Singletrack

Nicole Bitter is a professional trail and ultra runner for Altra based in Austin, TX preparing for her race at the Ultra Trail Cape Town 100K this weekend.

Timestamps:

• (0:26) - balancing two professional careers
• (2:00) - reflecting on barely missing golden ticket at Javelina
• (4:37) - handling a quick turnaround from Javelina to Cape Town
• (6:36) - international racing experience
• (7:40) - training for mountainous races in Austin
• (9:28) - goals for Cape Town
• (11:00) - whether she’ll race for another golden ticket in the winter/spring
• (11:57) - race day gear

Links:

• Follow Nicole on Instagram

Additional Episodes You May Enjoy:

• #161 - Olivia Amber | 2022 Ultra Trail Cape Town Pre-Race Interview
• #160 - Hillary Allen | 2022 Ultra Trail Cape Town Pre-Race Interview

Support the show

Robbie Simpson is a professional trail runner for Adidas Terrex based in Banchory, Scotland preparing for the 2022 Ultra Trail Cape Town 55K.

Timestamps:

• (0:41) - training opportunities in northeast Scotland
• (1:45) - thoughts on pro athlete lifestyle
• (2:27) - whether there's a training and racing formula for the Golden Trail Series
• (4:02) - toughest competitors he's ever faced
• (6:01) - whether you can race these distances purely off fitness or whether mental toughness is needed
• (7:24) - interests in Ultra Trail Cape Town
• (8:42) - thoughts on race series
• (9:39) - preparation for Cape Town
• (12:54) - if and when he'll move up in distance in the sport

Links:

• Follow Robbie on Instagram
• Follow Robbie on Strava

Additional Episodes You May Enjoy:

• #159 - Jared Hazen | 2022 Ultra Trail Cape Town Pre-Race Interview
• #158 - Drew Holmen | 2022 Ultra Trail Cape Town Pre-Race Interview
  
  

Support the show

Olivia Amber is a professional trail runner for the North Face based in San Francisco, CA preparing for the Ultra Trail Cape Town 100K in a few days.

Timestamps:

• (0:38) - making the switch from Nordic skiing to trail running 
• (3:17) - how the San Francisco trail running community has influenced her growth in the sport
• (5:55) - on sabbatical, running full-time right now
• (7:54) - training for Cape Town
• (10:04) - motivations for racing Cape Town
• (11:35) - knowledge of the race, the course, etc
• (12:46) - expectations for the race
• (14:13) - race day gear 

Links:

• Follow Olivia on Instagram
• Follow Olivia on Strava

Additional Episodes You May Enjoy:

• #160 - Hillary Allen | 2022 Ultra Trail Cape Town Pre-Race Interview

Support the show

Hillary Allen is a professional trail and ultra runner for Brooks based in Boulder, Colorado preparing for the Ultra Trail Cape Town 100 Miler.

Timestamps:

• (0:37) - thinking in terms of season-long goals
• (3:17) - investing more in the 100 mile distance
• (4:32) - inspiration to race Cape Town 
• (7:07) - research, knowledge of the race
• (8:48) - training heading into the race
• (12:09) - goals, expectations for the race
• (15:01) - race day gear

Links:

• Follow Hillary on Instagram
• Follow Hillary on Strava

Additional Episodes You May Enjoy:

• #39 - Hillary Allen | Brooks Running, Out And Back, Recovery Process Mindset, 2022 UTMB

Support the show

Jared Hazen is a professional trail runner for Salomon based in Flagstaff, AZ preparing for the 2022 Ultra Trail Cape Town event series in a few days.

Timestamps:

• (0:46) - reflecting on performance at the 2022 Western States 100
• (3:41) - mindset, motivation post-Western States
• (5:36) - Why Cape Town
• (6:48) - talking about the race with past winners like Jim Walmsley and Cody Reed
• (8:06) - goals, expectations for the race
• (9:32) - race day gear

Links:

• Follow Jared on Instagram
• Follow Jared on Strava

Additional Episodes You May Enjoy:

• #71 - Jared Hazen | Canyons 100K Analysis, Western States Vision, Coaching and Sponsor Changes

Support the show

Drew Holmen is a professional trail runner for Nike, based in Boulder, Colorado who is preparing for the Ultra Trail Cape Town event series in a few days.

Timestamps:

• (0:56) - revisiting Drew's ability to consistently go to the well in his races
• (3:42) - reflecting on whether there's more to give and accomplish at Western States
• (6:12) - motivation, inspiration for choosing Cape Town as first international race
• (8:37) - training for Cape Town
• (9:53) - goals for the race
• (11:09) - race day gear

Links:

• Follow Drew on Instagram
• Follow Drew on Strava

Additional Episodes You May Enjoy:

• #83 - Drew Holmen | 2022 Western States 100 Pre-Race Interview

Support the show

Anton Krupicka is a professional trail runner for La Sportiva based in Boulder, CO preparing for the Ultra Trail Cape Town 55K event.

Timestamps:

• (0:49) - 2022 highlights
• (5:26) - international racing legacy
• (10:03) - whether he has same competitive mindset that he had 10 years ago
• (13:42) - whether personal growth would have happened without the injuries
• (15:48) - reflecting on the months he spent living and training in Ashland, OR
• (20:38) - how Cape Town got on his radar, what inspired him to enter
• (22:19) - racing the 55K instead of the 100K
• (24:42) - course knowledge, what's possible on race day
• (27:39) - website, blog status, podcast/book recommendations
• (37:22) - talking about the state of ultrarunning

Links:

• Follow Anton on Instagram
• Follow Anton on Strava

Additional Episodes You May Enjoy:

• #51 - Anton Krupicka | Trail Running Culture, Pro Athlete Lifestyle, Influence, Self-Reflection

Support the show

Adam Peterman, Adam Merry, Jeff Colt, and Eric LiPuma represented the United States men’s team and won the gold medal in the 80K event at the World Trail Running Championships in Chang Mai, Thailand earlier this month. 

In this conversation, we cover a lot of ground including why they chose to race this event over other opportunities in our sport, what training and the rest of the lead-up to the event was like, what the ambiance was like in Chang Mai, how the race unfolded for each of them, post-racing feelings, whether they’d do it again, and what 2023 looks like for all of them. 

Sponsors:

• Rabbit - use code Singletrack20 at checkout on their website (https://www.runinrabbit.com/discount/SINGLETRACK20) to get 20% off your next order
• HVMN - use code Singletrack20 at checkout on their website (https://hvmn.com/SINGLETRACK20) to get 20% off your next order

Timestamps:

• (2:09) - selection process and they "why" for racing the World Trail Running Championships over other major events in the sport
• (11:20) - training, rest of the leadup, pre-race scene in Chang Mai
• (21:29) - understanding the course, challenges for race day
• (26:41) - race recaps from all four runners
• (44:01) - post-race thoughts and feelings
• (51:16) - thoughts on returning to this type of event, 2023 plans for all four runners

Links:

• Follow Adam Peterman on Instagram
• Follow Adam Merry on Instagram
• Follow Jeff Colt on Instagram
• Follow Eric LiPuma on Instagram

Support the show

Adrian Macdonald is a professional trail and ultra runner for On Running based in Fort Collins, CO.  Adrians joins the podcast to talk about his history with Leadville, his influences in the sport, training in Fort Collins, becoming a pro runner, the benefits of working with an agent, and what’s on his mind for next year.

Note this conversation was recorded back in early September 2022 but is being released this week to coincide with the launch of Adrian's film "Out and Back", which details his win at the 2022 Leadville 100.

Sponsors:

• Rabbit - use code Singletrack20 at checkout on their website (https://www.runinrabbit.com/discount/SINGLETRACK20) to get 20% off your next order
• HVMN - use code Singletrack20 at checkout on their website (https://hvmn.com/SINGLETRACK20) to get 20% off your next order

Timestamps:

• (1:27) - background in ultrarunning
•  (2:56) - training philosophy
• (4:44) - motivations for focusing on Leadville
• (6:42) - reasons to return to Leadville after 2021 win
• (10:19) - whether the course record is possible for him
• (11:59) - spending more time training on the Leadville course
• (13:13) - preparation for this year's race
• (16:02) - influences in the sport, Nick Clark
• (18:58) - training in Fort Collins
• (24:26) - signing a pro contract with On Running
• (27:48) - benefits of working with an agent
• (33:02) - recommendations to other athletes navigating the sponsorship process
• (35:55) - team environment
• (38:54) - deciding between UTMB and Western States next year
• (44:07) - miscellaneous questions

Links:

• Adrian's Website
• Follow Adrian on Instagram
• Follow Adrian on Strava

Support the show

Riley Brady is a trail and ultra runner based outside of Philadelphia, PA who punched their ticket to Western States late last month at the Javelina Jundred. In addition to memorable moments during training and the race itself, we spend a fair bit of time in the second half of the conversation discussing their experience being a non-binary athlete in our sport.

Sponsors:

• InsideTracker - go to (https://info.insidetracker.com/single...) to get 20% off your next order.
• Kodiak Cakes - use code Singletrack15 at checkout on their website (https://kodiakcakes.com/)  to get 15% off your next order
• Gnarly Nutrition - use code Singletrack20 at checkout on their website (https://gognarly.com/) to get 20% off your next order
  
  

Timestamps:

• (1:48) - east coast background, pending move to Boulder 
• (5:03) - focus mindset for ultrarunning 
• (7:04) - golden ticket aspirations in recent years
• (13:09) - Javelina race report
• (18:01) - initial thoughts on securing a golden ticket
• (21:17) - non-binary discussion
• (33:23) - racing and training plans for the next few months

Links:

• Follow Riley on Instagram

Additional Episodes You May Enjoy:

• #151 - Devon Yanko | Golden Ticket Talk - 2022 Javelina Jundred
• #150 - Golden Ticket Talks | Jonathan Rea, Bandera 100K 1st Place Male

Support the show