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The path from a bumpy summer to a national kit isn’t straight, and that’s exactly why this conversation hits. We sit down with Canadian trail standout Josh Potvin to unpack a season that tested his patience, his calf, and his mindset—then set him up to go bigger. From the rocky, runnable rhythm of Canfranc to the endless descent of hard-packed switchbacks, Josh explains how terrain specificity can scramble podium math and why wearing your country’s colors feels different than chasing points in a sponsor kit.

We open up the hood on support and systems. Josh draws a clear line between the deep coaching staffs of European programs and the leaner setups in North America, and he points to real steps Canada is taking to invest smarter between championship years. Then we get tactical. After years with marathon ace Dylan Wykes, Josh moved to coach Matt Daniels to match his growing ultra focus. The shift isn’t about exotic workouts—it’s about less weekend stacking, more weekday substance, and a simple schedule change that’s paying off: morning quality runs, late work starts, and consistency that compounds. Toss in a nutrition reset with a dietitian—hydration habits, gut training, and enough calories when it counts—and you get a foundation built for longer days.

With that base set, Josh lays out what’s next: a return to the fast, deceptively painful Chuckanut 50K and a leap to Canyons 100K, where the goal is to execute, learn the distance, and see what disciplined pacing can do. We also look ahead to the Canadian Championships at Quebec Mega Trail, the Golden Trail stop elevating the Eastern scene, and why keeping the late-summer calendar loose might be the smartest competitive edge. If you care about trail strategy, life–training balance, and the quiet mechanics that turn “fit” into “ready,” this one’s for you.

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