The Steep Stuff Podcast

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A two-loop skyrace sounds straightforward until you’re halfway through lap one and realize the real battle is in your head. We sit down with Morgan Elliott just before Whiteface Skyrace in upstate New York, where family is nearby, the terrain is steep, and the season is already packed with travel, racing, and big expectations.

We get into what makes Whiteface different: a double-loop format, ski resort climbing that can feel brutally simple, and the mental math of how hard you can push when you know you have to do it all again. Morgan shares how he thinks about effort management, why he’d rather negative split than go out blazing hot, and how tricky it can be when multiple races start together and the early pack might be running a shorter distance.

From there we zoom out to the US Skyrunning Series and the larger skyrunning world, including how points, finals, and prize purses shape a season without fully defining it. Morgan talks about chasing experiences as much as results, why Alaska’s running community feels more like Europe’s fan culture, and the honest truth that winning without real competition can feel like nothing. We wrap with a fun detour into iconic courses like Quest for the Crest and Broken Arrow, and what great course design really takes.

If you care about skyrunning, trail running strategy, mountain racing culture, and how elite athletes stay motivated, hit play. Subscribe, share this with a training partner, and leave a review with the race you most want to see Morgan take on next.

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Mount Marathon is the kind of course that doesn’t care about your resume. It’s steep, loose, fast, and packed with a century of mountain running history, and that’s exactly why we wanted Kyle Richardson back on the podcast right before the 98th running.

We talk about what it means to arrive in Alaska healthy after past injuries, and why that alone can feel like a win in trail running and skyrunning. Kyle shares how he’s balancing curiosity with competitiveness as a first-timer, taking in the Alaskan mountain running culture, swapping notes with locals, and treating the whole scene like a masterclass in steep movement. If you’ve ever traveled for a race with unfamiliar terrain, you’ll recognize the mix of awe and nerves he describes when you stare up at a mountain that everyone else seems to know by heart.

Kyle also opens up about changing his approach to training by working with coach Jack Kenzel. We get into structured interval sessions, weighted workouts, heat training, and why “hard days harder, easy days stupid easy” can be a breakthrough when you’re used to chasing constant effort. We also dig into the mental shift from FKTs, where you can pick the perfect day, to racing, where the calendar is fixed and you accept whatever the mountain gives you.

We wrap with the practical details that matter on a course like this: shoes with lugs for mud, gaiters for fine rock, uncertain line choices through braided sections, and the simple commitment to go full gas on the descent. If you like conversations about mountain race strategy, technical descending, and training specificity, hit play, then subscribe, share this with a trail buddy, and leave us a review.

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Mount Marathon is the kind of race that makes no sense on paper and perfect sense the moment you watch it. It is short, steep, chaotic, and deeply tied to Seward, Alaska and the local mountain running community, yet it keeps attracting bigger names and deeper competition every year. We sit down with Klaire Rhodes just before July 4 to hear how she is feeling heading into race week after a packed, travel heavy June, and why she still shows up even when it is not the main goal on her calendar.

We talk about what Mount Marathon means when you do not come from a traditional running background, and how Klaire’s competitive journey started with an auction entry back in 2018. From there, we get into the athlete side of the puzzle: how she maintains top end speed and sharpness while building toward longer trail races, why being well rounded matters, and how short mountain efforts can support big objectives like CCC at UTMB. Klaire also reflects on the legends she noticed first in Alaska, the strange feeling of becoming part of the race’s history, and the relief and hunger that can both show up after a win.

Conditions matter at Mount Marathon, and this year’s talk includes a snowless descent, potential rain, and what that could mean for times, tactics, and the chances of chasing a personal best versus a course record. We also look ahead to her summer plans, including Speedgoat 50K and a focused push to nail a mountainous 100K at CCC.

If you love trail running, mountain racing, and the stories that only iconic local events can produce, hit play, subscribe, and share this with a friend who needs a new race obsession. After you listen, what do you think decides Mount Marathon more: the climb or the descent?

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Mount Marathon looks simple on paper: sprint from downtown Seward, climb hard, then hang on for dear life all the way back to the finish. But the people who live it know it’s something else entirely. We’re joined by Eric and Denali Strabel to tell the story of why this Fourth of July mountain running race carries so much history, emotion, and identity for Alaska, and why it still feels like the purest kind of “go there and throw down” competition.

We talk about growing up inside the race’s lore, from junior starts to volunteering and community pride, and how the mountain becomes personal over decades. Denali shares the women who shaped her view of toughness and resilience, including Nina Kemple and the era-to-era shift that took the women’s field from a handful of sub-hour performances to a deep group of contenders. We also dig into how champions like Christy Marvin keep raising the bar through longevity, fearlessness, and a love of racing that doesn’t fade.

Eric walks through his own evolution from years of frustration to consistent training, durability, and finally winning the race. He breaks down what makes Mount Marathon unique for trail running and mountain race preparation: it’s a climbing mountain, not a runnable one, and fitness only matters if your body can transmit it on steep terrain and an unforgiving downhill. From his 2013 course record battle with Ricky Gates to the turning point of 2015 when Killian Jornet arrived at full power, we map how the race went from a local proving ground to an event with international gravity.

If you love mountain running, downhill running, trail racing history, and the mindset it takes to go all-in for less than an hour, this conversation is for you. Subscribe, share this with a friend who loves steep trails, and leave a review with your favorite Mount Marathon moment or question.

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A 5K with nearly 3,000 feet of climbing should not be able to feel this fast, but Mount Marathon always does. We’re heading into July 4 in Seward, Alaska with a start list that looks deeper than usual, and we wanted a true course and field preview that actually helps you watch the race with smarter eyes. Meg Cook joins us to unpack why Mount Marathon still represents the most primal version of mountain running: a hard uphill road start, a chaotic funnel into the mountain, and a descent where commitment matters as much as fitness. 

We walk through the course section by section, including the early decision between the cliffs and the roots, the tight “squirrels” zone where passing gets tricky, and the grind to the top that turns into hands-on-knees hiking. Then we get into the part everyone talks about: the descent. We cover scree technique, how snow can change the fastest line, why the gut can be wet, slippery, and decisive, and what makes the final road sprint feel so brutal after you’ve already burned your legs on the mountain. We also talk practical gear and trail running tactics, from minimal shoe choices and gaiters to why some racers wear gloves just to survive the scree. 

From there, we zoom out to the competition and the storylines. We talk how Mount Marathon qualification works, why petitions are “do or die,” and why experience on this hill still matters even with elite skyrunning talent arriving. We break down the men’s and women’s contenders, debate whether records are on the table, and make our picks for the top five on both sides. If you love mountain racing, skyrunning, and the culture around historic trail running events, this one gives you a complete watch guide. 

If you enjoy these previews, subscribe, share this with a friend who’s tuning in on July 4, and leave a quick review so more mountain running fans can find the show.

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Karina Andersen’s season doesn’t start with a perfect training block, it starts with a hard reset. After closing out her track era at Colorado School of Mines, she steps away from school for breathing room, takes on Denali, and then spends months living in Chamonix to see what a true mountain town feels like day to day. We talk about the real pressure that can come with places like Chamonix and Boulder, where it’s easy to feel like you have to “earn” your time there with constant vert, big objectives, and public training proof.

Then the comeback gets loud. Karina spends the winter going all-in on ski mountaineering with almost zero running, and still shows up in Asia to race the Penang Sky Race in Malaysia and the Ueda Sky Race in Japan, taking 4th and 8th. We break down what heat and humidity do to pacing, why concrete downhills can shred your quads, how mud changes risk and speed, and why uphill fitness can return faster than downhill durability when you’ve been on skis for months.

The most important part is the mental side. Karina shares what it’s like to carry a tough DNF and panic mid-race, then rebuild confidence by changing the goal from “place” to “stay present.” We also get into her 2026-focused skyrunning plans, thoughts on UTMB and Golden Trail, and a wild new skill: learning to paraglide in Annecy, with a long-term dream of hike-and-fly racing like Red Bull X-Alps.

If you’re into skyrunning, trail running, mountain racing, ski mountaineering, or just figuring out the next chapter, this one hits. Subscribe, share it with a friend who needs a reset, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway.

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Some athletes chase attention. Jen Day Denton chases a feeling, and somehow ends up rewriting what’s possible on the map. We talk with the Steep Stuff Podcast’s “FKT Queen” about how a non professional, mom first approach can still produce world class fastest known time performances across the Mountain West, from Lone Peak to long linkups and iconic summit days.

Jen grew up in Utah with the mountains as her backyard, but she didn’t come up through competitive running or the racing scene. She shares how life changes after divorce opened tiny windows of time, and how those hours became a lifeline: running, crying, healing, and eventually discovering that curiosity can turn into real mountain speed records. We dig into her Grand Teton effort, why some mountains feel sacred, and how record flagging and community politics can complicate what should be a simple day outside.

We also break down The WURL in the Wasatch Range, including route finding, fueling lessons, support strategy, and what it’s like to move through terrain that’s both brutal and deeply personal. Then we jump to Pico de Orizaba as part of her long game toward Everest, and she opens up about a serious paragliding accident, the rehab grind, and the hard earned perspective that comes with risk.

If you care about mountain running, FKTs, endurance mindset, and the human stories behind the GPX files, this one is for you. Subscribe, share this with a mountain friend, and leave a review with the peak you’d most want to run in a single push.

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Broken Arrow is no longer “a big US race” and Sunapee is no longer “just a championship weekend.” These two stops are starting to feel like proof that trail running and mountain running in North America has entered a new era: deeper fields, smarter tactics, better coverage, and performances that hold up on the world stage.

We sit down together to unpack what we saw across the US Mountain Running Championships at Sunapee and the Broken Arrow Skyrace festival, from pacing strategy on runnable early miles to the chaos of steep ski-hill starts at altitude. We talk about why these courses demand real planning, how athletes can make huge moves after the opening climb, and why knowing the terrain can be as valuable as fitness. Along the way, we dig into the “don’t believe elites when they say they are injured” phenomenon and how cross-training like skiing and biking can still produce world-class race days.

We also nerd out on what great storytelling looks like for the sport, including Broken Arrow’s next-level live stream and the tech behind it, plus how commentary can help fans understand what is happening in real time. Then we get into the results and the human stories: breakthrough performances, veteran longevity, and comeback wins that make you want to lace up your shoes immediately.

If you care about trail running results, mountain running tactics, the Golden Trail Series ecosystem, or where the US scene is headed next, hit play. Subscribe, share this with a friend who loves the sport, and leave a review with the most impressive performance from the weekend.

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You can learn a lot about mountain running by talking to someone who didn’t grow up logging endless run miles. Marshall Graybill comes to the sport through cycling and ski mountaineering, with all the fitness those sports build and all the baggage they can bring, too. We get honest about what it feels like to line up for a race after crashes and concussions, how fear shows up in specific scenarios, and why trail running can feel like a mental reset compared to crit racing chaos. 

Marshall also lives a double life that a lot of driven athletes will recognize: he’s deep into a PhD focused on underwater robotics, studying alternative propulsion inspired by marine organisms. That time pressure forces a different training mindset, and we talk about how to stay competitive with shorter, harder sessions, how to avoid the Strava comparison trap, and how to pick races that fit real life. If you’re chasing endurance performance with limited hours, this one is packed with relatable strategy. 

We also swap stories from skimo culture in Colorado, the intensity of local “world cup” style races, and the frustrating reality of canceled events and narrow qualification paths now that skimo is an Olympic sport. Then we jump to Marshall’s surprise 25K win at the Waterville Trail Running Festival in Ireland, where navigation, farm crossings, and under-flagged trails turn a race into a problem-solving mission. We wrap with Broken Arrow plans, pacing lessons at altitude, and why the community keeps bringing him back. 

If you enjoy conversations on trail running, mountain running, skimo training, altitude racing, and balancing sport with a demanding career, subscribe, share this with a training partner, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway.

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Skyrunning is back on U.S. soil, and we wanted to make the details impossible to miss. James Lauriello sits down with Eti Rodriguez (Managing Director, Skyrunner World Series), Ben Stark (Brand Manager, Merrell), and Louis Down (Media and Communications, Skyrunner) for a roundtable on what the new Merrell Skyrunner U.S. National Series is, why the timing finally makes sense, and how this season can grow a real skyrunning fan base in the United States.

We get into the big questions first: why it has been so hard to establish consistent skyrunning races in the U.S., what role organizers and permitting play, and why the country’s terrain is actually the perfect argument for a national series. From steep coastal climbs to big mountain routes and Alaska-level wildness, skyrunning thrives when courses demand more than runnable trail. Eddie and Louie also clarify the skyrunning vs trail running distinction and why that niche identity is a strength, not a limitation.

On the brand side, Ben explains why Merrell is leaning in globally and what that means for athletes and spectators at U.S. stops. Expect community-forward activations, athlete interactions, and demo opportunities featuring key Merrell trail and mountain running shoes, plus a big push at Beast of Big Creek where the World Series and National Series meet. We also talk about live stream potential, the race lineup (Whiteface Sky Race, Beast of Big Creek, Sitka Skyline Scramble, and the Kismet Cliff Run final), and how rankings and prize money work, including a $20,000 purse at the final.

If you care about technical mountain racing, short and steep sufferfests, and a clearer pathway for U.S. skyrunners, this one sets the stage. Subscribe, share this with a training partner, and leave a review with your pick for the must-watch race of the series.

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