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2026 Broken Arrow Preview · Let's Talk Trail Running

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SPEAKER_00: Hello and welcome to Let's Talk Trailrunning.
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This is your host Robert Prosser from the Substack RobrunsRounds
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and this is the
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show where we break down upcoming trail races that are going to
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take place on
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SPEAKER_00: Fantasy Free Trail that you can make Fantasy Free Trail picks on
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SPEAKER_00: fantasy.freetrail.com which is of course Free Trail,
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SPEAKER_00: the trail running media entity's fantasy
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SPEAKER_00: Robrunsround Rob
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SPEAKER_00: What's been going on lately?
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It's been almost a month I want to say since I've talked to you
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guys with my Zagama
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preview and I had every intent on doing a Zagama takeaways as
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well as I was very
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SPEAKER_00: very excited for the European Champions
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SPEAKER_00: Championships, both the up and the up-down and the long trail race.
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SPEAKER_00: And honestly, good things happened, but it took them a while to happen.
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SPEAKER_00: So it made it very hard for me to record.
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SPEAKER_00: And what I'm talking about is that I am no longer in a deployed location.
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SPEAKER_00: I am home in the States,
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SPEAKER_00: which is an amazing feeling,
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SPEAKER_00: but it took a little bit longer than expected.
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It took me like two weeks of transit or at least 10 days of
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transit to get home to
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SPEAKER_00: where basically when I was getting home,
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SPEAKER_00: Robrunsround Rob
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SPEAKER_00: Robrux
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I think there are some big takeaways and some really exciting
2:04
new names that came
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SPEAKER_00: to the forefront of European trail racing.
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And I think some of those names will have breakout years at
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Worlds next year the
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same way that we saw people like Nina Engelhardt kind of
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transfer their skills.
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SPEAKER_00: Robruns from Eurochamps to Worlds.
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So we will have some really exciting people to talk about there
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and some food for thought.
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Just know that my preview probably wouldn't have helped that
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much or maybe it would
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SPEAKER_00: have helped me make picks,
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SPEAKER_00: but I did not pick very well for those events.
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SPEAKER_00: So it is what it is.
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SPEAKER_00: Disappointed that I didn't do quite as well in the Eurochamps,
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SPEAKER_00: but I hope you guys did better than I did.
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Most of you I'm pretty sure did because I bumped that down a
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couple spots for sure.
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SPEAKER_00: So yeah, what I wanted to do is a Gamba recap, but I wasn't able to.
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SPEAKER_00: It took about 10 days to get home.
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SPEAKER_00: And then since I've been home,
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SPEAKER_00: probably about 10,
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SPEAKER_00: I'm reporting this,
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SPEAKER_00: June 16th,
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SPEAKER_00: and I think I got home June 3rd,
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SPEAKER_00: I want to say.
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SPEAKER_00: But since I've been home,
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I've basically just been doing some cramming of some training
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at altitude,
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SPEAKER_00: doing some adventures and running up high out in Colorado.
3:03
SPEAKER_00: I have done a couple of 14ers in preparation for my
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SPEAKER_00: My upcoming race this weekend,
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SPEAKER_00: I'm running the San Juan Solstice 50 miler,
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kind of a classic race that's been going on for about as long
3:13
as I've been alive.
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SPEAKER_00: It's been going on since 1996 in Lake City, Colorado.
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SPEAKER_00: It's got some classic names like Dakota Jones has the course record.
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SPEAKER_00: Matt Carpenter's run it before.
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SPEAKER_00: On the women's side,
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SPEAKER_00: Hannah Allgood,
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SPEAKER_00: Claire Gallagher,
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SPEAKER_00: and Courtney DeWalter,
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SPEAKER_00: the three top finish times ever.
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SPEAKER_00: So it's got some really, really good finishes.
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It's a beautiful race,
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50 miles,
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about 12,900 feet of elevation gain and descent.
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SPEAKER_00: And it's pretty much all between 9,000 feet of elevation and 13,000 feet,
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SPEAKER_00: so it's pretty high up.
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So in order to get some decent training,
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now that I'm back at altitude and no longer at about
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SPEAKER_00: Robrunsround Robrunsround Robrunsround Robrunsround
4:16
SPEAKER_00: I had a big day out in the Sangre de Cristo range,
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SPEAKER_00: which I've been wanting to check out for a while now.
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SPEAKER_00: Picked a perfect weather day,
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SPEAKER_00: midweek,
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SPEAKER_00: it was a Thursday,
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SPEAKER_00: and just drove down three hours,
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SPEAKER_00: woke up in the morning at 5 a.m.
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SPEAKER_00: in Colorado Springs,
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SPEAKER_00: drove down to the Sangres,
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SPEAKER_00: ran up and did Blanca Peak and then Ellingwood Point as well.
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SPEAKER_00: So I knocked out two more 14ers.
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SPEAKER_00: That ended up being a 21 mile and 7,000 feet of birthday.
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SPEAKER_00: Really fun day out, just filled up my cup, filled up my heart.
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SPEAKER_00: About 10 days out from the race, so a
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SPEAKER_00: Robrunsround Robbed
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SPEAKER_00: Yeah, since then, and then also wasn't able to do Sunapee as well.
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SPEAKER_00: We'll talk a lot about Sunapee today.
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We'll talk a little bit about some people that raced in the
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European Offroad
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SPEAKER_00: Championships,
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SPEAKER_00: but Sunapee is going to have a big bearing on a lot of the picks today.
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SPEAKER_00: And then,
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SPEAKER_00: yeah,
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SPEAKER_00: and I was getting ready to lead your Sky Trentino race preview,
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SPEAKER_00: but that was when things kicked off.
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SPEAKER_00: So,
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SPEAKER_00: you know,
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SPEAKER_00: it's been about a month since we recorded,
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SPEAKER_00: and I'm really,
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SPEAKER_00: really excited to be back with you guys.
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SPEAKER_00: So that's what's been going on with me lately,
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SPEAKER_00: San Juan Solstice,
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SPEAKER_00: and then Never Summer 100K,
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SPEAKER_00: and then I also got into Run Rabbit Run 50-Miler,
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SPEAKER_00: so I got a good summer docket,
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SPEAKER_00: and I'm also going to try to do some high mountain running,
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SPEAKER_00: maybe a Four Loops Pass this summer,
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SPEAKER_00: probably a little bit out of Blanca Traverse,
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SPEAKER_00: and then maybe a few other adventures up high out in Colorado,
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since I'm feeling healthy and I have a good bit of time to get
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some adventures in.
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SPEAKER_00: So I'm really looking forward to that.
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SPEAKER_00: Anyways, we are going to start getting into
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SPEAKER_00: The Weekend for Broken Arrow Sky Race.
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SPEAKER_00: We'll go in order of the races.
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SPEAKER_00: So Broken Arrow Ascent.
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SPEAKER_00: I'm going to scratch that.
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SPEAKER_00: I think I'll go Broken Arrow Ascent,
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SPEAKER_00: Broken Arrow 23K,
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SPEAKER_00: and then Broken Arrow 46K,
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SPEAKER_00: because the 23K is kind of the most exciting one to talk about.
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SPEAKER_00: But we'll start off with the Ascent, which is going to be the first race.
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SPEAKER_00: And as I'm recording this, we are two days and 13 hours out.
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SPEAKER_00: So Broken Arrow Ascent going first.
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SPEAKER_00: Storylines identified on the men's side and just in general,
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SPEAKER_00: last year's ascent course was cut short.
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SPEAKER_00: I don't know if it's because of snowfall or some access to the course,
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SPEAKER_00: but basically it was a shortened course,
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SPEAKER_00: which meant that it was like 20 minutes shorter
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SPEAKER_00: Robrunsround Robrunsround Robrunsround Robrunsround Robrunsround
7:20
Sorry,
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I just remembered that Roy Linkletter is racing,
7:26
so I'm not in his name.
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SPEAKER_00: All right, favorites and people to look out for.
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So favorites are obviously going to be people I think that have
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the most likelihood
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SPEAKER_00: to win or that you should most strongly consider.
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SPEAKER_00: And then when I say people to look out for,
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SPEAKER_00: it's kind of a mixture of people that you might not know,
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SPEAKER_00: but also people that could be some sleeper picks as well.
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SPEAKER_00: So favorites in the race for the men's ascent,
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SPEAKER_00: obviously going to be Patrick,
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SPEAKER_00: Philemon,
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SPEAKER_00: Cam Smith,
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SPEAKER_00: Christian Allen.
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SPEAKER_00: People to look out for, Alexander Ricard, Aries Reading.
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SPEAKER_00: Roy Linkletter is going to be an interesting one,
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SPEAKER_00: Tyler McCandless,
8:01
SPEAKER_00: Cesare Maestri,
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SPEAKER_00: Griffin Briley,
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SPEAKER_00: and Brayen Rodriguez.
8:05
So jumping into the men's side,
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Patrick Kippenjano doesn't need any introduction.
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SPEAKER_00: He's the world's bronze medalist in the VK last year.
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SPEAKER_00: One of the best climbers in the world.
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SPEAKER_00: Got to be one of the favorites in this field.
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And he won the VK in 2024 over Jim Walmsley,
8:18
but chose not to run it last year.
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SPEAKER_00: If he's not on your podium, then I don't know what you guys are doing.
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SPEAKER_00: That's Patrick Kippenjano.
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SPEAKER_00: Next athlete is going to be David Sinclair.
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SPEAKER_00: Exciting to see him.
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We've seen some success in the Broken Arrow VK tune-up coming
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into Western States,
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SPEAKER_00: which is what David's going to be doing.
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SPEAKER_00: He's racing Western.
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SPEAKER_00: This is the last little tune-up.
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SPEAKER_00: Check out the legs.
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SPEAKER_00: Last year, he finished fifth place in the VK.
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SPEAKER_00: Yeah,
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SPEAKER_00: and so he's looking to follow in the footsteps of Killian last year,
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SPEAKER_00: Chris Myers last year,
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SPEAKER_00: and Jim Walmsley in 2024.
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I think David Sinclair is very,
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very likely to go top ten,
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if not top five.
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And I think that,
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honestly,
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them going back to the old course suits them even more.
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SPEAKER_00: So David Sinclair, strong pick for points if you're picking.
9:04
SPEAKER_00: Next athlete is going to be Philemon Kiriago.
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SPEAKER_00: He's one of the biggest wild cards in this field.
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SPEAKER_00: I know he's always a favorite in the Golden Trail World Series races,
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SPEAKER_00: but the vertical stuff is not usually his bread and butter.
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SPEAKER_00: He tends to do better on up-down races than vertical races.
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SPEAKER_00: He does seem to be in exceptionally good form this year,
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SPEAKER_00: so I'd pick him to be in the top five somewhere.
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SPEAKER_00: He's already had some good WMRA races.
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SPEAKER_00: He's already had some good Golden Trail World Series,
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SPEAKER_00: and he's been a little bit more consistent in the vertical stuff.
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SPEAKER_00: So I think in this field he can still go top five.
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SPEAKER_00: But Vertical is not as much a strong suit as up-down type racing,
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SPEAKER_00: so I could see him also finishing in that 7-10 range as well.
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Next athlete is going to be Christian Allen,
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the winner of last year's Broken Arrow VK.
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SPEAKER_00: BYU runner, Nike ACG runner, exceptionally strong climber.
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He also finished 4th place at Worlds Uphill last year just
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behind Patrick and just
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SPEAKER_00: out of the medals.
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SPEAKER_00: Christian's got to be a favorite.
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SPEAKER_00: I could see him giving Patrick a run for his money.
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SPEAKER_00: I don't think I see him winning,
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although Patrick has been coming off an injury this year and
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didn't look back to
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SPEAKER_00: himself quite yet at his first Golden Trail Series race.
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SPEAKER_00: So I think if somebody were to beat him, I would probably go Christian.
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SPEAKER_00: But Patrick is a very good uphiller,
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SPEAKER_00: and I still don't think Christian has beat Patrick head-to-head before.
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SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
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SPEAKER_00: Next athlete,
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SPEAKER_00: sleeper pick,
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SPEAKER_00: way down in the bottom of the ultra sign-up list,
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definitely somebody you guys want to look out for and who could
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make a very strong
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SPEAKER_00: push for top ten if not even top five here,
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SPEAKER_00: Brayen Rodriguez.
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SPEAKER_00: He is from Mexico.
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SPEAKER_00: And yeah, Brayen Rodriguez Flores, he's from Estado de Mexico, Mexico.
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SPEAKER_00: And last year,
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SPEAKER_00: I knew I recognized the name from somewhere,
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but last year he got 12th at Worlds in the VK and 8th in the
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classic up-down race.
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SPEAKER_00: So he's definitely a sleeper pick to look out for.
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If he can go top 12 at Worlds,
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then it's pretty damn likely he can go top 10 here.
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SPEAKER_00: And I could even see him potentially speaking in the top five.
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SPEAKER_00: So definitely somebody to look out for.
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SPEAKER_00: Keep your eyes peeled.
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SPEAKER_00: Don't be surprised if he is somewhere in the points.
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SPEAKER_00: Next athlete is going to be Micah
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SPEAKER_00: Bedouin Rousseau,
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SPEAKER_00: Brooks athlete,
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SPEAKER_00: he's been injured for a little bit,
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SPEAKER_00: but I think he can run uphill fine,
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SPEAKER_00: so I'm not counting him out here.
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SPEAKER_00: I think it's the downhill that agitates his knee, if I'm not mistaken.
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SPEAKER_00: He has finished his highest third place in the 2024 race,
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SPEAKER_00: only behind Patrick Kippenjano and Jim Walmsley,
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SPEAKER_00: and he also won the Canadian VK Champs last year.
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SPEAKER_00: The guy's got a huge engine.
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SPEAKER_00: I'm hesitant to pick him,
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SPEAKER_00: like I said,
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SPEAKER_00: because of his injury,
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SPEAKER_00: but I would not be surprised to see him in that top five one bet.
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I think he's definitely somebody you want to check on his
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Instagram and maybe check
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on Estrada and just see if he's in the village and doing some
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check-out stuff.
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SPEAKER_00: Next athlete is going to be Cam Smith,
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SPEAKER_00: U.S.
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SPEAKER_00: Skyrunning and Schemo Specialist for Dina Fett,
11:47
coming off competing at the Winter Olympics earlier this year
11:51
in Italy in Schemo
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SPEAKER_00: with his partner Anna Gibson.
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Cam Smith did race last week at the Vail GoPro Mountain Games
11:57
and he won whatever race he did.
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SPEAKER_00: I think it was the 20 game if I'm not mistaken.
12:01
SPEAKER_00: He has always been an uphill specialist and...
12:06
But last year he made leaps and bounds on his downhill running
12:08
and it showed with
12:09
SPEAKER_00: his 7th place finish at Broken Arrow 23K.
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Other results included 4th place at Sunpiece Scramble and 3rd
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place at Broken Arrow
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SPEAKER_00: sent to go with 24 at Worlds Classic distance and 11th at the uphill.
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SPEAKER_00: Cam's a strong pick for top 5 and a lock for top 10 in my opinion.
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SPEAKER_00: I think he's a very safe pick.
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SPEAKER_00: You should have him somewhere in your picks if I had to guess.
12:30
SPEAKER_00: Next athlete is going to be Aries Reading.
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SPEAKER_00: Definitely a wild card that I don't know what to expect from him.
12:35
SPEAKER_00: I have him in the top 10 for the 23K,
12:37
and I could see him finishing high enough to get points and go
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top 10 in the
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SPEAKER_00: ascent,
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SPEAKER_00: but I'm going to stay picking safe,
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keep picking safe with the ascent specialists who know the
12:45
course well and have
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SPEAKER_00: proven themselves out here.
12:46
SPEAKER_00: Would it be a surprise to see him in the top 10 at all out here, though?
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SPEAKER_00: Other people to look out for.
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SPEAKER_00: So in my opinion,
12:52
SPEAKER_00: not necessarily in contention for the win,
12:54
SPEAKER_00: but definitely in contention for top 10 spots.
12:58
SPEAKER_00: Well, actually, a big wild card is going to be Rory Linkletter.
13:00
I don't think he's in the condition for the win,
13:01
but I do think he could very well go top ten.
13:03
SPEAKER_00: That's the Canadian marathoner.
13:05
SPEAKER_00: He's an Olympic multiple-time Olympian for Canada.
13:09
I think he's the Olympic marathon record holder,
13:10
and I want to say his PB is...
13:13
Right around 2.06,
13:14
maybe high 2.05,
13:15
I think he might have run at Boston or low 2.06.
13:18
He's coming over and trying his hand is at trails,
13:20
so that's going to be a big wild card.
13:22
And then other people to look out for,
13:23
Alexander Ricard,
13:24
16th at World's Uphill Race last year.
13:27
Cesare Maestri,
13:28
he's an Italian sub-ultra specialist who we'll talk about more
13:31
for the 23K.
13:32
SPEAKER_00: Routinely goes top 10 in Golden Trail World 2's races,
13:34
SPEAKER_00: but he's stronger in up-down format than he is in the uphill.
13:38
Griffin Briley is going to be somebody I think everyone should
13:40
look out for and
13:40
SPEAKER_00: could be one of the surprise top 10 guys that we see here.
13:44
SPEAKER_00: He's a young USA Schemo talent who is a really, really good climber.
13:47
He hasn't had a ton of recent results because I think he's
13:50
focused on Schemo,
13:51
SPEAKER_00: but I really think he could make a
13:53
SPEAKER_00: A solid crack into the top ten of this field.
13:55
Tyler McCandless was fourth year last year,
13:57
which led him to make the U.S.
13:58
team.
13:59
SPEAKER_00: Definitely somebody to look out for.
14:01
SPEAKER_00: Liam Miro, always a threat.
14:03
Caleb Olsen is going to be,
14:05
what should we expect from last year's Western States champion?
14:07
SPEAKER_00: I have no idea what to expect.
14:08
SPEAKER_00: And last but not least,
14:09
SPEAKER_00: Luca Murley,
14:10
SPEAKER_00: consistent Italian runner on the WMRA circuit,
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SPEAKER_00: with some good results.
14:14
SPEAKER_00: On the women's side of the Broken Arrow ascent,
14:17
SPEAKER_00: storylines I identified is,
14:19
SPEAKER_00: can Anna Gibson repeat or will Joyce etch her out?
14:23
Can Pima Frenchie finish even higher now that she is the
14:27
whopping age of 13 years
14:28
SPEAKER_00: old instead of 12 years old like last year?
14:31
SPEAKER_00: What to expect from Bailey Kowalczyk?
14:34
SPEAKER_00: And how did the woman who raced at Sunapee bounce back and do here?
14:37
We have all five women from Sunapee are racing,
14:42
top five women at Sunapee are racing at the 23K.
14:45
SPEAKER_00: And I think one, two, three...
14:52
SPEAKER_00: At least three of them are in the VK as well.
14:56
SPEAKER_00: So yeah,
14:57
SPEAKER_00: so people,
14:58
SPEAKER_00: favorites in the race,
14:59
SPEAKER_00: I think Anna Gibson and Joyce are hands down the favorites.
15:03
SPEAKER_00: I hesitated with putting Allie Mack in there.
15:06
SPEAKER_00: Her name showing up under Allie Avatar because she recently got married.
15:09
SPEAKER_00: But I think she could be considered a favorite here,
15:11
SPEAKER_00: but you never know what Allie Mack you're going to get,
15:12
SPEAKER_00: so it's tough for me to say.
15:14
SPEAKER_00: People to look out for in this field, Elisa Morin, Rena Schwartz,
15:19
SPEAKER_00: Bailey Kowalczyk, Janelle Lynx, Marie Neve, and Nellie Clement.
15:23
All right,
15:23
so starting off with the two favorites,
15:25
Ana Gibson and Joyce Najiru.
15:26
SPEAKER_00: They are both won two in the past two years of racing.
15:30
SPEAKER_00: They flip-flopped last year.
15:31
SPEAKER_00: Ana was first, Joyce was second.
15:33
SPEAKER_00: The year before, it was Joyce first and Ana second.
15:36
SPEAKER_00: Ana coming off a heater of a season,
15:39
SPEAKER_00: but this is going to be her first race so far in 2026,
15:42
SPEAKER_00: not because of injury,
15:43
just because she trained Schemo for the Winter Olympics and
15:46
then has been doing a
15:47
SPEAKER_00: lot of biking adventures and skiing adventures since then.
15:50
She was last year's winner at this race and was a world's
15:52
bronze medalist in the
15:54
SPEAKER_00: uphill at Worlds last year.
15:57
SPEAKER_00: So she's very familiar with the ascent,
15:58
SPEAKER_00: she's a very good climber,
16:00
SPEAKER_00: and I think she's very well poised to go top three in this field.
16:04
SPEAKER_00: Next athlete,
16:04
SPEAKER_00: the other favorite,
16:05
SPEAKER_00: Joyce Najero,
16:06
SPEAKER_00: 2024 Broken Arrow VK winner,
16:08
SPEAKER_00: last year runner-up.
16:09
SPEAKER_00: I think, like I said, between her and Anna, got to be favorites to win.
16:13
SPEAKER_00: Joyce is looking back to her usual self this year,
16:15
SPEAKER_00: as opposed to having kind of an up and down last year.
16:18
SPEAKER_00: They got to be the favorites.
16:19
SPEAKER_00: Next athlete's going to be Courtney Coppinger,
16:21
SPEAKER_00: Brooks Trill,
16:22
SPEAKER_00: an open field athlete,
16:23
SPEAKER_00: coming strong off fourth-place finish at Sunapee Scramble for the U.S.
16:26
SPEAKER_00: Champs.
16:27
She got second at the WMRA China race up down early in the
16:31
season to go with a
16:32
SPEAKER_00: third in the uphill race there,
16:33
SPEAKER_00: which was a really,
16:33
SPEAKER_00: really good field.
16:35
SPEAKER_00: She hasn't done a ton of VKs,
16:36
SPEAKER_00: so I don't have a ton to go off of,
16:38
SPEAKER_00: but based off her early season form,
16:40
SPEAKER_00: I think she's a lot for the top ten and probably going to go down.
16:42
SPEAKER_00: Robrunsround
17:00
Moren coming fresh off a victory in an impressive fashion at
17:03
the Sunapee Scramble,
17:05
SPEAKER_00: which was the U.S.
17:06
SPEAKER_00: champs,
17:07
SPEAKER_00: and she is not a U.S.
17:08
SPEAKER_00: athlete.
17:08
SPEAKER_00: She's a French-Canadian.
17:11
SPEAKER_00: Got to be liking her odds for a top 10, if not a top 5 here.
17:14
The only thing that I hesitate with Eliza Moren is that she
17:17
doesn't,
17:17
or Lisa Moren,
17:19
SPEAKER_00: She doesn't live or race at a ton of elevations,
17:22
so that's the only thing that might have me a little bit
17:24
hesitant to pick her.
17:25
SPEAKER_00: She doesn't do a ton of races at elevations,
17:27
SPEAKER_00: so I don't know where she'll be at racing between 7,000 and 10,000 feet.
17:33
SPEAKER_00: Next athlete,
17:33
SPEAKER_00: Rena Schwartz,
17:34
SPEAKER_00: Dartmouth skier turned trail runner,
17:36
also in the contingent of coming back from the centerpiece
17:38
scramble where she
17:39
SPEAKER_00: finished third last week.
17:41
SPEAKER_00: Rena has won Mount Washington Road Race, if I remember correctly.
17:44
SPEAKER_00: It wasn't an ultra signup, but I'm going off memory.
17:45
SPEAKER_00: I'm pretty sure she has.
17:47
SPEAKER_00: So I got to think she's got decent uphill wheels.
17:50
SPEAKER_00: Got to be a wild card to me.
17:52
SPEAKER_00: She's a wild card to me,
17:52
but she's definitely one to look out for and expect to see her
17:56
somewhere in the top
17:56
SPEAKER_00: 10.
17:57
SPEAKER_00: Next big question mark, Bailey Kowalczyk.
18:00
Biggest reason I question is because she's not racing the 23K,
18:02
but is racing the VK.
18:04
SPEAKER_00: I got to think that if she was healthy,
18:05
she would also race the 23K unless it just really doesn't work
18:08
into her season plan
18:09
SPEAKER_00: this year.
18:10
SPEAKER_00: Nike Athlete, so it was a big incentive to be out here.
18:13
She's definitely a strong and speedy climber who could go top
18:15
five if she's in race shape.
18:17
SPEAKER_00: And she's coming off fourth place at Stacked Gorge 50K,
18:20
SPEAKER_00: running under the previous course record.
18:22
All right,
18:23
a couple of international talents to look out for,
18:25
aside from Joyce Najeru.
18:26
SPEAKER_00: I got three people picked out.
18:28
SPEAKER_00: I guess four people, really.
18:30
SPEAKER_00: Marie Neve.
18:31
SPEAKER_00: French sub-ultra specialist,
18:33
SPEAKER_00: not as many Americans familiar with her name,
18:35
SPEAKER_00: but she's consistently in the top 10 in the Gold Trail World Series,
18:38
SPEAKER_00: and she's coming fresh off a ninth place in the up-down race at European
18:41
SPEAKER_00: Championships this year and 24th in the vertical.
18:44
SPEAKER_00: Typically, Marina Bay is better in the up-down format.
18:47
SPEAKER_00: Robrunsround Rob
19:01
Robruns¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬�
19:31
SPEAKER_00: Next athlete I'm excited to talk about is Pima Franchi,
19:35
SPEAKER_00: Ecuadorian athlete who turned a bunch of heads last year,
19:38
SPEAKER_00: 12 years old when she raced to a fifth place finish last year.
19:42
SPEAKER_00: Pretty sure she's 13 in this year's race a year later.
19:46
So we'll see if a year older,
19:48
a year wiser,
19:48
she can repeat some of the magic from last year.
19:51
She went on to also race to second place at the Mammoth Ascent
19:54
later on in 2025 as well.
19:58
Last international athlete,
19:59
but we kind of think of her as local as well.
20:01
SPEAKER_00: Jade Bellsberg,
20:01
SPEAKER_00: dual citizen Canadian and US,
20:03
SPEAKER_00: third place finisher in last race,
20:05
last year's shortened Broken Arrow Vertical Kilometer to go a
20:08
13th at Worlds
20:09
SPEAKER_00: Uphill.
20:10
SPEAKER_00: She has finished in the top 10 in the 2024 Broken Arrow VK as well,
20:14
SPEAKER_00: where she went,
20:15
SPEAKER_00: raced in ninth place.
20:16
SPEAKER_00: So she knows both courses,
20:18
SPEAKER_00: knows the race well,
20:19
SPEAKER_00: and I think she's a strong pick in both fields,
20:22
SPEAKER_00: the VK and the 23K for top 10 as well.
20:26
SPEAKER_00: Some other picks, Hayley Hafferman, sleeper pick for most.
20:31
SPEAKER_00: I think she has some kind of USA schema affiliation.
20:33
SPEAKER_00: She has a top 10 time at the
20:37
Manitou Incline to her name and she has some sneaky good
20:40
results in vertical races
20:42
including 4th in the 2024 VK at Broken Arrow and 11th at 2023
20:48
Pikes Peak Ascent
20:49
SPEAKER_00: when it was a stacked Golden Trail World Series field.
20:51
She didn't do quite as well last year finishing 18th place but
20:54
I don't know if
20:54
that's just because the course was shortened and it was mainly
20:57
a running economy
20:58
SPEAKER_00: race on fire roads.
20:59
I think that this course going back to the way it was in 2024
21:02
when she got 4th
21:04
Haley Haffman,
21:05
don't be surprised to see her up there in the top ten as well.
21:18
Last two athletes I want to talk about are Sydney Peterson,
21:21
Brooks Trout athlete from Colorado.
21:22
Last year's fourth place finisher was got her on Team USA for
21:25
the uphill race.
21:26
SPEAKER_00: I don't think she ended up racing at Worlds, though.
21:28
SPEAKER_00: I think she was injured when she got there.
21:30
SPEAKER_00: She's looking back from kind of a mediocre start to the season.
21:32
SPEAKER_00: She got a 29th place at Zagama and a fourth place at Desert at 50K.
21:36
SPEAKER_00: Definitely has the skills to go top 10 here, though.
21:38
SPEAKER_00: Last athlete to look out for is Allie McLaughlin.
21:42
She recently got married and I think that's the reason for her
21:44
name change to Allie Avatar.
21:47
It's always so hard to know where she's at fitness-wise and if
21:49
she's taking a race
21:50
SPEAKER_00: seriously or not or even really lining up at it.
21:53
SPEAKER_00: So she's a Hoka athlete,
21:54
Team USA member from last year's Worlds as well as previous
21:56
World Champion in the
21:58
SPEAKER_00: Worlds-Thailand Uphill Race.
22:00
Last year she lined up at the Ascent but didn't seem to either
22:03
take it seriously or
22:04
SPEAKER_00: just had a bad day finishing like 29th or something like that.
22:07
SPEAKER_00: But then she bounced back to race to 8th place finish at 23K,
22:11
SPEAKER_00: so I wasn't sure what was up with that.
22:12
SPEAKER_00: Allie Mack obviously has the skills,
22:15
SPEAKER_00: talent,
22:15
SPEAKER_00: speed to go top 5 in the field,
22:16
SPEAKER_00: but it's tough to tell which Allie Mack we're getting at the line,
22:19
SPEAKER_00: so I'm hesitant to pick her for that reason.
22:22
SPEAKER_00: Other names to look out for,
22:23
SPEAKER_00: Janelle Lynx,
22:25
SPEAKER_00: Alicia Vargo,
22:26
SPEAKER_00: and Sarah Will Hoyt could absolutely be in the top ten.
22:30
SPEAKER_00: So with that being said, let's go to the picks on both sides.
22:35
SPEAKER_00: I realized I forgot to get my picks.
22:37
SPEAKER_00: Usual caveats,
22:38
SPEAKER_00: I'm probably going to change these before the final submission,
22:41
SPEAKER_00: which is in two days.
22:42
I'm going to give you some people that I think could also end
22:45
up in the top five
22:45
SPEAKER_00: and I might swap into my top five.
22:48
SPEAKER_00: And then
22:49
Yeah,
22:50
and then just I'm picking based off who I think is going to do
22:52
well.
22:53
SPEAKER_00: I like all the athletes that I talk about.
22:54
SPEAKER_00: I have no problems with them.
22:56
SPEAKER_00: It really just has to do with who I think is going to get you points.
22:58
So it's unlikely to DNF,
23:00
is likely to finish in the top 10,
23:01
and is a consistent racer.
23:02
SPEAKER_00: That's kind of the things that I weigh when I'm looking to make picks.
23:06
So let's go with the women's picks first since I just finished
23:11
talking about them.
23:12
SPEAKER_00: Fifth place I'm going to go,
23:14
SPEAKER_00: oh,
23:14
SPEAKER_00: last athlete I didn't talk about,
23:16
SPEAKER_00: who's also in the field,
23:17
SPEAKER_00: is Valentin Jepkowicz-Rudo.
23:20
SPEAKER_00: And I, yeah, I realized I did not talk about her.
23:25
SPEAKER_00: But she's a Kennedy athlete,
23:26
SPEAKER_00: has some pretty good results to her name,
23:28
SPEAKER_00: including second at Samarna Gore last year,
23:32
SPEAKER_00: 11th at Sears and all,
23:33
SPEAKER_00: third place at Theon Dixens,
23:35
SPEAKER_00: which is an uphill race in Switzerland.
23:37
SPEAKER_00: Win at Giro de Mont,
23:38
SPEAKER_00: 4th at Giro de Mont Uphill,
23:40
SPEAKER_00: 7th at Vauban Mountain Trail Monte Vertical,
23:44
SPEAKER_00: which I think was the French Uphill Champs,
23:47
SPEAKER_00: and win at Chong Li World Cup Vertical.
23:49
SPEAKER_00: So good vertical racer.
23:51
SPEAKER_00: I think that she's probably pretty likely to be in the top five.
23:58
SPEAKER_00: Sorry, let me get my picks pulled up.
24:02
SPEAKER_00: Alright, so anyways, what minutes fix?
24:03
SPEAKER_00: Fifth, Courtney Coppinger.
24:05
SPEAKER_00: Fourth, Valentin Jepkoic-Rudo.
24:08
SPEAKER_00: Third, Nellie Clement.
24:09
SPEAKER_00: Second, Joyce Najeru.
24:11
SPEAKER_00: And for the win, I'm gonna go with Ana Gibson.
24:14
SPEAKER_00: I'm liable to swap out Joyce and Ana.
24:17
SPEAKER_00: I'm liable to swap out Valentin-Rudo as well for either...
24:22
SPEAKER_00: Eliza Moran is looking really good.
24:24
Allie Mack,
24:25
if she sounds good,
24:26
or Rena Schwartz,
24:27
I think are all good choices.
24:30
SPEAKER_00: So those are my picks right now for the women's side and the men's side.
24:34
SPEAKER_00: Fifth through one, I'm going to go fifth place, David Sinclair.
24:36
SPEAKER_00: Fourth place, Philomone Curiago.
24:39
SPEAKER_00: Third place, Cam Smith.
24:41
SPEAKER_00: Second place, Christian Allen.
24:42
SPEAKER_00: And first place, Patrick Kippengeno.
24:46
SPEAKER_00: I am very tempted.
24:48
SPEAKER_00: I could see myself
24:50
SPEAKER_00: Putting Brian Rodriguez in above David Sinclair.
24:54
If Micah Rousseau is racing and sounds good,
24:57
I think he could be up there.
24:58
SPEAKER_00: And then I think Aries Reading could absolutely be in this top 10.
25:01
Rory Linkletter is going to be a huge wild card that I'm really
25:03
curious to see as well.
25:04
SPEAKER_00: So those are my men's picks right now.
25:07
SPEAKER_00: Five through one, David Sinclair, fifth.
25:09
SPEAKER_00: Philemon, fourth.
25:11
SPEAKER_00: Third, Cam Smith.
25:12
SPEAKER_00: Second, Christian Allen.
25:13
SPEAKER_00: And first, Patrick Kippen-Geno.
25:15
SPEAKER_00: No big surprises on either side, really.
25:19
SPEAKER_00: So that is the Broken Arrow Ascent.
25:22
SPEAKER_00: I'm going to go a little bit out of chronological order.
25:24
SPEAKER_00: I'm going to talk about the 23K next because it has a long field,
25:27
SPEAKER_00: and I'm more excited to talk about it first,
25:29
SPEAKER_00: and then we'll finish off with the 46K,
25:31
SPEAKER_00: even though the 23K is on Sunday,
25:33
SPEAKER_00: the last day.
25:34
SPEAKER_00: So 23K preview.
25:36
SPEAKER_00: Let me get out these notes real quick.
25:40
SPEAKER_00: And yeah, dude, this field is stacked.
25:42
SPEAKER_00: The 23K previous
25:45
SPEAKER_00: The field is so stacked,
25:45
SPEAKER_00: they're letting you peg 10 deep on Fantasy,
25:47
SPEAKER_00: which you know that means it's legit.
25:49
SPEAKER_00: Other things to note,
25:50
they've talked a lot about it on Fantasy Free Trail and on the
25:53
Subhub Podcast.
25:54
I don't have all the prize purses memorized,
25:56
but I know first,
25:57
second,
25:57
and third.
25:57
SPEAKER_00: First place gets $30,000.
25:59
SPEAKER_00: Second place gets $12,000.
26:01
SPEAKER_00: Third place gets $6,000 on both the men's and the women's side.
26:05
SPEAKER_00: So we got some deep,
26:06
SPEAKER_00: deep prize money,
26:07
SPEAKER_00: and it's only in this field that prize money is that deep.
26:10
SPEAKER_00: So therefore,
26:11
SPEAKER_00: this field is very,
26:12
SPEAKER_00: very deep and alluring some very good international talent,
26:17
SPEAKER_00: even though it's not Golden Trail World Series races here.
26:20
SPEAKER_00: So 23K,
26:21
we're going to start off on the women's side because I honestly
26:23
think it is a
26:24
SPEAKER_00: little bit more competitive and exciting,
26:27
SPEAKER_00: a little bit more up for parity.
26:28
SPEAKER_00: Whereas on the men's side,
26:30
I kind of think we've kind of gotten the stalemate of the top
26:33
three is always more
26:34
SPEAKER_00: or less the same.
26:35
SPEAKER_00: So we'll talk about that in a bit.
26:36
We're going to start with the women's side because I think it's
26:38
a more exciting
26:38
SPEAKER_00: side to talk about first.
26:40
Storylines on the women's side,
26:41
I said,
26:42
can Joyce pull off the three-peat here?
26:44
SPEAKER_00: She's going for a third one in a row at 23K.
26:47
SPEAKER_00: Talked about the prize money.
26:49
SPEAKER_00: Other storyline?
26:51
SPEAKER_00: Can we see a new face on the podium, like potentially McKenna Morley?
26:56
So somebody new in a Golden Trail World Series podium other
26:59
than Joyce,
27:00
Anna,
27:00
Lauren,
27:01
Madalena?
27:04
SPEAKER_00: And maybe even Ninka to an extent.
27:06
SPEAKER_00: Other things to point out,
27:07
nine of the top ten finishers from last year's race are
27:10
returning this year.
27:11
So we're basically seeing a repeat of a lot of the same racers
27:14
plus some new faces.
27:15
SPEAKER_00: The field is nasty deep.
27:17
And my other big question is,
27:18
who's going to be the breakout performance on the women's side?
27:20
Who are we going to see that kind of cements their name in a
27:24
really deep field or surprises us?
27:26
Other questions I have is how indicative of placement is the
27:29
Sunapee Scramble results?
27:31
So this race is going to take place on the 21st and Sunapee is
27:35
going to be about 15
27:36
SPEAKER_00: days before that,
27:37
SPEAKER_00: I think,
27:38
SPEAKER_00: or 14 days,
27:38
SPEAKER_00: about two weeks before it on June 1st.
27:41
SPEAKER_00: Robrunsround Robrunsround
27:59
SPEAKER_00: Yeah,
27:59
SPEAKER_00: because at Sun and Peace Scramble,
28:01
SPEAKER_00: the top five women are all racing here at the Broken Arrow 23K.
28:04
SPEAKER_00: So favorites on the 23K women's race,
28:08
SPEAKER_00: absolutely Madalena Floria,
28:09
SPEAKER_00: Joyce Najeru,
28:11
SPEAKER_00: Anna Gibson,
28:12
SPEAKER_00: Lauren Gregory.
28:13
SPEAKER_00: Last one I put,
28:14
and I put a question mark because we haven't seen her full
28:17
return to racing yet,
28:18
but absolutely was a favorite any race that she was towing a
28:20
couple years ago,
28:21
SPEAKER_00: Ninka Brinkman.
28:22
SPEAKER_00: We're going to talk more about her,
28:23
SPEAKER_00: but I'm really excited to see her back on the Golden Trail Circuit.
28:26
SPEAKER_00: Athletes to look out for McKenna Morley,
28:28
SPEAKER_00: Courtney Coppinger,
28:29
SPEAKER_00: Minka,
28:30
SPEAKER_00: Nellie Clement,
28:34
SPEAKER_00: Alexa Aragon,
28:35
SPEAKER_00: and Marina Day.
28:36
SPEAKER_00: So let's talk about the favorites first.
28:38
SPEAKER_00: Joyce Najero going for the three-peat of this race.
28:41
SPEAKER_00: 30K would be a nice hefty bag to go along with that three-peat title.
28:45
She is looking back to her usual form from this season after
28:48
having a dominant 2024
28:50
SPEAKER_00: season where she won the Golden Trail World Series.
28:52
But last year,
28:53
she was a little bit up and down compared to her 2024 self.
28:56
SPEAKER_00: She's a runner for Killian's brand, Normal, and she's from Kenya.
29:00
SPEAKER_00: She,
29:01
SPEAKER_00: so far this year,
29:02
has raced to a second place at TransValcania Half Marathon
29:06
behind Ruth Katanga,
29:07
SPEAKER_00: as well as a win in course record at the TransValcania VK.
29:10
SPEAKER_00: Robrunsround’
29:32
SPEAKER_00: Joyce seems to have the edge of this race and has the race figured out.
29:36
SPEAKER_00: Head-to-head over Maddalena, Joyce has the edge.
29:38
SPEAKER_00: She's 8-3 all-time against Maddalena based off Fantasy Free Trail.
29:42
But two of Maddalena's wins have come in their most recent
29:45
head-to-head matchup.
29:46
SPEAKER_00: So Maddalena might slowly be gaining the edge.
29:49
Joyce is also racing the VK the day before,
29:51
but it didn't bother her last year.
29:53
SPEAKER_00: She still was able to go second in the VK and then win at the 23K.
29:57
SPEAKER_00: So we'll see.
29:59
SPEAKER_00: All right,
29:59
SPEAKER_00: her main competition,
30:00
SPEAKER_00: Madalena Floria,
30:01
SPEAKER_00: Romanian runner for Scott,
30:03
SPEAKER_00: last year's runner-up finisher here,
30:05
SPEAKER_00: and the Gold Trail World Series overall champion at the end of the year.
30:09
She,
30:10
from my understanding,
30:10
has been out there training in Olympic Valley for a little bit
30:13
now.
30:14
A second place already at Ledger Sky Trentino Golden Trail
30:17
Series race this year
30:18
only behind Caroline Kimetai and she won the Romanian Champs
30:22
uphill and up-down
30:23
races but I don't think she raced in the Euro Championships
30:25
from what I remember or
30:26
can see on ITRA so maybe she just wanted to run a competitive
30:29
local race in Romania
30:31
SPEAKER_00: Other impressive results for Maddalena last year included a win at ETC,
30:35
SPEAKER_00: the UTMB short race,
30:37
SPEAKER_00: a win at Golden Trail Series,
30:39
SPEAKER_00: Golfo de la Isola.
30:40
She's got to be a favorite for your podium with the possibility
30:42
of winning it
30:43
SPEAKER_00: always in there as well.
30:44
SPEAKER_00: Maddalena is going to be a strong pick.
30:45
SPEAKER_00: She's looking prime form.
30:48
SPEAKER_00: Definitely a favorite in this race.
30:50
SPEAKER_00: Next two that are kind of in the same category,
30:53
SPEAKER_00: and we'll talk about them head-to-head,
30:54
SPEAKER_00: but Lauren Gregory and Anna Gibson.
30:56
I think are both equal contenders and both are fighting for
30:59
that top American spot
31:00
SPEAKER_00: and potentially even a win here,
31:01
SPEAKER_00: but I think more likely two through five spots,
31:04
SPEAKER_00: honestly.
31:05
SPEAKER_00: Lauren Gregory,
31:06
SPEAKER_00: US trail runner for Nike ACG,
31:08
collegiate runner at Arkansas at last year's Golden Trail
31:11
Series final winner,
31:12
who also finished fourth at Broken Arrow 23K just behind Anna
31:16
Gibson for the top
31:17
SPEAKER_00: American female finisher in the race.
31:19
Lauren has been dipping her toes in the 50K distances here with
31:22
a second at the
31:23
SPEAKER_00: Canons 50K behind McKenna Morley,
31:25
SPEAKER_00: who we're going to talk about later.
31:27
SPEAKER_00: She's also racing here.
31:28
SPEAKER_00: And she also had a win at Gorge 30K in a nice battle with Taylor Peavy,
31:33
whose name on Ultra Sign Up is Taylor Tuttle because she
31:35
recently got married.
31:37
SPEAKER_00: Lauren Gregory does quite well in these mountain races at altitude,
31:40
SPEAKER_00: so I expect a good finish yet again for her.
31:43
SPEAKER_00: All-time head-to-head,
31:44
SPEAKER_00: she's 3-4 against Madalena Floria,
31:46
SPEAKER_00: so she'll be looking to even up that series.
31:49
SPEAKER_00: And then she is 3-7 all-time against Joyce, just like Anna is.
31:55
SPEAKER_00: They're both 3-7 against Joyce.
31:57
SPEAKER_00: So...
32:00
SPEAKER_00: And then Ana Gibson.
32:01
SPEAKER_00: So debut race, like we said, for Ana Gibson, we talked about her.
32:03
SPEAKER_00: She is racing the uphill.
32:05
SPEAKER_00: Brooks, trail running athlete, mountain crusher.
32:08
SPEAKER_00: She's kind of like the perfect specimen for these races.
32:11
SPEAKER_00: She's an elite D1 track athlete in college who ran the 1500.
32:15
SPEAKER_00: Robrunsround Washington.
32:16
SPEAKER_00: But she was raised in Jackson Hole,
32:17
SPEAKER_00: Wyoming,
32:18
making her one of the most versatile and durable mountain
32:20
athletes around.
32:21
SPEAKER_00: So she's got the perfect chops of mountain chops and like speed.
32:25
SPEAKER_00: She hasn't been hurt, like I said, but she just raced ski mode in winter.
32:29
And then she's been doing a lot of biking and skiing adventures
32:31
in the Tetons and I
32:33
SPEAKER_00: think like backpacking or biking in Europe.
32:36
SPEAKER_00: So hence the late start.
32:38
SPEAKER_00: She was the top American in either gender field last year,
32:41
SPEAKER_00: like I said,
32:42
SPEAKER_00: with her third place finish.
32:44
Last year at this race,
32:45
and she was only about a minute and 40 seconds behind Madalena
32:48
Floria.
32:49
SPEAKER_00: Anna Gibson went on to race eighth place at Sears in all,
32:51
SPEAKER_00: 13th at Worlds Classic Distance,
32:54
SPEAKER_00: along with a bronze in the uphill to finish her season.
32:56
SPEAKER_00: Anna Gibson has a 3-7 record against Madalena Floria,
32:59
SPEAKER_00: like I said earlier,
33:00
SPEAKER_00: 2-7 all-time against Joyce,
33:02
SPEAKER_00: and she's 4-5 against Lauren.
33:04
SPEAKER_00: Robrunsround Robrunsround Robrunsround Robrunsround Robrunsround
33:35
SPEAKER_00: Oh, they didn't race.
33:37
SPEAKER_00: Okay, yeah, they didn't race there in 2024.
33:39
SPEAKER_00: So anyways, so that's Anna Gibson and Lauren Gregory.
33:44
SPEAKER_00: Next athlete, another American crusher, also super excited.
33:48
Probably the two people I'm most curious to see race in the
33:52
women's field,
33:53
SPEAKER_00: most excited to see race,
33:54
SPEAKER_00: are the next two I'm going to talk about.
33:55
SPEAKER_00: It's going to be McKenna Morley and Minka Bergman.
33:58
SPEAKER_00: So McKenna Morley,
34:00
A6 Athlete Roadrunner turned trail runner,
34:02
really off to a hell of a start so far.
34:06
SPEAKER_00: Like I said,
34:06
SPEAKER_00: her and Minka are probably the two biggest wildcards in the field,
34:09
SPEAKER_00: but for two different reasons.
34:11
McKenna,
34:11
because she hasn't lined up in this deep of a field yet and her
34:14
career
34:14
SPEAKER_00: Robrunsround Robrunsround Robrunsround
34:36
SPEAKER_00: Robrunsround
34:51
SPEAKER_00: Robrunsround Robrux
35:06
SPEAKER_00: Fitzpatrick, if I remember correctly.
35:07
So she's got an amazing coach,
35:09
amazing training partners,
35:10
and a great place to train.
35:11
SPEAKER_00: So that is McKenna Morley.
35:13
SPEAKER_00: Definitely should be in your top 10 somewhere.
35:16
SPEAKER_00: On a really good day,
35:16
SPEAKER_00: you could see possibly a podium,
35:18
but I think these Golden Trail World Series races have a little
35:20
bit of a learning
35:21
SPEAKER_00: curve.
35:21
SPEAKER_00: So I think like a four through eight is more likely,
35:23
SPEAKER_00: but either way,
35:24
SPEAKER_00: a really,
35:24
SPEAKER_00: really strong pick,
35:25
SPEAKER_00: and I'm really excited to see a race.
35:27
SPEAKER_00: Next athlete, Ninka Brinkman.
35:30
SPEAKER_00: Dutch athlete for Nike ACG was out of the trail scene for a while.
35:34
SPEAKER_00: And like I said,
35:35
SPEAKER_00: by far the most curious,
35:36
let's keep an eye on Ninka to see what this race means about
35:39
the rest of her
35:40
SPEAKER_00: season.
35:41
She was a dominant Dutch trail runner for Nike ACG who threw
35:44
down some amazing
35:45
results in the Gold Trail World Series in 2022 and 2023 seasons
35:47
and 2021 as well.
35:50
But then she chose to focus on the road marathon for the 2024
35:52
Olympics and has
35:53
SPEAKER_00: really been dealing heavily with the injury cycle since then.
35:57
SPEAKER_00: We've seen her win the Zagama VK this year and then she finished in a
36:00
SPEAKER_00: disappointing,
36:01
SPEAKER_00: at least disappointing for her,
36:02
SPEAKER_00: 10th place at Eurochamps up-down.
36:06
SPEAKER_00: We've seen her win races like the Pikes Peak Ascent,
36:09
SPEAKER_00: winning course record at Zagama that just got broke by Tove,
36:12
SPEAKER_00: and second to Maude Mathis at Sears and all in a very,
36:15
SPEAKER_00: very fast time when they raced in 2022.
36:19
SPEAKER_00: So Minka is legit.
36:21
SPEAKER_00: She's as legit as it gets.
36:23
SPEAKER_00: I'm really excited to see her back in the mix,
36:25
SPEAKER_00: and I'm excited to see where she finishes this race.
36:28
Next athlete is Valentin Jepcoach-Rudo,
36:31
who I didn't have notes for on the VK Kenyon Runner.
36:33
SPEAKER_00: We talked about her results.
36:35
SPEAKER_00: This year, she hasn't been as consistent.
36:36
She's got an 18th at Zagama and a 14th at Golden Trail Series
36:39
Finals last year.
36:41
SPEAKER_00: She kind of fell off the back half of the year last year,
36:43
SPEAKER_00: but the first half of the year,
36:44
SPEAKER_00: she had some really inclusive results that we talked about,
36:46
SPEAKER_00: 11th at Sears and all.
36:48
SPEAKER_00: Win at Giridamont,
36:49
SPEAKER_00: third at Vauban Mountain Uphill,
36:51
SPEAKER_00: win at WMRA Changli 21K,
36:53
SPEAKER_00: and fourth at Trovea Nisego.
36:55
SPEAKER_00: Also a third place at Golden Trail Series Noly.
36:58
SPEAKER_00: She's raced Worlds before,
36:59
SPEAKER_00: fourth place at Innsbruck Worlds Classic Distance,
37:02
SPEAKER_00: and fifth in the uphill.
37:03
SPEAKER_00: I'm not sure what to expect from Valentin Ruto,
37:06
SPEAKER_00: but she has the chops to go top,
37:09
SPEAKER_00: I don't know,
37:10
SPEAKER_00: top five,
37:11
SPEAKER_00: but at least top eight in this field on a good day.
37:14
SPEAKER_00: Next athlete is Elisa Morin,
37:16
French-Canadian trail runner for Brooks coming in with a lot of
37:21
momentum fresh off
37:21
SPEAKER_00: the winning centerpiece scramble,
37:23
SPEAKER_00: which was the U.S.
37:24
SPEAKER_00: champ.
37:24
SPEAKER_00: So she wasn't the U.S.
37:25
SPEAKER_00: champion because she's not a U.S.
37:26
SPEAKER_00: citizen,
37:27
SPEAKER_00: but she did beat all the U.S.
37:28
SPEAKER_00: best runners at the U.S.
37:29
SPEAKER_00: champ.
37:30
SPEAKER_00: So she's looking really good.
37:32
SPEAKER_00: She also had an impressive top 10 finish at OCC last year,
37:35
SPEAKER_00: which is probably the deepest women's field in the world,
37:38
SPEAKER_00: minus Sears and all,
37:39
SPEAKER_00: like top five deepest race all year.
37:41
SPEAKER_00: And she got a 10 of that Worlds up down trail race as well.
37:44
She does well at both the classic distance and the VKs and as
37:49
well as 50Ks,
37:50
SPEAKER_00: but she doesn't race a lot of races in this like two hour range.
37:54
SPEAKER_00: So I'm curious to see how she does in this field.
37:56
No reason to think that if she does good in VKs and 50Ks that
37:59
she can do well here.
38:00
It's just a little bit different of a race time than most of
38:03
her races are finishing in.
38:04
SPEAKER_00: I think a good day for Elisa looks like a top eight, if I had to guess.
38:08
SPEAKER_00: I think that's probably about her ceiling, maybe top six.
38:12
SPEAKER_00: Next athlete is Ali Avatar,
38:14
SPEAKER_00: which is Ali McLaughlin,
38:15
SPEAKER_00: but I believe it's because she got married that her last name changed.
38:18
Hoka athlete,
38:19
former CU Boulder Buffalo and World Champion at VK Thailand.
38:24
SPEAKER_00: Like I said, sometimes she can be on the start list
38:27
SPEAKER_00: Robrunsround Robres
38:42
SPEAKER_00: She won the 23K in 2023 and the VK in 2022.
38:46
SPEAKER_00: If she's intent to throw down here,
38:47
SPEAKER_00: a top 10 is very likely in the cards,
38:49
but it's always tough to know which Ally Mac you're going to
38:52
get and where she's at
38:53
SPEAKER_00: since she's mostly Strava Dark and doesn't announce much on social media.
38:57
SPEAKER_00: So big question mark around her.
38:59
I think if she has a really good race in the VK or if there's
39:02
some positive
39:03
SPEAKER_00: indicators that she's here and taking it super seriously,
39:05
SPEAKER_00: then we could see a good Ally Mac.
39:07
SPEAKER_00: But I'm sometimes hesitant to pick her.
39:09
SPEAKER_00: She can be a little bit of an up and down racer.
39:12
SPEAKER_00: Next athlete is going to be Maya Rail,
39:14
SPEAKER_00: Montana,
39:16
SPEAKER_00: coming fresh off of a second place at Sunapee Scramble,
39:19
SPEAKER_00: which made her the U.S.
39:20
SPEAKER_00: Champion and gave her a bid for Team USA later this year.
39:23
SPEAKER_00: Other races this year included a fourth at Gorge 30K,
39:26
SPEAKER_00: and last year she ran to second place at Run the Rut 28K,
39:30
SPEAKER_00: only behind Clear Roads by about four minutes.
39:33
SPEAKER_00: Maya Rail is definitely one of those wildcard people to watch here,
39:36
SPEAKER_00: and this is going to be the deepest field she's ever run in,
39:38
SPEAKER_00: but her best race yet was last week at Sunapee,
39:40
SPEAKER_00: which wasn't her deepest race yet.
39:43
SPEAKER_00: So definitely one to look out for.
39:45
SPEAKER_00: Could very well see her again in that top 10.
39:48
These next two athletes are kind of also in that same boat,
39:51
Rena Schwartz and Taylor Peavy.
39:53
SPEAKER_00: Rena Schwartz,
39:54
SPEAKER_00: new up and coming,
39:55
SPEAKER_00: some ultra pressure,
39:56
SPEAKER_00: who,
39:56
SPEAKER_00: like I said,
39:57
SPEAKER_00: skied at Dartmouth in college,
39:59
SPEAKER_00: if I recall correctly.
40:00
SPEAKER_00: We've seen her win the Mount Washington Road Race,
40:03
along with just missing making Team USA last year when she
40:06
finished fifth place at
40:07
SPEAKER_00: Sunapee.
40:08
SPEAKER_00: Rena Schwartz has already finished second place at Big Alta,
40:10
SPEAKER_00: 28K to Taylor Tuttle,
40:12
SPEAKER_00: eighth at Gorge,
40:13
SPEAKER_00: 50K,
40:14
SPEAKER_00: and third at Sunapee Scramble,
40:15
SPEAKER_00: just behind Maya Rail.
40:17
SPEAKER_00: I'll be keeping a close eye on Maya,
40:20
SPEAKER_00: Rena,
40:20
and Taylor Peavy to see who has the best showing out of all of
40:23
them in this super
40:23
SPEAKER_00: deep race.
40:24
SPEAKER_00: And really just out of everyone from Sunapee, like how does it work out?
40:27
SPEAKER_00: Is the order more or less the same or does it get totally mixed up?
40:30
SPEAKER_00: Because this is a different race than Sunapee.
40:32
SPEAKER_00: Next athlete, Taylor Peavy, Nay Tuttle.
40:36
SPEAKER_00: Coming fresh off fifth place at Centipede Scramble,
40:38
already off to a great start of the season with a win at big
40:40
all to 28K and a
40:41
SPEAKER_00: course record time,
40:42
SPEAKER_00: and a second at Gorge,
40:44
SPEAKER_00: 30K,
40:45
SPEAKER_00: close behind Lauren Gregory.
40:46
SPEAKER_00: So definitely somebody to look out for,
40:48
SPEAKER_00: definitely think has the chops to go top 10,
40:51
SPEAKER_00: and definitely will be curious to see how Rena,
40:54
SPEAKER_00: Taylor,
40:55
SPEAKER_00: and Maya play out.
40:57
SPEAKER_00: Next athlete,
40:58
SPEAKER_00: Marie Neve,
40:59
SPEAKER_00: French athlete for Nike ACG,
41:02
coming back to try and improve on her very impressive 6th place
41:07
finish from last
41:07
SPEAKER_00: year's race.
41:08
SPEAKER_00: So far...
41:11
SPEAKER_00: This season,
41:11
she's raced to a 9th at the Euro Champs Classic Distance and
41:15
24th in the Euro
41:15
SPEAKER_00: Champs Uphill,
41:16
along with an 8th place finish at Golden Trail World Series
41:19
Ledro Sky Trentino
41:20
SPEAKER_00: Race.
41:21
SPEAKER_00: She is picking right back where she left off last year,
41:24
SPEAKER_00: where she had solid top 10s at races like ETC,
41:27
SPEAKER_00: Golden Trail Series Final,
41:29
SPEAKER_00: Great Wall,
41:31
SPEAKER_00: and Golfo de la Isola.
41:33
I think Marie Neves is a very strong pick,
41:35
going to end up in the top 10 in the mix somewhere.
41:37
SPEAKER_00: Not sure where that's going to be, but I think she's a safe pick.
41:40
SPEAKER_00: Definitely going to be in the top 15 somewhere.
41:42
SPEAKER_00: Next athlete, Jade Bellsberg, Canadian Trail Crusher.
41:44
SPEAKER_00: Recently announced she's splitting ways with Ultra Footwear,
41:47
which makes Open Fuel her only sponsor right now that I know of
41:50
and means.
41:50
SPEAKER_00: I'm curious to see what shoes she'll be racing in here,
41:53
if she's still going to be sticking with Ultras or if she's
41:55
going to be mixing it
41:55
SPEAKER_00: up and freeing her toes from zero drop.
41:59
Jade is returning to try and improve on her 7th place finish at
42:02
last year's 23K.
42:03
SPEAKER_00: So far this year, she's kind of had an up and down.
42:07
SPEAKER_00: She had a DNF at Black Canyon 100K to start off the season,
42:10
SPEAKER_00: and then 2nd at Chukenup 50K,
42:12
SPEAKER_00: and 8th at Gorge 30K.
42:14
SPEAKER_00: Last year's highlights for Jade included wins at JFK 50 miler,
42:18
SPEAKER_00: Squamish 50K,
42:19
SPEAKER_00: and Chukenup 50K to go along with 2nd place at Gorge 100K,
42:23
SPEAKER_00: and 13th in the world's vertical kilometer uphill.
42:27
SPEAKER_00: Jade has been, like I said, a little bit up and down this season.
42:29
I think she's very capable of running a top 10 time here,
42:33
but I'm a little hesitant to pick her.
42:35
SPEAKER_00: I'm not sure why.
42:36
I might change my mind on that,
42:37
but just hasn't felt as much like last year's form,
42:43
I guess.
42:45
SPEAKER_00: Last three athletes talk about Sydney Peterson,
42:47
SPEAKER_00: runner for Brooks from Colorado,
42:49
SPEAKER_00: who ran to a 10-place finish here last year,
42:51
SPEAKER_00: so one of those nine returning top 10 starters,
42:53
SPEAKER_00: along with a fourth place in the Ascent,
42:55
SPEAKER_00: which gave her a spot on the Worlds team,
42:57
SPEAKER_00: but she wasn't able to race.
42:58
So far this year,
42:59
I've already mentioned she got fourth at Deserets 50K and 29th
43:01
at Zagama.
43:02
She has finished as high as seventh place in this race in the
43:05
2024 edition as well.
43:07
SPEAKER_00: I think a good day puts her just barely inside the top 10 in this field,
43:11
SPEAKER_00: and she's likely to end up in the top 15 somewhere.
43:14
Next athlete,
43:15
Alexa Aragon,
43:17
final returning top 10 finisher from last year's race.
43:19
SPEAKER_00: She ran to 9th place at the 23K and 10th place at the Ascent last year.
43:24
She's a former collegiate runner from Notre Dame,
43:27
originally from Montana.
43:28
So far this year,
43:29
she's raced to a 6th place at Gorge 30K,
43:31
excuse me,
43:32
and that's it.
43:33
SPEAKER_00: Alexa definitely has the chops to repeat top 10,
43:36
but doesn't race enough for me to have a good gauge on where I
43:38
think she'll end up.
43:40
SPEAKER_00: So definitely somebody to look out for.
43:42
SPEAKER_00: Last athlete, Nellie Clement.
43:45
SPEAKER_00: French Athlete,
43:46
SPEAKER_00: last one to talk about in the field,
43:47
SPEAKER_00: but definitely a legitimate threat to go top 10.
43:49
SPEAKER_00: Like I mentioned earlier,
43:50
she's coming off a double bronze in the Euro Championships
43:53
vertical and up-down
43:54
SPEAKER_00: disciplines.
43:56
SPEAKER_00: She regularly races super stacked fields on the W
43:59
SPEAKER_00: You MRA races seen,
44:01
which is a little bit shorter and faster and has a lot more
44:04
Kenyans in the races
44:05
SPEAKER_00: than your typical Broken Arrow race.
44:08
She doesn't usually race quite this far,
44:10
so that's my biggest question mark with her.
44:12
But she definitely has the speed to be up front with the lead
44:14
packs if she wants to be.
44:15
So expect to see Nellie Clement kind of up there pushing in a
44:18
bit of a wild card.
44:19
The real question is just how does she fare in that last like
44:22
45 minutes of racing
44:23
SPEAKER_00: where she's usually not going quite that long.
44:26
SPEAKER_00: Other athletes to look out for her.
44:28
SPEAKER_00: Sarah Wilhoyt,
44:29
SPEAKER_00: Camilla Magliano,
44:30
SPEAKER_00: Janelle Lynx,
44:30
SPEAKER_00: Tabor Hemming,
44:31
SPEAKER_00: Aaron Moyer,
44:32
SPEAKER_00: Alicia Vargo,
44:33
SPEAKER_00: Laura Hamilton,
44:34
SPEAKER_00: and Jamie Bruso.
44:37
SPEAKER_00: All right, so on the women's side, top 10 picks.
44:41
SPEAKER_00: Man, this is a tough one.
44:43
SPEAKER_00: Top 10 picks.
44:43
SPEAKER_00: I'm going to go Taylor Tuttle, 10th place.
44:47
SPEAKER_00: Rena Schwartz, 9th place.
44:50
SPEAKER_00: Marina Bay, 8th place.
44:52
SPEAKER_00: Courtney Coppinger, 7th place.
44:55
SPEAKER_00: Ninka Brinkman, 6th place.
44:58
SPEAKER_00: 5th place, McKenna Morley.
45:00
SPEAKER_00: 4th place, Anna Gibson.
45:02
SPEAKER_00: 3rd place, Madalena Florio.
45:04
SPEAKER_00: Second, Lauren Gregory.
45:06
And first,
45:07
taking the three-peat to the house and 30K prize money,
45:11
Joyce and J-Rub.
45:13
SPEAKER_00: All right, so things that I'd be liable to change.
45:17
SPEAKER_00: I could see myself potentially bumping either Ninka or McKenna up higher,
45:22
SPEAKER_00: potentially Ana down lower,
45:24
SPEAKER_00: depending on how she does on the VK.
45:26
I could see myself swapping Taylor Tuttle and Rena Schwartz for
45:29
the 9-10 spot,
45:30
SPEAKER_00: putting Taylor in front of her since she's beat her twice now,
45:33
SPEAKER_00: I want to say.
45:40
SPEAKER_00: They've gone back and forth, I guess.
45:44
SPEAKER_00: And then I could see myself
45:47
SPEAKER_00: Robrunsround Robb
46:07
SPEAKER_00: Alie Mack as well.
46:09
If she looks really good on the VK,
46:10
I can see her going in that top 10 as well.
46:13
So I'm going to use the VK to kind of judge who I might want to
46:15
work in or out of
46:18
SPEAKER_00: the 23K,
46:20
SPEAKER_00: but right now that is my woman's picks.
46:23
SPEAKER_00: All right, so that's the woman's side on the men's side of the race.
46:27
Just as exciting,
46:28
but probably a little bit less competitive parody or more
46:32
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, less parity, less competition maybe.
46:34
So storylines,
46:35
like we talked about,
46:36
big prize money for the top three finishers.
46:38
SPEAKER_00: I think the usual suspects are the big three in the race,
46:41
but I'm thinking this year might be the race that we finally
46:44
see Patrick off the
46:45
SPEAKER_00: podium for once.
46:46
SPEAKER_00: Don't quote me on that.
46:49
SPEAKER_00: Other questions for the men's side of the 23K.
46:51
SPEAKER_00: Can Elozine continue his dominance in Golden Trail Series,
46:55
SPEAKER_00: which Free Trail just did a post about?
46:57
SPEAKER_00: I think 15 of the last 20 races,
46:58
SPEAKER_00: if I remember correctly,
47:00
SPEAKER_00: and his combined wins are like 13 minutes or something like that.
47:07
SPEAKER_00: Eight of those 13 minutes coming from his Agama win last year,
47:09
so his average margin of victory out of that is like 20 seconds
47:13
or something crazy.
47:15
SPEAKER_00: All right.
47:16
Other men's storylines,
47:17
we see eight of the returning top 10 finishers from last year's
47:20
race.
47:22
SPEAKER_00: Other questions I have,
47:23
SPEAKER_00: with so much prize money on the line,
47:25
will we see more aggressive or different racing strategies with
47:28
so much money on
47:29
SPEAKER_00: the line?
47:30
SPEAKER_00: I know that MK Sullivan is wanting Elozine to just go
47:35
SPEAKER_00: Gun to the wall or like balls to the walls,
47:37
SPEAKER_00: you know,
47:38
pedal the metal right from the get-go and just see what he can
47:40
do on this course.
47:41
SPEAKER_00: I don't think that's his racing tactic,
47:43
but I am curious if we see people like Christian Allen come out
47:46
super hot,
47:47
SPEAKER_00: either of the Canyons,
47:48
SPEAKER_00: Philemon or Patrick,
47:49
if you see them not actually let Elzin just sit on their
47:51
shoulder the whole time.
47:53
SPEAKER_00: Or if we see somebody,
47:54
SPEAKER_00: I don't know,
47:55
SPEAKER_00: like Mason Copey or somebody who's really fit,
47:57
SPEAKER_00: Cameron Smith.
47:59
SPEAKER_00: Robrunsround
48:27
SPEAKER_00: So on the men's side, Elzine Patrick Philemon.
48:30
SPEAKER_00: They don't need too much of an introduction.
48:31
SPEAKER_00: If you listen to this podcast, you know exactly who they are.
48:34
SPEAKER_00: Elzine the Flying Camel,
48:35
SPEAKER_00: Elzine Ozali from Morocco,
48:37
SPEAKER_00: in the middle of all heaters as shown by FreeTrail,
48:40
SPEAKER_00: 15 of the last 20 races,
48:42
SPEAKER_00: two Golden Trail World Series championships in a row,
48:45
SPEAKER_00: and also the returning champ of this race.
48:48
SPEAKER_00: Got to be the favorite along with the usual suspects.
48:50
SPEAKER_00: Until I see him lose, I'm not going to pick against him.
48:54
SPEAKER_00: Knicks Athlete Patrick Kepenjano, another perennial favorite.
48:56
SPEAKER_00: I think if there's a year where we don't see him on the podium,
48:58
SPEAKER_00: like I mentioned,
48:59
SPEAKER_00: I think it's this year.
49:00
SPEAKER_00: He is bouncing back from an early season injury.
49:02
We usually see him and Philemon race pretty much all the same
49:05
races together,
49:06
SPEAKER_00: but he didn't race early season at,
49:08
I think it was the WMRI China race or the race in Austria that
49:13
Philemon did.
49:14
I believe he was bouncing back from an injury and that also
49:16
kind of appeared to be the case.
49:18
He got an uncharacteristic fifth place finish at Ledger Sky
49:21
Trentino this year.
49:22
So he did finish third here last year behind Philemon in
49:26
Al-Azine and then he won
49:28
SPEAKER_00: in the 2024 race,
49:29
the 23K This is going to be kind of a litmus test to see where
49:33
Patrick's at but I
49:34
think if there's a year where I don't pick him in the top three
49:36
it'll be this year
49:39
I'm not saying I don't have him in the top three because I do
49:41
right now but I think
49:42
if he looks a little bit fallible on the VK once again kind of
49:45
using it as a litmus
49:46
test this could be the year where we see maybe a Taylor Stack
49:49
or Christian Allen
49:50
SPEAKER_00: get on the podium
49:51
SPEAKER_00: Next athlete,
49:51
SPEAKER_00: Philemon Carriago,
49:52
SPEAKER_00: last of the usual suspects,
49:54
SPEAKER_00: who is looking in very,
49:55
SPEAKER_00: very good form already this year,
49:57
SPEAKER_00: coming off second place at Ledger Sky Trentino.
49:59
He's got a winning course record at TransValconia Half Marathon
50:03
and a second at
50:04
SPEAKER_00: TransValconia VK.
50:06
This is going to be his third time racing here with a second
50:07
place finish last year
50:08
SPEAKER_00: and a third the year before that.
50:10
SPEAKER_00: I have him beating Patrick in this one, but not Elozine.
50:13
SPEAKER_00: Next athlete,
50:14
talk about Taylor Stack Probably our great American hope to
50:17
make the podium on the
50:18
SPEAKER_00: men's side Trailrunner from Salida,
50:20
Colorado for Brooks Coming off a stellar third place in a deep
50:24
Zagama race As well
50:25
SPEAKER_00: as a win at Desert S50K already this year Last year,
50:28
SPEAKER_00: he finished sixth here And the year before that,
50:30
he finished fourth place Which was like his coming out party
50:34
for the elite scene I
50:35
suspect Taylor or Christian will be the top American And I
50:38
think I'm leaning
50:39
towards Taylor right now Mason Copey is also a strong contender
50:42
for that title as
50:43
SPEAKER_00: well
50:44
Next athlete,
50:44
probably biggest wildcard on the men's scene if I had to guess,
50:49
Aries Reading.
50:51
SPEAKER_00: Most curious to see where he ends up.
50:52
SPEAKER_00: He's coming fresh off a win at Big Alts at 28K,
50:55
SPEAKER_00: second at Cannons 25K to David Sinclair,
50:58
SPEAKER_00: and fourth at Centipede Scramble just a week ago.
51:01
I think Aries has got a good chance to crack the top 10,
51:03
and I'm not too worried.
51:04
SPEAKER_00: Sometimes I worry about athletes coming out to elevation and racing well,
51:08
SPEAKER_00: but he does live and train in Boulder,
51:10
SPEAKER_00: so I don't see that being a problem for him.
51:12
SPEAKER_00: I think he's a strong pick for top,
51:14
SPEAKER_00: for sure top 15,
51:15
SPEAKER_00: but I think he's going to end up somewhere in that top 10.
51:18
Next athlete is founder of the trail team Andy Wacker coming
51:23
fresh off a sub four
51:24
minute mile at Yakima in Washington State I want to say earlier
51:29
this year along
51:30
with some other road racing exploits like I think his best
51:33
finish ever at Boulder
51:34
Boulder 10k I want to say seventh place and he also ran the US
51:37
ATF 25k Champs
51:39
SPEAKER_00: He is a previous champion here in the 23K from the 2022 race.
51:45
SPEAKER_00: And although he hasn't raced anything on the trails yet this year,
51:48
SPEAKER_00: I think he has been in the trail game for so long.
51:50
SPEAKER_00: He's super experienced racing at Broken Arrow.
51:52
And I think he's going to end up somewhere in the top 10
51:54
because he's just that
51:55
SPEAKER_00: good and he knows what it takes to get ready.
51:57
He still pulled off ninth place here last year in a very deep
52:00
field to go with a
52:01
SPEAKER_00: win at Cirque Series A-Base and Mammoth 26K.
52:03
SPEAKER_00: So Andy Wacker, don't count him out.
52:06
SPEAKER_00: He is...
52:08
SPEAKER_00: Robrunsround Robrunsround Robrunsround Robrunsround Robrunsround Robrum
52:37
Last year's results included 8th place here at Broken Arrow 23K
52:40
to go with 2nd
52:41
SPEAKER_00: place at Sun of Peace Cramble where he qualified for Team USA.
52:44
SPEAKER_00: Like I said,
52:45
his stock is on the rise and I expect him to improve on his
52:47
position from last
52:48
year's race and have the possibility to even sneak inside the
52:51
top 5 on a great race
52:53
SPEAKER_00: day.
52:54
SPEAKER_00: Next athlete,
52:55
SPEAKER_00: Kristen Allen,
52:56
SPEAKER_00: aka Slim,
52:57
SPEAKER_00: Nike ACG runner,
52:58
SPEAKER_00: meanest mullet in the game,
53:00
SPEAKER_00: who was battling an injury earlier this year.
53:02
He puts a lot of races on his calendar and then ends up kind of
53:06
getting hurt in the
53:07
SPEAKER_00: spring sometimes and then coming back to form.
53:10
SPEAKER_00: His bounce back race was
53:13
SPEAKER_00: UTMB Trail Allsace 50K,
53:16
which I think got him into OCC because he got the win and has a
53:18
high enough UTMB
53:19
SPEAKER_00: index.
53:20
SPEAKER_00: So I expect to see him at OCC this year.
53:22
And then last week he bounced back to his usual self with a
53:24
third place at Sunapee
53:26
SPEAKER_00: behind only Mason Copey and Dan Kurtz.
53:30
He was the top American at Broken Arrow 23K last year with his
53:32
fourth place finish,
53:34
SPEAKER_00: and he did not,
53:35
SPEAKER_00: like I said,
53:35
SPEAKER_00: start the season until later.
53:37
SPEAKER_00: Last year's other results include fourth win at the Broken Arrow VK,
53:42
SPEAKER_00: or the Broken Arrow Ascent,
53:43
SPEAKER_00: and a fourth at Worlds Uphill.
53:45
SPEAKER_00: So just off the podium, didn't quite get a medal at Worlds.
53:48
SPEAKER_00: I expect Christian to come out hot with the lead pack,
53:50
SPEAKER_00: but the real question is how can he stick it on the downhills?
53:53
SPEAKER_00: Because that's usually
53:54
SPEAKER_00: where he has a little bit less technical skill than other trail runners.
54:01
SPEAKER_00: Next athlete,
54:02
SPEAKER_00: Cesare Maestri,
54:04
Italian mountain running specialist and Nike ACG athlete coming
54:07
fresh off fourth
54:08
SPEAKER_00: place at Euro Champs up-down distance in 17th and vertical.
54:12
SPEAKER_00: He has not raced at Broken Arrow before,
54:14
but he routinely gets top 10s and Golden Trail Series races of
54:18
similar distances.
54:19
I think he's a strong pick for top 10,
54:22
if not definitely somewhere in the top 15.
54:25
Next athlete is going to be Cam Smith,
54:27
U.S.
54:27
Skyrunning and Schemo Specialist for DanaFett.
54:29
SPEAKER_00: We just talked about him in the VK.
54:31
SPEAKER_00: He went seventh here last year.
54:32
SPEAKER_00: He really improved on his downhill running results,
54:35
SPEAKER_00: and I think he just had a win at Vail GoPro Mountain Games last week.
54:40
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, strong pick for top 10, Locke for top 15, in my opinion.
54:44
He knows his course super well,
54:45
does great at least mountain 20 to 30k distances.
54:49
SPEAKER_00: Next guy,
54:49
SPEAKER_00: Sleeper,
54:50
SPEAKER_00: who we just talked about in the VK,
54:51
SPEAKER_00: Brian Rodriguez-Flores,
54:53
12th in the World's VK and 8th in the World's Classic Distance
54:55
for Team Mexico.
54:57
SPEAKER_00: Definitely one to keep an eye on,
54:58
SPEAKER_00: especially in the VK,
55:00
SPEAKER_00: but I could see him going top 15 in this field as well.
55:04
SPEAKER_00: Other runners identified that I want you guys to look out for
55:07
SPEAKER_00: and are likely to end up somewhere in that top 15.
55:10
Eddie Owens,
55:11
Tyler McCandless,
55:12
Alexander Ricard,
55:13
Grant Colligan,
55:14
and Hawk Call.
55:16
SPEAKER_00: So that is my men's preview.
55:21
Picks,
55:22
I'm going to go with...
55:26
All right,
55:26
10 through 1 on the men's side,
55:27
all the usual caveats.
55:29
SPEAKER_00: 10th place, Andy Wacker.
55:32
SPEAKER_00: Just getting it done.
55:33
SPEAKER_00: Knows this race.
55:33
SPEAKER_00: Knows this course.
55:34
SPEAKER_00: Looking in really good shape.
55:36
SPEAKER_00: Could even see him in that five through eight on a good day.
55:38
SPEAKER_00: Ninth place, I'm going to go Aries Reading.
55:40
Young Gun,
55:40
kind of on the opposite end of his career,
55:42
right at the beginning.
55:43
SPEAKER_00: Just got announced to the trail team, I believe.
55:46
SPEAKER_00: And looking really, really promising so far.
55:49
SPEAKER_00: Eighth place, Cam Smith.
55:52
SPEAKER_00: Seventh place, Cesare Maestri from Italy.
55:55
Doing his usual thing and having a good Golden Trail World
55:57
Series up-down race.
55:58
SPEAKER_00: I think he's primed to do well here.
56:00
SPEAKER_00: Sixth place,
56:02
Four through six,
56:02
I could really go interchangeable and might be swapping them
56:05
up.
56:05
SPEAKER_00: Sixth place,
56:06
SPEAKER_00: I'm going to go Mason Cope right now,
56:07
SPEAKER_00: even though he had the head-to-head over Christian in last week's race.
56:10
SPEAKER_00: I don't think Christian does as well in Sunapee course.
56:12
SPEAKER_00: It's not really his strength.
56:14
SPEAKER_00: I think he does better on Broken Arrow, and I still...
56:17
SPEAKER_00: I don't know.
56:18
I think it's going to be a really,
56:18
really impressive matchup between the two of them.
56:20
SPEAKER_00: I'm excited to see.
56:21
SPEAKER_00: Fourth place, I'm going to go Taylor Stack.
56:22
SPEAKER_00: Once again, I'm liable to swap any of those out, but Taylor Stack...
56:25
SPEAKER_00: Robrunsround Robrunsround Robrunsround
56:46
SPEAKER_00: 2nd place, Philemon Kiriago.
56:47
SPEAKER_00: He still looks mid-season form.
56:49
SPEAKER_00: 1st place, gotta go Elisino's Alley.
56:51
SPEAKER_00: So right now I still got the big three up front,
56:52
SPEAKER_00: but I might consider throwing Taylor or Christian in that top three.
56:57
SPEAKER_00: But that's who I have right now.
56:59
SPEAKER_00: Runners just on the bubble of being picked for me.
57:03
SPEAKER_00: Count of all the guys I just mentioned.
57:05
SPEAKER_00: Eddie Owens, I could see he's going top 15.
57:07
SPEAKER_00: Brian Rodriguez-Flores, I'm really excited to see him race.
57:10
SPEAKER_00: Alexander Ricard, top 15.
57:11
SPEAKER_00: Grant Colligan was 13th last year.
57:13
SPEAKER_00: Hot Call, 11th last year.
57:15
SPEAKER_00: And top 10 the year before.
57:17
SPEAKER_00: Those are all strong picks on the men's side.
57:22
SPEAKER_00: Michael Sayoli was originally signed up, but had to drop.
57:27
SPEAKER_00: And then...
57:29
Liam Miro is also one to look out for and that's kind of who I
57:33
have got for the 23K
57:38
so far last but not least stick with me we're an hour in and
57:44
we'll get this last
57:45
race done the 46K which is going to be like I said on Saturday
57:51
46K let me take a
57:56
SPEAKER_00: sip of water real quick
58:04
SPEAKER_00: All right, 46K longest race on Saturday.
58:07
SPEAKER_00: And let's see.
58:12
SPEAKER_00: All right, men's side.
58:16
I didn't really identify any storylines,
58:18
but it's really just not as deep as it was last year.
58:20
SPEAKER_00: Last year was the USA selection race for the short trail team.
58:24
SPEAKER_00: Um,
58:24
Right now,
58:25
the favorites I've got are Eli Hemming,
58:26
Cade Michael,
58:27
Chad Hall.
58:28
SPEAKER_00: People to look out for,
58:29
SPEAKER_00: Brian Whitfield,
58:30
SPEAKER_00: Noah Williams,
58:31
SPEAKER_00: Cole Campbell,
58:32
SPEAKER_00: Grant Barnett,
58:33
SPEAKER_00: Zach Parent,
58:33
SPEAKER_00: and Gavin Pryor.
58:34
SPEAKER_00: So just jumping right into the men's field,
58:37
SPEAKER_00: Eli Hemming,
58:38
SPEAKER_00: last year's race winner,
58:39
SPEAKER_00: who's won the 23K race as well the year before.
58:42
Got to be a hands-down favorite in this field,
58:44
coming off a win at GoPro Mountain Games in Vail.
58:48
SPEAKER_00: One of the distances, I forget which one.
58:51
SPEAKER_00: So far this year,
58:51
he raced to win at Rothrock 50K and a disappointing Black
58:54
Canyon 100K where he
58:55
SPEAKER_00: faded hard into the 20-something place.
58:58
SPEAKER_00: Last year,
58:58
we saw Eli Hemming win this race in a very impressive battle
59:02
with David Sinclair
59:02
SPEAKER_00: and then go on to race seventh place at CCC,
59:05
where he honestly led or was in the lead group for a lot of the
59:08
first half of the
59:09
SPEAKER_00: race.
59:09
SPEAKER_00: So Eli got to be the favorite 46K.
59:13
SPEAKER_00: I still think he's got the chops and will win here.
59:14
SPEAKER_00: He's raced here a ton of times and is a very smart racer.
59:17
SPEAKER_00: Next athlete, Zach Perrin, runner from Bozeman, Montana.
59:21
SPEAKER_00: He was teammates with Adam Peterman at CU Boulder in college,
59:24
SPEAKER_00: and I think there are even roommates as well.
59:27
Zach Perrin raced to a tight second-place finish at Run the Rut
59:30
50K last year,
59:30
SPEAKER_00: where he should have won,
59:32
SPEAKER_00: but cramped up on the final downhill and got passed by Adam Loomis.
59:36
SPEAKER_00: He raced to a ninth place at Backhanding 100K earlier this year,
59:39
SPEAKER_00: and last year was fourth at Kodiak 100K as well.
59:41
I think Zach Perrin has the speed plus the Mountain Chop to go
59:43
top five here,
59:44
SPEAKER_00: if not possibly even end up on
59:47
SPEAKER_00: the podium.
59:49
SPEAKER_00: Sorry, let me get the 46K field pulled up.
59:55
SPEAKER_00: Cool.
59:55
SPEAKER_00: All right, so that is Zach Perrin.
59:58
SPEAKER_00: Next athlete,
59:58
SPEAKER_00: Cole Campbell,
59:59
SPEAKER_00: Adidas,
1:00:00
SPEAKER_00: Tarex,
1:00:01
SPEAKER_00: and Hyperlite athlete,
1:00:02
SPEAKER_00: who is both speedy and good on technical terrain.
1:00:05
SPEAKER_00: He raced here last year to a ninth place finish.
1:00:08
SPEAKER_00: This year,
1:00:08
we've seen him race to seventh place at Black Canyon 50K and
1:00:11
second at Lake Sonoma
1:00:12
SPEAKER_00: Marathon,
1:00:13
SPEAKER_00: only three minutes off of Robbie Simpson.
1:00:15
SPEAKER_00: Cole Campbell has plenty of experience here.
1:00:17
SPEAKER_00: He's also run a 6th place finish in 2024 and 4th place in 2023.
1:00:23
He's a very consistent racer and I would be very surprised to
1:00:26
see him outside the top 10 here.
1:00:27
SPEAKER_00: I think he's a very strong pick for points.
1:00:30
Next athlete,
1:00:30
Graham Barnett,
1:00:31
Salt Lake City runner who is sponsored by Kraft.
1:00:33
SPEAKER_00: Last year's finish is included a 5th place at Ultra Trail Cape Town 100k.
1:00:38
SPEAKER_00: Fifth at Speedgo 50K and a DNF at Canyons.
1:00:40
He's had mixed results here with a fifth place in the 2023 race
1:00:44
and a DNF in 2024.
1:00:45
SPEAKER_00: I think on a good day Grant could go top five,
1:00:47
but I'm a little hesitant to pick him with some of his up and
1:00:50
down results.
1:00:50
SPEAKER_00: He's had stomach issues in the past, but hopefully he's figured them out.
1:00:54
SPEAKER_00: Next athlete, Darren Thomas.
1:00:56
He's raced to the BK and 23K multiple years here,
1:00:58
but hasn't raced to 46K before.
1:01:00
SPEAKER_00: So it's new territory for him.
1:01:01
SPEAKER_00: So far this year,
1:01:02
SPEAKER_00: he's raced to a win at formidable 50K and a fifth place at Big Alto 100K,
1:01:07
SPEAKER_00: where he led earlier than faded a bit later in the race.
1:01:10
SPEAKER_00: I think on a good day, Darren could probably go top 10 in this 46K field.
1:01:15
SPEAKER_00: Next athlete, Brian Woodfield, speedy boy from Gunnison, Colorado.
1:01:19
Last year he raced to a 6th place finish at the 46K and also
1:01:23
won the Pikes Peak
1:01:24
SPEAKER_00: Ascent and Desert Uts 50K.
1:01:26
SPEAKER_00: Brian Woodfield hasn't raced yet this year from what I can tell.
1:01:30
I am liable to swap him into my top 5 and could see him
1:01:32
finishing as high as 3rd in this field.
1:01:36
SPEAKER_00: Next athlete is Chad Hall,
1:01:37
the very speedy and capable younger brother of the great US
1:01:41
marathoner Ryan Hall.
1:01:42
SPEAKER_00: He is no slouch himself.
1:01:44
I think his marathon PR is around 211,
1:01:47
but it might be more like 213,
1:01:48
214,
1:01:48
don't quote me.
1:01:51
He has done very well at mountain trail races at altitude,
1:01:54
including he's also from altitude.
1:01:56
SPEAKER_00: I think he lives out at Mammoth is where they grew up.
1:01:58
SPEAKER_00: He, including wins at Mammoth Trail Fest 50K the last two years and 2022.
1:02:04
SPEAKER_00: He's won Kodiak 50K in 23.
1:02:06
He's got top tens at Pike Topeka Ascent when it was a gold
1:02:09
trail race in 23 and a
1:02:11
SPEAKER_00: second at Broken Arrow 23K in 2023.
1:02:13
I think Chad only shows up the lines if he's feeling fit and is
1:02:17
a threat in this
1:02:17
SPEAKER_00: field,
1:02:18
SPEAKER_00: no doubt.
1:02:19
So I think Chad Hall is going to be up there and is going to
1:02:22
impress some people.
1:02:23
SPEAKER_00: Next athlete is going to be Cade Michael,
1:02:25
SPEAKER_00: Boulder Boy's favorite unsponsored,
1:02:27
SPEAKER_00: who is slowly climbing the rakes in deep fields.
1:02:30
SPEAKER_00: He took a big swing and a missed at Canons 100K earlier this year,
1:02:34
but had an impressive showing to a third place finish at Black
1:02:36
Canons 50K,
1:02:38
SPEAKER_00: also at the beginning of this year.
1:02:40
SPEAKER_00: Cade last year raced to a fifth place at Kodiak 50K.
1:02:43
SPEAKER_00: 15th at OCC and 7th here at the Broken Arrow 46K.
1:02:47
I think he'll get this one right and have a good day to finish
1:02:51
on the podium,
1:02:51
assuming he's not coming in with an insane amount of miles and
1:02:54
his legs to this
1:02:55
SPEAKER_00: race.
1:02:56
SPEAKER_00: Next athlete, Gavin Pryor.
1:02:58
SPEAKER_00: Definitely in that random ball category certifiably,
1:03:02
SPEAKER_00: young fit boy from Boulder,
1:03:03
SPEAKER_00: I think he's 27 years old,
1:03:04
who we saw go 7th place at Black Canyon 100K last year and 6th
1:03:08
at Cannons 100K.
1:03:10
So he was on that golden ticket hunt,
1:03:11
just missing places and just missing tickets.
1:03:14
SPEAKER_00: So far this year,
1:03:15
SPEAKER_00: Gavin's raced to a 2nd place at Arches 50K,
1:03:17
SPEAKER_00: where he was only 1 minute behind Caleb Olson,
1:03:20
SPEAKER_00: and a 2nd at Twisted Fork 68K just about a week or two ago.
1:03:24
I think Gavin's a sleeper pick who likely could get you points
1:03:27
and could very well
1:03:29
SPEAKER_00: finish in the top ten here.
1:03:30
SPEAKER_00: So probably gonna go top ten, possible top five.
1:03:34
Noe Wilms is the next athlete,
1:03:36
La Sportiva athlete based in Leadville,
1:03:39
Colorado.
1:03:40
He was the fourth place finisher at the 46K last year,
1:03:42
which punched his ticket to Worlds.
1:03:44
And he went on to be the top USA men's short trail team
1:03:48
finisher in 14th place at Worlds.
1:03:51
He also had a third place finish at Lavarado 80K to go with a
1:03:54
27th place finish at
1:03:55
SPEAKER_00: Sears and all,
1:03:56
which is actually really impressive given you don't think of
1:03:58
him as like a speed
1:03:59
SPEAKER_00: boy.
1:04:01
SPEAKER_00: Noah has not raced yet this year,
1:04:03
SPEAKER_00: but he's a smart and consistent racer,
1:04:04
SPEAKER_00: so I think I've got him in my top five this year yet again.
1:04:07
SPEAKER_00: Next athlete is Jackson Cole, the New Zealand.
1:04:11
So he's a Kiwi Skyrunner who lives in Missoula,
1:04:14
according to Ultra Signup.
1:04:16
SPEAKER_00: He came out to the US to run at Adams State in Alamosa,
1:04:19
SPEAKER_00: Colorado,
1:04:19
and then he started running in the Sangre de Cristo range and
1:04:22
changed his mind and
1:04:23
SPEAKER_00: became a mountain runner.
1:04:25
He's a bit of a wild card for me at this race,
1:04:26
but I think he could do quite well here.
1:04:28
Last year's results included second place at Run the Rut,
1:04:31
28K,
1:04:31
three minutes behind Cam Smith.
1:04:33
8th at Morne Skyline,
1:04:34
which was the Skyrunning World Series race,
1:04:36
and a DNAF at Canyons 100K.
1:04:38
He has finished top five at Matterhorn Old Trax Skyrace before
1:04:41
and won Meet the
1:04:42
SPEAKER_00: Minotaur along with two podiums at Meet the Minotaur Race.
1:04:46
So it's tough for me to know how he'll line up against super
1:04:49
speedy boys because
1:04:50
SPEAKER_00: Broken Arrow isn't all that technical,
1:04:52
SPEAKER_00: but he definitely has the mountain chops to do well here.
1:04:56
SPEAKER_00: For my picks on the men's side,
1:04:59
SPEAKER_00: I've got 5th place,
1:05:00
SPEAKER_00: Zach Perrin,
1:05:01
SPEAKER_00: based off his run the rut and just mountain speed in general.
1:05:05
SPEAKER_00: 4th place, Nellie Williams, repeating the same spot as last year.
1:05:08
SPEAKER_00: 3rd place, Cade Michael, improving on his results from last year.
1:05:11
SPEAKER_00: 2nd place, Chad Hall, and 1st place, Eli Hemming.
1:05:14
SPEAKER_00: I am liable to swap in Brian Whitfield ahead of Zach Perrin.
1:05:22
I'm liable to swap in Gavin Pryor and take out Cade Michael
1:05:26
because he can be a
1:05:26
SPEAKER_00: little bit inconsistent of a racer.
1:05:28
SPEAKER_00: I also think that Cole Campbell is a very good pick.
1:05:31
SPEAKER_00: So those are my picks right now.
1:05:32
SPEAKER_00: I think Eli is the hands-on favorite.
1:05:35
SPEAKER_00: On the women's side for the 46K,
1:05:38
the biggest storyline I've identified is the return of Dani
1:05:41
Moreno after having her
1:05:43
SPEAKER_00: return here last year as well.
1:05:45
SPEAKER_00: Favorites, Rachel Drake, Danny Marino, Sarah Carter, Jasmine Louther.
1:05:50
People to look out for,
1:05:51
Cody Clevin,
1:05:52
Robin Lesh,
1:05:53
Caroline Alcorda,
1:05:54
and Mally Noyes.
1:05:57
SPEAKER_00: And Kimmy Schreiber, I'd say, as well.
1:05:59
All right,
1:05:59
first I want to talk about Caroline Alcorda,
1:06:02
Pacific Northwest runner from Seattle.
1:06:05
SPEAKER_00: She's recently picked up a Mount to Coast sponsorship.
1:06:08
So far this year,
1:06:08
she's raced to a fifth place at Gorge 50K in a quality field
1:06:13
and a win at the
1:06:14
SPEAKER_00: Robbenworth Trailfist 25K.
1:06:16
She picked up wins at Mammoth Trailfist 26K last year and was
1:06:20
second at USATF 50K
1:06:22
SPEAKER_00: Champs,
1:06:23
SPEAKER_00: I think behind Taylor Tuttle,
1:06:24
SPEAKER_00: Taylor Peavy.
1:06:25
So she's familiar with both racing at altitude and racing in
1:06:28
that four-hour timeframe.
1:06:30
SPEAKER_00: I'm feeling pretty bullish on Caroline.
1:06:31
I think she'll end up in the top five,
1:06:33
if not maybe even a podium on a good day here.
1:06:36
SPEAKER_00: Next athlete is going to be a big question mark.
1:06:37
SPEAKER_00: Dani Moreno coming back from injury and not being able to run much.
1:06:42
SPEAKER_00: Last year,
1:06:43
SPEAKER_00: she did the same,
1:06:44
SPEAKER_00: but had a really,
1:06:45
SPEAKER_00: really good race,
1:06:45
SPEAKER_00: was up there battling all day,
1:06:47
got third place behind Jen Lichter and Helen Minofauchner in a
1:06:50
very tight podium
1:06:51
SPEAKER_00: race,
1:06:52
SPEAKER_00: denied the Team USA spot to focus on CCC,
1:06:55
but then had a DNF at that race and has more or less been
1:06:57
injured and not really
1:06:59
SPEAKER_00: running since then.
1:07:02
SPEAKER_00: If you haven't looked at her social media closely,
1:07:05
SPEAKER_00: I would say look at that and decide if you want to pick her.
1:07:09
SPEAKER_00: I'm just hesitant her coming off an injury,
1:07:11
SPEAKER_00: but she proved me wrong last year in the same circumstances.
1:07:14
SPEAKER_00: Next athlete, gotta be the favorite in this race in my opinion.
1:07:18
SPEAKER_00: Rachel Drake,
1:07:19
SPEAKER_00: Nike ACG athlete,
1:07:20
kicked off the season with a win at MIUT 50K in dominant
1:07:23
fashion over Jane Moss.
1:07:25
SPEAKER_00: Got to be the favorite.
1:07:26
SPEAKER_00: You know,
1:07:26
SPEAKER_00: she's raced everything from top ten at Western to top fives,
1:07:31
SPEAKER_00: you know,
1:07:32
SPEAKER_00: at Golden Trail Series races.
1:07:33
SPEAKER_00: She's got the chops to do good on technical,
1:07:35
SPEAKER_00: the chops to do good on flat,
1:07:37
SPEAKER_00: fast,
1:07:37
SPEAKER_00: course record holder for JFK 50 miler.
1:07:41
SPEAKER_00: Rachel Drake, just all around Burstall, kick-ass mom.
1:07:45
SPEAKER_00: Next athlete,
1:07:45
SPEAKER_00: Jasmine Lothar,
1:07:46
SPEAKER_00: Canadian athlete from British Columbia,
1:07:49
SPEAKER_00: sponsored by Arcterics and NAC.
1:07:51
Only race this year was her third place at the Madeira Island
1:07:53
Ultra Trail 115K
1:07:55
SPEAKER_00: behind Katarina Hartmuth and Helena Faulkner,
1:07:57
SPEAKER_00: which was a good showing.
1:07:59
SPEAKER_00: Jasmine Lothar is expecting the Triple Crown this year,
1:08:01
SPEAKER_00: which should be considered when you're making your picks.
1:08:04
But this is the second race after the VK,
1:08:06
so I don't think her legs will be too wrecked yet.
1:08:08
And I think she's still talented enough to podium or at least
1:08:12
go top five at this
1:08:13
SPEAKER_00: 46K regardless.
1:08:15
SPEAKER_00: Next athlete,
1:08:16
SPEAKER_00: Robin Lesh,
1:08:17
runner for ultra footwear and slowly moving up the ranks as one
1:08:20
of the best
1:08:21
SPEAKER_00: mountain 50K females in the US.
1:08:24
SPEAKER_00: Her stock is on the rise.
1:08:25
She raced here last year as the US team qualifiers and finished
1:08:27
eighth place.
1:08:28
SPEAKER_00: But since then,
1:08:29
SPEAKER_00: we've seen her throw down at some really solid results,
1:08:31
SPEAKER_00: including fifth place up to be go 50K.
1:08:34
SPEAKER_00: 7th in a super-stacked CCC field,
1:08:37
SPEAKER_00: 2nd place at Chiang Mai 50K,
1:08:38
SPEAKER_00: and a win at TerraWear 50K this year,
1:08:40
SPEAKER_00: to name a few.
1:08:41
I think Robyn will end up top 5 here and continue her upward
1:08:44
trajectory as one of
1:08:45
SPEAKER_00: the best US female mountain runners,
1:08:47
SPEAKER_00: so be on the lookout for Robyn Lesh.
1:08:49
SPEAKER_00: Next athlete is going to be Sarah Carter,
1:08:51
former cross-country runner for Colorado State University in
1:08:54
Fort Collins,
1:08:55
SPEAKER_00: and now sponsored by Topo Footwear and Wauzel,
1:08:58
SPEAKER_00: the women's female clothing company.
1:09:01
Sarah Carter is 2 for 2 in races this year with wins at both
1:09:04
Ralph Rock 50K by UTMB
1:09:06
SPEAKER_00: and Desert Rock 50K,
1:09:07
SPEAKER_00: so presumably she's punched her in a ticket to OCC this year.
1:09:12
SPEAKER_00: In Desert Rock 50K, she kicked to a 12-second win over Claudia Trumps.
1:09:16
Sarah has the speed in the chops to podium and possibly even
1:09:18
win this race on a good day.
1:09:20
SPEAKER_00: Last year,
1:09:20
SPEAKER_00: she raced her third place at Chuckanuck 50K,
1:09:23
SPEAKER_00: two Golden Trio Series top 10 finishes,
1:09:25
SPEAKER_00: 20th at Sarah's in all in her debut year,
1:09:27
SPEAKER_00: and 15th at OCC.
1:09:29
SPEAKER_00: I like Robin Lesch's Mountain Spirits over Sarah,
1:09:32
but I also think this race runs fast enough that might favor
1:09:35
Sarah's speedy 10K PR
1:09:37
SPEAKER_00: likes.
1:09:38
SPEAKER_00: So that's Sarah Carter.
1:09:41
SPEAKER_00: Last two athletes to talk about are going to be Kimi Schreiber,
1:09:45
SPEAKER_00: uh,
1:09:45
SPEAKER_00: Adidas Terex athlete coming off,
1:09:48
SPEAKER_00: uh,
1:09:48
SPEAKER_00: coming all the way from Germany to race out here in Southern California.
1:09:51
Results this year include a win at Swiss Canyon Trail 33K,
1:09:54
fifth at Transparent,
1:09:56
uh,
1:09:56
SPEAKER_00: TransValcania Marathon and 7th at UTMB Chianti Marathon in a deep field.
1:10:00
We saw her come over and race Kanin's 50K to a third place
1:10:02
finish last year.
1:10:04
I think she could do very well end up in the top five here,
1:10:06
but will likely be at least top 10.
1:10:09
SPEAKER_00: I presume that she is pacing somebody at Western.
1:10:12
SPEAKER_00: I think she might even be pacing Hannah if I'm not mistaken.
1:10:16
So might as well do a tune-up race before going out to Western
1:10:19
the week after.
1:10:20
SPEAKER_00: Next athlete,
1:10:21
SPEAKER_00: Mally Noyes,
1:10:22
SPEAKER_00: sponsored skier for Solomon,
1:10:23
SPEAKER_00: who ran a really impressive second-place finish at Spigo at 50K in 2024,
1:10:27
SPEAKER_00: but seems to have been dealing with DNFs the top last two years.
1:10:31
That has me hesitant to pick her,
1:10:32
but she is talented enough to for sure go top 10 here.
1:10:35
SPEAKER_00: Other athletes to look out for in the field,
1:10:38
SPEAKER_00: Cody Clevin finished 12th at Boston if I remember,
1:10:42
SPEAKER_00: Boston Marathon if I remember off the dome.
1:10:44
She finished sub 225 and she led Boston as late as like 15
1:10:47
miles into the race.
1:10:49
SPEAKER_00: She has some good mountain results,
1:10:50
SPEAKER_00: hasn't done as good on this course before,
1:10:53
SPEAKER_00: but you got to believe she's really fit this year.
1:10:55
SPEAKER_00: And then other athletes just to keep an eye out for,
1:10:57
SPEAKER_00: Sarah Beal,
1:10:58
SPEAKER_00: Jenna Bensko,
1:10:59
SPEAKER_00: Beth McKenzie,
1:11:00
SPEAKER_00: Taylor Nowen,
1:11:01
SPEAKER_00: Leah Yingling,
1:11:02
SPEAKER_00: and Alyssa Clark.
1:11:04
SPEAKER_00: and then Katie Azimuth.
1:11:06
SPEAKER_00: So in my women's top five picks,
1:11:09
SPEAKER_00: I'm going to go fifth place Caroline Alcorda,
1:11:12
SPEAKER_00: fourth place Jasmine Lowther,
1:11:14
SPEAKER_00: third place Robin Lesh,
1:11:15
SPEAKER_00: second place Sarah Carter,
1:11:17
SPEAKER_00: and first place Rachel Drake for the win.
1:11:21
I'm liable to swap in Kimmy Schreiber or Danny Marino,
1:11:29
depending on how they are looking.
1:11:33
SPEAKER_00: Alright, so not too shabby, hour and 10 minutes.
1:11:37
SPEAKER_00: So that is the Broken Arrow weekend preview for all three races.
1:11:43
Let me know what picks you guys have,
1:11:46
who you agree with,
1:11:47
who you disagree with.
1:11:48
SPEAKER_00: Let me know what surprise picks you think or people that I'm missing.
1:11:51
SPEAKER_00: If I'm missing anyone,
1:11:53
SPEAKER_00: those ultra signup lists are so huge,
1:11:55
SPEAKER_00: it's hard to pick through all of them.
1:11:57
SPEAKER_00: And looking forward, so I will be out
1:12:00
SPEAKER_00: in Lake City,
1:12:01
SPEAKER_00: Colorado at 9,000 feet,
1:12:03
SPEAKER_00: camping probably Thursday night,
1:12:07
SPEAKER_00: and then getting a place to stay Friday and Saturday night for the race.
1:12:11
SPEAKER_00: My race is Saturday at 5 a.m.
1:12:15
SPEAKER_00: Mountain Time,
1:12:15
SPEAKER_00: which means,
1:12:16
SPEAKER_00: and then I'll race,
1:12:17
SPEAKER_00: if I have a really good race,
1:12:18
SPEAKER_00: I'll go sub 9 hour,
1:12:20
SPEAKER_00: 9.30,
1:12:21
SPEAKER_00: I think is probably my A goal,
1:12:23
SPEAKER_00: whereas B or C goal is sub 10 hours,
1:12:26
SPEAKER_00: so I'll probably miss most of the
1:12:29
SPEAKER_00: Robrunsround Robrux
1:12:56
SPEAKER_00: Western States,
1:12:57
SPEAKER_00: Lavarado,
1:12:58
SPEAKER_00: Marathon du Mont Blanc,
1:12:59
SPEAKER_00: we got the triple hitter next weekend,
1:13:01
SPEAKER_00: which means also 90K du Mont Blanc.
1:13:04
SPEAKER_00: It's gonna be, yeah, it's gonna be a big week.
1:13:05
SPEAKER_00: So Western we're gonna start off with,
1:13:07
and then we'll start looking at Lavarado and Marathon du Mont
1:13:12
Blanc as those fields
1:13:14
SPEAKER_00: start coming out.
1:13:15
SPEAKER_00: Holy cow, Marathon du Mont Blanc is looking
1:13:18
SPEAKER_00: Deep on the men's side,
1:13:20
SPEAKER_00: Remy Benet,
1:13:20
SPEAKER_00: Fred Trensard,
1:13:21
SPEAKER_00: Manny Marias,
1:13:22
SPEAKER_00: Roberto DeLorenze,
1:13:23
SPEAKER_00: Eli Hemming,
1:13:24
SPEAKER_00: Cesare Maestri,
1:13:25
SPEAKER_00: Davide Magnini,
1:13:26
SPEAKER_00: Dominique Rowley,
1:13:27
SPEAKER_00: Adrian Griffith,
1:13:28
SPEAKER_00: Antonio Martinez-Perez,
1:13:30
SPEAKER_00: Kevin Cabette,
1:13:31
SPEAKER_00: Raul Roos.
1:13:33
SPEAKER_00: Field is looking stacked.
1:13:35
SPEAKER_00: Female side,
1:13:37
SPEAKER_00: Tove Alexanderson,
1:13:38
SPEAKER_00: Maddalena Floria,
1:13:39
SPEAKER_00: Naomi Lang,
1:13:39
SPEAKER_00: Fabiola Conti,
1:13:41
SPEAKER_00: Emily Robesham,
1:13:42
SPEAKER_00: Therese LaBeouf,
1:13:44
SPEAKER_00: Camila Magliano,
1:13:45
SPEAKER_00: Julia Font Gomez,
1:13:46
SPEAKER_00: the list goes on and on,
1:13:48
SPEAKER_00: including some women doubling back from racing Broken Arrow this weekend,
1:13:51
SPEAKER_00: so Taper Hemingham,
1:13:53
SPEAKER_00: Bailey Kowalczyk.
1:13:55
SPEAKER_00: That's going to be exciting.
1:13:56
Lavarado does not have a list up yet on FreeTrail,
1:14:00
so I'll keep an eye out for that.
1:14:01
SPEAKER_00: But the plan is 100% to get at least a Western States preview,
1:14:05
SPEAKER_00: ideally also a Marathon of Mont Blanc preview,
1:14:07
and then Lavarado would probably be the one on the cutting
1:14:09
block if I had to choose
1:14:11
SPEAKER_00: one.
1:14:11
SPEAKER_00: So that is going to be super duper exciting.
1:14:16
SPEAKER_00: And then...
1:14:18
SPEAKER_00: Cool, I was looking at Hard Rock again.
1:14:20
SPEAKER_00: So that is, yeah, that is the plan.
1:14:23
This was a little bit of a longer one,
1:14:24
but we got three races fit in there.
1:14:26
SPEAKER_00: So once again, hit me with your picks.
1:14:28
SPEAKER_00: Hope you enjoyed this preview.
1:14:30
SPEAKER_00: I hope it was helpful.
1:14:30
SPEAKER_00: I hope you learned something new about a trail runner,
1:14:33
SPEAKER_00: found something new that you've never heard about.
1:14:35
SPEAKER_00: And I can't wait to talk to you guys next week for Western States.
1:14:39
SPEAKER_00: Thanks so much for listening.