Trail Talk

This week on Trail Talk, Max King joins Aaron and Ricki, recorded in Moxi, Sichuan the day before the Gongga 100. It is not a race preview. He gets into the Salomon TV era and why the stories mattered more than the results, where the adventure has gone in a product led sport, and how he moved from steeplechase to Mount Marathon, obstacle racing and the 100k road worlds. Why he never had a good hundred miler, the move to Kailas FUGA nine months ago, the youth camps, and the bucket list races he is chasing now, including a glacier descent in a helmet. Then trail culture: public lands, respect, fell running, big expos against grassroots races, and what we don't yet know about trail running's history in China.

RunMotion - The official training partner for Trail Talk. Click the link for 30 day free trial.

https://page.run-motion.com/trail-talk

/ - /- / - / - / - / - / - / - /- / - / - / - / - / - /

DISCOUNTS:

CurraNZ 15%
XMiles 10%
Tantrums 15%
Ascend App 30%

👇 All discount links can be found here
https://linktr.ee/irunovermountains

👇 Join the Community
https://linktr.ee/irunovermountains

This week on Trail Talk, Aaron and Ricki get into it from Hanoi, the day after the Vietnam Mountain Marathon. Ricki's 50k in a World Trail Majors field, eighth overall with an age group win, over 3,000m of gain on clay mud in 95% humidity, and learning from how Wicklow went wrong. Kailas FUGA athletes taking the 100k, the crowds in Sapa, cows that would not move, and why the whole weekend felt so genuine. Then back to the Tor: eight days fastpacking the route with over 18,000m of vert, the pre and post race interviews, and Katharina Hartmuth's run.

RunMotion - The official training partner for Trail Talk. Click the link for 30 day free trial.

https://page.run-motion.com/trail-talk

/ - /- / - / - / - / - / - / - /- / - / - / - / - / - /

DISCOUNTS:

CurraNZ 15%
XMiles 10%
Tantrums 15%
Ascend App 30%

👇 All discount links can be found here
https://linktr.ee/irunovermountains

👇 Join the Community
https://linktr.ee/irunovermountains

This week on Trail Talk, Aaron and Jake Catterall get into the Mont Blanc Super Loop, all eight UTMB week courses run back to back in one continuous effort, and how the whole thing only exists because another project got called off three days in. Recorded in Chamonix four days after he finished. They get into the Amsterdam advertising job he burned himself out in, the Ironman that taught him the finish line was the worst part of it, cutting eighty percent of his mates out of his life to get there, cycling 700km to Berlin on a borrowed bike with no plan, running Norway to Spain to impress his girlfriend, the Via Alpina that his mum suggested by accident, soloing the Matterhorn to check whether the community was right about conditions, calling off the Alpine Connections after three days of rockfall and rotten glaciers, the order he ran the eight courses in and which ones actually hurt, sausages on one side of the vest and gummies on the other, crying his way down a descent on the TDS and deciding that was a good thing, whether he considers himself a trail runner at all, and what he makes of brand camps and clique culture in the valley.

RunMotion - The official training partner for Trail Talk. Click the link for 30 day free trial.
https://page.run-motion.com/trail-talk

/ - /- / - / - / - / - / - / - /- / - / - / - / - / - /

DISCOUNTS:
CurraNZ 15%
XMiles 10%
Tantrums 15%
Ascend App 30%

👇 All discount links can be found here
https://linktr.ee/irunovermountains
👇 Join the Community
https://linktr.ee/irunovermountains

The UTMB reaction show and the last in the series, recorded in the Kailas FUGA store in Chamonix. Aaron and Pippa are joined by Robbie Britton to break down the race: Ben Dhiman taking the lead at 41k and running 18:16:29 for the fastest time ever at UTMB, three men under 19 hours and the whole top ten under 20, Caleb Olson chasing down Baptiste Chassagne off La Flégère, Blandine L'Hirondel becoming the first woman under 22 hours, Rachel Entrekin second in her Alps debut, Courtney Dauwalter out, and the stomach bug that went through the athlete camps before a runner had taken a step. Then Joaquin Lopez joins the show to talk through his fifth place.

The Refuge - powered by Kailas FUGA

RunMotion - The official training partner for Trail Talk. Click the link for 30 day free trial.

https://page.run-motion.com/trail-talk

/ - /- / - / - / - / - / - / - /- / - / - / - / - / - /

DISCOUNTS:

CurraNZ 15%
XMiles 10%
Tantrums 15%
Ascend App 30%

👇 All discount links can be found here
https://linktr.ee/irunovermountains

👇 Join the Community
https://linktr.ee/irunovermountains

The CCC reaction show from The Refuge, recorded in the Kailas FUGA store in Chamonix. Aaron and Pippa are joined by Robbie Britton to break down the race: Yngvild Kaspersen winning it off a DNF at mile 98 of Western States, the level crossing at Trient that stopped Toni McCann in the lead, Jennifer Lichter fourth with States still in her legs, Cristian Minoggio breaking the elastic on the climb at 50k, Miguel Arsenio coming through late on the technical ground, and over 100 DNFs at Trient as the hail came in. Then the champion Cristian Minoggio and Miguel Arsenio join the show to talk through their own races.

The Refuge - powered by Kailas FUGA

RunMotion - The official training partner for Trail Talk. Click the link for 30 day free trial.

https://page.run-motion.com/trail-talk

/ - /- / - / - / - / - / - / - /- / - / - / - / - / - /

DISCOUNTS:

CurraNZ 15%
XMiles 10%
Tantrums 15%
Ascend App 30%

👇 All discount links can be found here
https://linktr.ee/irunovermountains

👇 Join the Community
https://linktr.ee/irunovermountains

The OCC reaction show from The Refuge, recorded in the Kailas FUGA store beside the arch in Chamonix. Aaron and Pippa break down the race: Lauren Gregory timing the catch on Naomi Lang in the final narrow section, Naomi second in her first ever ultra, Tove Alexandersson missing the start line, Ida Robsahm fifth again, Fred controlling the men's from the front, Rémi Bonnet out early, and the time penalties nobody saw coming. Then OCC champion Fred Tranchand and Hau Ha join the show to talk through their own races.

The Refuge - powered by Kailas FUGA

RunMotion - The official training partner for Trail Talk. Click the link for 30 day free trial.

https://page.run-motion.com/trail-talk

/ - /- / - / - / - / - / - / - /- / - / - / - / - / - /

DISCOUNTS:

CurraNZ 15%
XMiles 10%
Tantrums 15%
Ascend App 30%

👇 All discount links can be found here
https://linktr.ee/irunovermountains

👇 Join the Community
https://linktr.ee/irunovermountains

Episode three of The Refuge. Aaron and Pippa are joined by Katharina Hartmuth and Robbie Britton, live from the Kailas FUGA store beside the arch in Chamonix. Katharina has been on the UTMB podium twice, second in 2023 and third in 2025, so she takes us through the course and where it actually gets won and lost. Robbie on coaching elites to perform at this race and what separates the ones who deliver from the ones who do not. Plus the Bob Graham Round record Katharina took a few weeks ago, and her return to the Tor des Géants as course record holder and 2024 champion.

The Refuge - powered by Kailas FUGA

RunMotion - The official training partner for Trail Talk. Click the link for 30 day free trial.

https://page.run-motion.com/trail-talk

/ - /- / - / - / - / - / - / - /- / - / - / - / - / - /

DISCOUNTS:

CurraNZ 15%
XMiles 10%
Tantrums 15%
Ascend App 30%

👇 All discount links can be found here
https://linktr.ee/irunovermountains

👇 Join the Community
https://linktr.ee/irunovermountains

Episode two of The Refuge. Aaron and Pippa are joined by Holly Page and Dave Ryan, live from the Kailas FUGA store beside the UTMB arch in Chamonix. Holly has run the CCC twice and takes us through the course: the fast start out of Courmayeur, the zigzags, Grand Col Ferret and the long descent into Champex-Lac, and why there is no crewed aid station at Trient this year. Dave talks through his UTMB build and a full recce at race pace. They get into the poles debate, what the weather does to a course that has been bone dry, the women's field with Jennifer Lichter coming off Western States, and a men's race with 18 athletes over 900.

The Refuge - powered by Kailas FUGA

RunMotion - The official training partner for Trail Talk. Click the link for 30 day free trial.

https://page.run-motion.com/trail-talk

/ - /- / - / - / - / - / - / - /- / - / - / - / - / - /

DISCOUNTS:

CurraNZ 15%
XMiles 10%
Tantrums 15%
Ascend App 30%

👇 All discount links can be found here
https://linktr.ee/irunovermountains

👇 Join the Community
https://linktr.ee/irunovermountains

The first episode of The Refuge. Aaron and Pippa are joined by Stephanie Case to preview the OCC. They get into the new upper section and what the course change does to race strategy, the women's and men's fields, the athletes coming in with form and the ones nobody is talking about, descending skills and where the race gets decided, weather on the day, and their predictions for who wins.

The Refuge - powered by Kailas FUGA

RunMotion - The official training partner for Trail Talk. Click the link for 30 day free trial.

https://page.run-motion.com/trail-talk

/ - /- / - / - / - / - / - / - /- / - / - / - / - / - /

DISCOUNTS:

CurraNZ 15%
XMiles 10%
Tantrums 15%
Ascend App 30%

👇 All discount links can be found here
https://linktr.ee/irunovermountains

👇 Join the Community
https://linktr.ee/irunovermountains

This week on Trail Talk, Aaron, Ricki and Pippa preview UTMB week. They get into Ricki's back to back training weekend, tapering strategies going into a big race, and then straight into the fields: the contenders at OCC and CCC, who wins the UTMB, the Chinese runners coming through, the dark horses, and what the index scores are actually telling us. Predictions, athlete form, and where the races get decided.

RunMotion - The official training partner for Trail Talk. Click the link for 30 day free trial.

https://page.run-motion.com/trail-talk

/ - /- / - / - / - / - / - / - /- / - / - / - / - / - /

DISCOUNTS:

CurraNZ 15%
XMiles 10%
Tantrums 15%
Ascend App 30%

👇 All discount links can be found here
https://linktr.ee/irunovermountains

👇 Join the Community
https://linktr.ee/irunovermountains