 1:I love it. Wow, that's our picks, picks, dude. This was the first two hour episode. I've done it forever. I didn't even know it was two hours it just flew by, so um do you have any ending thoughts?
Speaker 2:uh, no. My ending thought is do you know if this is available to watch or, like I haven't, it's gonna be on.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's gonna be um live. Um. I don't know what channels it's gonna be on or the ability to get it. I think I don't know.
Speaker 2:I gotta like I can add to the show notes after yeah, I think I think my any thoughts is like I know I watched the 2023 worlds and I was like pretty early in my fandom uh, and the vibes were like really really awesome from 2023 worlds. The media coverage was really good. So I'm just like really really excited to see, uh, how they cover it this year and kind of how they bring like a Spanish flair to it. Um, cause, I thought the one in Innsbruck looked really really awesome and I remember just like being excited for the content and then, uh, really enjoying the content that came out all week. So, yeah, I'll be super excited to watch and, um, yeah, I mean I'll be rooting for the USA.
Speaker 2:I know I didn't pick them as much as people probably expect, but like no I'm very much like I want the usa to do super well, but I also try to be nuanced with, like you know, I'm a big fan of trail running in general and like europe's kind of the home to a lot of this sky running, especially like the worlds. That's this technical.
Speaker 2:It's like you know, this is really what a lot of and any given weekend in italy, spain or france, you can go and there's a vk or up down race, and so for every race that we've heard of, there's like 25 that we haven't heard of. Um, and that's cool, that's a cool problem to have.
Speaker 1:So, no, I love it yeah it's interesting, like I think we I don't know, I'm very 50, 50, 50 of me really wants to show that, like, like the athletes have said, like a lot of my friends and peers have like put out there, it's like, yeah, we want to show that like, this is that american trail running is on the map now, and it's like here to stay, but also it's like you also want to show respect to the guys and gals that have been winning this in the last few years. And yeah, it's definitely the euros. So you know, we, I think the Americans have a lot to prove, and I rightfully so, you know yeah.
Speaker 2:And the analog kind of feels like I mean, I've only recently become a track and field fan, but you know, america's is very good at stuff that we have not been very good at in a long time, specifically the 1500 and the 5000. And we just had, you know, cole Hawker go and win the 5000 meter and we haven't had a US men win since 2007 in the 5000 meter. And it's like not only do we have like the chance to win it, but we have like three different guys that could go out there plausibly and win it. And so, yeah, I think it kind of feels that same way in the US scene. I think we have certain teams that look really good, and this men's short trail is one of them and the women's classic is one of them.
Speaker 2:But, yeah, I would love to see us win the overall competition and it's cool just to see these young people like your Sidney Petersons or Taylor Stacks that are just coming out of college. I say just, I mean they've been out for a couple of years, but it's like to get people excited about the sport is when they're still, when they're maybe burnt out on running collegiately or running around an oval, but then they find a different way to run and it's kind of like lights up a new fire. So, yeah, I definitely agree. I think, uh, the U? S has something to prove. Uh, and yeah, I'll be rooting for us for every event.
Speaker 1:It's going to be fun, no doubt about it. I mean, this is the most electric worlds that I feel like we've had, so it's going to be pretty and it might be dude. I think it's a special one too. Like, who knows, this might be the last time we see Joe at one of these. I hope not.
Speaker 2:Joe or Max, yeah, or.
Speaker 1:Max. Yeah, I think it's a really time to to be a fan in the sport and to be following it and, yeah, I just wish everybody the best of luck and I hope that people listen to this. Like, really take away some value for their free. When does? When does it lock up for free trial fantasy picks?
Speaker 2:uh, it'll lock up when the race starts, so the closest one is 25th yeah, it's the 25th, which is like two days and 12 hours out, so make sure you get them in and make sure you pick 10 deep too. It should. I think it gives you some kind of notification, because I made that mistake on a couple races last year where they're 10 deep, but I think all these worlds ones are 10 deep, so pick as many people as it lets you pick, basically.
Speaker 1:So yeah, oh yeah. Well, dude, do me a favor, plug your substack again.
Speaker 2:We'll link it in the show notes yeah, uh, my substack is rob runs round, uh, just like it sounds so a lot of alliteration.
Speaker 2:But yeah, rob runs round at substack and you can just uh follow or subscribe and it'll send out. Um, it'll send out whatever podcast, or sometimes they'll do like a little recap, uh, like written article too, like I did one after sears and all. But usually I'll try to preview anything that's coming up on uh free trail. So it looks like even free trail has the mammoth, the 200 miler I think it is. So I might need to do some research and try to get something out, um, but typically anything that they uh, that they preview or that they do which is about a race a week, um, then I'll try to do some kind of preview for it. I can't say I make everyone, but I try to make most of them, and definitely for the big ones, western whatever, whatever I make it, although this year at utmb I was a little bit bad, but that was my fault because I planned a vacation right when utmb was happening, which was a bad idea.
Speaker 1:So, yeah, rob runs around on substack, uh, and then that's also my instagram handle as well, so perfect I'll link your instagram and everything in the show notes so people will be able to give you a follow and follow along, oh yeah, nerd out for mammoth teddy tonelli pick that teddy tonelli okay that pick that guy. Yeah, awesome rob, I appreciate it. Man, dude, I can't wait to get out for a run with you and yeah this was a great one, I really appreciate it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, absolutely, that was a pleasure. Thanks, man, super fun yeah.
Speaker 1:Hope you guys enjoyed that episode, really want to thank Rob so much for coming on. Lots of so much value there that he provided and just some really good write-ups and some really good commentating and banter. Um guys, if you are interested and want to learn more about Rob, you could find him and support him in two different ways. The first one is his hop on sub stack. If you don't already give Rob a follow, you can subscribe to him at Rob runs round. That's at Rob runs around. It's going to be located in the show notes for a link that you guys can subscribe to. Um. Like I said, he gives all kinds of really good commentary and banter as well as race previews just really good stuff. His 2025 OCC preview and fantasy picks is amazing. He does one on the Matterhorn Old Tracks Extreme series and all he does write-ups just all kinds of really really good stuff there. So I think there's a ton of value for you guys and definitely hop on over, subscribe and give him some kudos over there. You can also find him on Instagram. Give him a follow. You can find him also at RobRunsRound Really appreciate that. He keeps these linear so he doesn't have to change up the names too much. Yeah, that's RobRunsRound, and you're going to be able to find that in the show notes as well. Guys, the best way you can support the podcast if you did enjoy this episode as well as our preview episodes that we brought you for Worlds is to give us a five-star rating and review on Apple, spotify, youtube or wherever you do consume your podcasts. That would mean the world to us and that's how we can continue to tell the stories of these amazing athletes and keep getting some coverage and following along. It's all good stuff there. Last but not least, I do want to thank our brand partner, ultimate Direction. Guys, hop on over to ultimate directioncom.
Speaker 1:As we start to close out the summer season and start to pivot towards fall autumn, whatever you want to call it. In the winter months, you're going to need to figure out and redial in your hydration solutions. Ultimate Direction has you covered. They have insulated bottles. They have all kinds of vests. Definitely check out the new 6-liter race vest and the 12-liter ultra vest and some beautiful aesthetic colorways. If you use code steepstuffpod again, that's steepstuffpod one word that's going to get you 25% off your cart.
Speaker 1:Like I said, don't miss out. There's all kinds of good stuff in there. They I also have apparel, they have belts, that all the good stuff, all the good stuff. But, like I said, with the weather changing, you definitely want to hook yourself up with some insulated bottles, um, as well as, uh, some some new vests. Uh, definitely go for it. And there's a quiver too. The quiver is pretty dope. Uh, I got a chance to test that thing, uh, in the early testing period and I thought it was pretty dope as well, and lots of new belts and stuff to come. So, guys, I hope you had a great week following worlds. Definitely tune in, definitely be a mega fan. We love the sport so much, and I hope you guys too. So, thanks so much. Thank you. We'll see you next time.
