Pablo Villa is a professional trail runner sponsored by Adidas Terrex.

In this episode, we cover his big win at the 2022 Transgrancanaria, a 126km race with 7500m of elevation on the island of Gran Canaria, Spain. We go into details of his preparation, how the race played out and how he controlled his effort, thanks to his very scientific approach in training and his mental strength.

We also talk about his deep passion for running, how his career has developed so far and his plans for this year, which include the UTMB as the main goal.

Pablo is also a running coach and the founder of Endurance Trail School, a trail running school where young trail runners can approach and experience our sport.

Follow Pablo on social media: @pablovillacxm

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Francesco's links: Instagram | Twitter | Strava | Website

What happened in the trail running world during the month of February 2022?

We talk about races, athletes, series, sponsorships, interesting projects and news from the trail running scene that have caught our attention and we feel that are worth sharing.

Some resources related to the show:

Camille Herron's interview with IRunFar

Skyrunning World Series and Spartan Trail calendar and rules

Garrett Heath announcing his next chapter of his professional running career on the trails with Brooks

Reid Coolsaet IG profile

2022 UTMB startlist

Kilian Jornet announcing his UTMB participation

Niels van der Poels ultrarunning background

Podcasts:

Trail Society Podcast

Singletrack Podcast

Freetrail Podcast

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You can send us a message with any questions for us or for our guests! https://anchor.fm/vertrun/message

Francesco's links: Instagram | Twitter | Strava | Website

How much should we eat before a long run? What are the main factors to consider when planning our nutrition and hydration strategy for an ultra race? What does the pre race breakfast of a top athlete look like?

In the second episode of our series "Nutrition Talks" we answer some questions and try to clarify a few important topics regarding nutrition and choices in our pre race, or before a long training session on the trails. With the help of Wilfredo, from On Pace Wellness, we aim to increase the awareness around this subject in order to give you the tools to improve your experience and make better choices.

On Pace Wellness is a company based in Portland, Oregon, which helps endurance athletes to optimize their nutrition for health, wellness and performance.

Please comment, review and share this episode on social media if you enjoyed it!

We would love to hear your feedback and please send us any question or topic you want to hear about at @vert.run

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Follow @vert.run on IG

Download our app and sign up to our training plans on vert.run

You can send us a message with any questions for us or for our guests! https://anchor.fm/vertrun/message

Francesco's links: Instagram | Twitter | Strava | Website

Jonathan Wyatt is the absolute GOAT of mountain running.

Born in 1972, from New Zealand, Jono is a true legend of mountain running, someone who has really helped shaping the sport of trail and mountain running the way it is now, both from an athlete and an institutional standpoint. 

In the first part of the conversation we talk about Jono's incredible career and some of his greatest achievements as an athlete. The second half dives into his work for the World Mountain Running Association and the main projects he's focused on as a president. We review the state of the art of mountain running in the wider context of the trail/off-road running scene and we talk about the the future of the sport.

Some resources related to the show:

Jono's career highlights and running history

World Mountain Running Association website

Mountain Running World Cup and World Ranking

Enjoy!

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You can send us a message with any questions for us or for our guests! https://anchor.fm/vertrun/message

Francesco's links: Instagram | Twitter | Strava | Website

This episode is dedicated to people who are knew to the sport and want to approach trail running for their first time. Maybe you want to try trail running and you just don't know how to start, maybe you have been running on the roads for a while, maybe you're a hiker and you want to discover a new way of moving through the mountains....well this episode is for you!

We chat with Wild Ginger Running about how to build a healthy approach with training, and everything we think it's important to be aware of before you start trail running. Because trail running is for everyone, and you don't have to live in the mountains to call yourself a trail runner!

Discover Wild Ginger Running website and youtube channel

Follow her on Instagram @wildgingerrunning

Sign up to her training plan on Vert.run

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Follow @vert.run on IG

Download our app and sign up to our training plans on vert.run

You can send us a message with any questions for us or for our guests! https://anchor.fm/vertrun/message

Francesco's links: Instagram | Twitter | Strava | Website

What happened in the trail running world during this past month?

We talk about races, athletes, series, sponsorships, interesting projects and media from the trail running scene that have caught our attention and we feel that are worth sharing. 

Some resources related to the show:

Golden Trail World Series calendar and rules 

World Mountain Running Association: World Cup and Ranking 

Cirque Series - US mountain running circuit 

UTMB world series Footprint running camp - project and application 

Trail Society Podcast 

Singletrack Podcast

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Follow @vert.run on IG

Download our app and sign up to our training plans on vert.run

You can send us a message with any questions for us or for our guests! https://anchor.fm/vertrun/message

Francesco's links: Instagram | Twitter | Strava | Website

This is the first episode of our mini series called Nutrition Talks brought to you by Vert.run in collaboration with On Pace Wellness.

On Pace Wellness is a company based in Portland, Oregon, which helps endurance athletes to optimize their nutrition for health, wellness and performance.

We chat with Wilfredo Benitez, head nutritionist at On Pace Wellness, USATF certified coach and trail runner, about the importance of a balanced nutrition for athletes.

How and what we eat have the potential to help make our goals a reality or to impede our training and performance, while potentially reducing our health at the same time. Nutrition plays a major role in the body's performance, including its health. It's important to understand some basics behind nutrition and help the body perform the best it can, whether that be athletically or just functionally.

We hope you can find some valuable information and tips for a more aware relationship with food and exercise.

Please comment, review and share this episode on social media if you enjoyed it!

We would love to hear your feedback and please send us any question or topic you want to hear about at @vert.run

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Follow @vert.run on IG

Download our app and sign up to our training plans on vert.run

You can send us a message with any questions for us or for our guests! https://anchor.fm/vertrun/message

Francesco's links: Instagram | Twitter | Strava | Website

Ruth Croft is a kiwi trail runner sponsored by Adidas Terrex.

A great friend of mine and definitely someone I've looked up to since I got into the international trail running scene, Ruth shares her 2021 journey which led her to some incredible achievements, including a win at Tarawera Ultramarathon, a 2nd place finish in her 100 mile debut at Western States, and another win at Les Templiers to cap off her season. She definitely deserves a mention among the best female trail runners of 2021.

Her results are built on a mountain of consistency and humble hard work, both on the trails and on the roads. Her collaboration with Jonathan Wyatt, a legend of mountain running, two time olympian and currently her coach, has led her to great results on virtually any surface and any distance, from 10k to the marathon on the roads, from short mountain running races to 100 milers on the trails.

We chatted about her approach to training and racing, her 2021 season and her plans for 2022, and her view on the international trail running scene and its development over the past few years.

Ruth has written two training plans for Vert, one designed for a 50k race and one dedicated to trail runners who live in a city (yes, you ca be a trail runner even if you don't always have access to the trails...Ruth herself proves it!). They both have a really good structure and great training tips that can be useful for any trail runners looking to improve his/her performance.

Follow Ruth on Instagram: @ruthcrofty

Sign up to her training plans on vert.run

Support us by subscribing to our podcast, sharing it on social media or writing a review!

The point of this talk is to give tools, information and examples to better plan a trail running season. We believe that self awareness and a bit of knowledge are what should guide us when making our choices related to training and racing.

Please join Francesco, Moi and Max as they share their approach to planning their trail running seasons.

We also talk about how to get back on rhythm after the holiday season, how to restart training after the end of season break and how to plan a sustainable build-up. Knowing who we are, knowing what we want to achieve, with our strengths and weaknesses, learning from mistakes and from science.

Please comment, review and share this episode on social media if you enjoyed it!

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2021 was a memorable year for many reasons.

Through the eyes of Francesco Puppi and Max Keith, we close the year with a deep review of what happened inside the sport of trail and ultra running over the past season.

Some topics that we covered:

Enjoy!

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Support us by subscribing to our podcast, sharing it or writing a review!