Trail Talk

This week on Trail Talk, Aaron and Ricki get into the HOKA Speedgoat 7 — one of the most anticipated trail shoe launches of the year. Ricki was at the UK launch event in the Peak District, and we share our first impressions fresh from testing. Plus a deep dive into training for Swiss Canyon Trail and Ultra Trail Australia, and why CurraNZ has been making a real difference in our recent training.

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DISCOUNTS:
- CurraNZ 15%
- XMiles 10%
- Tantrums 15%
- Ascend App 20%

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Aaron is joined by Aran from Trail Running Review and Carles from Road Running Review — two of the media crew on the Kailas FUGA China trip — for a proper debrief on everything they saw.

First impressions of China, the Chengdu Panda Trail race experience, gear tested in the field, how the event was organised, and the cultural nuances that don't make it into a race report.

Three perspectives. One deep dive.

DISCOUNTS:
• CurraNZ 15%
• XMiles 10%
• Tantrums 15%
• Ascend App 20%

👉 All discount links can be found here
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👉 Join the Community
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Aaron and Ricki are back together after a few weeks away from the regular show. This week: a full debrief from Aaron's Kailas FUGA media trip to China — the brand, the gear, the FUGA Mountain Club, the Chengdu Trail Race, and what China's trail running scene looks like from the inside. Plus the latest ultra trail news and your viewer questions answered.

DISCOUNTS:

- CurraNZ 15%

- XMiles 10%

- Tantrums 15%

- Ascend App 20%

👉 All discount links can be found here

https://linktr.ee/irunovermountains

👉 Join the Community

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This week on Trail Talk, Aaron sits down with Ian Corless — photographer, journalist, and host of the Talk Ultra podcast — for a wide-ranging conversation on the state of ultra trail running.

From the early days of skyrunning to the rise of UTMB, the birth of Glencoe Skyline, the impact of COVID on the sport, the future of trail running governance, and the enduring legacy of Killian Jornet.

One of the original voices in the sport with a lot to say.

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DISCOUNTS:
- CurraNZ 15%
- XMiles 10%
- Tantrums 15%
- Ascend App 20%

👇 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 sit down with Rebecca Hormann — the woman who crossed Portugal on foot, 302 kilometres east to west, and won on her first attempt. We dig into her journey from a soccer scholarship in Spain to winning ultras, the Terra de Gigantes race debrief, her Kailas Fuga partnership, and what's next including Madeira and beyond.

Also in this episode — big news on a new partnership with Ascend App, the training platform formerly known as Albin. Use code TrailTalk20 for 20% off.

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Ascend App — 20% off with code TrailTalk20
https://linktr.ee/irunovermountains

CurraNZ 15% off
https://linktr.ee/irunovermountains

XMiles 10%
https://xmiles.avln.me/c/FlZlRfhosOqx

Tantrums 15%
https://tantrums.avln.me/c/SrLvDYbqkDna
Code: TrailTalk15

Community
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Jon Albon is back on Trail Talk. Fresh off a tough but educational UTMB debut, Jon is building toward 2026 with Montblanc 90 and another crack at Chamonix on the horizon.

UTMB 2025:
Lessons from his first time round and what changes in year two
How horrendous weather and three documentary crews made it a true baptism of fire

Training:
The shift from low to medium mileage athlete
Progressive overload as the number one principle
Downhill conditioning without mountains, dirty threshold and stair-specific prep

Fuelling:
The electrolyte, fluid and carb triangle
Racing on pink Himalayan salt and granulated sugar
Why fuelling is still his biggest weakness as an athlete

The App:
Albin App is rebranding to Ascend
Origin story, impact, cardio and speed metrics explained
The chatbot that runs on human intelligence, not AI

Support the show and find all links at linktr.ee/irunovermountains

This week on Trail Talk, Aaron and Ricki Wynne debrief the Hut 2 Hut race — your questions answered, the full breakdown, and what we took from it. We also get into training updates from the last two weeks, Ricki's Everest prep run on Croagh Patrick, the start of the Swiss Canyon Trail training block, and a chat about CurraNZ.

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Merch
https://store.irunovermountains.com/

XMiles 10%
https://xmiles.avln.me/c/FlZlRfhosOqx

Tantrums 15%
https://tantrums.avln.me/c/SrLvDYbqkDna
Code: TrailTalk15

Community
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This week on Trail Talk, Aaron Shimmons and Ricki Wynne break down the Barkley Marathons carnage and a massive weekend of ultra racing:

The Barkley Marathons:
- 2026 edition: Who finished, who suffered, and the brutal conditions
- Why this legendary sufferfest continues to captivate the ultra world

Race Coverage:
- Tarawera by UTMB: Results and highlights from New Zealand
- Black Canyon 100k: Standout performances and conditions

Big News:
- Race Purse system: The new crowdsourcing model for prize money in ultra running
- What this means for the sport and athletes

New episodes drop every week in audio and video formats!

📸 Photo: Jacob Zocherman / Barkley Marathons

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Merch
https://store.irunovermountains.com/

XMiles 10%
https://xmiles.avln.me/c/FlZlRfhosOqx

Tantrums 15%
https://tantrums.avln.me/c/SrLvDYbqkDna
Code: TrailTalk15

Community
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This week on Trail Talk, Aaron Shimmons and Ricki Wynne break down major changes to the Golden Trail World Series for 2026:

MAJOR News:
- Golden Trail World Series 2026 shakeup
- What's changing and what it means for the sport

Race Previews:
- Black Canyon 100k preview: Course, contenders, and conditions
- Tarawera by UTMB preview: What to expect this weekend

Plus: Ricki's race debrief and our weekly training breakdown

New episodes drop every week in audio and video formats - now in podcast-friendly YouTube format!

📸 Photo: Mathis Decroux / Zegama

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Merch
https://store.irunovermountains.com/

XMiles 10%
https://xmiles.avln.me/c/FlZlRfhosOqx

Tantrums 15%
https://tantrums.avln.me/c/SrLvDYbqkDna
Code: TrailTalk15

Community
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This week on Trail Talk, Aaron Shimmons and Ricki Wynne discuss Jim Walmsley's controversial stance on pacers at elite ultramarathon races:

Hot Take:
- Jim Walmsley calls for pacer bans at Western States and Black Canyon 100k
- Should elite runners have pacers at golden ticket races?
- The pacer debate in professional ultra running

Mourne Mountains Meetup:
- Trail Talk community meetup recap from the Mourne Mountains

New episodes drop every week in audio and video formats.

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Merch
https://store.irunovermountains.com/

XMiles 10%
https://xmiles.avln.me/c/FlZlRfhosOqx

Tantrums 15%
https://tantrums.avln.me/c/SrLvDYbqkDna
Code: TrailTalk15

Community
https://linktr.ee/irunovermountains