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2025 Sunapee Scramble Preview & Picks · Let's Talk Trail Running

0:01
SPEAKER_00: Hello, and thank you for tuning in today to Let's Talk Trail Running.
0:05
SPEAKER_00: I'm your host, Robert Prosser, and this is the show where we talk about
0:09
SPEAKER_00: Sky Running World Series,
0:10
SPEAKER_00: Golden Trail World Series,
0:12
SPEAKER_00: Ultra Trail,
0:12
anything that basically ends up on a fantasy free trail where
0:14
we break down who is
0:17
SPEAKER_00: racing,
0:17
SPEAKER_00: what the race looks like,
0:19
SPEAKER_00: and also help you to make your picks for any upcoming fantasy races.
0:24
So in today's episode,
0:25
we're going to focus on the USA World Qualifier for the
0:32
classic distance for the upcoming world trail world
0:35
championships and can frank
0:37
spain um around the third week of september this year so that
0:41
is going to be the
0:42
sun apiece scramble and the classic distance is typically
0:45
around nine miles or so
0:48
like a 15k with around a thousand meters or three thousand feet
0:52
of vert um and so
0:53
this week it's a pretty stacked race coming up uh in new
0:57
hampshire for the sun
0:58
SPEAKER_00: apiece scramble
1:00
SPEAKER_00: But before I get to that, a couple things I always forget.
1:03
SPEAKER_00: If you have been enjoying this show, please subscribe on Substack.
1:08
Give me a follow on robrunsround on Instagram,
1:12
which is also the same as my Substack handle.
1:15
SPEAKER_00: Or just give a review on whatever podcast listener you listen to this.
1:18
SPEAKER_00: Any support is appreciated.
1:20
And I really enjoy the people that message me on Instagram or
1:24
through Substack.
1:25
SPEAKER_00: So please keep that up.
1:26
SPEAKER_00: It is very much appreciated.
1:28
SPEAKER_00: So that is going to be on the agenda for today.
1:31
And before I do that too,
1:32
I'm going to talk a little bit about last week's race.
1:35
SPEAKER_00: We just had Zagama and we also had Trofeo Nosego.
1:38
SPEAKER_00: I want to focus more so on Zagama because that is my favorite,
1:40
SPEAKER_00: one of my favorite races and gets me really excited.
1:44
SPEAKER_00: And so what did we see at Zagama last week?
1:47
SPEAKER_00: We saw a very, very dominant win from Sara Alonso, which was really cool.
1:52
She basically came out with the lead from the get-go and then
1:55
pretty much was five
1:56
SPEAKER_00: minutes ahead of the field for basically the whole race.
1:58
SPEAKER_00: And then it ended up only winning by about two and a half minutes,
2:01
SPEAKER_00: two minutes and 20 seconds over Judith Weider.
2:04
SPEAKER_00: But really just a masterclass on Zagama.
2:05
SPEAKER_00: She basically went out and had a dominant win.
2:08
SPEAKER_00: So kudos to Zara Alonso.
2:10
SPEAKER_00: Judith Weider, in her first time running it, got second place.
2:12
SPEAKER_00: Also ran a really masterful race.
2:14
SPEAKER_00: Malin Osa, another Spaniard in third place.
2:17
SPEAKER_00: Another Spaniard in fourth place with Rosa Lara Filu.
2:20
SPEAKER_00: And fifth place, Therese LaBeouf.
2:22
SPEAKER_00: So some really good results.
2:24
SPEAKER_00: On the women's side,
2:24
there was a good bit of movement in kind of like that four
2:27
through eight or even
2:28
SPEAKER_00: three through six.
2:30
SPEAKER_00: Therese LaBeouf was up there for a while.
2:31
SPEAKER_00: I was really lucky.
2:33
SPEAKER_00: I got to listen to either listen to or watch pretty much the entire race.
2:36
So I was kind of keeping an eye on how everyone was moving and
2:39
keeping an eye on
2:40
SPEAKER_00: the live tracker.
2:42
SPEAKER_00: But Malinosa was floating as far back as like seventh or eighth,
2:44
SPEAKER_00: but ended up being in that three through six for a while.
2:46
SPEAKER_00: And then the battle for three through five was pretty tight.
2:49
SPEAKER_00: I mean, looking at these finish times,
2:51
SPEAKER_00: Malinoza, 431, 18.
2:52
SPEAKER_00: And then just 40 seconds behind her, Rosalora Filou.
2:56
SPEAKER_00: And then just another minute and a half behind that is Therese LaBeouf.
2:59
SPEAKER_00: So that battle up front was pretty tight.
3:02
SPEAKER_00: And then...
3:04
yeah so the women's race really a statement race our statement
3:07
win by sarah alonso
3:08
on the men's side it was really interesting um elozine won he
3:12
was definitely my
3:12
pick for the win and was the favorite in my mind um but some
3:16
impressive racing by
3:17
andrew blanes i i said that if he finishes he's gonna finish
3:20
like in the top three
3:21
but it's a big question for me if he finishes it was his
3:23
longest race but i was
3:24
really impressed andrew blanes came out he had the lead for i
3:27
want to say the first
3:28
SPEAKER_00: 15 kilometers maybe even 20 kilometers
3:30
SPEAKER_00: Um,
3:31
and then Elozine and Daniel made moves and then three of them
3:33
were up front and
3:34
SPEAKER_00: then Elozine made a really decisive move with about 12 kilometers left.
3:38
SPEAKER_00: And I mean,
3:38
they were all together going into like 30 K and Elozine put
3:41
like seven minutes on
3:42
SPEAKER_00: them.
3:43
SPEAKER_00: But what was more impressive was Andrew Blanes kind of fell off.
3:45
SPEAKER_00: And usually in a race like Zagama,
3:46
SPEAKER_00: if you fall off once,
3:47
SPEAKER_00: you're probably not going to catch back up.
3:49
SPEAKER_00: And Andrew Blanes did a really good job of,
3:51
SPEAKER_00: um,
3:51
SPEAKER_00: managing his effort and kind of staying with the lead pack.
3:54
SPEAKER_00: And when he fell back, I thought he was done.
3:56
SPEAKER_00: And he really wasn't done.
3:57
SPEAKER_00: So yeah, first, Elozin.
4:00
SPEAKER_00: Second, Andru Blanes from Spain.
4:02
SPEAKER_00: Really awesome result for him.
4:04
SPEAKER_00: Third, Daniel Patas.
4:05
I think that's got to be his highest finish in a Golden Trail
4:07
Series race.
4:08
He's always in that top 10,
4:09
but usually he's in like that four through seven spot.
4:11
SPEAKER_00: So really, really impressive race from him.
4:13
He was just out of getting second place and was up there with
4:16
the winners.
4:17
SPEAKER_00: And then fourth place, Luca Delpero and fifth place, Lorenzo Beltrami.
4:21
SPEAKER_00: Another impressive performance was Tomas Cardin from France.
4:25
SPEAKER_00: He got sixth, but he was as far back as like 13th.
4:28
He came out with the lead pack and then fell off and then
4:30
picked it back up.
4:31
So that was also another really impressive result that I was
4:34
kind of surprised by.
4:35
Some of the people that I had in my top five that was a little
4:37
disappointed fell out.
4:39
SPEAKER_00: And I knew we're going to be kind of,
4:40
I knew one was going to be a risky pick and I knew the other
4:42
one I thought was a
4:43
SPEAKER_00: lock for the top,
4:43
SPEAKER_00: top seven.
4:45
SPEAKER_00: was Nadir Magui from Italy.
4:48
SPEAKER_00: He came out with a lead pack and was looking really good.
4:51
SPEAKER_00: And then he just really kind of fell off.
4:53
SPEAKER_00: And then the other one is Manu Marias.
4:54
SPEAKER_00: I was really surprised to see...
4:56
manu maria's he was doing his typical thing where he kind of
4:59
sits back and then he
5:00
started moving he moved from about 18th to 10th and i was like
5:02
oh here we go he's
5:03
gonna crush it on the downhill and then he he must have run
5:06
into some issues either
5:07
stomach or cramping or something but he ended up falling back
5:10
to like 18th place
5:10
which was definitely disappointing showing for him as a past
5:13
champion as somebody
5:14
SPEAKER_00: who who loves this race and does super well
5:16
SPEAKER_00: So, um, Zagama was awesome.
5:18
SPEAKER_00: If you watch some of the highlights, it's definitely worth it.
5:20
And I think you can't watch a video of Zagama without not
5:23
wanting to go race there.
5:24
SPEAKER_00: So anyways, that's my Zagama recap, just a little five minutes there.
5:28
SPEAKER_00: Um, and we'll start getting into Sunpiece Scramble.
5:31
So some of the themes for this year's Sunapee Scramble,
5:34
the up-down race selection for the U.S.
5:39
SPEAKER_00: mountain running team that they're going to send to Spain in September.
5:44
SPEAKER_00: In my opinion, some of the themes kind of identified in this race.
5:48
SPEAKER_00: The woman's race feels really up for grabs,
5:50
SPEAKER_00: seeing how a lot of the favorites are compromised in some way,
5:52
SPEAKER_00: whether it's injury or travel or other things.
5:54
SPEAKER_00: We'll talk more about that.
5:56
SPEAKER_00: I think the men's favorites are a little bit more predictable,
5:58
SPEAKER_00: but I still think it's anyone's race.
6:01
SPEAKER_00: And there's no Joe Gray this year.
6:03
SPEAKER_00: So that's a big, big theme.
6:04
SPEAKER_00: I'm not sure what's up with that.
6:06
I know he's made like a bajillion of these mountain running U S
6:09
mountain running teams.
6:10
SPEAKER_00: I think he's like a 30 plus or something like that.
6:13
Um,
6:13
so that's kind of where we're coming into,
6:16
to this race,
6:18
uh,
6:18
the Sunapee scramble.
6:19
SPEAKER_00: And then with regards to the course,
6:22
SPEAKER_00: it's like I said,
6:23
SPEAKER_00: it's around nine miles,
6:23
SPEAKER_00: around 3000 feet,
6:24
SPEAKER_00: and it's essentially two loops,
6:26
SPEAKER_00: two different loops.
6:28
SPEAKER_00: Um, and the second one, it sounds like the second half of those.
6:31
The second loop is or the climb in the second loop is like the
6:35
back half of the
6:36
SPEAKER_00: vertical kilometer race that's here.
6:38
SPEAKER_00: So with that being said,
6:42
I think we'll talk about the men's side first and then we'll go
6:45
into the women's
6:45
SPEAKER_00: side.
6:46
SPEAKER_00: So on the men's side,
6:48
SPEAKER_00: the favorites in my mind are probably Dan Kurtz,
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SPEAKER_00: Tyler McCandless and Andy Wacker.
6:55
um and those three guys uh dan kurtz is actually even before we
7:00
kind of get into
7:01
that uh i wanted to look at the results from this 2023 race
7:06
which was two years ago
7:07
when it was a world's qualifier and then last year lewd
7:09
mountain was the u.s
7:10
qualifier for the team that we sent to i think it was
7:13
challenged stelina which is
7:15
um not technically a well they only do worlds every two years
7:18
but they made
7:19
SPEAKER_00: essentially a u.s mountain running team
7:21
SPEAKER_00: So last year, excuse me, 2023's results at the same race.
7:24
SPEAKER_00: We had Dan Kurtz won it.
7:26
SPEAKER_00: Second place, Alexander Ricard from Canada.
7:30
SPEAKER_00: Third place, Morgan Elliott.
7:31
SPEAKER_00: Fourth place, Liam Myru.
7:33
SPEAKER_00: Fifth place, Remy LaRue from Canada also.
7:35
SPEAKER_00: Sixth place, Eddie Owens.
7:36
SPEAKER_00: Seventh place, Max King.
7:38
SPEAKER_00: Eighth, Casey Campbell.
7:39
SPEAKER_00: Ninth, Garrett Corcoran.
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SPEAKER_00: And tenth, Mason Coppy.
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SPEAKER_00: So Dan Kurtz is like the returning...
7:47
champion uh from this race previously so like like i said the
7:50
course is a little
7:50
bit different but dan is really good on this technical stuff
7:52
he's from new england
7:54
either vermont or maine i always forget which one um and he's
7:57
really a beast at
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running downhill uh really really aggressively and then last
8:01
year when they did the
8:02
u.s selection for loon mountain uh joe gray got first tyler
8:05
mccainless got second
8:06
SPEAKER_00: jonathan aziz got third andy wacker fourth and gary corcoran fifth so
8:12
um yeah so with that being said i think that uh dan and tyler
8:18
and andy wacker are
8:20
SPEAKER_00: the kind of early favorites in my mind um
8:24
SPEAKER_00: With that being said, let's go over some of the big names in this race.
8:28
SPEAKER_00: Like I said, Dan Kurtz, Brooks athlete from New England.
8:31
He won this event in 2023 and crushed the course by winning by
8:36
about a minute 30 in
8:37
SPEAKER_00: a one-hour race.
8:37
So he pretty much seems like he dominated the race and came out
8:40
in front and stayed
8:41
SPEAKER_00: in the front.
8:43
he is definitely a favorite in any race that he's in and the
8:45
only question i have
8:47
is if he has any injuries coming into it it seems like he's had
8:49
a really solid
8:50
training block and hasn't had any injuries coming into this
8:53
spring um but that's
8:55
always a question he'll kind of have injuries flare up here and
8:57
there and so uh if
8:59
it's a healthy dan kurtz i think he's a pretty strong lock for
9:01
the top three um i
9:03
think in my experience with picking for fantasy free trail i
9:06
think he's maybe dnf
9:06
SPEAKER_00: to time or two
9:08
for more ultra events or like he had a sprained ankle in one of
9:11
his races i want to
9:11
say but other than that i mean he is a very very good runner um
9:16
ran at iowa state
9:17
uh sub 13 35k which is bananas fast i think he's gone like 13
9:24
19 or something like
9:24
SPEAKER_00: that um and just somebody who is really really a talented athlete
9:30
SPEAKER_00: The second favorite I was talking about, Tyler McCandless.
9:32
SPEAKER_00: He might not be as well-known to some people in the States.
9:35
SPEAKER_00: He kind of picks and chooses races,
9:38
but he's basically always right behind Joe Gray in pretty much
9:40
any race he races.
9:42
SPEAKER_00: He's in his late 30s.
9:42
I think he's around 37,
9:44
and he's a guy that ran track and cross-country at Penn State.
9:49
SPEAKER_00: He made the U.S.
9:49
SPEAKER_00: team last year for Challenge Stellina, and then he's got good interviews.
9:53
Most of these guys have interviews on the Steep Stuff podcast
9:55
with James Loriello,
9:57
SPEAKER_00: and he just did a bunch of preview podcasts,
9:58
SPEAKER_00: or excuse me,
9:59
SPEAKER_00: a preview for this race,
10:01
SPEAKER_00: but with individual athletes and their strategies.
10:03
SPEAKER_00: So I really recommend listening to that.
10:05
A lot of these guys I'm talking about,
10:06
and girls,
10:07
and gals,
10:08
he's interviewed already.
10:10
So yeah,
10:10
Tyler McCandless,
10:11
he's pretty much always finishing just behind Joe Gray.
10:14
SPEAKER_00: GoPro games, he's right behind him.
10:16
Um,
10:17
and then other things he's run for us,
10:21
Olympic,
10:22
uh,
10:22
qualifying times,
10:24
um,
10:25
in the marathon.
10:25
SPEAKER_00: I think he's going for five, this upcoming marathon cycle.
10:29
SPEAKER_00: Um, he's a climate scientist PhD, if I'm not mistaken.
10:32
SPEAKER_00: And then, yeah, he's still insanely fast.
10:34
He's like got a one or three half a personal best or like high
10:37
one or two.
10:38
SPEAKER_00: So one or two and a half marathon is insanely fast.
10:41
SPEAKER_00: That's like, I don't know, below five minute per mile pace.
10:44
And then,
10:45
um,
10:45
he's still running really fast,
10:47
uh,
10:47
track times just this past spring.
10:48
He ran one of five and a half at Denver Colfax half marathon,
10:51
which is at 5,000 feet.
10:52
SPEAKER_00: So that's really amazing.
10:54
And then he got there to horse tooth half marathon,
10:56
I think behind two Kenyan guys.
10:57
SPEAKER_00: And then, um,
11:00
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, he's just somebody who is really, really impressive.
11:02
SPEAKER_00: The only thing that I kind of caveat,
11:04
I know he didn't do great at Challenge Stolina because of like
11:06
the type of
11:07
SPEAKER_00: technicality that some of these European races have.
11:09
SPEAKER_00: But I think he'll do really good on a U.S.
11:11
SPEAKER_00: course.
11:12
SPEAKER_00: And I think he's a really, really strong walk for the top five.
11:16
SPEAKER_00: He just has a ton of racing experience.
11:17
SPEAKER_00: He's still got a ton of speed.
11:19
SPEAKER_00: He's kind of like a lesser known Andy Wacker, honestly, in my mind.
11:22
And I think that's a good transition,
11:23
actually,
11:23
into talking about Andy Wacker.
11:26
SPEAKER_00: Andy Wacker,
11:27
SPEAKER_00: much more of us do know,
11:28
SPEAKER_00: he's been in the trail running circuit for a long time,
11:30
SPEAKER_00: ran at CU Boulder as a collegiate athlete.
11:32
He's also around the same age as Tyler McCandless,
11:35
37,
11:35
I believe,
11:35
if I'm not mistaken.
11:37
SPEAKER_00: And Andy Wacker is having one hell of a spring.
11:39
SPEAKER_00: He's looking insanely fit, maybe his most fit ever.
11:42
SPEAKER_00: He's the founder of the trail team,
11:44
which we're going to talk about because a lot of athletes from
11:46
the trail team are
11:47
SPEAKER_00: going to be racing this race.
11:49
SPEAKER_00: And he's been crushing it this spring.
11:51
SPEAKER_00: He just ran a 1351 5K.
11:53
SPEAKER_00: It was just off his personal best.
11:55
SPEAKER_00: And then he had a top 10 in the 25K Road National Championship.
11:58
SPEAKER_00: He had a top 10 at the 15K Road National Championships in Jacksonville.
12:04
SPEAKER_00: And then he was fourth at Loon Mountain last year.
12:07
SPEAKER_00: But I think he's much more fit than he was last year.
12:09
SPEAKER_00: And he was fourth just behind Joe Gray, Tyler McHannis, and John Aziz.
12:13
SPEAKER_00: So,
12:14
SPEAKER_00: um,
12:14
SPEAKER_00: and from my understanding,
12:15
SPEAKER_00: he has not raced at Sunapee before,
12:17
SPEAKER_00: but I know he did see the course he mentioned on his interview that he,
12:22
SPEAKER_00: um,
12:23
he mentioned on his interview on the steep stuff podcast that
12:25
he did go to the 2023
12:27
SPEAKER_00: selection race,
12:28
SPEAKER_00: but I think he was injured and was cheering on the athletes.
12:31
So that makes him also a pretty,
12:33
uh,
12:34
a pretty well-known favorite in my mind.
12:37
SPEAKER_00: Some other names,
12:40
SPEAKER_00: somebody else who I think is definitely a favorite,
12:42
but I just have question marks with their name because they're
12:44
just coming out of
12:44
SPEAKER_00: an injury.
12:45
Somebody who would be a lock for my top five and probably even
12:48
my top three,
12:49
SPEAKER_00: and I might even still end up putting him in there,
12:51
SPEAKER_00: is going to be Christian Allen.
12:53
SPEAKER_00: Christian Allen is just coming off of an injury.
12:55
SPEAKER_00: Um,
12:55
SPEAKER_00: I think he has stress reaction in his shin,
12:58
SPEAKER_00: but he had a really good,
12:59
SPEAKER_00: uh,
12:59
SPEAKER_00: winter slash early spring,
13:01
SPEAKER_00: um,
13:01
SPEAKER_00: before that injury.
13:02
SPEAKER_00: And I think it's caused him to take about six weeks off of running.
13:05
SPEAKER_00: And he's been running for about two weeks as now.
13:07
SPEAKER_00: So Christian Allen, Christian Allen, excuse me, is the former, um,
13:13
SPEAKER_00: As a former BYU track and field cross-country runner,
13:17
SPEAKER_00: also really good times,
13:18
SPEAKER_00: like sub 14,
13:19
SPEAKER_00: 5K,
13:19
SPEAKER_00: all that kind of stuff,
13:21
and has had some really good results at both WMRA events and
13:25
also Golden Trail
13:26
SPEAKER_00: World Series events.
13:27
SPEAKER_00: He did just run a 2.10.32 marathon at Houston,
13:32
SPEAKER_00: which is super fast,
13:33
SPEAKER_00: but I think he could honestly even go faster.
13:35
SPEAKER_00: It's only his second marathon.
13:38
SPEAKER_00: And so lots of room for improvement there.
13:40
SPEAKER_00: Super young, super talented guy.
13:42
SPEAKER_00: And the big question is just, for me, it was, will he be racing?
13:47
But looking at his Strava,
13:48
he has been running recently,
13:49
but he hasn't made the travel out yet.
13:51
SPEAKER_00: And as I record this,
13:52
SPEAKER_00: I apologize,
13:53
SPEAKER_00: I meant to record this a couple days earlier,
13:55
SPEAKER_00: but just been really busy at work.
13:57
SPEAKER_00: So better late than never.
13:58
SPEAKER_00: And hopefully you can still listen to this before you make your picks.
14:03
SPEAKER_00: So, Christian Allen, yeah, I think he's a lock for the top five.
14:06
SPEAKER_00: I would just keep an eye on Estrada, make sure he makes the travel out.
14:08
SPEAKER_00: He's still been out west as of right now,
14:10
SPEAKER_00: and I'm recording this on Friday morning or Thursday night for anyone,
14:15
SPEAKER_00: Thursday evening for anyone that is in the States.
14:17
SPEAKER_00: So...
14:20
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so that's another strong athlete in the field.
14:22
SPEAKER_00: Christian Allen could very easily take one of these spots.
14:25
And I think I forgot to mention the men's side is going to be
14:28
the top four going to
14:29
SPEAKER_00: get a spot on the U.S.
14:29
SPEAKER_00: team.
14:30
The women's side is going to be the top three because Grayson
14:32
Allen has an
14:33
SPEAKER_00: automatic qualifier because she was the world champion.
14:36
SPEAKER_00: So she doesn't need a spot.
14:38
SPEAKER_00: She has an auto spot.
14:40
SPEAKER_00: All right, some other people to look out for and some other favorites.
14:45
SPEAKER_00: I would definitely say there's so many good names here.
14:50
So I think there's a strong chance that somebody named David
14:55
could very well make this U.S.
14:56
SPEAKER_00: team.
14:56
SPEAKER_00: And we've got two Davids to choose from.
14:57
SPEAKER_00: One of them is going to be David Sinclair,
14:59
SPEAKER_00: the Kraft athlete who's also going out and trying to help the U.S.
15:03
SPEAKER_00: team make the Schemo team.
15:06
schema olympics for 2026 and cortina so he's coming off a
15:10
really big uh year of
15:11
schema in europe he did just race at transvolcania a couple
15:15
weeks ago and dnf
15:16
because of the horrific weather and i think he went hypothermic
15:20
um but he is
15:21
probably the best athlete in the world one of the best in the
15:23
world at mountainous
15:24
50ks um i would love to see him race eli at occ because i think
15:28
that would be a
15:29
SPEAKER_00: battle for the ages
15:30
But in the U.S.,
15:31
he basically has all the course records at all of Mountain's
15:34
50K.
15:34
SPEAKER_00: So last year he broke the record at Spigot.
15:37
SPEAKER_00: He broke the record at Broken Arrow.
15:39
SPEAKER_00: And then he already has the record at Run the Rut.
15:41
SPEAKER_00: And he took that from Killian.
15:43
SPEAKER_00: So anytime you take anything from Killian.
15:45
SPEAKER_00: And then also he took the winning course record at JFK last year.
15:49
um he has some experience racing these up down and vertical
15:52
races he raced at the
15:53
canadian national champ selection last year in either october
15:56
or november and he
15:57
finished at sixth in the up down and ninth in the vertical i
16:00
think he's probably
16:01
fitter than he was back then or at least a little bit sharper
16:03
coming off all the
16:04
SPEAKER_00: schemo stuff because of how um
16:06
like anaerobically demanding this this particular schema event
16:10
is for the olympics
16:12
um david sinclair also lives in new england so i would bet
16:15
would be willing to bet
16:15
that he's been wrecking the course since he lives in vermont
16:18
now um and is back in
16:20
new england and i i could see as high as a top five for him but
16:23
uh more likely a
16:24
SPEAKER_00: top 10.
16:25
SPEAKER_00: i don't know that he'll be in that top four for the selection but i could
16:28
SPEAKER_00: definitely see him being in the top 10 i think it's pretty likely um
16:32
The big question I'll have is he's going to be one of the best
16:34
climbers for sure up
16:35
SPEAKER_00: there with like Cam Smith,
16:36
SPEAKER_00: but I'm curious how good he'll be on the technical downhills.
16:38
SPEAKER_00: He does, he is a really, really good with running efficiency though.
16:42
SPEAKER_00: Um, and he has not raced in Sun and in Sun and P from what I can tell.
16:46
SPEAKER_00: And then he's been Strava dark since he, um,
16:50
SPEAKER_00: since his race at Transvaulconia.
16:52
SPEAKER_00: So I'm assuming he's still running consistently,
16:57
SPEAKER_00: but he did just kind of randomly go Stravodark,
16:59
SPEAKER_00: and I'm not really sure what was behind that.
17:01
SPEAKER_00: So hopefully not injured or anything.
17:03
The other David I was talking about that could make this team
17:05
and is also in some
17:07
ways a little bit of a sleeper pick because he doesn't race a
17:09
ton of races.
17:10
SPEAKER_00: is going to be David Norris, the Alaskan, who was a cross-country skier.
17:15
SPEAKER_00: He's won Mount Marathon multiple times,
17:17
SPEAKER_00: and he also broke the course record,
17:18
SPEAKER_00: took it from Killian,
17:19
SPEAKER_00: and then broke his own course record again,
17:20
SPEAKER_00: I think,
17:21
SPEAKER_00: last year or two years ago.
17:23
SPEAKER_00: So we know he's really good at getting up and down super quickly.
17:26
He had a really,
17:27
really impressive result last year at the Cirque Series A
17:29
Basin.
17:29
SPEAKER_00: He finished just between Patrick Kippenjano and Philemon Cariago.
17:33
SPEAKER_00: So that's a really good place to be if you're between those two.
17:36
SPEAKER_00: And if we see a David like that,
17:38
SPEAKER_00: I mean,
17:38
SPEAKER_00: I think he could easily make the team and go in those top three.
17:41
SPEAKER_00: But I just have reservations about how...
17:45
SPEAKER_00: his running skills are coming out of the skiing season.
17:48
SPEAKER_00: And also he's kind of got some mixed results.
17:50
SPEAKER_00: So he's living at Steamboat Springs now.
17:53
I don't know what caused him,
17:54
but I think he moved down from Alaska to Steamboat.
17:57
SPEAKER_00: He did dabble in some 50Ks last year.
17:59
SPEAKER_00: He had probably a disappointing show at UTMB at OCC.
18:02
SPEAKER_00: He got 23rd.
18:04
SPEAKER_00: And then he had fourth at UTMB Puerto Vallarta,
18:07
SPEAKER_00: which was interesting because he was actually a third male.
18:09
SPEAKER_00: And Sarah Alonzo beat almost everyone and finished second overall.
18:13
SPEAKER_00: And then he had a second place at UTMB Whistler 50K.
18:17
SPEAKER_00: So it looks like he's probably going after another OCC attempt this year.
18:20
SPEAKER_00: I think he could be a sleeper finish really high,
18:24
SPEAKER_00: but he's not a lock from the top 10,
18:25
SPEAKER_00: in my opinion.
18:26
And I'm really interested to see how he runs this and what kind
18:28
of strategies he use.
18:31
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
18:31
SPEAKER_00: So we'll see.
18:32
SPEAKER_00: Those are the two Davids I want to talk about.
18:34
And then some other really strong picks and people that I think
18:37
will likely be up
18:38
SPEAKER_00: there in the mix.
18:41
SPEAKER_00: Would include, let's see, who am I missing?
18:45
um cam smith so usa schemo's great hope uh along with david
18:50
sinclair for us making
18:50
the 2026 olympics cam is a crusher at vertical races and then
18:55
he's usually not
18:55
quite as efficient at like down and flat running and that's
18:58
kind of where he gets
18:59
caught up but it's very likely he'll be in the pack to be one
19:01
of the top for the
19:02
first climb and it's just a matter of like how good he's going
19:04
to be at descending
19:05
and the flat running but cam smith schemo athlete for dina fit
19:09
um he probably has
19:10
the highest vo2 max in the field if i had to guess and some of
19:13
the best climbing
19:13
SPEAKER_00: ability
19:15
um yeah i think he's a strong lock for the top 10 but i'm not
19:18
sure how well how
19:19
much the technical will get him and how much his running
19:21
efficiency is his
19:22
interview on the steep stuff podcast with james l'oreal he said
19:24
he actually has
19:25
been running in the winter which is really unusual for him to
19:27
get ready for this
19:28
new schema format which is like seven minute bursts of like
19:31
really strong uh
19:32
powerful activity and so maybe his turnover will be a little
19:35
bit better than it
19:36
SPEAKER_00: usually is coming out of ski season um
19:39
and then let's see he got fifth at circ series a basin last
19:42
year um and his strava
19:46
workouts he was looking fit and he said he ran some faster
19:50
times than he ran last
19:51
year in the spring so that would indicate that maybe he's a
19:53
little bit more fit
19:53
than he was last year coming in but it's always tough to tell
19:56
because when you do
19:57
your workouts at 9 000 feet of altitude they don't look quite
19:59
as impressive as the
20:00
SPEAKER_00: sea level workouts so
20:02
um some other favorites for the race i think mason copie is a
20:05
really strong one he
20:06
got 10th here last time he raced it but he just keeps racing
20:09
better and better he
20:10
had a really really good winter and spring build of road racing
20:13
he ran a 104 45
20:15
half marathon at houston which is a 454 minute per mile pace in
20:19
case you were
20:19
wondering and then he ran a 216 46 at uh at cim so the
20:24
california marathon um last
20:26
SPEAKER_00: winter uh and then
20:30
Yeah,
20:30
he's just kind of,
20:31
in my opinion,
20:32
Mason Kobe's like right on the bubble.
20:33
SPEAKER_00: He's a super talented athlete.
20:34
SPEAKER_00: He's just looking for that big breakout race.
20:36
SPEAKER_00: And I think this could be one of those races.
20:39
I don't know if he can quite win it,
20:41
but I think I could see him in that 2-3-4 category.
20:47
He did have a second at USATF Trail Half Marathon Championships
20:50
last year in Moab,
20:51
SPEAKER_00: just behind Christian Allen and right in front of David Sinclair.
20:54
And then he was also 11th at Headlands Golden Trail Series race
20:57
and Broken Arrow last year.
21:00
SPEAKER_00: So he's just outside the top 10 of some of those Golden Trail races.
21:04
So yeah,
21:04
I think Mason is a really strong one to watch and is a strong
21:07
pick for your top five.
21:10
uh some other people to look out for um remy larue uh canadian
21:15
coming to crash the
21:15
party of the u.s selections but to be fair some of our
21:18
americans went and raced the
21:19
canadian selections um he just got a third and big all to 50k
21:23
this year behind eli
21:24
hemming and eddie owens he was second at the canadian champs in
21:28
both the vertical
21:28
and the updown so he's already qualified for the team canada
21:31
and he's just kind of
21:31
SPEAKER_00: coming to race this as like a tune-up good competition
21:35
SPEAKER_00: He did race the same event in 2023 and got fifth place.
21:37
And then last year,
21:38
he raced Loon Mountain for the US selection team and won.
21:41
SPEAKER_00: Or no, excuse me, in 2023, he raced it and won.
21:45
SPEAKER_00: So it wasn't for the US selection.
21:47
He did get a sixth in the Broken Arrow VK last year,
21:49
which was stupidly stacked.
21:50
SPEAKER_00: And he got an eighth in the 23K.
21:52
SPEAKER_00: So I think Remy LaRue is a really, really strong pick.
21:54
I think he's definitely going to be in the top 10 somewhere and
21:58
knows how to race
21:58
SPEAKER_00: these events and exactly what kind of fitness to come in with.
22:01
SPEAKER_00: So those are probably most of the favorites that I want to talk about.
22:10
uh Micah Bedouin Rousseau he's looking like he's out um because
22:14
he still hasn't
22:14
come back from injury based off his Instagram and then some
22:18
other people just to
22:18
look out for um that I also took notes on Devin Pancake he's a
22:23
former runner at
22:24
Utah State and a four minute mile guy he was a trail team 2025
22:27
selection and kept
22:29
SPEAKER_00: up with Adam Peterman in a 50k uh last year I want to say it was um so
22:35
SPEAKER_00: Also, somebody to look out for.
22:36
SPEAKER_00: Definitely has that fast.
22:37
SPEAKER_00: Hasn't done as much of this short, fast mountain stuff.
22:40
SPEAKER_00: Some other names thrown out there.
22:41
SPEAKER_00: Casey Campbell, eighth of this race in 2023.
22:43
SPEAKER_00: He's an Adidas Terex guy.
22:45
He got second at 50K at,
22:46
I think it was way too cool this spring,
22:48
to Josh Park.
22:49
SPEAKER_00: And then he also went top five at Big Alta.
22:52
SPEAKER_00: No, Josh Park went top five at Big Alta.
22:54
SPEAKER_00: I think Casey Campbell could be in the back half of the top 10,
22:56
SPEAKER_00: but I think top five would be a little bit much.
22:59
um other names zachary erickson he was a runner for byu just as
23:03
recently as last
23:03
year i want to say he got third at circ series targi uh last
23:07
year and then third at
23:09
circ series snowbird as well just behind kristen allen and hot
23:11
call he's got a 14
23:13
10 5k pr so he's got some next level leg speed uh liam miro
23:18
nike trail athlete um
23:21
SPEAKER_00: from the what was it bowerman athletic club um
23:27
and he's from the pacific northwest as well um he got second at
23:31
the dirt circus 10k
23:32
last year to krishna allen by one minute and beat guys like
23:34
andy wacker and john
23:35
aziz he's not as good in super techie stuff and got ninth at
23:39
loon last year but he
23:40
was fourth at santape in 2023 so he knows this course he's done
23:43
well at it he
23:44
definitely could be somebody who is in that top five but i just
23:48
hesitate on things
23:49
SPEAKER_00: that are a little bit more technical um like this race
23:52
Some sleeper picks that I think are worth looking out for and
23:55
that I could easily
23:57
SPEAKER_00: see going somewhere
23:59
in that like three through five spot taylor stack is one of
24:01
them he is a new brooks
24:03
signee um with a bit of a breakout year last year he had a
24:06
really impressive race
24:07
at broken arrow he got fourth overall um in the 23k just behind
24:11
patrick uh kebabeno
24:13
eli hemming and phil moncariago so that's an awesome place to
24:16
be um he also got
24:18
fifth at cirque series snowbird um so he's already raced desert
24:21
rats 21k this year
24:22
was only about a minute behind eli hemming which is always a
24:25
good sign that you're
24:25
SPEAKER_00: fit and then i think
24:28
SPEAKER_00: I think he could definitely make this team.
24:29
I think he could be somewhere in like that three through five
24:31
range and be up there
24:34
SPEAKER_00: with some of those guys.
24:35
SPEAKER_00: So I'll be curious to see.
24:36
I was actually looking at him and Tyler McCandless both live in
24:40
Fort Collins and
24:41
SPEAKER_00: they were both doing workouts on similar,
24:42
SPEAKER_00: on this like similar climb and they both had pretty similar times.
24:46
So I would probably go a little bit more with the experience of
24:49
Tyler McCandless
24:50
SPEAKER_00: and still having kind of a similar,
24:52
SPEAKER_00: some really good leg speed despite being in his upper 30s.
24:55
SPEAKER_00: But I think both of them are going to have really strong showings.
25:00
SPEAKER_00: Let's see.
25:01
SPEAKER_00: So some other people to look out for.
25:04
SPEAKER_00: We got Johan de Leon,
25:06
SPEAKER_00: satisfied guy,
25:07
had that crazy race last year with a second place at Cirque
25:10
Series A Basin.
25:12
SPEAKER_00: But he's kind of been up and down since then.
25:13
SPEAKER_00: So I'll be curious to see how he races.
25:15
SPEAKER_00: I think this is more in his wheelhouse.
25:16
SPEAKER_00: So I could see him in the top 10.
25:18
SPEAKER_00: And then some other names to look out for.
25:19
SPEAKER_00: Morgan Elliott made the team in 2023 and got third place.
25:23
He's had some skyrunning World Series results or skyrunning
25:25
series results this year.
25:27
SPEAKER_00: They haven't been as impressive as his past form.
25:29
SPEAKER_00: So I kind of question what form he's at.
25:31
SPEAKER_00: But he always kind of he's really consistent at these U.S.
25:33
SPEAKER_00: selection events.
25:34
So I could easily see him being in the top 10 or making the
25:36
team in some way.
25:38
He did get second at Dirt Circus 10K in 2023 and beat Joe Gray
25:41
and Dan Kurtz,
25:42
which is kind of crazy because I don't think of Morgan Elliott
25:44
as being like that
25:44
SPEAKER_00: kind of a speedy guy.
25:45
SPEAKER_00: But,
25:46
SPEAKER_00: I mean,
25:46
SPEAKER_00: if you beat Joe Gray and Dan Kurtz,
25:48
SPEAKER_00: I don't know what kind of technicality that course had,
25:50
SPEAKER_00: but he somehow beat them.
25:52
SPEAKER_00: So...
25:54
SPEAKER_00: Some other names, Cade Michael and Hot Call.
25:57
SPEAKER_00: So Cade Michael is a trail team selection for this year.
26:00
SPEAKER_00: He's been Andy Wacker's training buddy.
26:01
He's been right next to him on those climbs at Gold Hill,
26:03
taking the segments from David Roach.
26:05
He raced 50K and was in that lead pack until he kind of fell
26:08
off and might have got
26:09
SPEAKER_00: hypothermic,
26:10
SPEAKER_00: fell back to seventh place.
26:11
And then he had some really good showings last year with the
26:13
Golden Trail Series.
26:14
SPEAKER_00: He got 10th at Headlands and 12th at Mammoth.
26:16
SPEAKER_00: So it seems like he's figuring it out.
26:17
SPEAKER_00: He's definitely got the leg speed,
26:18
SPEAKER_00: and I think it's just the experience that's kind of coming along.
26:21
SPEAKER_00: I could definitely see him in the top 10.
26:24
SPEAKER_00: I don't know if I quite see him making the team, though.
26:26
SPEAKER_00: And then the other one that's kind of a question mark
26:28
and could be a really interesting pick who could be up there is
26:31
Hawk Cole.
26:32
SPEAKER_00: So he kind of came across my radar.
26:35
SPEAKER_00: He once beat up 28K last year,
26:37
and he also won the Cirque Series Grand Target over guys like
26:39
Mason Copey.
26:41
SPEAKER_00: And then second at Cirque Series, Snowbird, just behind Christian Allen.
26:44
SPEAKER_00: Sixth at a very deep broken arrow, 23K last year.
26:47
SPEAKER_00: One second, Jeff's a big one.
27:27
My apologies,
27:27
I often forget to preface this,
27:29
but basically I'm on an active
27:32
military base and sometimes just take off in the background and
27:34
it messes up the
27:35
audio so if that happens just fast forward about 30 seconds and
27:38
then i will resume
27:40
talking so we're talking about hot call um 2025 trail team
27:44
selection had some
27:45
really really good results on some sharp fast races last year i
27:48
think he could
27:48
easily make it in the top five and be a little bit of a sleeper
27:51
pick um he did race
27:52
golden trail series italy but i don't think he had the day he
27:54
wanted i'm not sure
27:55
he definitely finished outside the top 10 but i'm not exactly
27:57
sure how far back um
27:59
But he is somebody who seems to be really good at this
28:00
technical type of running
28:02
SPEAKER_00: and really can run the downhills well.
28:04
SPEAKER_00: So I could see him in there,
28:06
SPEAKER_00: probably a little bit more of a sleeper pick,
28:07
SPEAKER_00: not a lock to the top five,
28:08
SPEAKER_00: but I could see him in that four through six range as well.
28:11
I think Taylor stacks probably a little bit more refined on
28:13
that side of things and
28:14
SPEAKER_00: has a little bit better leg speed.
28:16
SPEAKER_00: But I could see either of them.
28:18
I could see Taylor more so making the team and Hawk maybe just
28:21
outside the bubble,
28:22
SPEAKER_00: like first man out.
28:23
So,
28:24
yeah,
28:24
with that being said,
28:25
that's kind of the preview of the men's side.
28:27
SPEAKER_00: How do I see this race going out?
28:29
If Christian Allen's healthy,
28:30
he's going to take it out like super fast like he always does.
28:34
SPEAKER_00: I see Andy Wacker up there in the lead pack with Christian Allen.
28:37
SPEAKER_00: I also see Cam Smith because he's one of the best climbers in the nation.
28:40
SPEAKER_00: I think those guys will be up front pushing the pace on the first climb.
28:44
SPEAKER_00: Tyler McHanless, I don't think, will be too far behind them as well.
28:46
SPEAKER_00: Might even be without lead back.
28:48
And then I think the first descent is where it's going to get
28:49
interesting.
28:50
SPEAKER_00: That's where guys like Dan Kurtz will make up time.
28:53
Guys that are good technical descenders,
28:55
maybe like Taylor Stack and Hall will make up time.
29:01
SPEAKER_00: Or maybe even somebody like Morgan Elliott as well.
29:04
SPEAKER_00: So it'll be interesting.
29:05
SPEAKER_00: I mean, I think that two loops is a really cool format.
29:06
SPEAKER_00: It's going to be interesting to see how that changes things.
29:09
SPEAKER_00: But I think that guys like, like I said,
29:12
Cam Smith is going to be probably in the lead on the first
29:14
climb along with
29:15
SPEAKER_00: Christian Allen,
29:16
who's going to take it out super hard as long as he makes the
29:18
start line as
29:18
SPEAKER_00: healthy.
29:19
SPEAKER_00: Mason Copey might be up there.
29:21
SPEAKER_00: And then Andy Wacker is definitely going to be sticking his nose in it.
29:24
SPEAKER_00: So,
29:25
SPEAKER_00: With that being said,
29:25
SPEAKER_00: I mean,
29:26
SPEAKER_00: my picks as of right now for the top five on the men's side,
29:29
SPEAKER_00: and I'm going to go five through one.
29:31
SPEAKER_00: And fifth place, I'm going to go with Remy LaRue.
29:33
SPEAKER_00: I think he's a really smart racer.
29:35
SPEAKER_00: I don't know that he wins this because I don't think he really,
29:38
SPEAKER_00: I think he's going to compete really hard,
29:40
but I just don't think he quite has that fire because he
29:42
doesn't need to make a
29:43
SPEAKER_00: team.
29:43
SPEAKER_00: He's already on the Canadian team,
29:44
SPEAKER_00: but I think he's going to run really well,
29:46
SPEAKER_00: and I think he's going to be easily in the top five.
29:49
SPEAKER_00: Fourth place, I got Mason Copey.
29:50
SPEAKER_00: I think he's got a really good chance of making the team.
29:52
SPEAKER_00: He's really fit.
29:53
SPEAKER_00: I think he's kind of leveling up in his racing and getting a lot smarter.
29:56
SPEAKER_00: In third place, I got Tyler McCandless.
29:58
SPEAKER_00: I think Tyler's experience, he's super fit, and he just races so much.
30:03
SPEAKER_00: And I mean,
30:03
SPEAKER_00: if you're just behind Joe Gray in every race that you do,
30:06
SPEAKER_00: I don't think he's quite beat him yet,
30:07
SPEAKER_00: which has got to be really frustrating.
30:08
But if you're just behind Joe Gray in every race you do,
30:10
you're in a really good spot.
30:12
SPEAKER_00: And so even though he hasn't raced this course yet,
30:14
SPEAKER_00: I think that Tyler is in really,
30:16
SPEAKER_00: really good shape.
30:17
He's super good on this up-down type of stuff,
30:19
and I think he's a really smart racer.
30:20
SPEAKER_00: Second place, Andy Wacker.
30:23
SPEAKER_00: His fitness this spring has been amazing.
30:25
SPEAKER_00: I definitely think he's making another U.S.
30:27
SPEAKER_00: team.
30:27
SPEAKER_00: I think it'll be like his 10th or something like that.
30:29
And I believe that he is really eager to kind of redeem himself
30:34
after kind of
30:35
having a little bit of up and down from injury and coming back
30:37
from Haglins the
30:38
SPEAKER_00: past couple of years.
30:40
SPEAKER_00: First place right now, my favorite to win is Dan Kurtz.
30:43
SPEAKER_00: I could easily see him repeating.
30:45
SPEAKER_00: I think he's made very well for this course.
30:48
Regardless of whether he wins or not,
30:49
I think he's a lock for the US team.
30:51
And then guys that I think are just on the bubble that I could
30:53
easily consider
30:54
SPEAKER_00: swapping in my top 10.
30:55
SPEAKER_00: If Christian Allen looks healthy and is feeling good,
30:57
SPEAKER_00: I'm going to keep an eye on his Strava,
30:59
SPEAKER_00: but I could easily see myself replacing maybe like Mason...
31:03
for the top five spot or maybe even like Remy because Christian
31:08
Allen is definitely
31:09
SPEAKER_00: talented enough and has won this event or hasn't won this event,
31:12
but he's just such a competitor and is so fast and does really
31:15
good and things like
31:16
SPEAKER_00: that.
31:16
SPEAKER_00: So I think Christian Allen could easily be a lock for the top five.
31:19
And then I think you should watch out for guys like Taylor
31:21
Stack and Hot Call
31:22
SPEAKER_00: because I think they could kind of sneak their way in there.
31:24
SPEAKER_00: Cam Smith is going to be a question mark for me.
31:26
SPEAKER_00: I know he's going to be probably in the lead pack on that first climb,
31:29
SPEAKER_00: but I just don't know how much the up-down format.
31:32
SPEAKER_00: I don't see him as much of a favorite.
31:34
with the up-down format and just how much like flat and
31:38
technical tight not flat
31:40
just like the leg turnover that's kind of what I worry about
31:43
Morgan Elliott always
31:44
a question mark his sky his sky races don't make him seem like
31:47
he's as fit he has
31:48
been in the past but he always finds a way to make these US
31:51
teams he's made
31:51
multiple and when he got a third at 2023 I was really shocked
31:54
and impressed
31:55
SPEAKER_00: And then,
31:56
SPEAKER_00: yeah,
31:56
SPEAKER_00: like I said,
31:56
SPEAKER_00: Hawkel,
31:57
SPEAKER_00: Taylor Stack,
31:57
those are guys that are kind of right in the bubble for me for
32:00
making the team or
32:02
SPEAKER_00: for like that four through six.
32:03
SPEAKER_00: So first place, I got Dan Kurtz.
32:05
SPEAKER_00: Second place, Andy Wacker.
32:06
SPEAKER_00: Third place, Tyler McCandless.
32:08
SPEAKER_00: Fourth, Mason Kobe.
32:09
SPEAKER_00: And fifth, Remy LaRue with the option to swap in Christian Allen.
32:12
SPEAKER_00: So that wraps up the men's side.
32:14
SPEAKER_00: On the women's side...
32:16
SPEAKER_00: What are some of the big themes?
32:17
SPEAKER_00: In my opinion,
32:18
the big themes are we have a lot of the favorites and minus the
32:23
returning champion.
32:24
SPEAKER_00: And from my understanding,
32:24
SPEAKER_00: Grayson Murphy is not racing,
32:26
SPEAKER_00: even though her name is on the start list.
32:27
SPEAKER_00: So keep that in mind when you're making your picks.
32:30
SPEAKER_00: But a lot of the favorites that I would have as locks for the top five.
32:34
are coming in either just off of entry or was some questionable
32:37
things so we've got
32:39
uh anna gibson who's just coming back from racing zagama her
32:42
longest ever race uh
32:43
the week before and traveling from spain so that's kind of a
32:46
question mark next to
32:47
her we got people like ali mac who hasn't raced as much uh
32:51
recently and is kind of
32:52
SPEAKER_00: strava dark i don't know if she's always strava dark but right now she is
32:55
SPEAKER_00: And then we've got, like I said, Grayson Murphy.
32:57
SPEAKER_00: I don't think she's racing.
32:58
SPEAKER_00: She got diagnosed with Crohn's disease recently,
33:00
SPEAKER_00: and I think it's affected her ability to train and run a lot.
33:03
SPEAKER_00: So she hasn't raced since Cirque Series Snowbird,
33:06
and she was the double champion in both the vertical and the
33:09
up-down in 2023.
33:11
SPEAKER_00: Um,
33:11
SPEAKER_00: and then other people like Allie Ostrainer just coming off injury,
33:15
SPEAKER_00: people like Lauren Gregory,
33:16
SPEAKER_00: who I would be a lock for the top pick,
33:18
SPEAKER_00: uh,
33:19
SPEAKER_00: for the top three and making this U S team.
33:21
SPEAKER_00: Um, but who's also coming off an injury.
33:23
SPEAKER_00: And so, um, in my opinion, and then also it's just a really deep race.
33:26
SPEAKER_00: So I think the, the women's race will be really interesting to watch.
33:30
SPEAKER_00: Um,
33:30
SPEAKER_00: before I get into discussing some of the athletes,
33:32
SPEAKER_00: I'm going to look at the 2023 results from the world qualifier that year.
33:36
First place was Grayson Murphy won by almost three minutes over
33:40
Allie Mack.
33:41
SPEAKER_00: or Allie McLaughlin.
33:42
SPEAKER_00: And then third place was Rachel Tomachik.
33:44
SPEAKER_00: Fourth place, Casey Inman.
33:46
SPEAKER_00: Fifth place, Megan Lacey.
33:47
SPEAKER_00: Sixth place, Colleen Sands.
33:48
SPEAKER_00: Seventh, Carly Rempel.
33:50
SPEAKER_00: Eight, Katie O'Regan, excuse me, and ninth, Corey Dow.
33:54
SPEAKER_00: And then last year for the U.S.
33:55
SPEAKER_00: selection for the Challenge Stellina, Lauren Gregory got the win.
33:59
And this was at Loon Mountain,
34:01
which is also a technical horse,
34:02
not exactly the same.
34:03
SPEAKER_00: Last year, Lauren Gregory got the win.
34:04
SPEAKER_00: Rachel Tomachik got the second place.
34:07
SPEAKER_00: Third place, Amber Zimmerman.
34:08
SPEAKER_00: Fourth place, Ava Thurston.
34:09
SPEAKER_00: Fifth place, Hannah Rowe.
34:11
SPEAKER_00: And sixth place, Casey Einman.
34:13
SPEAKER_00: So on the women's side,
34:16
SPEAKER_00: yeah,
34:16
SPEAKER_00: I think a lot of the favorites,
34:17
it's going to be a very interesting race because I think a lot
34:19
of the favorites
34:19
SPEAKER_00: that I would usually have as locks for my top five,
34:22
SPEAKER_00: like I said,
34:22
SPEAKER_00: are coming in compromised in some way.
34:24
SPEAKER_00: So for me, looking at the favorites, I think...
34:27
SPEAKER_00: The big favorites.
34:28
SPEAKER_00: So Grayson, if she was racing, would be a big favorite.
34:31
SPEAKER_00: But like I said, I don't think she's racing.
34:32
SPEAKER_00: Lauren Gregory, Nike trail athlete who ran collegiately at Arkansas.
34:37
SPEAKER_00: She has made U.S.
34:38
SPEAKER_00: teams,
34:39
SPEAKER_00: but not world teams before,
34:40
SPEAKER_00: is my understanding,
34:41
SPEAKER_00: and has done a lot of like junior events as well.
34:43
SPEAKER_00: She is a strong favorite for the top three, if not the win, honestly.
34:47
SPEAKER_00: But the big question for me is just she missed Golden Trail opening,
34:51
SPEAKER_00: I want to say in Japan for injury,
34:53
SPEAKER_00: if I'm not mistaken.
34:54
SPEAKER_00: And she is coming off injury.
34:55
SPEAKER_00: I did check her Strava and she's definitely bouncing back.
34:58
So it could be good having some of the rest of the body,
35:00
but she also might not be as sharp.
35:02
SPEAKER_00: Uh,
35:02
she had a really big end to last year in the golden trail
35:04
series with the third at
35:05
SPEAKER_00: headlands six at mammoth and a second in the golden trail series final.
35:09
SPEAKER_00: So that was really like prime form.
35:11
SPEAKER_00: Uh, and definitely was probably the best.
35:12
SPEAKER_00: Her and Anna Gibson are probably the two best us racers in golden trail,
35:16
SPEAKER_00: both men's and women's side.
35:17
Um,
35:18
she also did race trophy on a Sago,
35:20
which is similar up down like centipede.
35:22
SPEAKER_00: I think she got eighth place.
35:23
SPEAKER_00: Um, but she did mention on a podcast yesterday or she got ninth.
35:26
SPEAKER_00: Uh, she did mention that she was sick or like was just about to get sick.
35:30
SPEAKER_00: So she was kind of harboring a virus of some sort.
35:32
um she's lived up in new england so she knows this type of
35:35
course um and then yeah
35:39
we'll see she's definitely one of the most talented runners in
35:41
the field uh but the
35:42
big question will just be how how much has she bounced back
35:45
from the injury um
35:46
she's somebody who is definitely a strong pick for top five and
35:49
the only question i
35:50
have around her is how much will the injury affect her some
35:53
other big time
35:54
SPEAKER_00: favorites um ali mclaughlin so uh ali mac is
35:59
SPEAKER_00: Former runner at CU Boulder.
36:01
SPEAKER_00: She's a Hoka athlete.
36:02
SPEAKER_00: She lives out in Colorado Springs.
36:03
SPEAKER_00: She did get second at this event in 2023, just behind Grayson Murphy.
36:07
SPEAKER_00: She's made multiple us teams.
36:09
SPEAKER_00: Uh,
36:09
SPEAKER_00: she's had plenty of top fives at golden trail series events,
36:11
SPEAKER_00: and she even won some of the stage finals.
36:13
She doesn't seem to race as much or didn't seem to race as much
36:15
last year.
36:16
SPEAKER_00: Um, but probably in my mind is still a favorite last year.
36:19
SPEAKER_00: She got third of the broken arrow VK and fourth at the 23 K.
36:22
SPEAKER_00: I think she was behind,
36:23
SPEAKER_00: uh,
36:24
SPEAKER_00: on a Gibson and the VK.
36:26
SPEAKER_00: Um,
36:27
SPEAKER_00: She won the Pikes Peak Ascent last year,
36:29
SPEAKER_00: but it wasn't as deep because it wasn't a Golden Trail Series event.
36:32
And it was six minutes slower than her personal best,
36:35
which she ran in 2022.
36:36
So she did a good job,
36:37
but it wasn't quite as good as she has done in the past.
36:40
SPEAKER_00: She did run OCC and had a disappointing 15th place finish.
36:43
Uh,
36:43
typically if she shows up to a race,
36:45
she's fit and she's probably ready to roll.
36:47
SPEAKER_00: Um, but sometimes she can go out way too hard and blow up.
36:49
SPEAKER_00: So that's another thing with this two loop format.
36:51
SPEAKER_00: Like if it was just an up and down,
36:52
SPEAKER_00: I think she'd be a for sure favorite,
36:54
but I could easily see her kind of getting cooked on the first
36:57
loop and not having
36:58
SPEAKER_00: the likes to come into the second half climb.
37:00
SPEAKER_00: Um,
37:01
I still think she's a favorite,
37:02
and I think she's a super strong pick for top five.
37:05
SPEAKER_00: Another favorite in my mind is Anna Gibson.
37:07
SPEAKER_00: Like I said,
37:07
SPEAKER_00: the big question mark with her,
37:08
SPEAKER_00: she just raced the Gama to 11th place last week,
37:11
SPEAKER_00: but she is probably fatigued.
37:13
SPEAKER_00: It's her longest race ever, and she just traveled back from Spain.
37:16
SPEAKER_00: So how much is fatigue going to play a part?
37:18
SPEAKER_00: She definitely is a super sharp, super fast racer.
37:21
SPEAKER_00: She ran the 1500 at University of Washington,
37:23
SPEAKER_00: and she has the speed to win an event like this,
37:27
SPEAKER_00: but freshness is just a big question mark around her for this week.
37:31
SPEAKER_00: Some other favorites in my mind, Allie Ostrander, I think, is up there.
37:36
SPEAKER_00: She's an athlete.
37:37
SPEAKER_00: She ran for Normal last year,
37:39
SPEAKER_00: but then she has been running for Wazell,
37:40
SPEAKER_00: the woman-owned sports apparel company this year.
37:43
Multiple-time national champion at the steeplechase at Boise
37:46
State University.
37:47
SPEAKER_00: She's a former mountain marathon winner in 2017, and she's from Alaska.
37:51
SPEAKER_00: So mountain marathon winners know how to run technical up and down.
37:55
She keeps a very cool and transparent YouTube channel talking
37:58
about her training.
37:59
SPEAKER_00: She did just do a workout this past week up Lions Lair,
38:05
SPEAKER_00: where I think she's at the third fastest time.
38:08
SPEAKER_00: And then other things,
38:09
SPEAKER_00: steeplechase,
38:10
SPEAKER_00: she was going after an Olympic spot last year,
38:11
SPEAKER_00: and I think she finished seventh and only the top three qualified.
38:15
SPEAKER_00: Her last trail race was the Dirt Circus 10K,
38:16
where she got second to Lauren Gregory and beat out somebody
38:19
who actually got a
38:20
SPEAKER_00: spot on the steeplechase team in front of her.
38:23
SPEAKER_00: Marissa Howard.
38:24
SPEAKER_00: And then she got eighth and ninth at Mammoth and Headlands,
38:27
SPEAKER_00: the Golden Trail races last year in the States,
38:29
SPEAKER_00: which is a really good showing for her.
38:31
SPEAKER_00: And then the race,
38:34
SPEAKER_00: yeah,
38:34
SPEAKER_00: it feels about technical for her compared to what she's done in the past.
38:37
SPEAKER_00: But I can't say that too much because she has one mountain marathon.
38:40
SPEAKER_00: But I do think mountain marathon is a very specific type of technicality.
38:43
SPEAKER_00: And because she grew up in Alaska,
38:44
SPEAKER_00: you kind of have an advantage when you can train on it all year.
38:47
SPEAKER_00: So yeah,
38:47
SPEAKER_00: she did just do a workout on Lion's Lair,
38:49
SPEAKER_00: climb,
38:50
and she had the third fastest time just behind Mary Denholm and
38:53
in front of Bailey
38:53
SPEAKER_00: Kowalczyk.
38:54
And then somebody else we're going to talk about Courtney
38:56
Coppinger actually just
38:57
SPEAKER_00: did a workout on the lines layer.
38:58
SPEAKER_00: And I think the allies time by 10 seconds.
39:00
SPEAKER_00: So that could be a sign.
39:00
SPEAKER_00: They're pretty similar fitness wise, but she did go a little bit faster.
39:03
SPEAKER_00: We'll talk about her.
39:03
SPEAKER_00: And then other people, in my opinion, some other favorites.
39:09
SPEAKER_00: So we got Grayson, Lauren,
39:11
SPEAKER_00: Anna Gibson, Allie Mack, and Allie O. Rachel Chamachik, in my opinion.
39:18
SPEAKER_00: She's super consistent and just keeps racing better and better each year.
39:21
SPEAKER_00: She's a Maryland athlete, and I think she lives out in Arizona.
39:23
SPEAKER_00: She's made the U.S.
39:25
SPEAKER_00: team, multiple U.S.
39:26
SPEAKER_00: trail teams at this point.
39:27
SPEAKER_00: I think she made it in 2023 and maybe even 2022 as well.
39:32
in thailand uh she got fifth of the dirt circus 10k last year
39:35
and she went uh 10th
39:37
and 11th in the headlands and mammoth uh golden trail races
39:40
which it doesn't sound
39:40
like a lot but when you have as deep a field as golden trail
39:43
anything in the top 15
39:44
is really impressive uh she did get second at cirque series
39:46
snowbird and loon
39:47
mountain uh last year and then six that broken arrow vk so she
39:51
made the us team for
39:52
SPEAKER_00: challenge selena
39:53
SPEAKER_00: And then she got third of this race in 2023.
39:55
SPEAKER_00: I think she's really consistent.
39:57
SPEAKER_00: She's really tuned and dialed and knows exactly what it takes.
39:59
SPEAKER_00: I think there's a very small chance that Rachel does not make this team.
40:03
SPEAKER_00: I think she's pretty much a lock for the top five.
40:05
SPEAKER_00: So I could see her even going as high as second place.
40:07
SPEAKER_00: I don't know if I see her winning it overall,
40:08
SPEAKER_00: but I could see her anywhere in that two through five place.
40:13
SPEAKER_00: And then other favorites,
40:14
the only other person that I think that probably most people
40:17
have not heard of in
40:19
SPEAKER_00: the States,
40:19
but I think somebody who's a really strong pick for the top
40:21
five and maybe has a
40:22
SPEAKER_00: chance to win,
40:23
SPEAKER_00: is going to be Eliza Morin.
40:25
SPEAKER_00: She's the French-Canadian mountain runner.
40:27
She was the 2024 double champ for Canada in both the vertical
40:31
and the up-down last fall.
40:32
She beat Jade Bellsberg in both,
40:34
and I think she beat a couple of other Americans.
40:37
SPEAKER_00: And so...
40:38
I think she's the strong pick for top three and somebody most
40:40
of us in the U S
40:41
SPEAKER_00: don't even know about.
40:42
SPEAKER_00: Uh, she got fourth cannons 50 K last year.
40:44
Um,
40:44
and then she's got some good PRs,
40:46
uh,
40:46
1635 in the 5k and 34 minutes in the 10 K.
40:47
So,
40:48
um,
40:51
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I think that she is a strong pick for the top five.
40:55
SPEAKER_00: So those are some of my favorites.
40:56
SPEAKER_00: And then notes on other females running this race.
40:59
SPEAKER_00: Casey Einman is a New England crusher.
41:01
SPEAKER_00: She won this event last year, but it wasn't quite as deep.
41:04
SPEAKER_00: So she knows the course.
41:05
SPEAKER_00: And she did race in 2023 and got a fourth place.
41:08
SPEAKER_00: So she has course familiarity.
41:11
SPEAKER_00: She thrives on these short and tough races.
41:13
And I think she's a really strong pick for top five and goes
41:16
somewhere in that
41:17
SPEAKER_00: three through eight range.
41:18
Courtney Coppinger,
41:19
I just mentioned earlier with that lion's layer workout.
41:20
SPEAKER_00: She's a new one for me.
41:22
SPEAKER_00: I think she lives out in Boulder.
41:23
She did just do a lion's layer workout right after Ali
41:26
Ostrander and went like 10
41:27
SPEAKER_00: seconds faster.
41:28
SPEAKER_00: And then she got,
41:30
SPEAKER_00: I think she was right at 10th place in the first two golden trail series,
41:34
SPEAKER_00: like 10th or 9th in the,
41:35
SPEAKER_00: in the Tokyo,
41:36
SPEAKER_00: excuse me,
41:37
SPEAKER_00: the Japan one and the China one.
41:39
So that's a pretty good showing for your first two Golden Trail
41:42
races of the year.
41:44
SPEAKER_00: This might be a little bit shorter and faster.
41:46
SPEAKER_00: I'm really curious.
41:46
SPEAKER_00: I haven't seen her results for any short mountain races like this.
41:49
But I mean,
41:49
if you're running that well at Golden Trail,
41:51
you should be able to run well here.
41:53
SPEAKER_00: Hayley Heinrich is another one to look out for.
41:56
She's kind of in the Casey Einemann category of sleeper pick
41:59
that really only races
42:00
SPEAKER_00: in New England,
42:00
SPEAKER_00: but is a crusher.
42:01
She's also from New Hampshire,
42:03
and she's on the Aravipa New England trail racing team.
42:06
SPEAKER_00: She raced the Canadian selection race last year in the fall,
42:09
SPEAKER_00: got sixth in the up-down,
42:11
and then she won the White Mountain Cup last year as well for
42:13
the Aero Viper races.
42:15
SPEAKER_00: She was eighth at Sunapee in 2023,
42:16
SPEAKER_00: so she has run this course before and had a top 10,
42:19
SPEAKER_00: and she got third at it last year.
42:21
I think that Hayley Heinrich could be in that five through 10
42:22
position and getting points.
42:24
SPEAKER_00: I don't know if I see her making the team.
42:25
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
42:27
SPEAKER_00: Sydney Peterson,
42:28
SPEAKER_00: another one to look out for,
42:29
SPEAKER_00: a recent Brooks signee from Crested Butte,
42:31
SPEAKER_00: and I believe she's partners with Taylor Stack.
42:34
SPEAKER_00: She had good results in 2024,
42:35
SPEAKER_00: a seventh at Broken Arrow,
42:36
SPEAKER_00: 23K,
42:37
SPEAKER_00: and a sixth at Cirque Series Snowbird,
42:38
SPEAKER_00: as well as a 13th at the Golden Trail Mammoth Race.
42:43
SPEAKER_00: She just got third at Desert Rats behind Taylor Hemming and Janelle Link,
42:46
SPEAKER_00: so she's looking pretty fit this year.
42:48
SPEAKER_00: I can see her in that five through 10.
42:50
SPEAKER_00: Taylor Tuttle's another one.
42:52
From her profile pic,
42:53
it looks like she was a runner at CU Boulder on Strava.
42:58
SPEAKER_00: Like, that's what it looks like.
43:00
SPEAKER_00: Second at US Trail Champs half marathon last year,
43:02
SPEAKER_00: just behind Ally Mack and in front of Rachel Tomachik.
43:04
SPEAKER_00: So I think she could be a sleeper for being up there.
43:08
SPEAKER_00: I just don't know how she was going to do on this technical of a course,
43:11
SPEAKER_00: but it seems like she's very fit and very fast.
43:15
And she did run a one 14 and a half and she split five K and
43:19
1624,
43:20
which is really fast.
43:21
SPEAKER_00: So she probably came out too hard and blow up,
43:23
SPEAKER_00: but I bet she could run like one 10,
43:24
SPEAKER_00: one 11,
43:25
SPEAKER_00: um,
43:25
SPEAKER_00: and a 1624 split for your five K and,
43:29
SPEAKER_00: and you're only like one fourth of the way through the race.
43:32
SPEAKER_00: That's really crazy.
43:33
SPEAKER_00: So,
43:34
I imagine her PR in the 5K is probably somewhere in the 15s
43:38
based off the fact that
43:40
SPEAKER_00: she ran at CU Boulder.
43:41
SPEAKER_00: But I am not 100% on that.
43:42
SPEAKER_00: So Taylor Tuttle could be a sleeper pick for sure.
43:44
SPEAKER_00: Definitely somebody to watch out for.
43:46
SPEAKER_00: And then other people to look out for.
43:49
SPEAKER_00: Colleen Sands, another New England crusher, also from New Hampshire.
43:53
She got sixth place at this race in 2023 and then got second
43:57
last year just behind Casey Einman.
43:58
SPEAKER_00: So definitely has that course familiarity.
44:01
SPEAKER_00: I think I talked about her in the Gorge preview.
44:04
And I definitely see her somewhere in the top 10,
44:05
probably more in the back half.
44:07
SPEAKER_00: Some other New England crushers, Corey Dow, also from New Hampshire.
44:10
She got ninth in this race in 2023 and then raced the Canadian
44:14
Champs to 11th place last fall.
44:17
SPEAKER_00: Some new names to me,
44:18
SPEAKER_00: Kia Kurtenbach,
44:19
SPEAKER_00: not much an ultra signup,
44:21
but Instagram search revealed that she's coming off running a
44:24
34-minute 10K and has
44:25
SPEAKER_00: also run a 239 marathon in 2023.
44:30
So she definitely has speed,
44:32
doesn't have a ton of trail experience though.
44:33
SPEAKER_00: So that's a pretty big downside with how techie this race is.
44:36
SPEAKER_00: Could be in that back half of the top 10 though.
44:38
SPEAKER_00: Oakley Olsen,
44:39
SPEAKER_00: I just heard that she is a scratch for this race,
44:42
SPEAKER_00: but it makes sense because she just ran a school record,
44:45
SPEAKER_00: or excuse me,
44:46
SPEAKER_00: she just ran,
44:46
SPEAKER_00: won the Western,
44:48
SPEAKER_00: the WAC,
44:49
SPEAKER_00: the WAC championship in the steeplechase May 17th.
44:51
SPEAKER_00: So I think that's probably a little bit close of a turnaround.
44:54
SPEAKER_00: for her to come and do this.
44:55
SPEAKER_00: And I imagine she has more collegiate racing.
44:57
SPEAKER_00: So I'll be excited to see what she does.
44:58
SPEAKER_00: I think she's going to go do Broken Arrow, if I'm not mistaken.
45:00
SPEAKER_00: Some other names,
45:01
SPEAKER_00: Laura Moyer,
45:03
SPEAKER_00: third at Cirque Series Snowbird last year to qualify for the US team,
45:06
SPEAKER_00: and 16th at Mammoth Golden Trail Series race,
45:09
SPEAKER_00: eighth at Broken Arrow 23K,
45:10
SPEAKER_00: and a fifth at Centipede Vertical with 12th in the up-down race.
45:15
SPEAKER_00: Hannah Rowe got fifth at Loon Mountain last year,
45:17
SPEAKER_00: probably most similar to Sunapee for racing last year.
45:21
SPEAKER_00: And then she got sixth at US Trail Half Marathon Champs.
45:24
SPEAKER_00: And then just a couple other names to look out for.
45:25
Alexa Aragon,
45:26
second at Cirque Series A-Basin last year and fourth at Cirque
45:29
Series Snowbird.
45:30
SPEAKER_00: Kyla Christopher Moody,
45:32
SPEAKER_00: 2025 trail team selection member,
45:35
SPEAKER_00: ran at Montana State and was fifth at the GoPro Games in Vail.
45:38
SPEAKER_00: And the last one is Sophie Wright,
45:40
SPEAKER_00: the Alaskan runner,
45:41
SPEAKER_00: another 2025 trail team selection member from Palmer,
45:45
SPEAKER_00: Alaska.
45:45
SPEAKER_00: She ran at Western Washington and has the school record in the mile.
45:48
She just did an interview on Steep Stuff Pod and won the 2022
45:51
Cirque Series Alieska
45:53
SPEAKER_00: and has multiple top fives at Mount Marathon.
45:55
SPEAKER_00: So that kind of runs out the women's side of the preview.
46:00
When it comes to making picks as of right now for my top five
46:03
going fifth through
46:04
SPEAKER_00: first place,
46:05
SPEAKER_00: in fifth place I've got Casey Einman.
46:08
SPEAKER_00: from Vermont.
46:09
SPEAKER_00: Fourth place, I got Eliza Morin, the Canadian.
46:11
SPEAKER_00: I think we'll have a Canadian.
46:12
I think we'll have a Canadian on both sides,
46:15
on the top five on both sides of these races.
46:18
um third place i got rachel tomachik um taking one of the u.s
46:22
spots second place i
46:23
got anna gibson taking another spot and then first place right
46:26
now i've got ali mac
46:28
i don't know how confident i feel in that because i just think
46:29
there's a lot of
46:29
question marks around her fitness i could easily see me
46:32
swapping for rachel i also
46:34
think i could sneak uh lauren gregory in my top five um and
46:38
maybe even as high as
46:39
like two or three because i think even her coming off injury is
46:42
still a really fit
46:42
SPEAKER_00: lauren gregory um
46:44
And then I think you want to look out for people like...
46:46
Who else am I missing?
46:49
SPEAKER_00: I think Allie O could easily be up there as well.
46:52
SPEAKER_00: I think you want to look out for people...
46:54
SPEAKER_00: Sydney Peterson and Taylor Tuttle could be kind of making a splash.
46:58
SPEAKER_00: And then...
46:59
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, maybe Haley Heinrich as well.
47:02
But yeah,
47:02
I think that's kind of the big question marks is I think Alio
47:06
could be up there.
47:06
I think that Lauren Gregory is probably somebody who I might
47:10
swap into my top five.
47:10
SPEAKER_00: But right now I've got Ali taking the win,
47:13
SPEAKER_00: Ana in second,
47:14
SPEAKER_00: Rachel in third,
47:14
SPEAKER_00: and Eliza in fourth,
47:16
SPEAKER_00: and Casey in fifth.
47:18
SPEAKER_00: So for the women's spots, taking the U.S.
47:19
SPEAKER_00: spots, I got Ali Mack, Ana Gibson, and Rachel Tamachik.
47:22
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
47:23
um yeah so with that being said that kind of wraps up our sun
47:27
and peace scramble
47:28
preview for 2025 really excited the up down race the classic
47:32
distance is probably
47:32
one of my favorite races in the world world's competition and i
47:36
think it is a
47:37
SPEAKER_00: really challenging one
47:39
Coming up,
47:40
looking up on the horizon,
47:41
it looks like we don't have another race for two weeks.
47:42
SPEAKER_00: It'll be Twisted Fork, the 30K and the 68K.
47:45
SPEAKER_00: New race that Fen Melanson from Singletrack is putting on,
47:48
SPEAKER_00: so I'm really excited to preview that.
47:49
And then moving forward after that will be Broken Arrow,
47:51
Lavarado,
47:52
and Western States.
47:54
In Western States world,
47:55
it's really a bummer to hear that Jim is not going to be
47:57
racing.
47:58
SPEAKER_00: He hasn't made an official announcement.
47:59
SPEAKER_00: Hayden's not going to be racing.
48:00
SPEAKER_00: He has made an official announcement.
48:02
And if you're not following Kylian Estrava already,
48:06
you should be following Kylian Estrava.
48:07
He just put down a 50-mile or 80-kilometer run with a
48:10
630-minute-per-mile gap or
48:12
SPEAKER_00: something like that.
48:13
SPEAKER_00: So Kylian's looking very,
48:14
SPEAKER_00: very fit,
48:15
but it's very bummed that we're not going to get the matchup
48:18
that we thought we
48:18
SPEAKER_00: were with him and Jim.
48:19
SPEAKER_00: No word on if Jim's also pulling out of the VK.
48:22
SPEAKER_00: So we'll see about that.
48:23
SPEAKER_00: But it looks like Kylian's going to race the VK, so that's very exciting.
48:26
SPEAKER_00: With that being said,
48:27
SPEAKER_00: I'm sorry this came out so late,
48:29
but I really appreciate anyone that listens and supports and
48:31
has made it this far.
48:32
Like I said,
48:32
feel free to please follow me on Substack or subscribe to me on
48:37
Substack.
48:38
SPEAKER_00: Message me on Instagram or Substack or whatever.
48:41
SPEAKER_00: And yeah, just keep the support coming.
48:43
SPEAKER_00: Really appreciate you listening and look forward to doing the next one.