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Broken Arrow 23K Race Preview | The Steep Stuff Race Companion · The Steep Stuff Podcast

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to the steep stuff podcast.
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: I'm your host, james Laura yellow, and today we are going to preview the 23 K with our special guest, mr Nick Tusa.
• 0:10
  Speaker 2: Hey everyone, how are we doing?
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: Welcome back to um, yeah, so, guys, we just went through the VK.
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: It was a really successful episode.
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: I hope you guys got a lot of value out of that.
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: Um, we're going to kind of break into the 23 K now and talk about that race.
• 0:23
  Speaker 1: So just some back information.
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: The 23K is going to be taking place Sunday, june 23rd, at 8 am.
• 0:29
  Speaker 1: The race itself is 21.75K, which is 13.5 miles.
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: Vertical gain is going to be 1,433 meters, which is about 4,700 feet.
• 0:39
  Speaker 1: This is a world mountain running long distance trail world cup race and in addition, it is going to be a member of the Golden Trail National Series for the United States.
• 0:48
  Speaker 1: So let's do this, nick, let's do it.
• 0:51
  Speaker 1: Yeah, man.
• 0:52
  Speaker 1: So what kind of storylines we got going into the 23K.
• 0:55
  Speaker 2: I mean you're seeing a lot of similar names that we discussed in the VK.
• 0:59
  Speaker 2: Um, you got the names like Eli Hemming, patrick Kipaniego, chad Hall, christian Allen, cam Smith, um, women's side, grayson Murphy, danny Moreno, potentially, uh, tabor Hemming, annie Doobie, uh, and yeah, that's what I have for women.
• 1:20
  Speaker 1: Um yeah, let's dive into it.
• 1:23
  Speaker 1: Yeah, we'll start unpacking a little bit dude I honestly like.
• 1:25
  Speaker 1: If you look at my chart, I rearranged like one through five, like four times just because it's so hard to pick who the fuck's gonna win this race?
• 1:33
  Speaker 1: um, dude, I'm.
• 1:34
  Speaker 1: I.
• 1:34
  Speaker 1: I think so.
• 1:36
  Speaker 1: When I was previewing um zagama last week, I had jacob scrabble reached out to me and because we were talking about my, I picked bailey to win that race and he was like dude, that's, he's like your picture, pretty crazy.
• 1:49
  Speaker 1: He's like I think I think belly can win that race.
• 1:51
  Speaker 1: He goes.
• 1:51
  Speaker 1: He's like I don't know if anyone else is like previewing and picking her.
• 1:54
  Speaker 1: I was like dude, save money, don't make money.
• 1:56
  Speaker 1: Um, yeah, we'll start breaking them.
• 2:03
  Speaker 2: Sometimes you gotta go with who you know.
• 2:04
  Speaker 1: You know, I mean, I think sometimes you gotta go with who you know.
• 2:07
  Speaker 1: There's a lot of past champions here.
• 2:08
  Speaker 1: There's like a lot of similar storylines surrounding the 23k than compared to the vk and you gotta remember like this is a significantly longer race, it's a much different test and it could go a couple different ways, like the.
• 2:20
  Speaker 1: So the 23k last year, um, it was a delayed start and then they changed the course to where you're running two loops around the 11K course, which is kind of gnarly.
• 2:32
  Speaker 1: So the 46K is basically two loops of the 23K course.
• 2:36
  Speaker 1: So basically the 23K became two loops of the 11K and that's going to test runners a little bit differently than maybe just like one loop of a 23k.
• 2:46
  Speaker 1: So as of right now, it seems like it's going to be just one loop, weather depending.
• 2:50
  Speaker 1: Let's hope we don't have crazy winds again this year, um, and let's hope there's, you know, we're able to get this off at 8 am, because last year I pushed like 10 or 11 or something.
• 2:58
  Speaker 2: Yeah now.
• 2:59
  Speaker 2: So the course difference is between the double loop and the full loop.
• 3:03
  Speaker 2: Um, is that one full climb with the that the big loop, and then you have two climbs?
• 3:08
  Speaker 1: yep, that's correct and you're gonna go on up to.
• 3:11
  Speaker 1: You go up to, I think it's washington, which is the top of the vk course.
• 3:14
  Speaker 1: You kind of you're gonna go over kt 22, which is another uh, it's the, the second, I think it's the first bump, and then washington is the higher bump, the second one that you go to.
• 3:23
  Speaker 1: So yeah, whereas the the 11 K course, I believe, just went over KT 22.
• 3:28
  Speaker 1: And I think that was the end, because they had to keep it a little bit lower for the wind.
• 3:30
  Speaker 1: So yeah, like I said, there's a lot of storylines at play here and if those changes do get thrown in, it's like also with, like, um, black Canyon, like they had to push it back and, like you know, it kind of screwed a lot of things up.
• 3:47
  Speaker 1: So it's going to be interesting to see what happens this year.
• 3:49
  Speaker 1: If we can get everything off of the normal start, and if that's the case, um, we'll get.
• 3:54
  Speaker 1: Let's, let's dive into the female picks.
• 3:56
  Speaker 1: I'll let you start first and we can go from there.
• 3:57
  Speaker 2: Yep, uh.
• 3:58
  Speaker 2: I have Grayson Murphy showing up Um again.
• 4:02
  Speaker 2: I don't see, I don't see her losing this Um either way.
• 4:07
  Speaker 2: Whatever course that ends up being, I think that she's a strong contender to potentially.
• 4:12
  Speaker 2: I don't know if there's course record look out there, but I think she could definitely um put something down.
• 4:18
  Speaker 2: This is her first time racing it, uh, so she doesn't have that course knowledge, but either way she's a solid number one.
• 4:26
  Speaker 2: Two, I have Dani Moreno.
• 4:28
  Speaker 2: I think she could give her definitely a run for her money.
• 4:30
  Speaker 2: She has not been here before either, so I guess these are two people at the top that haven't seen this course before.
• 4:38
  Speaker 2: Three, tabor Hemming.
• 4:40
  Speaker 2: I think she could be right up in the mix with the top women.
• 4:44
  Speaker 2: She's been here before a few times, no stranger to to broken arrow, uh.
• 4:50
  Speaker 2: Fourth, I have annie duby.
• 4:53
  Speaker 2: She's a local out of golden and I've raced with her at zerk series quite a few times did you okay, she's.
• 5:01
  Speaker 2: She's made a few podiums.
• 5:03
  Speaker 2: She is a.
• 5:05
  Speaker 2: I think she's moving over from the OCR side of things.
• 5:07
  Speaker 2: I think she still races OCR, so she's a very like strong runner.
• 5:11
  Speaker 2: Um, she's going to show up.
• 5:13
  Speaker 2: She was six last year.
• 5:14
  Speaker 2: I expect her to be top five this year.
• 5:16
  Speaker 1: Dude, she's really solid, like I didn't realize.
• 5:18
  Speaker 1: Like six last year and then fourth in the VK last year as well.
• 5:21
  Speaker 1: That's a real deal.
• 5:30
  Speaker 2: Golden runner, so she's from golden colorado.
• 5:31
  Speaker 2: Like, yeah, I mean she could compete for the podium.
• 5:32
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I think you might next time you talk with uh andy wacker I think she she runs with the trail team quite a bit, I want to say so.
• 5:35
  Speaker 2: Something to be said about that, uh.
• 5:37
  Speaker 2: And then in fifth I have a boulder local, uh, rachel ma.
• 5:42
  Speaker 2: She was ninth last year.
• 5:45
  Speaker 2: She's been showing up to this race, I think, for the past three years and it's just been constantly improving every single year.
• 5:54
  Speaker 2: I think she has Strava.
• 5:59
  Speaker 2: I think she might be private, so I haven't seen what her training's been like.
• 6:03
  Speaker 2: Her partner is Kyle Lund uh who I don't believe that he's on the start list this year.
• 6:09
  Speaker 2: But again, great runner.
• 6:11
  Speaker 2: They run together a lot, um, but yeah, I think I'm a little home cooking, but like she, I mean she's on that trajectory to just break through getting better and break through.
• 6:19
  Speaker 2: Yeah, and I think that this is this is her year.
• 6:21
  Speaker 2: I mean, the women's field isn't it's deep, but I wouldn't say it's as deep as the men's this year so I think that she has a chance to throw her name in the hat and really be up there.
• 6:33
  Speaker 2: A couple other notables outside of the top five Amanda Basham she, I think, was just outside of the top ten last year.
• 6:42
  Speaker 2: She is doing the triple crown, so she's going to be a little bit fatigued but, um, you know, she's been running ultras for so long I could definitely see her sneak her way in the top 10.
• 6:52
  Speaker 1: Yeah, absolutely.
• 6:53
  Speaker 2: Uh, christina Randrup is another one.
• 6:55
  Speaker 2: Uh, claire Devoe.
• 6:57
  Speaker 2: And then we can't ever leave out Allie McLaughlin.
• 7:00
  Speaker 2: She is the queen of broken arrow, mclaughlin.
• 7:07
  Speaker 2: She is the queen of broken arrow, she.
• 7:07
  Speaker 2: If she shows up, she's gonna throw down, um, she's gonna be inside the top 10, regardless of if she's injured or not.
• 7:10
  Speaker 2: I think that she's gonna be running across the finish line with her dog, like she always does shout out to harley dude yeah and uh.
• 7:16
  Speaker 2: So yeah, that's, uh, that's my top 10.
• 7:18
  Speaker 1: no, I think it's amazing, dude, and you know what?
• 7:20
  Speaker 1: Just to add to uh.
• 7:21
  Speaker 1: So last year I spectated and watched the 23K race and it was just so much fun, so I saw Eli finish, I saw Tabor finish as well, but also I watched Allie, and just Allie was cooking, dude.
• 7:34
  Speaker 1: It was just so much fun to watch them because it was two loops so you got to see them come down.
• 7:38
  Speaker 1: That was actually the first time I ever saw Matthew Blanchard in real life.
• 7:42
  Speaker 1: That's a good-looking dude.
• 7:44
  Speaker 1: That guy's a fucking stud dude.
• 7:46
  Speaker 1: I remember like edging over to, like I was like elbow and rose.
• 7:52
  Speaker 1: I'm like that's, that's that's matthew blanchard.
• 7:56
  Speaker 1: Um, yeah, anyway.
• 7:57
  Speaker 1: So now, um, yeah, dude, watching it in real life was just really really cool.
• 8:02
  Speaker 2: It's kind of similar to to how golden trail is doing things with, like the loops and coming back, it makes it really spectator friendly.
• 8:07
  Speaker 2: So like, even if they do end up doing the double loop, like, hey, spectators in for a little treat?
• 8:12
  Speaker 1: no, big time it's it's like one of the best, uh, one of the better spectator um events out there, because, especially like they allow people to kind of go up and I don't know if they'll do it this year, I would imagine they probably would but they allow you to kind of like sneak up the ski road, like last year.
• 8:25
  Speaker 1: I can remember when I came down, like max king was on the ski road like cheering us on and stuff wild it's kind of weird when you meet him in real life, I was like wow that's king now.
• 8:36
  Speaker 2: Do they have the um?
• 8:37
  Speaker 2: Um, do they have the lifts going to get up to the top or no?
• 8:41
  Speaker 2: Not during that time of year?
• 8:42
  Speaker 1: they do, they do I don't know for everybody.
• 8:45
  Speaker 1: I know, when I like last year so not the main lifts, but the one it's like the sky tram that they had that they allowed.
• 8:53
  Speaker 1: So because a lot like howie and a lot of the photographers had to go up there and I guess, and like I think it was dylan harris as well um, had to like go up there and like kind of camp out and get their you know where they're going to shoot from and stuff.
• 9:03
  Speaker 1: So they had like photographers kind of situated and I'm pretty sure, if I remember correctly, cause I saw a video, you must've been able to go up there because, like, I saw a video of, uh, I think it was David, um, david Roche and Megan Roche and they were like talking to Eli as he was on the course.
• 9:22
  Speaker 1: So I guess you were allowed to go up there and you know, so yeah, pretty sweet, okay.
• 9:26
  Speaker 1: So yeah, let's, let's talk about some of the storylines.
• 9:28
  Speaker 1: Um, I'm going to say, with the same thing that we talked about in the VK, and if, if you didn't uh, preview the VK episode, we'll give you a little, you know, back information like Grayson Murphy, grayson Murphy, grayson Murphy is a, you know, a world champion.
• 9:39
  Speaker 1: Um, you know, two-time USATF national champ as well.
• 9:42
  Speaker 1: Um, one of the greatest ever do it.
• 9:44
  Speaker 1: And she's only like in her young twenties.
• 9:46
  Speaker 1: Um, so pretty incredible.
• 9:48
  Speaker 1: I do have her as my first place pick as well.
• 9:50
  Speaker 1: Um, if she shows up and if she is healthy, I don't think there's many people that are going to be able to stop her.
• 9:55
  Speaker 1: Um, she's an absolutely astounding athlete.
• 9:58
  Speaker 1: Um, I my second place.
• 9:59
  Speaker 1: I have Tabor.
• 10:00
  Speaker 1: Tabor did it second place last year behind Allie Um, she knows this course really well.
• 10:05
  Speaker 1: She's a very strong runner.
• 10:06
  Speaker 1: She's probably fitter than she was last year.
• 10:08
  Speaker 1: I think she continues to figure out this trail thing, um, along with Eli.
• 10:13
  Speaker 1: I think there's no reason why Tabor shouldn't compete for the wind, if not be a second place.
• 10:17
  Speaker 1: And third, I do have Danny as well, tabor's teammate for the Adidas Terex team.
• 10:20
  Speaker 1: Um, I would have had Danny a little bit higher.
• 10:23
  Speaker 1: She has the potential to win this race.
• 10:24
  Speaker 1: I just don't know how much fatigue is going to be there from Zagama.
• 10:27
  Speaker 1: I know she had a tough race at Zagama.
• 10:28
  Speaker 1: Um, you know kudos to her for, you know, for fighting through it.
• 10:32
  Speaker 1: Um, but I definitely have her at any given day.
• 10:36
  Speaker 1: She could.
• 10:36
  Speaker 1: She could compete for the win.
• 10:37
  Speaker 1: I think danny is that level, that caliber of athlete.
• 10:39
  Speaker 1: She also lives at altitude in uh, in mammoth and you know like kind of trains know these california trails.
• 10:46
  Speaker 1: I believe she's won.
• 10:47
  Speaker 1: I didn't write it down but I'm almost like 100 sure she's won this race before or, if not, gotten on the podium in years past, yeah yeah, it's been a while, but I do know she's she's.
• 10:56
  Speaker 1: She's been here before um.
• 10:57
  Speaker 1: And fourth I have rachel tom jack.
• 10:58
  Speaker 1: Um, I believe this is her first time at broken arrow but I think she'll do pretty well.
• 11:03
  Speaker 1: I know she trains in arizona um, she's had a few uh.
• 11:06
  Speaker 1: She's raced already in the golden trail road series at a kobe um.
• 11:10
  Speaker 1: And in fifth, I can't count on it, ali mac, I, just, I, just I'm unable to do it.
• 11:15
  Speaker 1: So like, uh, what, depending on what races she decides to show up to and which ones she tries to do, if she's going to do them all, let her do it, and if she doesn't, whatever, I still think, whatever, you know she's in the 23K.
• 11:26
  Speaker 1: You can't count her out of the top five.
• 11:30
  Speaker 1: Some others I did have Laird Hamilton's.
• 11:31
  Speaker 1: A great selection.
• 11:32
  Speaker 1: Laird Hamilton represented Team Australia last year in the vertical uphill in Spruck for the Worlds.
• 11:40
  Speaker 1: She's an incredible uphiller, like very, very, very strong um.
• 11:45
  Speaker 1: She did take the dub last year at kennel mountain race, which is incredibly uh competitive race in colorado.
• 11:50
  Speaker 1: Uh, that goes up a 13er in kennel mountain.
• 11:53
  Speaker 1: Um resides in gunnison, so she's not, she's not not used to the altitude, so she, she trains up high um, I, I think she she could potentially compete, for she's definitely in the top 10.
• 12:05
  Speaker 1: I think she could compete for the top five.
• 12:07
  Speaker 1: I also had Christina Rand up in there, I had Amanda Basham, I also had Annie Duby yeah, sixth at the 23K in 2023 and fourth in the VK.
• 12:18
  Speaker 1: She could very well get herself into the top five.
• 12:20
  Speaker 1: And I also had Megan Lacey.
• 12:22
  Speaker 1: Um, megan Lacey was fifth at Brickneck in 2024, solid athlete, so she's already kind of competing at the golden troll.
• 12:29
  Speaker 1: Um, you know national series.
• 12:31
  Speaker 1: So, yeah, I think those are some of the some of the storylines surrounding the females on the 23 K side.
• 12:36
  Speaker 1: Um, let's take it on over to the men.
• 12:39
  Speaker 2: Yeah, uh.
• 12:44
  Speaker 2: So first I have eli hemming, I have him coming back and uh, defending his title, uh, from last year, uh, and then second, I think it's going to be an absolute battle between christian allen and chad hall, and I'm really excited to see it happen.
• 12:54
  Speaker 2: Um, I mean, chad has his downhill speed is bar none it.
• 13:00
  Speaker 1: It's incredible, him and Eli.
• 13:02
  Speaker 1: So there's this like main road I forget the name of it Um, that's like the one of the main ski hill, like ski roads going down.
• 13:07
  Speaker 1: Did the drop?
• 13:08
  Speaker 1: They were dropping sub five minute miles on that road last year.
• 13:11
  Speaker 1: It was fucking wild.
• 13:14
  Speaker 2: And then, uh, fourth, I have Patrick Kip and Yago, um, I, um, I, you know, I I think the snow might, might slow him down, maybe a little bit.
• 13:26
  Speaker 1: I maybe, maybe he's just not used to that.
• 13:26
  Speaker 1: Andy said this yesterday.
• 13:27
  Speaker 1: All right, so I didn't want to go like too deep on what andy said, but like one of the things that was interesting is they just came back from that race in china, right, and andy told me like he asked patrick because the apparently the course was very sloppy, very muddy, very snowy, very nasty, and andy goes, patrick, like have you ever raced in snow before?
• 13:42
  Speaker 1: And patrick goes, yeah, at pike's peak, because that's and it's the only time the dude's ever seen snow.
• 13:47
  Speaker 2: So yeah, I don't know.
• 13:49
  Speaker 2: We'll see it's.
• 13:50
  Speaker 2: Snow on the uphill is definitely different than snow on the downhill that's like a different type of yeah, but, um, but yeah, no, he's gonna be right up there with with everyone else.
• 13:57
  Speaker 2: Uh, fifth, I have Cam Smith.
• 14:00
  Speaker 2: He was third in 2022.
• 14:01
  Speaker 2: Okay, um, yeah, I think he's.
• 14:04
  Speaker 2: He's good for five.
• 14:06
  Speaker 2: I don't see him being any I any lower than that, honestly.
• 14:11
  Speaker 2: Um, dan Kurtz is another one that I'm excited about.
• 14:14
  Speaker 2: He, he has not raced here before.
• 14:17
  Speaker 2: Yeah, um, he's an East coaster, um, and he has competed, has competed at on, like, the national side of things I think he made the world's team in um.
• 14:28
  Speaker 1: Yeah, he made the world's team in chiang mai.
• 14:30
  Speaker 2: Yep as well, yep, yep.
• 14:31
  Speaker 2: So yeah, he's, he's gonna come ready to go.
• 14:34
  Speaker 2: Um, I think he's been putting in some pretty solid training recently.
• 14:37
  Speaker 2: Uh, seventh um well, I guess I'll do a full top 10, because this is.
• 14:41
  Speaker 2: It's a pretty pretty stacked um, I have mikhail in third, uh, or sorry, in seventh.
• 14:47
  Speaker 2: He was third last year.
• 14:48
  Speaker 2: Um, he, I think this year is a little bit more competitive than last year, so but I still think that he's good for top 10 absolutely agreed um eighth young gun from the springs here, ali popolon he did I have him as well unbelievable.
• 15:03
  Speaker 2: He, he was seventh last year and, yes, this is a more competitive field, but he's, he's gonna be up there.
• 15:09
  Speaker 2: He's just getting better.
• 15:10
  Speaker 1: He's young, he's dude, one of the few people that I've ever been on the incline, working as hard as I possibly could, and this motherfucker comes by me like dude just casually and I was like what are you kidding me?
• 15:25
  Speaker 1: I mean, you've raced him at cirque right yeah, like kid's a killer and he's I think he's been.
• 15:32
  Speaker 1: He's sponsored by solomon, I don't know maybe an ambassador I know um his brother bode, uh gross who I don't.
• 15:39
  Speaker 1: I know he's on the wait list.
• 15:40
  Speaker 1: I don't know if he's off the wait list yet and I know he'll probably get in.
• 15:43
  Speaker 1: He's another sleeper.
• 15:44
  Speaker 1: He's another he could very well the kids got like a 20 minute incline yeah.
• 15:49
  Speaker 1: Shout out to Dorian gross as well, like Dorian's another way, I don't know.
• 15:52
  Speaker 1: 2022 can't really leave him out.
• 15:55
  Speaker 2: He's always, always fit coming off the ski season and uh and ready to go.
• 16:07
  Speaker 2: Uh, andy wacker, another one yeah, he's champ in 2022 champ in 2022?
• 16:13
  Speaker 2: Don't sounds like he's potentially.
• 16:16
  Speaker 1: Uh, like we talked about on the vk episode um, potentially not like he's coming off a little, like a little little injury.
• 16:23
  Speaker 1: He seems pretty fit.
• 16:24
  Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 16:24
  Speaker 2: But always I mean he's yeah, he's good to race with the best of them.
• 16:28
  Speaker 2: Other notables joseph demore uh, local here out of colorado, um killer.
• 16:34
  Speaker 2: And the 14ers, the dude, just, he's fast, he's yeah, uh.
• 16:40
  Speaker 2: Tyler mccandles, another one fort collins guy like I like him at a distance like this yes uh, great marathoner, I think the 23k will be perfect.
• 16:49
  Speaker 2: Uh, jesherin small another colorado guy yeah, um, for runs for adidas.
• 16:55
  Speaker 2: Right, he was what fifth last year at uh occ, I think it was yes, yeah, uh, no, he might haveCC.
• 17:02
  Speaker 1: I think it was yes.
• 17:02
  Speaker 1: Yeah, uh, no, he might've been third.
• 17:03
  Speaker 1: I think it was third.
• 17:04
  Speaker 1: Yeah, oh, wow, yeah.
• 17:04
  Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, solid, solid runner.
• 17:06
  Speaker 2: Um past him the other month going up gold Hill and he just looked.
• 17:10
  Speaker 2: He looked really strong.
• 17:12
  Speaker 2: Yeah, he said hi last year at mammoth, who I think people need to potentially get to know here, and that's grant colligan.
• 17:25
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I've got him on mine too.
• 17:25
  Speaker 2: Yeah, he is.
• 17:26
  Speaker 2: He's thrown down sometimes here, uh, on the on the trails in golden.
• 17:29
  Speaker 2: That, uh, I don't think you're going to be touched for some time it's pretty impressive he's.
• 17:34
  Speaker 2: I think he ran at school the mines, I believe.
• 17:37
  Speaker 2: I think he ran track for them so fast guy.
• 17:41
  Speaker 1: Is it Colligan or Cooligan?
• 17:44
  Speaker 2: Colligan.
• 17:44
  Speaker 1: Colligan, okay yeah.
• 17:45
  Speaker 2: C-O-L Colligan.
• 17:46
  Speaker 2: And then another notable name who everyone kind of knows in this community I feel like he's been around for a long time Patty O'Leary.
• 17:53
  Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah.
• 17:54
  Speaker 2: Dude can throw down.
• 17:55
  Speaker 1: Patty the baddie.
• 17:56
  Speaker 2: Can't leave him out dude.
• 18:04
  Speaker 1: There's like so many names, dude it's just, it's unbelievable.
• 18:08
  Speaker 2: I remember in the past it's just like even like last year, I think with making my predictions with like free trail, like it was maybe like five like stud studs.
• 18:17
  Speaker 2: Now you got like it's incredible, it's crazy, you can't even count it on two hands.
• 18:21
  Speaker 2: It's unbelievable, unbelievable.
• 18:23
  Speaker 2: The competition nowadays.
• 18:24
  Speaker 2: I'm gonna ruffle some feathers with my picks.
• 18:26
  Speaker 2: Yeah, let's hear it hear it.
• 18:27
  Speaker 1: So first place, christian Allen.
• 18:28
  Speaker 1: Wow, I know I can't bet, dude, I love Eli so much but I cannot.
• 18:35
  Speaker 1: It is so hard for me to bet against Christian Allen, I think.
• 18:38
  Speaker 1: So, all right, did you follow the race, the dirt circus race that he raced last year?
• 18:42
  Speaker 1: I mean, I don't know what.
• 18:56
  Speaker 2: Joe was basically coming off his season, so I don't know how serious he was about it.
• 18:57
  Speaker 1: But like, dude, he smoked joe and morgan elliott and like, just like, this is a 10k, yeah, the dirt circus in bentonville, arkansas, and like I said, like I and there was a prize purse, like it was like I would have imagined if, like, if you're coming out there to show up for a prize purse, like you're, especially you're there to race, he's really fucking good dude.
• 19:08
  Speaker 1: I think, like, if he's, if he shows up I mean, like I said, I I don't know, but like I think he wins this race, I'm gonna, like I said, save money, don't make money, and I think I think christian allen does it.
• 19:18
  Speaker 1: So I've got him in first, I've got eli in second, I've got kip and yago in third, patrick and diego, I've got darren thomas in fourth and I've got malachi bodin roseo, who I just butchered his name, I'm sorry, buddy in fifth.
• 19:31
  Speaker 1: Um, so those are my top five sleepers.
• 19:35
  Speaker 1: Let's get into the sleepers.
• 19:36
  Speaker 1: We could even talk about some of the storyline around my top five.
• 19:38
  Speaker 1: Like Kip and Diego, I think I think Patrick um is just such an incredible athlete, but I think that, like you did, like I don't know, these races sometimes start kind of late, like what's like?
• 19:47
  Speaker 1: I don't know, these races sometimes start kind of late, like what's like?
• 19:51
  Speaker 1: How adapted and how used to is he going to be to the time change and stuff like that.
• 19:55
  Speaker 1: Like I think there's all these little things going into it.
• 19:58
  Speaker 1: I could very well be full of shit and he just winds up, demolishes everybody.
• 20:01
  Speaker 1: Um, I think he's a little more vulnerable in these types of races than he is in like a vk.
• 20:06
  Speaker 1: You know, like see, do you see what he did at pike's peak ascent, I mean, you know, like second place, I believe, yeah, and and just incredible time, he's a phenomenal uphill runner and just so fit.
• 20:16
  Speaker 1: Um, there's a lot of fast smoking downhills in this race.
• 20:19
  Speaker 1: Like it's only 4 700 feet of climb I should say only for 13 and a half miles but like there is some really fast downhills and I think think someone like Christian can get away from you.
• 20:29
  Speaker 1: I think Darren Thomas can get away from you in times like this.
• 20:32
  Speaker 1: So, yeah, I think that that's a possibility.
• 20:35
  Speaker 1: I still have him in their place.
• 20:36
  Speaker 1: Other than that, like I'm excited to welcome back Darren Thomas.
• 20:39
  Speaker 1: I think Darren Thomas easily works his way into the top five.
• 20:42
  Speaker 2: That's a name I did forget.
• 20:43
  Speaker 1: He's so good, he's up there every time I mean dude, he's another one.
• 20:56
  Speaker 1: I hold the way I kind of view it is.
• 20:57
  Speaker 1: I hold people like Joe as the standard in our sport because he's the greatest of all time, in my opinion.
• 20:59
  Speaker 1: Dude Darren was clipping on his heels in 2020.
• 21:00
  Speaker 1: Wait, Andy won in 22, so it must have been Joe must have won in 21.
• 21:03
  Speaker 1: 21.
• 21:05
  Speaker 2: Yeah.
• 21:06
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I believe so, and Darren and Andy were like right behind Joe.
• 21:10
  Speaker 1: So I would put.
• 21:12
  Speaker 1: You know, I put Darren up there.
• 21:14
  Speaker 1: You know, I think he's a phenomenal athlete and you know, just coming off the injury I haven't talked to the guy, I don't really know, but I would imagine he's.
• 21:21
  Speaker 1: You know, dude, if you beat David Zuclair in a race, you're up, You're pretty good so yeah, some sleepers, I wouldn't even say sleepers.
• 21:32
  Speaker 1: I'm gonna put these people as as top top 10 people that will compete for the top 10.
• 21:35
  Speaker 1: First one's kieran day.
• 21:36
  Speaker 1: Um, can't count this guy out.
• 21:38
  Speaker 1: Every time, with the exception of last year, he's been at broken arrow.
• 21:41
  Speaker 1: He's worked his way into the top 10.
• 21:43
  Speaker 1: He's got a few ninth place finishes in both the vk as well as the um 23k.
• 21:48
  Speaker 1: So he, he could do both.
• 21:49
  Speaker 1: He can do it both and he's I, I think I, you know kieran, you, you heard the podcast, like you heard our conversation, like he's in a really good space and I think he's confident.
• 22:00
  Speaker 1: I think he's strong.
• 22:01
  Speaker 1: Um, I think he's still working his way into, you know form, you know he's building up for series and all you know and like, if you want to compete at that level, like these are the types of races you need to perform well at, as good training runs.
• 22:11
  Speaker 1: I think Kieran, um, yeah, I think Kieran's ready.
• 22:14
  Speaker 1: I think Kieran's ready to take that step forward.
• 22:16
  Speaker 1: Um, so I've been to put him up there.
• 22:18
  Speaker 1: I think Andy Wacker as well.
• 22:20
  Speaker 1: You cannot count on Andy Wacker.
• 22:21
  Speaker 1: He was the champion 2022.
• 22:22
  Speaker 1: Uh, you can't count out Chad Hall second, second in 2023.
• 22:26
  Speaker 1: Um, I've got joe smith.
• 22:27
  Speaker 1: Um wasp or tiva teammate joe to more.
• 22:30
  Speaker 1: Um, I do have grant cool again as well.
• 22:33
  Speaker 1: Um, another name that I think people are sleeping on is jacob dewey.
• 22:35
  Speaker 1: He's another former colorado springs guy, lives out in uh gunnison.
• 22:39
  Speaker 1: Um, this is like his friend dude.
• 22:42
  Speaker 1: His results are insane.
• 22:43
  Speaker 1: Uh, yeah, like, definitely look him up.
• 22:45
  Speaker 1: I guess I don't count out dewey.
• 22:48
  Speaker 1: Um also want to give a special shout out.
• 22:49
  Speaker 1: I'm very excited to see him race as benjamin townsend.
• 22:51
  Speaker 1: Um, ben's been on now two podcasts.
• 22:54
  Speaker 1: He's very fit.
• 22:55
  Speaker 1: He just came off a sky at sky race dmfc.
• 22:58
  Speaker 1: I think he could very well work.
• 22:59
  Speaker 1: If he has a great day, he works himself into the top 10 for sure.
• 23:02
  Speaker 1: Um, he's, he's his words.
• 23:04
  Speaker 1: He said he's as fit as he's ever been.
• 23:06
  Speaker 1: So I'm gonna take him on that word.
• 23:08
  Speaker 1: I think he, I think he fucking does it.
• 23:09
  Speaker 1: I mean, dude, he, his goal is to be one of the best.
• 23:12
  Speaker 1: Um, so you know, and he's so young, you know.
• 23:15
  Speaker 1: So, um, he's got his work cut out for him with ali poplin.
• 23:19
  Speaker 1: I've got him on there as well.
• 23:20
  Speaker 1: I think ali could very well work himself into the top 10.
• 23:23
  Speaker 1: Um, another name that people are forgetting about jp giblin is running the triple crown this year that was a name that I saw, uh ultra runner.
• 23:31
  Speaker 1: Um, you know he's a lead, he's the leadville champion, reigning leadville champion.
• 23:35
  Speaker 1: He'll be probably back there this year.
• 23:36
  Speaker 1: Um, yeah, he's something I just can't count out and just a nice dude.
• 23:40
  Speaker 1: So I met him last year.
• 23:41
  Speaker 1: He came out for western states and I was in the sauna at my hotel and I'm sitting next to him like oh my god, you're jp giblin, what's up, dude, and like the nicest guy and like we just hit it off and like just a really cool dude.
• 23:52
  Speaker 1: So I, he and I actually went the next day and watched the start of the 46k that morning.
• 23:57
  Speaker 1: So it was just interesting to get to hang out with him and talk to him and you know, I'm wishing him a great race I think I saw on his instagram.
• 24:03
  Speaker 2: I think he's coming off injury.
• 24:05
  Speaker 2: I want to say oh is he?
• 24:06
  Speaker 2: I have no idea yeah, yeah, so we'll see.
• 24:08
  Speaker 2: I think this is kind of like, I think, for a lot of these guys, um, a lot of people are running this as like a rust buster for like ultras going into the summer.
• 24:18
  Speaker 2: Yeah, um, something that I've noticed he's running the um triple crown yeah, the triple crown yep, exactly so, yep, yep, uh.
• 24:24
  Speaker 1: And then one more is remy larue.
• 24:26
  Speaker 1: Um, he stud, uh, he's a?
• 24:29
  Speaker 1: Um canadian runner runs for merrill.
• 24:31
  Speaker 1: Oh yeah, um, and he's, I believe, was a selection for the trail team for this year so he's a trail team selection, um, and andy knows how to pick up man, I mean he's.
• 24:41
  Speaker 1: He's a talent scout, if I've ever seen one.
• 24:43
  Speaker 1: So yeah, that's it.
• 24:46
  Speaker 1: That's all I got for the 23k as far as, like, uh, storylines and people you got anything to add to that?
• 24:52
  Speaker 2: um no, I think we touched it all.
• 24:54
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I'm just excited, excited to watch this live stream.
• 24:56
  Speaker 2: I love that this race is live streamed it's, it was it was high, intense last year, I remember.
• 25:01
  Speaker 2: I watched it a few times and it's, it's entertaining stuff it is.
• 25:04
  Speaker 2: It's so much fun great job, the the race director uh brandon madigan.
• 25:08
  Speaker 1: Brandon Madigan, incredible job.
• 25:09
  Speaker 2: Incredible job.
• 25:10
  Speaker 2: Apparently he puts a ton of his own money into this race and like barely I, just I respect that so much.
• 25:16
  Speaker 1: Dude, it's a.
• 25:17
  Speaker 1: It's a I have to be honest with you like a world class, like it, and it's well, I would say like take two of those and put them together, three of those, and like that's what you're getting.
• 25:31
  Speaker 1: Like broken.
• 25:32
  Speaker 1: I was a big race.
• 25:32
  Speaker 1: It's like I think the rut is the biggest race in America and I think broken arrow is probably second at this point.
• 25:35
  Speaker 1: Yeah, it's huge.
• 25:37
  Speaker 1: Yeah, it's it's.
• 25:38
  Speaker 1: It's kind of bizarre, kind of wild to think like there's that many, Like that many people show up weightless now, and they probably didn't have weightless a couple years ago.
• 25:46
  Speaker 1: No, and it hasn't been around like that long, like I think it's like started in like 16.
• 25:50
  Speaker 2: Yeah, that sounds about right.
• 25:51
  Speaker 2: So around the time of Zerk.
• 25:52
  Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 25:53
  Speaker 1: So it's interesting to see, like where, where we're at here with this.
• 25:56
  Speaker 1: And the other thing that like always kind of made me scratch my head, and I think the only reason that's not a golden trail year and I don't know any inside baseball, I'm not really sure.
• 26:06
  Speaker 1: If anybody knows about this, like you can message me and correct me.
• 26:09
  Speaker 1: I think it's the time of the year because I think later in the year, like like, for instance, like pikes and mammoth, they're so close to one another, um, you know.
• 26:16
  Speaker 1: And then now we have this new race, that's the headlines 27k.
• 26:19
  Speaker 1: I think they try a bunch of them out for, like when the athletes come over from europe.
• 26:22
  Speaker 1: So I think that's the only reason why it's not a golden trail series race yet, and it'd be interesting to see, like, how that would change if, if it was to become like a net like a true, like world series race.
• 26:34
  Speaker 1: Not saying I want that, but just interested to see, like what happens there.
• 26:37
  Speaker 1: The storyline yeah, excited, 23 K baby, let's go, let's go.
• 26:42
  Speaker 1: Thank you.