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Dylan Flewelling | 2026 USATF 50K Champion | Steep Stuff Podcast

On this episode of the Steep Stuff Podcast, we sit down with Dylan Flewelling, the 2026 USATF 50K Champion!

We dive into Dylan’s journey to the top of the American ultra running scene, breaking down his championship performance, the preparation behind racing 50 kilometers at an elite level, and the mindset required to compete against the best in the country. We also discuss his approach to training, racing strategy, and what it takes to find success as a competitive distance runner.

From the challenges of championship racing to what lies ahead, Dylan shares insight into his development as an athlete and his ambitions for the future.

Tune in for an inside look at one of America’s top endurance talents on this episode of the Steep Stuff Podcast — your stateside source for the short trail, sub-ultra, and mountain running scene.

🎙️ Subscribe to the Steep Stuff Podcast for more conversations with the athletes, coaches, and personalities shaping the world of trail and mountain running.

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The Défi des Couleurs is in the books! 🌈⛰️ On this episode of the Steep Stuff Podcast, we’re breaking down all the action with our post-race reactions, analysis, and takeaways from one of the most exciting challenges in mountain running.

We dive into the biggest storylines, standout performances, surprises, and defining moments from race day. Who delivered when it mattered most? Which results caught us off guard? And what can we take away from the racing and performances?

From the athletes who rose to the occasion to the moments that shaped the race, we’re unpacking it all and looking at what the results mean for the wider mountain running scene.

🎙️ The Steep Stuff Podcast — covering the athletes, races, and stories shaping the short trail and mountain running scene.

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Alex King, Founder of Terignōta | The Business of Making Trail Running More Accessible

Alex King is back on the Steep Stuff Podcast! One year after our first conversation, Alex returns to share how life has changed as the founder of Terignōta, the trail running apparel brand challenging the industry’s traditional approach to pricing, marketing, and product development.

We catch up on Terignōta’s rapid growth, the realities of building a business from the ground up, and the rollercoaster of running an independent brand. Alex pulls back the curtain on the business, discussing everything from major sales days and quieter stretches to the risks of scaling production, navigating tariffs, and staying true to his vision in a competitive market.

We also dive into Terignōta’s approach to radical transparency, why Alex has chosen to prioritize community and organic growth over paid advertising, and how he’s working to deliver high-quality gear without the premium price tag. From product development and customer service to the lessons learned along the way, this conversation offers a fascinating look at what it takes to build a brand in the modern trail running landscape.

And, of course, we talk running. Alex shares updates on his own racing, the lingering effects of his Achilles injury, and how his relationship with the sport has evolved as Terignōta continues to grow.

Whether you're a trail runner looking for quality gear, an aspiring entrepreneur, or simply curious about the business behind the sport, this is an episode you won't want to miss.

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What does it take to run up Pikes Peak, turn around the next day, and do it all over again?

Rick Webb just found out.

Fresh off winning the 2026 Pikes Peak Doubler, Rick joins The Steep Stuff Podcast to break down one of the most unique challenges in mountain running — completing both the Pikes Peak Ascent and Pikes Peak Marathon in the same weekend. Rick finished the two races in a combined 7:54:59, earning the overall Doubler title.

We dive into what it actually feels like to race up Barr Trail knowing you have a full marathon waiting for you the following morning, how Rick approached pacing and recovery, and what goes through your head when the legs are already beat up but you still have another 26.2 mountain miles ahead.

Rick also takes us through his 2026 Pikes Peak weekend — the strategy behind the Ascent, recovering overnight, managing nutrition and fatigue, and then tackling the Marathon descent when your body is already carrying the damage from the day before.

We talk altitude, training, fueling, downhill running, racing Pikes Peak, and the mental side of committing to one of the toughest back-to-back challenges in mountain running.

If you've ever wondered why anyone would voluntarily run Pikes Peak twice in one weekend, this episode is for you.

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If you enjoy the show, subscribe, leave a rating and review, and share this episode with someone who loves mountain running.

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A single gear text from a mountain guide sparked a bigger question: why do the most trusted people in the outdoors drive so many purchases and earn nothing from it? We sit down with Hunter Macy, founder and CEO of Rendezvous, to unpack how that moment turned into a platform built for trail running gear recommendations, athlete monetization, and brand partnership management all in one place.

We get specific about the athlete side: building a profile that reflects what you actually use, earning from authentic recommendations without living in your DMs, and using real analytics to prove your value. Hunter explains why transparent click and sales data can change sponsorship conversations from “take a chance on me” to “here’s what I’ve already driven,” especially for the large middle of the sport trying to go fully pro.

Then we flip to the brand perspective: ambassador roster management, campaign tools, product gifting, messaging, and sales tracking that help small teams run high-impact programs without scattered spreadsheets and endless email threads. We also talk growth with intention, staying mission-led, responding fast to community feedback, and expanding internationally without losing what makes trail running feel like a soul sport.

If you care about the future of outdoor commerce, trail running sponsorships, and buying gear you can actually trust, press play. Subscribe, share this with a running friend, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway.

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A last minute race entry. A season stitched together from recovery. A mindset that refuses to let results decide your worth. James L’Oriello sits down with mountain runner and endurance athlete Hillary Allen for a wide ranging conversation that starts with a literal tide mishap on a bike in California and quickly climbs into the real terrain: returning to hard efforts after injury, trusting your body again, and finding joy in the grind of uphill racing. 

We talk Vertical Kilometer racing, power hiking, and why stacking events like Run The Rut, Mammoth, and Pikes Peak Ascent can work when you manage impact and keep expectations light. Hillary shares how cycling helped her maintain fitness during rehab, and why VKs feel like the perfect blend of brutal and beautiful. Then we go deeper into applied sport psychology, including her approach to “healthy detachment” from outcomes and how that shift changed the way she competes at the highest level. 

Hillary also tells two Team USA stories that still sound unreal: the Broken Arrow qualifier surprise and the phone call in Europe that nearly turned her VK week into an 80K long trail world championship in the Pyrenees. From team dynamics to pacing differences, it’s a behind the scenes look at world class mountain running that’s equal parts tactical and human. We wrap with her experience publishing a book about recovery, how she keeps her identity bigger than sport, and why Unbound Gravel can be 200 miles of mud, wind, and pure problem solving. 

If you enjoy conversations about trail running, mountain running, injury comeback strategies, sport psychology mindset, and endurance training across running and cycling, you’ll want this one. Subscribe to Steep Stuff, share this with a friend who’s rebuilding after injury, and leave a review to help more runners find the show.

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Something wild happens when a runner stops chasing “perfect” and starts chasing what they actually love. Casey Campbell is living proof. Casey joins us to unpack his late-season shift toward uphill racing, including a breakout day at the Broken Arrow Ascent that surprised even him, and the training choices that helped it happen. We talk uphill specificity, winter Nordic skiing as strength-building cross training, and why Bend, Oregon is one of the best all-around places in the U.S. to train for mountain running thanks to its mix of Cascades climbs, high desert terrain, and year-round options. 

We also get into Casey’s path from soccer to starting running in high school, then walking on at the University of Oregon for track while studying architecture. That background shapes how he thinks about progress: building blocks, patience, and problem-solving instead of panic. From there we dig into what it’s like to race in a Team USA jersey overseas, including his recent trip to Poland for a fast, punishing mountain course with huge vert and relentless climbs. Casey shares what team racing adds that most of us miss after college, and how the shared effort changes your mindset mid-race. 

The real heart of this conversation is balance. Casey works a demanding architecture job, manages travel stress and limited PTO, and still shows up ready to compete. We talk coaching with Joe "Stringbean" McConaughy, why adaptive communication beats cookie-cutter plans, and why AI coaching and spreadsheet “magic numbers” can’t capture sleep, stress, and real life. If you care about trail running, uphill racing, mountain running performance, and sustainable motivation, this one hits deep. 

If you enjoy the show, subscribe, share it with a trail friend, and leave a rating and review so more runners can find these conversations.

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A 47-mile pacing shift on a record attempt would be a season highlight for most runners, and Noah Disot treated it like another valuable day in the mountains. Fresh off crewing and pacing Joe McConaughy on a John Muir Trail (JMT) effort, Noah joins us ahead of North Bend Trailfest to talk about what he learned from nonstop movement, staying on top of nutrition, and keeping the vibe positive when the work gets long and messy. 

We also dig into the Pacific Northwest trail running scene and why the Seattle area deserves more credit as a training base. Noah explains how Issaquah, Tiger Mountain, Squawk Mountain, Cougar Mountain, and North Bend can deliver serious vertical gain without living at altitude, plus why connected trails and a tight community make it easier to stack consistent weeks. If you’ve wondered how the PNW compares to places like Boulder or Flagstaff, Noah gives an honest, athlete-level view of what actually matters day to day. 

From there we zoom out to Noah’s bigger ultrarunning goals: building on strong races like Cascade Crest, chasing sponsorship, and taking a real shot at a Western States golden ticket at Havelina 100. We get specific about what changes his 100-mile outcomes, including patience early, finishing strong, dialing fueling (think higher carb intake), and using sauna sessions for heat prep without digging a dehydration hole. Noah also opens up about altitude and breathing challenges and why he’s drawn to rugged, mountainous hundreds even when they bite back. 

If you like pre-race energy, training talk that stays practical, and the real-life balancing act of an athlete with a demanding engineering career, subscribe, share this with a trail friend, and leave a rating and review so more runners can find the show.

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Race week exposes everything: what you’ve built, what you’ve ignored, and what actually holds up when the course turns steep. We’re joined by Dustin Mullaney, defending North Bend Trail Fest champion, to talk through the reality of racing often, recovering from monster efforts like The Rut, and why a condensed stretch of competition can feel like a cross-country season with a “never-ending taper.” If you’re trying to balance fitness, fatigue, and injury history, this conversation gets honest fast.

We also go deep on why the Cascades and Western Washington are an underrated training ground for mountain running and skyrunning. We compare Seattle-area vert to Colorado, talk about how long runnable climbs change race dynamics, and why sea-level speed, humidity, and sustained climbing can translate well to UTMB-style racing. Dustin shares what keeps pulling him back to Chamonix, what hut-to-hut days taught him, and why goals like OCC and other iconic European-style races demand more than just a big engine.

Then we nerd out on the details that decide results: smooth transitions from running to steep power hiking, building fatigue resistance so you do not panic before a technical descent, and why winter ski mountaineering and backcountry skiing can be the smartest endurance cross-training for durable mountain legs. We even take a left turn into genetics, de-extinction headlines, and what it means to be skeptical while still loving the science.

If you enjoy trail running training talk, mountain race strategy, UTMB prep, and behind-the-scenes athlete pathways, you’ll get a ton out of this one. Subscribe for more, share it with a training buddy, and leave a rating and review so more runners can find the show. What part of your training needs the biggest upgrade right now?

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