The Steep Stuff Podcast
All Things Trail, Mountain & Sky Running
The Steep Stuff Podcast
Sydney Petersen - Pre UTMB ETC Interview
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Chamonix has a way of making trail running feel like the center of the universe, and Sydney Peterson is soaking it up while she can. After stacking a string of brutally competitive European races, she joins me for a catch-up from the Alps where recovery, team time, and UTMB week energy all collide. We talk about what it’s like to live among people who treat mountains like a daily ritual, from running vests at the grocery store to the quiet confidence that comes from being surrounded by athletes chasing big days outside.
Sydney breaks down what’s happening at Brooks trail camp, why UTMB recon is such a powerful advantage, and how scouting now can set up future goals like Marathon du Mont Blanc or an OCC debut. We also get into ETC and why it’s such a smart way to experience the UTMB scene: you race early, then you get the rest of the week to cheer, crew, and actually enjoy the spectacle without carrying race-week nerves the whole time.
The deeper thread is how she’s building her season on purpose. Sydney explains why she’s choosing courses that attack her weak points, especially technical downhill running and the mental intensity of deep fields. Then we look ahead to the Golden Trail Series final in South Korea, a course she describes with a “healthy amount of scared” and a lot of excitement to learn. We close with an incredible story about trail legend Stevie Kremer and how mentorship can shape not just results, but an entire career. If you enjoy the conversation, subscribe, share it with a trail friend, and leave a rating and review so we can keep telling these stories.
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Quick Welcome And Subscribe Request
SPEAKER_02This is the Steam Stuff Past. What's up, guys? Uh hey, before we get started, if you haven't already, whatever platform you're listening to this on, please hit that subscribe or follow button, whether that's Apple, Spotify, or YouTube. Those subscriptions go a super long way in being able to keep the podcast going and allowing me to continue to tell the stories of these amazing athletes and also do some of the race coverage and all the good stuff that we've been doing over the last few years. And also, if you haven't already, please give us a rating and a review if you haven't. Yeah, let us know what you guys think about the podcast and hope you enjoy this episode. Thanks so much for tuning in. All right, Sydney Peterson. Welcome back to the Steep Stuff Podcast. How's it going?
SPEAKER_01Great. How are you?
SPEAKER_02I'm doing well. Doing well. I'm so excited to catch up. I feel like it's been a little bit. I think the last time I saw you guys was you and Taylor walking in the parking lot of uh at Broken Arrow. I think it was like just before, just before you raced the ascent. So it's been it's been a little while.
SPEAKER_01So you're right. Yeah, that was the first time I've met you in person. I've only I've talked to you several times at this point and feel like I know you pretty well, but I haven't actually like spent time with you in person yet. So yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_02Crazy. So how are you doing? How's uh the recovery going post-series and all? How's the uh the Euro
Post Series Recovery In Europe
SPEAKER_02vibes or eating all the pizza and just enjoying yourself over there now?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, Euro vibes are great. I've been kind of bouncing back and forth between races. Um, I raced the Austria Golden Trail race and the Ansears and all with a week apart, so it's been a lot of racing. And then um Brooks is having their trail camp right now, so kind of basing out of there and mostly recovering instead of training really hard. But um, it's a great place for that too. And I don't know, anytime you're out spending time in Europe, it's just the dream. It's so cool. So yeah, wake up really grateful every day and yeah, it feels
Chamonix Energy Versus Crested Butte
SPEAKER_01good.
SPEAKER_02What is it like? I mean, like obviously, I like I've been to Europe before, and I'm sure a lot of listeners have been, but like you live in Crested Butte, which is like arguably the most like Euro area, one of the more European kind of areas of uh Colorado, if not the United States, and then you go to Europe. Like, is there a lot of just differences in just like uh everything, like the mountains and uh just the vibes? Or do you do you like one better versus the other? Like, could you see yourself staying in Europe for a while?
SPEAKER_01Oh, I would love to like live over here for a few years. I think I just love people who get really excited about the mountains, and I love walking around in Shamini and people you're going to the grocery store, and I think more than half the people have like a running vest on or some sort of mountaineering equipment, and they're just shoving groceries like in any open crevice of their pack, and I just love that energy, and people are just so happy to be here. And I think it's the same way in Crested Butte, like you walk into Clark's Market, which is the one grocery store in Crested Butte, and it looks exactly the same, except people are in ski pants and mountain biking clothes, and um, it's just people really excited about life and excited about getting outside, and um, I love that. So it feels yeah, different from home, but um kind of home adjacent, if you will.
SPEAKER_02Home adjacent, that's a good way to put it. Yeah, it's got it's got similar, similar vibes in some ways.
Brooks Trail Camp And UTMB Recon
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Um talk to me a little bit about the Brooks camp. Like what uh I obviously you said you, you know, especially after a lot of racing, taking it easy, but is a lot of group runs, a lot of just collaboration and and discussion. Like, what is it like kind of being in that camp?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, so they've had like a place booked for us for about four weeks, and I think it's been kind of a do what you want with it, but the overarching goal was to do um a lot of UTMB recon. And so we had a ton of team staff here helping us and crewing us recon, like the UTMB people. So we have everybody running UTMB, OCC, CCC here, and um doing a lot of recon for that. And it's cool being in this area. I wasn't participating a ton in the recon weeks because I'm um I was racing so much, but I would love to run Marathon de Mont Blanc one of these years. I'd love to run OCC next year, so it's cool to kind of have the opportunity to scout the course and do do my research now without the pressure of an uh that race coming up. Um, so it's been super valuable and just um also really cool because Brooks has such a strong European team to share ideas and just get to know um everybody over here as well.
SPEAKER_02So cool. Now, you this is is this your first time in Chamani? I know last year you raced series and all. That's kind of close. Did you spend time and like during UTMB week out there or did you come right back?
SPEAKER_01No, I had to go right back to work. So I am spending a lot more time out here this summer, and it's so fun. And I've never been to Chambany and I don't know, driving in a few weeks ago for the first time. I was like, oh, I can see why people love this place. Makes sense.
SPEAKER_02That's
ETC Hype And UTMB Week Plans
SPEAKER_02so cool. Uh what is it like? Um, I guess like the nerves, the vibes. I feel like ETC, this is so I didn't I don't think I said this in the beginning of the episode. This is like kind of a catch-up slash pre-ETC conversation. I think ETC, in my opinion, obviously because I'm sure trail bias, but like it's kind of positioned in the best part of the week where you race on Tuesday, Wednesday, I think it's Tuesday, but at the same time, you have the whole rest of the week after the race to enjoy everything that is UTMB week. Are you looking forward to uh you know supporting other teammates and just kind of spending time and uh immersing yourself in everything that is UTMB week kind of post-race?
SPEAKER_01Absolutely. I don't think I could have uh said it better myself. Everybody is coming up to Taylor and I and they're like, oh, is this your guys' first time in Chamonix? Is this gonna be your first UTMB week? And they're like, Oh, I remember my first UTMB week. That was so fun. Like, oh, that's so cute. Um, but yeah, I'm so excited to get my race done. And then I just have we have so many strong Americans and just like I have so many friends over here who are racing and teammates over here racing, and I'm just so excited to cheer and be out on the course and like help wherever is needed, and um be there to see the action um like in person. Um, like so I think about each race, and I'm like, oh, I'm excited to see who comes out on top in this race, and um so many strong American women in OCC, and then my teammate Anna Louden is doing UTMB for the first time, and she's been at camp and training super hard. So I'm just really excited to get to cheer and get to have fun without the pressure of a race coming up.
SPEAKER_02So I yeah, I couldn't agree more. Because that's the thing. I mean, like ETC shouldn't last very long, it's a short hour to two hours of your life, and then it's like you get all this time to just kind of soak it in and enjoy it. Um, I'm excited because I as you competed last year in Worlds. Um, this is gonna be because this is an off-year, it's kind of almost like a de facto short trail mountain classic championship in a lot of ways, because it's it's a it's one of the deeper mountain classics on the world stage this year, which is really exciting. Um, it seems like Brooks also has a huge presence. Like there's a lot of um in in the past two years, there's been a lot of Brooks athletes racing and participating in ETC. So it's been really cool to kind of see this race grow. And I mean, I I think it's a shorter opportunity uh and a better, just as good of an opportunity uh and what will be in the next few years, just like OCC, which is kind of cool.
SPEAKER_01Absolutely, I couldn't agree more.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, it's uh um sorry, go ahead. No, no, no, take it away. I was a very open-ended question. So not really a good question. I was just kind of throwing one out there.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, like um Dan Kurtz and Remy were out at ETC last year and seeing them race and do really, really well um definitely made me want to come out and do it this year. And I just feel like it's a really fun way to participate in UTMB when like developmentally I'm not quite ready for a 50K yet, maybe next year, 60k now, because OCC is so long. Um, but just super excited to like get to participate and see what it's all about.
Racing To Fix Technical Downhills
SPEAKER_02Yeah. What would it mean for you to do well at a race like this? Like you've kind of gone through the gauntlet from everything from Zagamla to Plitz Alpin Glacier, neck then series and all. Like it's been and broken arrow. Like you've gotten, dude, you've raced like the most competitive short trail races on the planet this year. So what would it like mean to uh to pop one off or just have a have a great result here?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, it would mean a lot. I designed my schedule intentionally, kind of what you're saying. It's not a world's year. I'm not I wanted to qualify for OCC and I did that at Desert Rats earlier this year, but really just wanted to make my schedule race as many of the competitive races as I can and just design it in a way that really targets my weak points, which are technical downhill running and um like competitive races. And because sometimes mentally I feel like I struggled a little bit in these competitive races last year and um racing a lot, and it's been definitely a lot on the body, but also I feel myself growing and getting so much more skilled in areas that I wasn't as skilled last year. And so I think ETC is kind of another one of those races where it's very competitive, like pretty unforgiving uphill and then a pretty steep technical downhill. And to do well, I think would just be evidence of a lot of the work I've been putting in behind the scenes this year, and maybe hasn't been evident in some of my race results this year, but um would kind of like um be a great way to not wrap up the season because there's still a lot of season, but showcase a lot of the hard work and intention behind the season and why I chose the races I did.
SPEAKER_02I love it. Have you have you been over to uh see any of Cormayer yet and kind of explore over there?
SPEAKER_01I have not. We're gonna go this weekend and check out the course. So I'm super excited.
SPEAKER_02Nice, nice.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, that's pretty cool. What uh what do you have left after this? Are you are you gonna try? I mean, I feel like you would have already qualified for the final for uh Golden Trail. Is that what you're kind of aiming for? Or is there anything else you gotta do after this?
SPEAKER_01Or um I think Golden Trail final will be go home for a little bit and get a good training block in. I feel like sometimes it's hard um these like racing back to back so much, like stacking an actual good training block in there. So I think there's a great time and place for racing a lot and um not racing a lot, um, but excited to have like a solid six weeks to after ETC to train for the Golden Trail final as well.
SPEAKER_02Nice, nice. Are you looking forward to that one? Because that one will be out in Asia and that's just gonna be a completely different venue, different everything.
SPEAKER_01I'm um I think a healthy amount of scared for that one. Um so excited for to go to Asia. I've never been to Asia before and to go to South Korea specifically that's been on the bucket list for a while. But the course looks
Golden Trail Final In South Korea
SPEAKER_01so intimidating. I think there's I haven't checked the numbers. This is just what I've heard um from people. So check the numbers if you're listening to this. But I want to say like 8,000 feet of art, and it is shorter than Sears and all, and just just insanely steep up and down. And I think Greg said it's the most technical golden trail race there's been. So um yeah, I'm a little scared, but also really stoked for that one. I think I'll learn a lot. And like I just mentioned, I'm designed this season kind of to focus on my weak points and race races that might not be totally my strengths, and I think that's definitely one of them, and is a great opportunity to practice that and um kind of navigate the mental gymnastics, if you will, of like doing really hard things and trying to um push yourself and things that might not come supernaturally to you in a hope that like you will someday like be one of the best at doing those things.
SPEAKER_02I think it's so smart, you know, and like you're so young and you've done so much already that like you've got a lot of runway to go and and so much growth to have, which is which is awesome.
Stevie Kremer Mentorship And Legacy
SPEAKER_02I I I meant to ask you this before. I had Stevie Kramer on the podcast, and one of my favorite humans ever, like so inspiring and so cool. I up until then, I didn't know you guys had a relationship where she's kind of like a mentor. Can can you talk a little bit about that? And for folks that don't know, Stevie Kramer is like first ballot hall of famer, one of the best to ever do it in our sport.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, so I love that you asked that question. Thank you. Um, Stevie's one of my favorite humans ever. Um she so Cresta But is super small, as you know, and she was a second grade teacher at my school growing up. Like um, have known her since I was probably like six years old. Um and because she started teaching at the school kind of right when I started school in Crestabut as a kindergarten through 12th grade school since it's so small. So have gotten to know her just really, really well. Was she was never my teacher, but taught all my friends and um in high school one year, right? The year I think after she won Zagama, Pikes Peak, Sears and all, and Marathon de Mont Blanc all in one year. And I'll preface this by saying, like, I had no idea I knew she was super fast, and everybody was like, oh, Stevie went and won all these like world championship races, but nobody quite knew. Like, I'm still realizing like I'll go to races and realize she won this race or that race and realizing like what a legend she is. But she ran with me every single Tuesday after school when I was a freshman or sophomore in high school because I was the only girl on the track, distance girl on the track team, and didn't have a coach, and she just like wanted me to like running. And I remember going to the state meet that year, and she wrote me this sweet note and gave me like a pair of Solomon shoes and one of her like racing uniforms and stuff. And I've always kind of just worshipped the ground she stands on. She's just a really incredible athlete, and I'm learning more and more how crazy of an athlete she is every single day, but then also just one of those people who gives back so much to her community, and you would never realize she does what she does on the trails when she's teaching or being a mom, or just like she's such a vibrant part of the Cresta Beauty community, and it's just really cool. Like, if I can be the person an athlete like she is, I'll know I've had a great career and like had the impact I want to. So yeah.
SPEAKER_02So crazy. Yeah. Do you do you think a lot of the reason like you pursued the trails has a lot to do with with her? Like, was that like where the of the big curiosity came from?
SPEAKER_01Oh, for sure. I mean, I knew I was gonna do trail running like after college and was super excited about running in college and stuff, but I was like, oh, I'll go do what Stevie did like after that. And I knew what Sierra's and all was because of her, and I knew what Zagama was because of her, not because of Golden Trail or not because of like just the like I guess hyper professionalization, if you will, of the sport, but because of Stevie, and like saw myself doing that because I saw her doing it, which is super super cool. So yeah.
SPEAKER_02Whoa. I couldn't think of a better like mentor. That is so sick.
SPEAKER_01And I like want to add, like, her times still stand too. Like Anna Gibson and I were hanging out the day before Sears and All. And I think Free Trail posted a summary of um like the top times at Sears and All or whatever. And Anna was like, I haven't run even close to that fast. And that was in 2014 before like all this shoe technology, and Anna has since ran. Like I think she ran under three hours there and ran faster than Stevie. But Sears and All is such a cool course because you it you have just the course has never changed, and you have years and years of data and results to see how fast people were running before fueling technology and just all this uh things we have now. Um, and it's just really cool to see like it just puts into perspective like the legends of the sport, like Stevie, how good they actually are when you see their results and their times are still would be getting like winning or getting top five in today's race, which is just really cool.
SPEAKER_02It is, it is, and dude, she like I said, like I don't think it's without saying like definitely one of the greatest to ever do it. And like I it's it upsets me because like our sport is so niche still, but it's like you know, I I hope people like learn about her story and know who she is, and you know, same thing with athletes like Joseph Gray and and just so many others that have come, you know, before all of us, and it it's just I don't know, it's really cool.
SPEAKER_01So cool, yeah.
Wrap Up And Sponsor Message
SPEAKER_02Uh I got a hard stop, so I do have to drop off. Uh, thank you so much for for coming on. Uh always amazing catching up. We'll do another one. I we'll probably do something before Golden Trail Finals that way we can catch up and like recap and uh talk all about the season and all the good stuff. So, Sydney, thank you so much for coming on.
SPEAKER_00Thank you for having me. Have a great rest of your day.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, enjoy.
SPEAKER_00Bye.
SPEAKER_02Interrupting this episode to talk to you guys about Cetus Insoles, official partner of the Steep Stuff Podcast. How many of you athletes out there wear insoles? I do. Not only do I get a little performance boost, a whole lot of foot comfort, but I also get about a quarter inch to a half inch of height boost, which is a win-win-win, if you ask me. Doesn't matter. Run, ski, outdoor, multi-sport, and daily life. Cetus insoles have something for everyone. I alternate between the three feet protect and the three feet low to give me optimal comfort on uneven and technical terrain. Check them out online at CDUS.us. Cetus is the official football care partner of Western States and UTMB. Cetus, your foot company.
