It’s the first episode of 2025 and Francesco Puppi, who needs no introduction, joins me for a candid conversation about the state of the trail running media and it’s influence on our sport. We also talk about the message behind Nike’s ad for the Olympic Games and how a new generation of athletes are redefining what participating and winning in a sport really means. People like Francesco are why our sport is so incredible special. What a way to kick off the new year!

• Francesco Puppi on Instagram
• Francesco Puppi’s website
• That Nike Ad ‘Winning isn’t for Everyone‘

Connect with Singletrack on:

• Singletrack.fm
• Instagram

Brought to you by Electric Cable Car - your trail and mountain news!

Tim Tollefson wears many hats and came to Singletrack with important business. Tim is newly on the board of directors for Runners for Public Lands. The environmental organization just recently shared the uncomfortable news that our trails and trail races may be significantly impacted this coming year and beyond by the U.S. Forest Service budget and staffing shortfalls. Luckily for us, Tim is a man with a plan and offers hands on experience, and with that solutions and ideas on how we can get involved. It's high time for trail runners to take action.

• Tim Tollefson on Instagram
• Mammoth Trail Fest website
• Runner’s for Public Lands – Call to Action

  Connect with Singletrack on:

  • Singletrack.fm
  • Instagram

  Brought to you by Electric Cable Car - your trail and mountain news!

Thomas Reiss is back on Singletrack and back from Bhutan where he supported the runners and race organization of the famous and grueling Snowman Race. We chat about the event, the mission that inspired its founding, and mostly the people and how connecting with other cultures makes us better human beings. Climate change affects us all and we really one have that one rock floating in space we call home.

• Thomas Reiss on Instagram
• Snowman Race
• Thomas Reiss on Singletrack
• Nate Bender’s Snowman Race experience on Storymaps

  Connect with Singletrack on:

  • Singletrack.fm
  • Instagram

  Brought to you by Electric Cable Car - your trail and mountain news!

On September 2, 2024 Michelino Sunseri set a new speed record on Grand Teton in 2h 50m 50s. It was supposed to be a new FKT, beating an old record that has stood for over 12 years. What ensued afterwards turned an epic run into a much talked about news story, a social media fire storm, and an eventual lawsuit. Friend of Michelino, Alex Rienzie was out on the trails that day and shares his observations and some background info on all of it. Alex joined Singletrack on his own initiative and any views expressed are his alone.

• Alex Rienzie’s detailed report on Grizzlies and Avalanches
• Michelino Sunseri’s Strava upload of this run
• Fastest Known Time – Grand Teton

Connect with Singletrack on:

• Singletrack.fm
• Instagram

Brought to you by Electric Cable Car - your trail and mountain news!

Canadian multi-sport athlete Jessie McAuley, repping Arc’teryx, joins the show to talk about his journey from competitive mountain bike racing in his youth to finding skimo racing for his winter adventures and trail racing for the summer. As if that’s not enough Jessie still finds time to bike and climb and goes on long adventure runs in the coastal mountains in British Columbia. This seems to works for the Squamish resident who came in 3rd at this year’s Mount Marathon in Seward Alaska and who’s getting ready for another busy season of skimo races here in North America and over in Europe.

• Jessie McAuley’s website: Ocean to Alpine Media
• Jessie McAuley on Instagram
• Beast of Big Creek
• Cover shot by Cayman Waughtel

Connect with Singletrack on:

• Singletrack.fm
• Instagram

Brought to you by Electric Cable Car - your trail and mountain news!

After a year plagued by accidents and injury Katharina finds herself at the starting line of her dream race: the massive, and mighty Tor des Géants in the Aosta Valley of the Alps. Over the following days Katharina goes through the usual challenges any trail runners faces in a massive ultra distance event but always stays in the leading position and in the process crushing the women’s course record and arriving in seventh overall, almost 5 hours ahead of the second woman. This episode is not a race recap but a conversation about what motivates us, what drives us, and what inspires us. Why do we take on these challenges and what adventures are we seeking?

• Katharina Hartmuth on Instagram
• Katharina Hartmuth on Strava
• Tor des Géants
• Cover shot by Jonas Hill

Connect with Singletrack on:

• Singletrack.fm
• Instagram

Brought to you by Electric Cable Car - your trail and mountain news!

Rosanna follows up her incredible performance at Lavaredo earlier in the Summer with a stunning 3rd place finish at CCC in Chamonix at the UTMB World Series Finals. Here on Signletrack we chat about her race, misplaced chocolate, the surprise Western States Golden Ticket reception, and her upcoming trip to the Snowman Race in Bhutan.

• Rosanna Buchauer on Instagram
• Rosanna Buchauer on UTMB
• Snowman Race
• Cover shot by Helge Roeske for Dynafit

Connect with Singletrack on:

• Singletrack.fm
• Instagram

Brought to you by Electric Cable Car - your trail and mountain news!

Julie and I ran OCC. And while we both ran the same race we had very different days out there on the trails around Mont Blanc. Here we share our stories, our challenges, and our celebrations. And here’s to more gelato in town cheering on runners and connecting in person.

• Julie Urbanski on Instagram
• Team RunRun
• Team RunRun on Instagram
• OCC Results on Electric Cable Car

Connect with Singletrack on:

• Singletrack.fm
• Instagram

Brought to you by Electric Cable Car - your trail and mountain news!

Finally I got Scott Michie on Singletrack. It’s only taken 315 episodes. And all it took was Scott heading back to Chamonix for another dance around that big white mountain. Over the last few years Scott and I have trained together, run many trails, and climbed many mountains. And in a couple of weeks we’ll both be in Chamonix together. He will run UTMB, for the second time while I put on a bib for OCC. In this episode we’ll chat about Scott’s experience at UTMB a couple years ago and how he’s approaching training and preparation differently. Oh, and we’re both very very excited about it all.

• Scott Michie on Strava

Connect with Singletrack on:

• Singletrack.fm
• Instagram

Brought to you by Electric Cable Car - your trail and mountain news