We arrived in Courmayeur from Geneva and got right down to business! 

An 8K 'shakeout' run was on the itinerary and we figured it would be a great way to get our flatlander legs warmed up.

Little did we know that it would be a lesson in map and sign interpretation, steep climbs (with rewarding views) and oppressive heat.

We learned some important takeaways for Day 2, bring more nutrition and always pack toilet paper!

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Hey everyone we are back after a little break, here's a quick recap of our Rainbow Trail Run event that took place last month and a preview of what we are up to next (and why you won't hear a new episode for a few weeks)!

We are off to hike the Alps and then Norman will be running UTMB.  You can track him live on the UTMB site bib #2478

Sneak Peek - Contest Alert, listen in or follow on our socials to learn more!

And finally have a suggestion for who you would like us to chat with next, drop us a line at [email protected]

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Jennifer St. Amand, a 48-year-old ultrarunner from Dexter, Minnesota, originally from the east coast of Canada, was the final finisher at the 2023 Western States 100, finishing with 21 seconds to spare.

We discuss a couple of her ticket races where she had impressive results; Superior 100 and Lean Horse 100.

Her WSER experience was a roller coaster of emotions from fighting cutoffs, never-ending climbs and a unknowing spotlight in the Golden Hour - which she hadn't heard of before she became the final finisher!

We chat about all this and more.

Here is Jennifer...

You can follow Jennifer on Instagram here : https://www.instagram.com/jennifer.stamandfinley/

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Originally from Hungary now based in Hong Kong, Eszter Csillag made the most of her first ever visit to the United States by not only competing in the country's oldest 100 miler Western States 100 but placing 3rd in a very competitive year where records were broken!

The mother of two tells the story of how she gained entry into Western States, her vast experience of racing in South East Asia as well as a detailed recount of her race day from Olympic Valley to Auburn.

Eszter had an exceptional race year in 2022 where she placed 5th at UTMB and  represented her country at the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships placing 4th in the long course. 

We chat about all this and more.

Here is Eszter...

You can follow Eszter on Instagram here : https://www.instagram.com/eszter.csillag/

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Katie Asmuth is a Saucony sponsored ultra runner and days after her incredible performance at the 2023 Western States 100, we were fortunate enough to chat with her about her epic day from Olympic Valley to Auburn, culminating in a 4th place finish in a year where women created the biggest buzz!

After 2 previous top ten performances, Katies describes how this time felt different; she embraced every mile, worked with other top women to tackle the snow pack and arrived at the finish line in her best time yet.

We chat about all this and more.

Here is Katie...

You can follow Katie on Instagram here : https://www.instagram.com/kt_asmuth/

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We first spoke with Steve Day in 2022 when he was a guest on our Canadian Trail to Western States series Ep 38. He's back in 2023 to chat about his experience at Western States 100 and his unexpected entry into the 2023 running of UTMB.

Norman and Steve chat in detail about their shared experience from the training camp to the start line in Olympic Valley, all the way to the track in Auburn and one thing is for certain, the hype is real!

Steve has a solid training plan underway for UTMB. He is looking forward to new experiences including an evening race start and running through the night not once but twice!

Here is Steve...

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You can read Steve's blogs here:

Western States Training Camp - https://almostultra.blogspot.com/2022/05/western-states-training-camp.html

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Kicking off our 3rd year of the Canadian Trail to Western States series is Francesco Riccadona of Stouffville, Ontario.  After 7 years of submitting qualifying races, his ticket was finally pulled!

We share a similar race history with Francesco; he has completed Javelina 100, Zion 100, Bryce 100 and Rio de Lago along with Vermont 100, not to mention several local ultras.

We learn about his competitive background in water polo in his native Italy as well as his drive to finish Western States 100 while enjoying every aspect of this iconic race.

Here is Francesco...

If you enjoyed our show please leave a rating and review.  We would really appreciate it.

You can follow Francesco on Instagram here - https://www.instagram.com/riccarunner/

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Ultrarunner and coach Robbie Britton recently broke the 24-hour British record which has stood since 1982!  He covered a distance of 277.439 km in a  24-hour continuous race, involving laps of Ruffini Park, in Turin. He gives us insight on how he was able to achieve this amazing feat.

His thirst for adventure has led him on some incredible journeys including a 650km record breaking crossing from north to south of Jordan with fellow British ultra runner Dan Lawson in 2019.  The film Lost Dogs & Englishmen captures this adventure perfectly.

We talk about his book 1001 Running Tips for every runner (a must read!) and we discuss the excitement building around the World Mountain and Trail running championships in Austria later this week.

All this and more, here is Robbie...

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Robbie Britton website for coaching and adventures _ http://robbiebritton.co.uk/

You can follow Robbie on Instagram here _ https://www.instagram.com/p/CpUVEFvo9jC/

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Galen Reynolds is an expat of our native Canada and when we heard he had been named to Team Canada for the upcoming World Mountain and Trail Running Championships, we jumped at the chance to chat with him.

He has been tearing up the ultra scene in Europe with wins at the Dolomiti 100K, Matterhorn 100M and Swiss Peaks 360K. The longer the race, the stronger he becomes!

Living in Slovenia, he has access to incredible trails and vertical challenges with easy entry into neighbouring countries to race and train.

We look forward to seeing how he fares at Worlds in the long course.

Here is Galen...

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You can follow Galen on Instagram here - https://www.instagram.com/galenrun/

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We love chatting with fellow Race Directors!

Andrew Fairhurst is the co-director of North America's only qualifier of the Skyrunner World Series, billed as the most technical racing circuit in the World. The Minotaur Skyrace takes place in Crowsnest Pass, Alberta in June and features 2900 metres of elevation gain over 33 kilometres with a 12 hr time limit tells you the difficulty of this event. 

Andrew shares details on how to tackle this challenging course as well as the incredibly active community that is growing in and around this corner of Alberta.

Andrew and Norman share stories from the 2005 Canadian Death Race, where not only they raced against each other but it was the first ultra for both of them. 

Here is Andrew...

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You can follow Andrew on Instagram here - https://www.instagram.com/andygood75/

Meet The Minotaur website here - https://meettheminotaur.com/

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