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2026 Western States 100 Men's Race Preview · Let's Talk Trail Running

0:00
SPEAKER_00: Hello, hello, hello, and welcome to Let's Talk Trail Running.
0:04
SPEAKER_00: This is your host, Robert Prosser.
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SPEAKER_00: And today, well, first of all, Merry States.
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SPEAKER_00: Miss everyone.
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SPEAKER_00: It's Western States, the most wonderful time of the trail running year.
0:16
SPEAKER_00: No catching up or intro since we just talked yesterday and did the women's preview.
0:20
SPEAKER_00: Today we are going to do the men's preview for the 2026 Western States 100.
0:25
SPEAKER_00: And man is it an exciting field that is shaping up.
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SPEAKER_00: We've got two of the greatest to ever do it in the trail running scene.
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SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so I've been, let's see, I've been prepping my notes all day.
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SPEAKER_00: I've been pretty excited.
1:34
SPEAKER_00: I've listened to some podcasts, but not any men's prediction ones.
1:38
SPEAKER_00: I did the same with yesterday before I got my woman's prediction,
1:42
SPEAKER_00: or basically I didn't listen to anything before because I didn't want
1:44
SPEAKER_00: to taint my picks or change anything.
1:47
SPEAKER_00: I've listened to some storylines,
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SPEAKER_00: but I haven't listened to anyone else's picks because I want my picks to be my own.
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SPEAKER_00: So with that being said,
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SPEAKER_00: let's jump into some of the storylines this year that I have identified.
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SPEAKER_00: And then similar to yesterday,
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SPEAKER_00: we're going to talk about the athletes that I think are the most slept on.
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SPEAKER_00: We're going to talk about the athletes that are the big dogs,
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SPEAKER_00: the ones that I think have the most obvious clout and chance to win coming
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SPEAKER_00: into this race.
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SPEAKER_00: And then similar to yesterday, great times, but something to prove here.
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SPEAKER_00: Another question I identified, who is the most deadly Frenchman on the racecourse?
3:21
SPEAKER_00: Who's the most likely to stake their name and have a really good performance here?
3:24
SPEAKER_00: Is it going to be Vincent Bouillard,
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SPEAKER_00: the UTMB champion,
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SPEAKER_00: coming back for redemption after a rough go-out Western last year?
3:30
SPEAKER_00: Or is it going to be Thomas Cardin,
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SPEAKER_00: a Kiprun athlete from France making his debut but has long been dreaming
3:36
SPEAKER_00: of Western states ever since he either studied or lived here as a kid,
3:40
SPEAKER_00: as a teenager, I want to say, with his family in California?
3:44
SPEAKER_00: Another question to identify, do we see a huge gap in a lot of attrition like last year?
3:48
SPEAKER_00: So last year, looking at the top 10, I'll just read it out to you guys right now.
3:52
SPEAKER_00: First place, Caleb Olson, 1411.
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SPEAKER_00: 2nd place Chris Myers 14.17 3rd place Kelly Journet 14.19 4th place Jeff McAvro
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SPEAKER_00: 14.30 Dan Jones 5th place 14.36 6th place Seth Ruling 14.59 and then
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SPEAKER_00: between 6th place and 7th place Ryan Montgomery Ryan Montgomery came in at 15.54 so
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SPEAKER_00: about 55 minutes almost an hour of time between 5th
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SPEAKER_00: and 6th big gap there 7th place Ryan Montgomery
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SPEAKER_00: or excuse me 8th place Hans Troyer 16.06
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SPEAKER_00: 9th place Peter Frano 1610 and 10th place Hiroki Kai 1622 so we saw a big gap we saw
4:30
SPEAKER_00: a lot of attrition some people blow up some people fade Rod Farvard was in that gap
4:35
SPEAKER_00: and made it to mile 93 and didn't finish he was suspecting some rhabdo
4:38
SPEAKER_00: or something along those lines and then we just saw a lot of people kind of fall off
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SPEAKER_00: the train and get chewed up and spit out basically in that in the train
4:47
SPEAKER_00: One other thing I want to point out about those top 10 athletes from last year,
4:53
SPEAKER_00: five of those athletes from last year were Western States debutantes.
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SPEAKER_00: So that's an important metric as well and something that we'll talk about as well.
5:02
SPEAKER_00: Another question or storyline identified,
5:04
SPEAKER_00: can we talk about the absolute stable of heavy-hitting dogs
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SPEAKER_00: that John Fitzpatrick has running this race?
5:13
SPEAKER_00: I didn't really think about it until I thought about the men's side,
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SPEAKER_00: but not only the men's side, also the women's side.
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SPEAKER_00: So John Fitzpatrick is coaching Adam Peterman, former Western States champion.
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SPEAKER_00: Jeff McGavro, fastest Western States debut in history last year, 1430.
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SPEAKER_00: And Will Murray has not run Western States,
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SPEAKER_00: just missed the starting line last year,
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SPEAKER_00: but feels like he probably would have been a favorite if he had won.
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SPEAKER_00: I think if he won Cannes, he would have been definitely
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SPEAKER_00: So my question for you guys is how many of,
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SPEAKER_00: we're talking about the men's side specifically today,
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SPEAKER_00: but even just of those four athletes, how many of them end up in the top five?
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SPEAKER_00: Because I think of the three men's,
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SPEAKER_00: at least one of them has to end up in the top five,
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SPEAKER_00: but I wouldn't be surprised to see multiple.
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SPEAKER_00: And then with Jen Lecter, it feels like she might be the odds-on favorite.
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SPEAKER_00: I think some people are probably picking her more than Abby Hall at this point.
6:30
SPEAKER_00: Alright,
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SPEAKER_00: next storyline identified,
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SPEAKER_00: Zack Miller,
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SPEAKER_00: Western States debut 12 years after getting his golden ticket
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SPEAKER_00: at Lake Sonoma 50 miler in 2014.
6:42
SPEAKER_00: Another thing around Zack Miller, does he keep his unbeaten streak against Hayden Hawks alive?
6:46
SPEAKER_00: He's 3-0 all time against Hayden Hawks.
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SPEAKER_00: Two TNF 50 races in 16 and 17, I want to say.
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SPEAKER_00: And most recently he just beat him at Canyons 100K,
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SPEAKER_00: which is not a course that I would really think that people would pick Zach
7:01
SPEAKER_00: over Hayden on, but yet he still beat him.
7:05
SPEAKER_00: Alright, another storyline identified.
7:07
SPEAKER_00: Less attrition in the starting lineup than it feels like in previous years.
7:13
SPEAKER_00: Other than
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SPEAKER_00: So, Caleb and Chris not choosing not to come back.
7:18
SPEAKER_00: Peter Crona not choosing not to come back.
7:20
SPEAKER_00: The only really huge drop in the field is David Sinclair,
7:23
SPEAKER_00: which is a bummer because I definitely had him
7:25
SPEAKER_00: in my top ten pre-announcing his drop.
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SPEAKER_00: I thought he was going to be a wonderful hunter.
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SPEAKER_00: Robrunsround Robrunsround Robrunsround Rob
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SPEAKER_00: Jester Runs Small,
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SPEAKER_00: Adidas Tarek's athlete currently living in Alaska,
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SPEAKER_00: but one of those Western Colorado Trail Team alumni guys.
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SPEAKER_00: And another Alaskan,
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SPEAKER_00: ironically,
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SPEAKER_00: Tracen Knopp,
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SPEAKER_00: North Face Athlete,
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SPEAKER_00: kind of slowly just kind of just that slow burn of throwing,
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SPEAKER_00: putting himself into some of the deepest fields and kind
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SPEAKER_00: of getting better every race he runs.
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SPEAKER_00: All right.
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SPEAKER_00: Another thing I want to point out is a list of things that would surprise me most.
10:02
SPEAKER_00: I was just kind of thinking through and said to myself,
10:05
SPEAKER_00: what would be an unexpected outcome or what would be something
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SPEAKER_00: that would really shock me if it happened?
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SPEAKER_00: So a couple of things that I listed down, honestly, Jim finishing it and not winning.
10:17
SPEAKER_00: I don't see a world.
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SPEAKER_00: It's hard for me to see Hans Troyer taking less than an hour off of his finish time
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SPEAKER_00: from last year.
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SPEAKER_00: Hans got eighth.
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SPEAKER_00: He ran a 16.06, a very, very good debut.
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SPEAKER_00: And it was a very, very hot year last year.
10:56
SPEAKER_00: But, you know,
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SPEAKER_00: that would not have gotten top 10 the year before when Chris Myers got 10th in 15,
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SPEAKER_00: 18.
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SPEAKER_00: I think it would have put him even like somewhere around like 13th or 14th place.
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SPEAKER_00: I mean, top 12, I think it was 15.35 that year.
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SPEAKER_00: So I'd be very surprised to see Hans running slower, I would say, than 15.06 this year.
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SPEAKER_00: Another thing I identified that I'd be surprised to see is not having at least one
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SPEAKER_00: of John Fitzpatrick's athletes in the top five.
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SPEAKER_00: And then last thing I said was Zach Miller not FAFO-ing.
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SPEAKER_00: So Zach Miller basically not sticking his nose in it and trying to be up there with everyone.
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SPEAKER_00: I don't necessarily know.
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SPEAKER_00: I don't know what to expect with Zach Miller and we'll talk more about that,
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SPEAKER_00: but I'm so excited that he's racing this race and he's just one
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SPEAKER_00: of my favorite people of all time.
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SPEAKER_00: So first category we want to talk about is the big dogs.
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SPEAKER_00: So people that have our favorite status,
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SPEAKER_00: people that are heavy hitters,
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SPEAKER_00: people that have proven themselves,
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SPEAKER_00: and people that, you know, have the possibility, no brainer to win this race.
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SPEAKER_00: There's two obvious big dogs that we know about, Jim and Killian.
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SPEAKER_00: And then I was on the fence with who I wanted to put a third or a fourth spot.
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SPEAKER_00: I'm putting basically the three returning Western States champions in
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SPEAKER_00: the big dog category because I think Adam Peterman deserves it and we'll talk more
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SPEAKER_00: about that.
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SPEAKER_00: I was on the fence with maybe Francesco or
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SPEAKER_00: Potentially Hans, but even then, I don't think he's quite earned that status yet.
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SPEAKER_00: But Jim, Killian, Adam Peterman.
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SPEAKER_00: So Jim, first and foremost,
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SPEAKER_00: if you're the four-time Western States champion,
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SPEAKER_00: you're going to get talked about first in my Western States preview any day of
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SPEAKER_00: the week.
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SPEAKER_00: Jim's back at his first Western State since 2024.
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SPEAKER_00: He has been on a heater of a winning streak going back to 2024 UTMB,
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SPEAKER_00: where he de-mept after Western, but even before that, he won Western.
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SPEAKER_00: So he really hasn't lost a race that he's finished since Western in 2024,
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SPEAKER_00: and hasn't really lost a race since UTMB in 2024.
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SPEAKER_00: We pulled out with some knee issues, I think, just beyond Cormier.
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SPEAKER_00: So he's going for his fifth win.
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SPEAKER_00: He is coming off a trail runner of the year last year after winning OCC,
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SPEAKER_00: Worlds, and what else did he win?
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SPEAKER_00: Chianti, smashed Chianti in the spring.
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SPEAKER_00: You gotta think that 2024 was a bit of a wake-up call.
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SPEAKER_00: I feel like we're gonna see a different racing strategy from Jim.
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SPEAKER_00: He lost a lot of time in the aid stations,
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SPEAKER_00: and he did tricks that worked for him in previous Western states,
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SPEAKER_00: but he hadn't run Western in a couple years,
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SPEAKER_00: and the game had kind of caught up to him.
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SPEAKER_00: All his tricks were kind of common knowledge,
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SPEAKER_00: but also his aid station time was just a lot less efficient than somebody like
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SPEAKER_00: Robrard, excuse me, who was up there racing with him and spent way less time in aid stations.
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SPEAKER_00: So on the negative side, he's got to rework his aid strategy and do a little faster.
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SPEAKER_00: But on the bright side,
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SPEAKER_00: that could be like 15 free minutes that he gets from his time that he won in,
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SPEAKER_00: what was it, 14, 14 in 2024.
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SPEAKER_00: So, you know, that could be a sub 14 right there if he didn't take
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SPEAKER_00: All right, Jim unfortunately has not raced this year in the lead up to Western.
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SPEAKER_00: He basically got the sponsor spot from Hoka,
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SPEAKER_00: although it seemed like he very much wanted to race Wakani 100K.
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SPEAKER_00: He was putting in some big training runs and big workouts with Francesca Pupi,
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SPEAKER_00: but for whatever reason, his knee or whatever wasn't quite 100%.
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SPEAKER_00: So I think he was also doing a lot of uphill threshold work
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SPEAKER_00: on his Wahoo Fitness treadmill or whatever.
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SPEAKER_00: So circling back,
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SPEAKER_00: something we talked about yesterday,
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SPEAKER_00: if you click on athletes and then you just go to search for an athlete,
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SPEAKER_00: you can click on them and it has
15:51
SPEAKER_00: So there is a database of results.
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SPEAKER_00: So it'll automatically go to the results page.
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SPEAKER_00: It'll find a certain amount of results.
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SPEAKER_00: It'll give you a category wins.
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SPEAKER_00: So for female, that would be like the female category.
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SPEAKER_00: But for men, that would pretty much be overall, unless the female beat them.
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SPEAKER_00: And then also category podiums and overall wins.
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SPEAKER_00: So it basically aggregates all the results that FreeTrail has
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SPEAKER_00: from different results databases,
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SPEAKER_00: UTMB, UTMB, Index, UltraSignUp, ITRA, all that good stuff.
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SPEAKER_00: I wanted to go dig into Jim's and Killian's.
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SPEAKER_00: We'll talk about Killian's in a second.
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SPEAKER_00: But Jim's percentage race wins are 71%, percentage category podiums 81%.
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SPEAKER_00: So we're saying that basically of the results that FreeTrail has on their database,
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SPEAKER_00: 71% of times, about three-fourths almost,
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SPEAKER_00: Jim is winning any race that he lines up to,
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SPEAKER_00: and 81% of the time, so about four-fifths, he is on the podium.
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SPEAKER_00: And like I said,
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SPEAKER_00: he's got a win streak going all the way back to 2024 UTMB,
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SPEAKER_00: and even before that he had Western States.
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SPEAKER_00: So really the last race that he lost,
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SPEAKER_00: that he finished,
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SPEAKER_00: was getting second place at Broken Arrow VK behind Patrick Kipp and Jano in 2024.
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SPEAKER_00: And then
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SPEAKER_00: going back to basically UTMB 2022.
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SPEAKER_00: So kind of nuts to see, but that is Jim.
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SPEAKER_00: I mean, he wins and sets course records anywhere he goes,
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SPEAKER_00: and he is defending his course record,
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SPEAKER_00: which is probably going to go down this year with how cool it's looking.
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SPEAKER_00: It very much feels like the temps are going to be absolutely great for
17:41
SPEAKER_00: a barn burner,
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SPEAKER_00: and so I'm curious how that shapes some of the race strategies
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SPEAKER_00: that athletes come out with.
17:47
SPEAKER_00: So next one we've got to talk about nationally, Killian Jornet.
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SPEAKER_00: So much talk, hype, speculation about the GOAT of trail running coming into this race.
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SPEAKER_00: To be perfectly honest,
17:58
SPEAKER_00: I have not listened to much of the media that Killian himself has put out
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SPEAKER_00: since dropping out of Zagama or finishing Zagama,
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SPEAKER_00: but really kind of being in the lead pack and then falling off and kind
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SPEAKER_00: of walking it in.
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SPEAKER_00: I have basically just heard other outlets like Free Trail and Singletrack talk about it.
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SPEAKER_00: So I have the gist, but I haven't heard it from the horse's mouth.
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SPEAKER_00: I know that he's taking,
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SPEAKER_00: or from what I understand, he's taking a creative approach to his buildup.
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SPEAKER_00: The downhills give him an issue with his knee and it's been a problem that's been
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SPEAKER_00: with him for 20 years, so half his life more or less.
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SPEAKER_00: And in a race that's net downhill and which downhills are crucial,
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SPEAKER_00: so you'd think that would be a huge disadvantage in Western States
18:36
SPEAKER_00: because Western States is such a downhill race and it's so important to be able
18:41
SPEAKER_00: to run downhill.
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SPEAKER_00: And yet,
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SPEAKER_00: This is Killian Jornay that we're talking about,
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SPEAKER_00: the same person that won UTMB with COVID in 2022,
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SPEAKER_00: and that was a week after he got fourth at Sears and all
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SPEAKER_00: when he first contracted COVID.
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SPEAKER_00: So it feels eerily similar for Killian to how he came into the race last year
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SPEAKER_00: when he had a disappointing Broken Arrow ascent and finished 23rd
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SPEAKER_00: or whatever it was.
19:07
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, 23rd.
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SPEAKER_00: And everyone was down on him saying, you know, is he kind of past his prime?
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SPEAKER_00: Is Killian,
19:14
SPEAKER_00: can he really be expected to do that well at Western if he just got 23rd in
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SPEAKER_00: the ascent and barely finished in front of Anna Gibson,
19:22
SPEAKER_00: I want to say, or Anna Gibson, but they didn't beat him.
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SPEAKER_00: And so it feels really, really similar.
19:28
SPEAKER_00: But how did Killian do last year?
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SPEAKER_00: Killian got third place,
19:31
SPEAKER_00: 14.19, took an hour and a half off his best time there, or an hour and 15.
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SPEAKER_00: I think it was 15.35 was his best time.
19:39
SPEAKER_00: And he just missed second by a matter of less than 100 seconds.
19:45
SPEAKER_00: So I want to say a minute and 30-something seconds to Chris Myers.
19:48
SPEAKER_00: And this has been talked about a lot on single track and free trail and I agree with it.
19:54
SPEAKER_00: It really just feels like it was a tactical error that Killian chose not to cover
19:58
SPEAKER_00: a move and that ended up costing him the race because he thought it was going
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SPEAKER_00: to come back more than it did.
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SPEAKER_00: Killian was closing like a bat out of hell.
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SPEAKER_00: Robrunsround Robrunsround Robrunsround
20:32
SPEAKER_00: Excuse me.
20:33
SPEAKER_00: So going to Killian's win percentage, he has 108 results in Fantasy Free Trails database.
20:41
SPEAKER_00: I'm sure he's got more than that all around, but that's how much they have.
20:44
SPEAKER_00: His category wins of 108 results.
20:48
SPEAKER_00: 85, Category 1s out of 108, so almost an 80% win percentage.
20:53
SPEAKER_00: And then Category Podiums, 97 out of 108, so a 90% podium with over 100 results.
21:01
SPEAKER_00: Obviously,
21:01
SPEAKER_00: like we talked about yesterday,
21:02
SPEAKER_00: not all races are created equal,
21:04
SPEAKER_00: but we know that Killian is lining up at some of the deepest fields in the game.
21:09
SPEAKER_00: If I'm looking at his results, Zagama,
21:11
SPEAKER_00: Western,
21:12
SPEAKER_00: Chianti,
21:13
SPEAKER_00: Sierras and All, Zagama, Iger,
21:16
SPEAKER_00: he just ran for fun,
21:17
SPEAKER_00: UTMB, Sierras and All, Hardrock, Zagama, Solomon, Ultrapeer New,
21:23
SPEAKER_00: Just so many good, deep, amazing races in Killian Jornet's career.
21:30
SPEAKER_00: So you gotta think that he loves competition.
21:33
SPEAKER_00: He loves putting himself in the deepest fields in the game.
21:36
SPEAKER_00: And this is no different.
21:37
SPEAKER_00: And I really think that's why.
21:39
SPEAKER_00: Robrunsround Robrunsround Robrunsround
22:02
SPEAKER_00: Yes, the knee stuff.
22:03
SPEAKER_00: Yes, all that.
22:04
SPEAKER_00: But I mean,
22:05
SPEAKER_00: if he's been running with it for 20 years, I mean,
22:06
SPEAKER_00: like I said,
22:07
SPEAKER_00: I don't know the specifics because I wasn't listening to it,
22:10
SPEAKER_00: but it feels like he just ripped a run on Western States course,
22:13
SPEAKER_00: like a 20-miler not that long ago.
22:15
SPEAKER_00: It looked good.
22:15
SPEAKER_00: I think he set crowns on pretty much all the segments he's got for like a handful.
22:19
SPEAKER_00: He got second fastest time that he's ever run.
22:23
SPEAKER_00: I don't know it could be the sandbag of all sandbags even a 85% Killian
22:28
SPEAKER_00: if anything maybe he's coming more fresh
22:29
SPEAKER_00: and he's got huge aerobic endurance gains off of his huge project that he did
22:35
SPEAKER_00: with all the 14ers and the lower 48 last year so yeah there's just so much to say
22:40
SPEAKER_00: about Killian and it's so hard to bet against him
22:42
SPEAKER_00: and I don't know it just it's Killian Jornet
22:49
SPEAKER_00: All right, next athlete I have in my big dog category is none other than Adam Peter God.
22:54
SPEAKER_00: It feels to me like you have to put a returning Western States champ in the big dog category.
23:00
SPEAKER_00: Adam has had some ups and downs in the past three years coming off
23:03
SPEAKER_00: of his phenomenal 2022 season in which he won both the Canons 100K in Western States
23:10
SPEAKER_00: and his debut 100K and debut 100 miler.
23:13
SPEAKER_00: It feels like
23:15
SPEAKER_00: Adam Peterman is coming off a statement win over Hayden Hawks and Zach Miller at Canyon
23:30
SPEAKER_00: 100K, which punched his ticket back into Western States.
23:33
SPEAKER_00: He is definitely looking to capture that momentum and recreate the magic
23:36
SPEAKER_00: from his 2022 unbeaten season when he also went on to win World's Long Trail
23:41
SPEAKER_00: in Thailand as well as Chukna in the spring.
23:44
SPEAKER_00: So he was kind of on a tear that year.
23:45
SPEAKER_00: I think he had like 8 or 10 ultra-wind streak going into it.
23:50
SPEAKER_00: Out of Peterburn,
23:51
SPEAKER_00: like we mentioned earlier,
23:52
SPEAKER_00: is one of the Fitzpatrick,
23:53
SPEAKER_00: John Fitzpatrick contention,
23:55
SPEAKER_00: and it feels foolish if you don't have at least one of the Fitzpatrick Fitboys
24:01
SPEAKER_00: in your top five and probably multiple in your top ten picks.
24:05
SPEAKER_00: Of the three fit boys,
24:06
SPEAKER_00: I think both Adam and Will Murray,
24:08
SPEAKER_00: not I think,
24:10
SPEAKER_00: I know they have put all their training on Strava,
24:12
SPEAKER_00: or at least it looks like a typical Western States training block.
24:15
SPEAKER_00: We're talking some 20 hour weeks,
24:17
SPEAKER_00: 120 to 140 miles a week,
24:20
SPEAKER_00: while Jeff McGavro is Strava Dark in his build up to Western States.
24:24
SPEAKER_00: So that's a big dog category, those three guys.
24:27
SPEAKER_00: Next, people to talk about great times at Western States, but something to prove at this race.
24:33
SPEAKER_00: First one we're going to talk about is none other than Hayden Hawks.
24:36
SPEAKER_00: Hoka athlete from Cedar City, Utah.
24:38
SPEAKER_00: Been on the scene since he won, I want to say a speed goat in his debut in 2016.
24:44
SPEAKER_00: Perennial threat whenever he is coming into Western States healthy and has yet
24:49
SPEAKER_00: to get the big W here despite having some great performances that have landed him
24:53
SPEAKER_00: as second and third place in years where Adam and Jim won.
24:57
SPEAKER_00: Payton pivoted hard this year,
24:59
SPEAKER_00: originally signed up for Trans-Grand Canaria,
25:01
SPEAKER_00: so a pretty vertical race that people use in February as kind of like
25:05
SPEAKER_00: an early season tune-up for UTMB and kind of troubleshooting some running overnight
25:12
SPEAKER_00: and things like that, using poles, gear carrying, all that good stuff.
25:15
SPEAKER_00: And so he hurt his knee in the training camp for Trans Gran Canaria
25:20
SPEAKER_00: and he publicly stated that he had goals of racing UTMB initially coming into
25:23
SPEAKER_00: the year.
25:24
SPEAKER_00: But after that,
25:24
SPEAKER_00: he injured Gran Canaria,
25:26
SPEAKER_00: shifted his focus,
25:27
SPEAKER_00: really said he was more motivated by Western States and going back to race there.
25:31
SPEAKER_00: And you gotta think that the
25:32
SPEAKER_00: Jim, Killian,
25:34
SPEAKER_00: and Granite Chief Holderness combination has got him excited to be back at Western.
25:43
SPEAKER_00: He got third place and his golden ticket at Kane is 100k.
25:46
SPEAKER_00: Got to be one of the coolest crops of
25:49
SPEAKER_00: Robrunsround Rob
26:05
SPEAKER_00: Zach Miller,
26:06
SPEAKER_00: who wins a Golden Ticket to Western States 12 years
26:10
SPEAKER_00: after his first one Golden Ticket that he denied.
26:12
SPEAKER_00: And then Hayden Hawks,
26:14
SPEAKER_00: who has been,
26:15
SPEAKER_00: like I said,
26:16
SPEAKER_00: a perennial favorite at Western and knows how to run this race super duper well.
26:21
SPEAKER_00: Hayden is still 0-3 all-time against Zach Miller,
26:23
SPEAKER_00: which is an interesting stat that you would not necessarily guess.
26:28
SPEAKER_00: Hayden definitely feels like he has the edge over Zach at Western States
26:31
SPEAKER_00: and he's got to be a favorite between them because he's both got the experience.
26:35
SPEAKER_00: He's run the seventh fastest time ever in Western States history at 14-24-31.
26:38
SPEAKER_00: So Hayden...
26:42
SPEAKER_00: Definitely a good pick,
26:44
SPEAKER_00: definitely interested to see how he races this year,
26:47
SPEAKER_00: and definitely curious if he can finally get a win.
26:49
SPEAKER_00: He's never beat Jim Walmsley in his life,
26:54
SPEAKER_00: or Zach Miller for that matter,
26:57
SPEAKER_00: so I'll be curious if he can edge out one or both of those guys.
27:02
SPEAKER_00: Next athlete in the Great Times, but something to prove at Western States category.
27:06
SPEAKER_00: is somebody that I'm really,
27:08
SPEAKER_00: really excited for this race and I think is going to have
27:10
SPEAKER_00: a really good day out there.
27:11
SPEAKER_00: I'm very, very bullish on them.
27:13
SPEAKER_00: It's none other than Anthony Costales, Salt Lake City area resident Nike ACG athlete.
27:20
SPEAKER_00: who made his debut Western with a third place finish in 2023.
27:26
SPEAKER_00: Like I was saying,
27:30
SPEAKER_00: I think Anthony might be one of the best positioned runners to throw down
27:34
SPEAKER_00: an outstanding performance here at this year's Western.
27:37
SPEAKER_00: It's a combination of his speed, his kind of flying under the radar,
27:43
SPEAKER_00: And with all the hype around Jim Killian and I would even say Hans Troyer,
27:48
SPEAKER_00: I think he's getting a lot of hype because of how popular he is on social media.
27:52
SPEAKER_00: And the fact that Anthony is being paced by the same Western States champion
27:58
SPEAKER_00: that he paced to win last year for a significant portion of that back half.
28:03
SPEAKER_00: That all combines to make me think that Anthony Costales is in a prime position
28:07
SPEAKER_00: to surprise people in a really good way.
28:10
SPEAKER_00: Exceed Expectations and had a hell of a day out at Western.
28:14
SPEAKER_00: He probably, if I,
28:16
SPEAKER_00: from what I can tell,
28:17
SPEAKER_00: he's got the fastest marathon PR in the field, having run a 213 in 2017.
28:22
SPEAKER_00: And I think it was at CIM, but I couldn't find it.
28:24
SPEAKER_00: And that was pre-super shoe or super shoes that come out,
28:27
SPEAKER_00: but they weren't available to the public.
28:29
SPEAKER_00: So 213 in 2017, pretty nuts.
28:32
SPEAKER_00: I think that has even Francesco's marathon PR,
28:35
SPEAKER_00: be it I think Francesco's 214 or 215, maybe even 216.
28:40
SPEAKER_00: So, to be fair,
28:41
SPEAKER_00: I think Jim and possibly Adam Peterman could probably run a faster time than 213.
28:49
SPEAKER_00: Maybe not.
28:50
SPEAKER_00: Maybe pre-super shoes, but definitely post-super shoes.
28:52
SPEAKER_00: So, regardless, though, this isn't a marathon, it's a 100-mile race.
28:55
SPEAKER_00: That's mighty impressive,
28:56
SPEAKER_00: and Anthony Costales definitely has some of the best leg speed in the field.
29:00
SPEAKER_00: And, yeah,
29:02
SPEAKER_00: puts him in a lead category with people in this race
29:04
SPEAKER_00: that will have no problem rolling, you know, low sixes on the downhills.
29:07
SPEAKER_00: So Anthony Casales,
29:09
SPEAKER_00: this is also combined with his stellar third place debut in his first Western States
29:14
SPEAKER_00: in 2023.
29:15
SPEAKER_00: He has not been back since.
29:19
SPEAKER_00: He's kind of had an injury-plagued year in 2024 that kept him off the line.
29:24
SPEAKER_00: And then 2025,
29:25
SPEAKER_00: I think he just kind of mixed it up and did some different races and wanted
29:28
SPEAKER_00: to come back when he felt ready.
29:30
SPEAKER_00: So he came back and raced at Black Canyon,
29:32
SPEAKER_00: second place under the course record,
29:34
SPEAKER_00: just behind Hans Troyer, did what he needed to do to get that golden ticket.
29:38
SPEAKER_00: And I think he saved a little...
29:40
SPEAKER_00: I don't know that he could beat Hans on that day,
29:41
SPEAKER_00: but he also knew he didn't need to do anything more to get his golden ticket.
29:46
SPEAKER_00: Yeah,
29:46
SPEAKER_00: I think I see Anthony learning from his very impressive first Western States go
29:51
SPEAKER_00: and making a huge improvement and lowering his time by a big margin.
29:56
SPEAKER_00: Next athlete,
29:57
SPEAKER_00: New Zealand's very own Adidas Terex athlete,
30:00
SPEAKER_00: Dan Jones, about as steady as it gets on the men's side of the field.
30:04
SPEAKER_00: He has been consistently impressive here,
30:07
SPEAKER_00: just hasn't had that big win out in California at Western States yet.
30:13
SPEAKER_00: His finishes are 5th, 4th,
30:15
SPEAKER_00: and 5th place finishes,
30:16
SPEAKER_00: so he's going for his 4th top 10 in a row, or 4th top 5 in a row, really.
30:21
SPEAKER_00: And his times ranged from 15.22 to 14.32 to 14.36 last year.
30:28
SPEAKER_00: Last year, it kind of felt like Dan Jones was kind of a sleeper favorite for
30:34
SPEAKER_00: Robrunsround
30:57
SPEAKER_00: But unfortunately, last year he just never was really in the mix.
31:01
SPEAKER_00: I was looking at the Iron Far article,
31:03
SPEAKER_00: I think he was like 11th and moved in the top 10 around 30-something miles.
31:07
SPEAKER_00: And then he just kind of moved up the field through the back half,
31:10
SPEAKER_00: passing Seth Roling as late as like mile 85 or 90 to move into fifth place.
31:14
SPEAKER_00: So yeah, he was never really in the mix despite having another really, really impressive result.
31:22
SPEAKER_00: And sometimes I wonder if Dan Jones peaks a little too early
31:26
SPEAKER_00: in our North American season because he's always so dang fit at Tarawara.
31:31
SPEAKER_00: But Tarawara is almost five full months before Western States.
31:35
SPEAKER_00: So he kind of is left with like a whole nother five months of training
31:39
SPEAKER_00: where he's got a, I mean, he races other races in the meantime.
31:41
SPEAKER_00: He's done UTA 50K each of the last two years.
31:44
SPEAKER_00: And then last year he did Lake Sonoma, this year he did not.
31:47
SPEAKER_00: So, yeah, I'm curious if he's trying to still get that balance right.
31:51
SPEAKER_00: It felt like last year was his year to kind of take the cake.
31:54
SPEAKER_00: And I'm not going to say fifth was disappointing,
31:56
SPEAKER_00: but it was surprising that he wasn't more in the mix up there with Chris and Caleb
32:02
SPEAKER_00: and Killian mixing it up, trying to go out for that win.
32:05
SPEAKER_00: So Dan Jones, yeah, feels like a safe pick for anybody's top 10.
32:11
SPEAKER_00: Next athlete coming in with some of the most heat and hype in the field,
32:17
SPEAKER_00: Hoka, Young and Fit, Hans Troyer, the kid, Hans the Kid Troyer.
32:23
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, he is on a tear and a bit
32:26
SPEAKER_00: Robrunsround Robrunsround Robrunsround Robrunsround Robrunsround Robrunsround
32:29
SPEAKER_00: Robrunsround Robrunsround Robrunsround Robrunsround Robrunsround Robrunsround
32:31
SPEAKER_00: Robrunsround Robrunsround Rob
32:42
SPEAKER_00: Robrunsround Robrunsround
33:03
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, you gotta think Jim's one of his idols.
33:05
SPEAKER_00: Jim's somebody he looks up to,
33:06
SPEAKER_00: so I think he's gonna be coming out trying to stick it with Jim as long as possible,
33:11
SPEAKER_00: and yeah, we'll see how it goes.
33:15
SPEAKER_00: Next athlete,
33:16
SPEAKER_00: Jeff McAvro,
33:18
SPEAKER_00: second of our Fitzpatrick fit boys that we're talking about today,
33:23
SPEAKER_00: coming off of the fastest debut Western States in history.
33:29
SPEAKER_00: 14 hours and 30 minutes for fourth place.
33:31
SPEAKER_00: Spent most of the day battling with Killian, which was super duper impressive.
33:36
SPEAKER_00: Went on later on in the year to DNF at UTMB,
33:40
SPEAKER_00: but then bounced back with a win in a very impressive Ultra Trail Cape Town 100,
33:45
SPEAKER_00: where he battled with Dmitry Miettyev.
33:47
SPEAKER_00: I think he even went off course and still ended up winning by,
33:49
SPEAKER_00: I want to say like two or three minutes.
33:51
SPEAKER_00: It was less than five minutes when all was said and done with the 11-hour race.
33:55
SPEAKER_00: So far this year, he has raced at Chianti, which was a little bit underwhelming, sixth place.
34:00
SPEAKER_00: Didn't have his best day out there.
34:01
SPEAKER_00: Didn't love the course,
34:02
SPEAKER_00: which seems like a lot of Americans kind of think that course sucks, quite frankly.
34:07
SPEAKER_00: And then it looks like he ran Don't Fence Me in 30K.
34:09
SPEAKER_00: He has been Strava Dark, so it's tough to know where he's at.
34:14
SPEAKER_00: But it sounds like based off his Substack and what I can gather from his interview,
34:18
SPEAKER_00: which I haven't listened to, but I've seen clips of,
34:20
SPEAKER_00: It seems like he's in a really,
34:22
SPEAKER_00: really good place,
34:23
SPEAKER_00: and he's really ready to throw it out,
34:25
SPEAKER_00: and he's been putting in some of the best training of his life,
34:28
SPEAKER_00: despite us not being able to see it on Strava, which is kind of a bummer.
34:31
SPEAKER_00: So I'm really curious to see about Jeff.
34:34
SPEAKER_00: I think his stock is high.
34:35
SPEAKER_00: I think the hype is high.
34:37
SPEAKER_00: Sometimes that's a good thing.
34:38
SPEAKER_00: Sometimes it's a bad thing.
34:39
SPEAKER_00: I think he's coming in from a mentally healthy place,
34:42
SPEAKER_00: so I think he's going to look to repeat and have another good day out there.
34:51
SPEAKER_00: Next athlete who has run,
34:53
SPEAKER_00: has a good time here,
34:55
SPEAKER_00: but has run good times here,
34:57
SPEAKER_00: but has something to prove is going to be Ryan Montgomery.
34:59
SPEAKER_00: And he is
35:01
SPEAKER_00: Probably easily the least hyped of the returning top 10 men,
35:05
SPEAKER_00: other than maybe Hiroki Kai,
35:07
SPEAKER_00: but with the most legitimate shot to go top 10 here coming back, if I had to guess.
35:14
SPEAKER_00: He ran a super smart race to a 7th place finish last year in Western,
35:18
SPEAKER_00: and then he was also top 10 the year that Courtney set her course record.
35:22
SPEAKER_00: He was just behind her for a 6th male and 7th overall finish in
35:28
SPEAKER_00: So Ryan's best two times are 15.54 last year which got him 7th and 15.38 in 2023
35:31
SPEAKER_00: which got him just behind Courtney and he raced in 2024 at Western but had
35:34
SPEAKER_00: a rough day out, finished in 18 hours and 34 minutes.
35:49
SPEAKER_00: I don't totally see Ryan in the mix for a top 10 unless there is some carnage
35:54
SPEAKER_00: that strings apart the field like last year where we get a big gap,
35:58
SPEAKER_00: in which case he tends to race really smart and could scoop up another back half at
36:02
SPEAKER_00: the top 10.
36:04
SPEAKER_00: But I think it's very likely he's in the top 15 and is going to finish this race
36:07
SPEAKER_00: and race really smart.
36:09
SPEAKER_00: All right, athletes, we're going to talk about yet to have a good race here.
36:12
SPEAKER_00: We got two in that category.
36:13
SPEAKER_00: Vincent Bouillard.
36:15
SPEAKER_00: and Jupiter Carrera Casas.
36:17
SPEAKER_00: So Vincent Ballard,
36:18
SPEAKER_00: the 2024 UTMB champion from France,
36:22
SPEAKER_00: HOKA footwear designer turned UTMB champion,
36:25
SPEAKER_00: now part-time HOKA worker and also HOKA pro athlete.
36:30
SPEAKER_00: So it's his second year in a row getting a golden ticket at Chianti both times,
36:35
SPEAKER_00: this time with a second place?
36:38
SPEAKER_00: No, I think it was third place this year.
36:40
SPEAKER_00: And then last year with it.
36:42
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so with third places both times, I'm pretty sure.
36:45
SPEAKER_00: Vincent Villard struggled pretty early in the race last year and was never really in the mix.
36:49
SPEAKER_00: He dropped pretty early in the race as well.
36:51
SPEAKER_00: He came out with a lead pack through Duncan Canyon,
36:53
SPEAKER_00: so like 24th mile,
36:55
SPEAKER_00: and then he dropped back to 11 by mile 30, only to eventually drop.
36:58
SPEAKER_00: You got to think that he took whatever went wrong last year that he learned from it
37:03
SPEAKER_00: and is potentially leaning heavily on his friend and confidant.
37:07
SPEAKER_00: and four-time Western States Champion Jim to help him out with some tips and tricks.
37:11
SPEAKER_00: Between our two resident French competitors,
37:14
SPEAKER_00: I think I'm giving the edge to Thomas Cardin,
37:17
SPEAKER_00: despite it being his 100-mile debut and it not being Vincent.
37:21
SPEAKER_00: Thomas had the edge in Chianti in spring,
37:24
SPEAKER_00: and I think he's very mature in taking Western States super seriously,
37:27
SPEAKER_00: despite it being his 100-mile and Western debut.
37:32
SPEAKER_00: Next athlete,
37:32
SPEAKER_00: Jupiter Carrera Casas,
37:34
SPEAKER_00: Mexican runner for Kraft,
37:36
SPEAKER_00: who shocked the entire trail community in 2024 when he ran Black Canyon 100K to
37:42
SPEAKER_00: a second place behind Hayden Hawks in road Adidas shoes.
37:47
SPEAKER_00: He raced Western States that year to go to a 17-14 finish in 2024,
37:50
SPEAKER_00: which was good enough for 17th place.
37:54
SPEAKER_00: I believe this year he got in off a GU sponsor spot and is most likely looking
37:58
SPEAKER_00: to learn and improve from his performance in 2024.
38:02
SPEAKER_00: This spring leading up to Western,
38:04
SPEAKER_00: he has raced to 6th place at Black Canyon 50K,
38:07
SPEAKER_00: 10th place in a historically fast time at Transvalconia, where he ran 7.06.
38:13
SPEAKER_00: A time that would win the race many years,
38:15
SPEAKER_00: yet all the top six runners went under the 11-year-old previous course record
38:20
SPEAKER_00: because of how fast the day it was.
38:22
SPEAKER_00: I don't see YouBitter in the top ten personally,
38:25
SPEAKER_00: but I do think he will improve a lot on his time from last race in
38:29
SPEAKER_00: that he's very much a threat to still get points or be in the top 15.
38:34
SPEAKER_00: Alright,
38:35
SPEAKER_00: next category that's kind of broken into two,
38:37
SPEAKER_00: we've got Never Raced Western and Competing for the Win.
38:40
SPEAKER_00: So I've got two people in that category, Will Murray and Francesco Pupi.
38:46
SPEAKER_00: Starting off with Will Murray, the last of the Fitzpatrick boys that we've got to talk about.
38:52
SPEAKER_00: I think Will is similar to...
38:58
SPEAKER_00: Who are we talking about?
38:59
SPEAKER_00: I think Will Murray is in a similar place as Anthony Costales,
39:02
SPEAKER_00: where he's kind of in the perfect place coming off a disappointing race at
39:04
SPEAKER_00: the Canyons 100K.
39:07
SPEAKER_00: And not that you ever want to lose a race,
39:10
SPEAKER_00: but I think all eyes would have been on him if he went from Javelina course record
39:14
SPEAKER_00: to Canyons 100K win in the stacked field.
39:18
SPEAKER_00: And so I think
39:21
SPEAKER_00: Yeah,
39:21
SPEAKER_00: I think he would have been talked about and had a ton of momentum kind of up there
39:24
SPEAKER_00: with Hans.
39:25
SPEAKER_00: Tons of pressure,
39:26
SPEAKER_00: tons of people expecting you to do good and tons of people talking about your name.
39:31
SPEAKER_00: And so that creates a ton of pressure mentally.
39:33
SPEAKER_00: Some people can handle it, some people can't.
39:35
SPEAKER_00: But I think that Will Murray
39:36
SPEAKER_00: Robrunsround Robrux
39:51
SPEAKER_00: Robrux suits Will insanely well and I think his official debut after just missing
39:56
SPEAKER_00: the start line last year will be very impressive and that we're in for a show.
40:00
SPEAKER_00: His training is totally public on Strava along with Adams
40:04
SPEAKER_00: and it has looked really really quality out there a lot of 20 hour weeks 120
40:09
SPEAKER_00: to 140 mile weeks he's kind of cut back on the bike volume he'll still bike like one
40:13
SPEAKER_00: to four hours a week a week on top of that but really just focusing on
40:16
SPEAKER_00: that run volume and getting it up in that like
40:19
SPEAKER_00: 16 to 20-hour range for his big training weeks.
40:28
SPEAKER_00: So going back to a stat that I mentioned last year,
40:32
SPEAKER_00: we had five Western States debuts in the top 10 podium.
40:36
SPEAKER_00: I think that Will Murray is very much competing for Western States debut and
40:41
SPEAKER_00: a podium and that it's very likely that he continues that streak
40:47
SPEAKER_00: of debutants getting in the top 10.
40:50
SPEAKER_00: Next athlete is Francesco Pupi.
40:53
SPEAKER_00: Probably one of the most talked about and exciting Western States debuts in
40:57
SPEAKER_00: the field this year,
40:58
SPEAKER_00: if not the most exciting one,
41:01
SPEAKER_00: as like the most decorated athlete to come and race their first Western this year.
41:07
SPEAKER_00: I think he would have been a favorite.
41:11
SPEAKER_00: I think, yeah,
41:11
SPEAKER_00: he would have been an early season favorite,
41:12
SPEAKER_00: no doubt, pre-Black Canyon 100K this year.
41:16
SPEAKER_00: But he's had a bit of a rocky build-up to Western this spring,
41:18
SPEAKER_00: both falling and dislocating his shoulder at Black Canyon,
41:22
SPEAKER_00: so not finishing that race,
41:23
SPEAKER_00: and then he bounced back to have a really good Chianti win the marathon
41:26
SPEAKER_00: over Daniel Pattis in a course record,
41:28
SPEAKER_00: only to break his wrist the week after that and have to get surgery
41:33
SPEAKER_00: and messing up parts of his training leading up to his Western States block.
41:38
SPEAKER_00: So this will not only be Francesco Pupi's debut Western States,
41:42
SPEAKER_00: but also his debut 100-mile race as well.
41:45
SPEAKER_00: He won CCC last year in 10 hours and 6 minutes, so that's his longest race to date so far.
41:52
SPEAKER_00: I don't...
41:53
SPEAKER_00: I really...
41:53
SPEAKER_00: Robrunsround Rob
42:09
SPEAKER_00: Francesco is still undeniably one of the most talented ultra runners in this field,
42:14
SPEAKER_00: and it feels like his step up to 100 miles has been extremely measured
42:17
SPEAKER_00: and methodical,
42:18
SPEAKER_00: only coming when he and his longtime coach,
42:21
SPEAKER_00: I think his coach has been his coach for almost 20 years,
42:24
SPEAKER_00: maybe not 20, but I think like 13, 14, 15.
42:27
SPEAKER_00: Robrunsround only once they both felt like they were truly ready to make the jump.
42:31
SPEAKER_00: He, you know,
42:32
SPEAKER_00: passed up golden tickets,
42:33
SPEAKER_00: passed up opportunities to run Western and said, okay,
42:37
SPEAKER_00: when I'm ready,
42:37
SPEAKER_00: I'm going to come and I'm going to make sure I can be able to get my best.
42:40
SPEAKER_00: So Francesco to me feels similar or parallel to Jim Lichter's road to get
42:45
SPEAKER_00: to 100 miler and to get to Western States.
42:47
SPEAKER_00: Although I would argue,
42:50
SPEAKER_00: so like both of them were really measured and getting there and choosing when
42:53
SPEAKER_00: to step up the distance.
42:55
SPEAKER_00: But I would argue,
42:55
SPEAKER_00: I think,
42:56
SPEAKER_00: objectively,
42:56
SPEAKER_00: Francesco is a more decorated athlete than Jen,
42:59
SPEAKER_00: albeit he is older by a couple of years than Jen Lichter.
43:03
SPEAKER_00: And I think Jen very much will get there.
43:05
SPEAKER_00: But I would say that,
43:06
SPEAKER_00: you know,
43:06
SPEAKER_00: in some ways,
43:06
SPEAKER_00: Francesco could be considered an even more exciting debutante because, I mean,
43:10
SPEAKER_00: he is a CCC champion and he also has,
43:14
SPEAKER_00: you know, podiums at major, major events, worlds and other things like that.
43:20
SPEAKER_00: So one thing that I found curious, Francesco
43:27
SPEAKER_00: Let's see, Francesco head-to-head against Jim is 0-4, so he's never beat Jim.
43:33
SPEAKER_00: They raced at Worlds last year.
43:35
SPEAKER_00: They raced at Golden Trail Finals 2020.
43:38
SPEAKER_00: They raced at Worlds Trail Marathon Championships in 2019 in a battle only
43:45
SPEAKER_00: about less than two minutes apart.
43:47
SPEAKER_00: And then they raced at Sierra Zanal in 2019.
43:50
SPEAKER_00: So Francesco has never beat Jim head-to-head, which is definitely interesting.
43:55
SPEAKER_00: And he often talks about how he looks up to Jim.
43:59
SPEAKER_00: Alright,
43:59
SPEAKER_00: so those are the two athletes that have never raced Western,
44:02
SPEAKER_00: but in my opinion are competing and good enough for competing for a win.
44:07
SPEAKER_00: So the other side of this coin of never race Western is the athletes
44:13
SPEAKER_00: that are competing for top 10 and legitimate contenders.
44:16
SPEAKER_00: So, Thomas Cardin, Kiprin athlete from France.
44:20
SPEAKER_00: Like I said, he's got my pick for top Frenchy racing Western over Vincent Bouillard.
44:25
SPEAKER_00: He is flying under the hyperator since he basically has only raced in Europe up to this point.
44:30
SPEAKER_00: Despite being a European champion,
44:32
SPEAKER_00: a Templier champion,
44:33
SPEAKER_00: and an A6 St.
44:34
SPEAKER_00: Lyon champion to go along with beating Vincent Bouillard seemingly effortlessly
44:39
SPEAKER_00: at this year's Cianti race for a golden ticket.
44:42
SPEAKER_00: Like I mentioned earlier, he's talked about it and I think I've read about it.
44:47
SPEAKER_00: He spent time in the United States as a kid.
44:49
SPEAKER_00: I don't remember if he studied abroad or if he just spent a summer out here
44:52
SPEAKER_00: with his parents and I think it was in California.
44:54
SPEAKER_00: Basically,
44:55
SPEAKER_00: he has had a dream of coming back and racing Western States since,
44:58
SPEAKER_00: but he's just been grinding away and building his trail chops and having some of
45:02
SPEAKER_00: the best results in Europe and has not raced in the States yet.
45:08
SPEAKER_00: And he also talks publicly about how he views Western States as a multiyear project,
45:13
SPEAKER_00: probably race it the first time to learn,
45:16
SPEAKER_00: have a learning curve,
45:17
SPEAKER_00: get in the top 10, and then come back with the intent to win it.
45:20
SPEAKER_00: So he is a gamer.
45:22
SPEAKER_00: I don't know how perfectly he'll follow that strategy,
45:24
SPEAKER_00: but I think he will be keeping in mind when he is racing this weekend.
45:28
SPEAKER_00: And, yeah, it just feels like he has a lot of reverence and respect for the course.
45:32
SPEAKER_00: So he's studied it.
45:34
SPEAKER_00: He knows it.
45:34
SPEAKER_00: I don't know how much he's been out on course running it or any of those details.
45:39
SPEAKER_00: He is Strava public,
45:41
SPEAKER_00: but it doesn't look like he posts all of his training
45:43
SPEAKER_00: because he's also done other races and things like that in
45:45
SPEAKER_00: the spring besides County.
45:48
SPEAKER_00: He also ran 100K in, let's see, so...
45:53
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, Chianti ran just 110 hours in March.
45:55
SPEAKER_00: He had another 100K that I didn't even realize,
45:57
SPEAKER_00: which he ran in about nine hours the second week of May.
46:01
SPEAKER_00: So that means both of his longest races of his entire life have come in
46:04
SPEAKER_00: the past four months of this year.
46:06
SPEAKER_00: I think he is more likely than any of the other first-timers,
46:09
SPEAKER_00: maybe other than Francesco, to end up running into the top 10.
46:16
SPEAKER_00: Next athlete,
46:17
SPEAKER_00: the beloved Zach Miller,
46:19
SPEAKER_00: the little engine that could,
46:20
SPEAKER_00: one of my favorite athletes of all time,
46:22
SPEAKER_00: and literally the definition of a try hard,
46:25
SPEAKER_00: but I mean that in the best and most loving way possible because when he tries hard,
46:30
SPEAKER_00: amazing things happen and all of us are better off for seeing him.
46:34
SPEAKER_00: Robrunsend Robrunsend Robrunsend Robrunsend Robrunsend Robrunsend Robrunsend
46:38
SPEAKER_00: Robrunsend Robrunsend Robrunsend Robrunsend Robrunsend Robrunsend Robrunsend
46:40
SPEAKER_00: Robrunsend Robrunsend Robrunsend Robrunsend Robrunsend Robrunsend Robrunsend
46:44
SPEAKER_00: Robrunsend Robrunsend Robrunsend Rob
47:04
SPEAKER_00: Robrunsround
47:05
SPEAKER_00: Spectacular blow up and it's gonna be kind of funny to watch
47:07
SPEAKER_00: and other times it leads to something really beautiful that we're all kind
47:11
SPEAKER_00: of better off for and so yeah he's got a quote in
47:14
SPEAKER_00: that that's like basically sometimes I you know I go out and I pour myself
47:18
SPEAKER_00: and turn myself inside out but it's sometimes it's it's really leads
47:22
SPEAKER_00: to something magical and wonderful and that's the moments I live for
47:25
SPEAKER_00: and other times it's kind of you know spectacularly embarrassing and I have
47:28
SPEAKER_00: to get rescued and airlifted off the UTMB course which he did have to do so
47:34
SPEAKER_00: Zach Miller had been flirting with doing canyons, I think for at least the past two years.
47:38
SPEAKER_00: His name was definitely on the start list at one point last year,
47:41
SPEAKER_00: and I thought it was the year before as well.
47:44
SPEAKER_00: But he also got into Hard Rock two years ago,
47:45
SPEAKER_00: 2024, planned on racing it, looked like he was putting up insane training volume.
47:51
SPEAKER_00: And then he got a pin to freaking Sidus the week at Hard Rock and couldn't tow
47:54
SPEAKER_00: the line because the doctor said it wasn't a good idea.
47:57
SPEAKER_00: Last year, he finally did tow the line.
47:59
SPEAKER_00: Lead-up was still pretty Zach Miller-esque,
48:01
SPEAKER_00: but it wasn't quite that level of epic training he had in 2024.
48:04
SPEAKER_00: And then it was also a smoky year.
48:07
SPEAKER_00: Zach came out really hard last year,
48:08
SPEAKER_00: kind of faded, ended up getting, I want to say, fifth place.
48:11
SPEAKER_00: He had fifth place last year behind three French guys and David Aiello.
48:17
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and so Zach finally got to the start line of Canyons healthy this year,
48:21
SPEAKER_00: and we were in for a freaking treat.
48:22
SPEAKER_00: A lot of people slept on, a lot of people overlooked him.
48:25
SPEAKER_00: He ran it back Hawks versus Miller style,
48:27
SPEAKER_00: took second place,
48:28
SPEAKER_00: beat out Hayden Hawks to go 3-0 all-time against him,
48:31
SPEAKER_00: and was second only behind Adam Peterman to get that gold ticket in
48:34
SPEAKER_00: the Western States.
48:35
SPEAKER_00: First Golden Ticket Zach Miller has won since 2014, Lake Sonoma.
48:40
SPEAKER_00: I really have no idea what to expect from Zach.
48:43
SPEAKER_00: I think his training looks really good coming into this race, just like Brett Hornig said.
48:49
SPEAKER_00: And just because I don't pick Zach in my top 10 doesn't mean
48:53
SPEAKER_00: that there would be anybody more happy in the world if Zach went top 10
48:57
SPEAKER_00: or even top five at this race.
48:58
SPEAKER_00: He still remains unbeaten against Hayden, which is a funny and interesting stat.
49:02
SPEAKER_00: And he very well could be in that
49:04
SPEAKER_00: Debut on top 10 category,
49:07
SPEAKER_00: even though we don't really think of this race as suiting his strengths.
49:10
SPEAKER_00: We think of him as kind of a really, really good mountain athlete.
49:13
SPEAKER_00: But he had some of his most iconic results at some of the most runnable races.
49:17
SPEAKER_00: TNF 50, California Carpet, JFK 50, you know, I think his debut was second fastest all time.
49:24
SPEAKER_00: So yeah, Zach is gritty and you know he's going to turn himself inside out on that course.
49:32
SPEAKER_00: Alright, next athlete, Jeshuone Small, Adidas Terrix athlete living in Alaska.
49:37
SPEAKER_00: A lot of people are sleeping on him.
49:42
SPEAKER_00: And yeah, so sleeping on an athlete, living in Alaska.
49:46
SPEAKER_00: And I also just recently learned that Josh is being coached by none other
49:50
SPEAKER_00: than Hannah Allgood and this build up to Western States.
49:53
SPEAKER_00: So you got to think she's giving him tons of really,
49:55
SPEAKER_00: really wise advice,
49:56
SPEAKER_00: stepping up to his first ever hundred mile race and keeping him healthy,
50:00
SPEAKER_00: coming into it with both training and PT and just strength all around.
50:07
SPEAKER_00: Hanna's one of those athletes that really doesn't leave any stones unturned,
50:11
SPEAKER_00: and I expect that she does the same for her athletes.
50:13
SPEAKER_00: I actually kind of know that she does because she coaches my fiancée, Caitlin.
50:18
SPEAKER_00: So yeah,
50:19
SPEAKER_00: I think it's awesome that Hanna is coaching Jesh,
50:22
SPEAKER_00: and I think that bodes really, really well for him racing a smart race.
50:25
SPEAKER_00: This is going to be Jeshurun Small's 100-mile debut coming off a win
50:28
SPEAKER_00: at Gorge 100K earlier this spring.
50:31
SPEAKER_00: And he took a nice paycheck home from the ACG-sponsored event there.
50:35
SPEAKER_00: So kind of funny when it's ACG putting a lot of money behind a race,
50:38
SPEAKER_00: and then a D-Asterix athlete wins it.
50:41
SPEAKER_00: Longest race of Jesh's career was CCC last year,
50:46
SPEAKER_00: where he took home a very impressive 5th place finish in 10 hours and 28 minutes.
50:50
SPEAKER_00: I've got a good feeling about Jesh Small.
50:52
SPEAKER_00: I can't really say why, but I think, and his build has also been Strava Dark.
50:56
SPEAKER_00: He's not public on Strava,
50:58
SPEAKER_00: but it feels like he's coming in with not a lot of hype,
51:01
SPEAKER_00: not a lot of expectation, and that just feels like a good place to be.
51:05
SPEAKER_00: Alright, next athlete is Tracen Knopp making their debut.
51:09
SPEAKER_00: Alaskan Crusher also from,
51:11
SPEAKER_00: or, Jess isn't from Alaska, but Tracen is from Alaska and loves there now.
51:15
SPEAKER_00: He's a North Face athlete who punched his ticket with a great performance
51:19
SPEAKER_00: at Black Canyon 100K this spring in a speedy, blazing fast 7-hour, 26-minute finish.
51:24
SPEAKER_00: And then he followed that up with a win at Mt.
51:26
SPEAKER_00: Fuji Kai 70K in 6 hours and 38 minutes in April.
51:31
SPEAKER_00: Tracen, his training has looked super consistent.
51:34
SPEAKER_00: He is public on Strava.
51:36
SPEAKER_00: A lot of your typical 20-hour weeks, 120-mile weeks.
51:42
SPEAKER_00: I imagine he's decently familiar with the trails on Western.
51:45
SPEAKER_00: He did live in Reno for a time before he went back to Alaska.
51:51
SPEAKER_00: And he also did and survived the North Face training camp in Flagstaff
51:55
SPEAKER_00: a few weeks ago, unlike Seth Ruling.
51:57
SPEAKER_00: So Trayson is definitely going to be one to watch.
52:00
SPEAKER_00: I don't know how he's going to race.
52:02
SPEAKER_00: He's definitely one of the best 100K athletes in the States in the US scene.
52:06
SPEAKER_00: But this is definitely going to be, if he goes top 10, I think that would probably be
52:10
SPEAKER_00: One of the best results of his career up there with like,
52:13
SPEAKER_00: he got second at the world,
52:16
SPEAKER_00: or excuse me, the US long trail qualifier last year behind Adam Peterman.
52:21
SPEAKER_00: But yeah,
52:21
SPEAKER_00: this is really a step up and he's racing some names that we haven't seen him race
52:24
SPEAKER_00: before.
52:26
SPEAKER_00: Next athlete is Jordan Bramblett,
52:27
SPEAKER_00: Arizona speedster,
52:29
SPEAKER_00: who basically runs all the area of IPA offense in Arizona,
52:32
SPEAKER_00: it feels like, and wins just about all of them as well.
52:35
SPEAKER_00: We saw Jordan take out black any 100k hella hot last year and he did not stick the landing.
52:42
SPEAKER_00: He faded the 30th place by the end so it wasn't a good approach.
52:45
SPEAKER_00: This year he pretty much tried the same tactic.
52:47
SPEAKER_00: He went out way out off the front of the field.
52:52
SPEAKER_00: I think he had like a one or two minute lead really early in the race and
52:55
SPEAKER_00: then basically the chase pack brought him back so he went out super hard from
52:59
SPEAKER_00: the gun.
53:00
SPEAKER_00: But Chase Back was able to bridge the gap to him.
53:03
SPEAKER_00: He still held on just enough to stick the landing this year,
53:06
SPEAKER_00: survived and got a golden ticket in fifth place with a fifth place finish since
53:09
SPEAKER_00: the tickets rolled down more since Canyon and Hans already had tickets.
53:19
SPEAKER_00: All right,
53:19
SPEAKER_00: speaking of Canyon,
53:20
SPEAKER_00: Canyon Woodward,
53:21
SPEAKER_00: our next athlete,
53:22
SPEAKER_00: we're going to talk about North Carolina native,
53:24
SPEAKER_00: Harvard grad,
53:25
SPEAKER_00: recently announced sponsorships this year from both Mount to Coast and Patagonia,
53:30
SPEAKER_00: which feels very aligned with his values as a conservationist
53:34
SPEAKER_00: and somebody who's very involved in his community.
53:38
SPEAKER_00: We saw Canyon get a golden ticket last year with a blazing fast finish in Javelina,
53:42
SPEAKER_00: 112 hours, 19 minutes last fall.
53:45
SPEAKER_00: He did not win the ticket outright,
53:47
SPEAKER_00: but it rolled down to him when David Roach passed on it
53:50
SPEAKER_00: when he finished second place.
53:51
SPEAKER_00: Cannon has spent this season getting after it and sticking his nose
53:54
SPEAKER_00: in some super deep races and just practicing the skill of racing.
53:58
SPEAKER_00: He is coming away with a fourth place finish at Black Canyon 100K and a fifth place
54:03
SPEAKER_00: at Cannon's 100K already this year.
54:06
SPEAKER_00: Only, I guess,
54:07
SPEAKER_00: quasi-concern from him is that how does that bode for his freshness coming
54:11
SPEAKER_00: into Western,
54:12
SPEAKER_00: having already run two eight-hour events this year,
54:15
SPEAKER_00: golden ticket races, deep fields, fast times.
54:19
SPEAKER_00: Cannon has raced UTMB multiple times in plenty of other longer,
54:27
SPEAKER_00: grueling races, so Western is by no means his longest race that he's run.
54:32
SPEAKER_00: I think Canyon is a lock for points.
54:34
SPEAKER_00: I just don't know if that's going to be like the back half of the top 10 or
54:37
SPEAKER_00: if it's going to be somewhere in that 10 through 15 spot.
54:40
SPEAKER_00: I'm kind of on the fence between picking him and Jesh for my top 10.
54:46
SPEAKER_00: Alright,
54:46
SPEAKER_00: and then last thing I want to talk about is Jacob Banta,
54:49
SPEAKER_00: longtime cameraman and creative in the Ultra Scene under the handle Banta Visuals.
54:54
SPEAKER_00: Recently announced an Ultra Footwear sponsorship,
54:57
SPEAKER_00: and he got an epic Golden Ticket Estates at TerraWare this spring.
55:00
SPEAKER_00: Didn't have to be behind the camera,
55:02
SPEAKER_00: so he decided to rip the course and run his way into Golden Ticket.
55:07
SPEAKER_00: He is definitely an underdog and definitely I will be rooting
55:09
SPEAKER_00: for him based off his very enjoyable interview on Free Trail
55:14
SPEAKER_00: with Devo earlier this year.
55:16
SPEAKER_00: He is not Stravodark.
55:17
SPEAKER_00: His training looks like classic Western States training and looks very, very good.
55:22
SPEAKER_00: Last athlete worth mentioning, another ultra guy.
55:24
SPEAKER_00: Didn't take any notes on him, but just somebody who could very well end up in the points hunt.
55:29
SPEAKER_00: Justin Grunewald,
55:30
SPEAKER_00: physician,
55:31
SPEAKER_00: ultra athlete,
55:33
SPEAKER_00: very speedy guy who got into Western States this year, I think just off the lottery.
55:38
SPEAKER_00: And so he'll be looking to mix it up as well.
55:43
SPEAKER_00: Other shout outs, John Kelly, multiple time Barkley finisher.
55:47
SPEAKER_00: Hiroki Kai, returning top 10 athlete.
55:51
SPEAKER_00: And
55:52
SPEAKER_00: I think that's all I want to talk about right now.
55:56
SPEAKER_00: So with that being said,
55:58
SPEAKER_00: we'll finally get to the good part, the part where we make our picks 1 through 10.
56:05
SPEAKER_00: Usual caveats,
56:06
SPEAKER_00: so since we're picking 10 deep,
56:08
SPEAKER_00: if you pick somebody in your top 10,
56:10
SPEAKER_00: they go top 15, you're still going to get points.
56:12
SPEAKER_00: So if I talk about getting points, that's what I mean.
56:13
SPEAKER_00: Somebody's going to finish top 15.
56:16
SPEAKER_00: Other caveats, I'm very liable to change this.
56:19
SPEAKER_00: We still have two days and
56:23
SPEAKER_00: Robrux
56:40
SPEAKER_00: Some potentially more than others, just because you always have a soft spot for some people.
56:44
SPEAKER_00: But I'm picking based solely off of who I think is going to do well,
56:47
SPEAKER_00: who I think is very likely to finish,
56:48
SPEAKER_00: because if somebody does not finish, if they DNF, they do not get points.
56:51
SPEAKER_00: So sometimes it's wiser to pick somebody who you think is very likely to finish
56:54
SPEAKER_00: than somebody who you think is either going to win or DNF.
56:58
SPEAKER_00: And then, yeah, those are all the caveats I have.
57:02
SPEAKER_00: So without further ado, let's go into the picks 10 through 1 style.
57:11
SPEAKER_00: 10th place,
57:11
SPEAKER_00: I've got right now Jeshurun Small, currently living in Alaska, Adidas Terex athlete.
57:17
SPEAKER_00: I think we want,
57:20
SPEAKER_00: obviously history does not guarantee future performance,
57:24
SPEAKER_00: but we did have five debutants in the top 10 last year.
57:28
SPEAKER_00: I don't think we're going to have that many this year, but I think you should have at least two
57:33
SPEAKER_00: Well, I guess you don't have to have two debutants,
57:36
SPEAKER_00: but basically I think you should have at least two people debuting in
57:39
SPEAKER_00: the Western States in your top ten this year based off this field,
57:42
SPEAKER_00: but maybe as many as three or four.
57:44
SPEAKER_00: So he's going to be one of my debutants in the top ten.
57:47
SPEAKER_00: Next debutant I'm going to have in my top ten is going to be Will Murray
57:50
SPEAKER_00: in ninth place from Bellingham, Washington.
57:53
SPEAKER_00: I can very much see Will going top five but just like we talked
57:56
SPEAKER_00: about yesterday this is like packing your shoes for your vacation where you want
58:00
SPEAKER_00: to do trail running on all kinds of different terrain but you only have room
58:05
SPEAKER_00: for like one pair so I've got you know 20 pairs of shoes but I've only got 10 spots
58:09
SPEAKER_00: to put them with these picks so I'm gonna put Will Murray I really want Will Murray
58:13
SPEAKER_00: to be higher but I also just want him to be in my top 10.
58:17
SPEAKER_00: Eighth place, I'm going to go Hans the Kid, Troyer.
58:20
SPEAKER_00: I think Hans is going to come out really hard with lead pack.
58:22
SPEAKER_00: I don't know that he's going to stick it,
58:24
SPEAKER_00: but I think he's going to improve his time, like I mentioned, by at least an hour.
58:27
SPEAKER_00: And I think we're going to see fast times.
58:29
SPEAKER_00: I didn't even talk about course record watch,
58:31
SPEAKER_00: but I would be very surprised if we don't see sub 14 this year.
58:35
SPEAKER_00: And if I had to pick a top 10 spread, I think we could easily see 10th be as fast as 14th.
58:44
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59:13
SPEAKER_00: I don't know that there's a world in which Jim Walmsley finishes the race
59:17
SPEAKER_00: and doesn't beat Francesco and I was very bullish on Francesco until his kind
59:21
SPEAKER_00: of rocky belt in this year but I think Fran can have a good debut not win
59:27
SPEAKER_00: but still feel good and build confidence based off this year's Western
59:31
SPEAKER_00: and I think it's very likely that he does that going into the season after kind
59:34
SPEAKER_00: of having a rocky spring.
59:36
SPEAKER_00: Sixth place,
59:38
SPEAKER_00: I've got Jeff Mcgavro last year,
59:40
SPEAKER_00: the fastest debut Western States in history, 1430 last year.
59:45
SPEAKER_00: Strava Dark,
59:46
SPEAKER_00: but from all accounts,
59:47
SPEAKER_00: having a really,
59:47
SPEAKER_00: really good build,
59:48
SPEAKER_00: not feeling a lot of pressure coming into this and just running from a place
59:51
SPEAKER_00: of genuine joy and happiness,
59:53
SPEAKER_00: not from like anxiety or fear or imposter syndrome or any of that stuff.
59:57
SPEAKER_00: So Jeff Mcgavro sixth place.
59:59
SPEAKER_00: Fifth place, I think you got to go with the Kiwi who
1:00:03
SPEAKER_00: Loves his top fives and has got two top fives already.
1:00:07
SPEAKER_00: Fifth place is already here.
1:00:08
SPEAKER_00: Three top fives total.
1:00:10
SPEAKER_00: Dan Jones.
1:00:11
SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna go Dan Jones.
1:00:12
SPEAKER_00: I think five is his magic number here.
1:00:14
SPEAKER_00: It just seems like he sticks there a lot.
1:00:17
SPEAKER_00: All right.
1:00:17
SPEAKER_00: Now we're getting to the spicy picks, the exciting parts.
1:00:20
SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna go fourth place and I'm liable to swap up fourth and third place.
1:00:23
SPEAKER_00: I'm really on the fence with this one.
1:00:25
SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna go fourth place Anthony Costales.
1:00:27
SPEAKER_00: Like I said, I think he is in the perfect place.
1:00:30
SPEAKER_00: Kind of up there with Will Murray.
1:00:32
SPEAKER_00: Not a lot of pressure coming in, but I feel like they're going to over-perform, over-produce.
1:00:37
SPEAKER_00: So kind of like under-hyped, but over-deliver type deal.
1:00:42
SPEAKER_00: Third place, I'm going to go... Well, I guess my top three are all the big dogs.
1:00:47
SPEAKER_00: So third place, I'm going to go Adam Peterman.
1:00:49
SPEAKER_00: I think we're seeing glimpses of 2022 Adam Peterman, and I think he's back.
1:00:55
SPEAKER_00: It's possible I swap up Anthony and Adam.
1:00:58
SPEAKER_00: Robrunsround I'm kind of rearranging in my mind,
1:01:01
SPEAKER_00: and I probably shouldn't be fixated on Dan Jones going fifth,
1:01:05
SPEAKER_00: just because that's what he's got in the past.
1:01:07
SPEAKER_00: But that's what I'm at right now.
1:01:08
SPEAKER_00: So third place, Adam Peterman.
1:01:10
SPEAKER_00: Second place, I know he's injured.
1:01:13
SPEAKER_00: I know he can't run downhill.
1:01:15
SPEAKER_00: I know he just barely finished the Gama, but I got to go Killian Jornay.
1:01:19
SPEAKER_00: So this shouldn't leave any surprises.
1:01:21
SPEAKER_00: It's probably not the most exciting picks,
1:01:23
SPEAKER_00: but Jim Wolves is going to be my winner winner chicken dinner.
1:01:28
SPEAKER_00: All right, noticeably absent from my top 10 or people that I would potentially put in.
1:01:40
SPEAKER_00: So I think the biggest one that's missing from this list that people are like,
1:01:44
SPEAKER_00: where is Hayden Hawks?
1:01:46
SPEAKER_00: And I don't know, where is Hayden Hawks?
1:01:49
SPEAKER_00: He definitely deserves to be in this top 10.
1:01:51
SPEAKER_00: I just have a little bit of worries about his knee.
1:01:53
SPEAKER_00: I have a little bit of worries.
1:01:55
SPEAKER_00: He raced
1:01:56
SPEAKER_00: Cannons well, but it just didn't look quite like him.
1:02:01
SPEAKER_00: and just his kind of late decision to pivot to Western.
1:02:04
SPEAKER_00: I mean, he did do it in plenty of time, pretty much after Transparent Canaria.
1:02:08
SPEAKER_00: So I guess probably early March if I had to guess.
1:02:11
SPEAKER_00: But I don't know.
1:02:11
SPEAKER_00: I just have a weird feeling about Hayden.
1:02:13
SPEAKER_00: And he does mostly get Western right, but he has DNF'd it before.
1:02:17
SPEAKER_00: Sometimes when he hypes up stuff like too much about how fit he is
1:02:20
SPEAKER_00: and how he's figured out everything, that's kind of like when I trust him the least.
1:02:24
SPEAKER_00: I haven't, to be fair, I have not heard his interviews, but that's just kind of
1:02:27
SPEAKER_00: It's kind of just like an intuition thing.
1:02:29
SPEAKER_00: I don't know that I... Yeah, I just don't have Hayden in my top ten.
1:02:33
SPEAKER_00: Other people, I've talked heavily about Tomal Cardin.
1:02:36
SPEAKER_00: I think Tomal Cardin is going to be in the top ten and I just don't know
1:02:39
SPEAKER_00: if I take out Jesh and put him or if I take out Will and put him.
1:02:43
SPEAKER_00: But I think Tomal Cardin has got a really good chance as a debutant here to be invited back.
1:02:48
SPEAKER_00: And then the last two guys that I would consider putting in my top...
1:02:51
SPEAKER_00: Well, I guess really three.
1:02:53
SPEAKER_00: I had Canyon Woodward in there to start, and then I took him out.
1:02:59
SPEAKER_00: But I really feel like he's a safe pick.
1:03:01
SPEAKER_00: He's not somebody who is liable to DNF.
1:03:04
SPEAKER_00: He's somebody to stick it out.
1:03:05
SPEAKER_00: I think he's almost guaranteed to go top 15.
1:03:07
SPEAKER_00: So I think if you got somebody who you're on the fence,
1:03:09
SPEAKER_00: who you think is going to kind of show up and blow up type deal,
1:03:11
SPEAKER_00: or maybe like Francesco,
1:03:12
SPEAKER_00: who you think might not finish the race, I think Canyon's an amazingly safe pick.
1:03:15
SPEAKER_00: And then the last two guys I want to talk about are Trayson Knopp and Zach Miller,
1:03:19
SPEAKER_00: North Face teammates.
1:03:21
SPEAKER_00: I don't know why I don't pick Zach Miller.
1:03:23
SPEAKER_00: He very well could end up on my top 10 because I love him.
1:03:25
SPEAKER_00: I'd love to see him go top 10.
1:03:27
SPEAKER_00: It's just tough because I think Josh would be low-hanging fruit to replace,
1:03:30
SPEAKER_00: but I think this course suits Jess a little bit more.
1:03:33
SPEAKER_00: So I could put Zach in for Josh.
1:03:35
SPEAKER_00: I would consider doing that.
1:03:37
SPEAKER_00: And then Tracen,
1:03:37
SPEAKER_00: I just think,
1:03:38
SPEAKER_00: has really got no pressure coming into this race and is also a sneaky fit.
1:03:43
SPEAKER_00: So I think that Tracen could be out there running with the best of them.
1:03:49
SPEAKER_00: That is my top 10 on the men's side of the Western States field.
1:03:53
SPEAKER_00: So I hope that was helpful for your picks.
1:03:55
SPEAKER_00: I don't think there's a lot of surprises in there,
1:03:57
SPEAKER_00: but that's just kind of how I view the race and how I kind of view it sticking out.
1:04:00
SPEAKER_00: I do think we're very much on course record watch.
1:04:03
SPEAKER_00: I think we're very liable for the top five to go under 1430 like we saw last year, more or less.
1:04:10
SPEAKER_00: They almost went under 1430.
1:04:12
SPEAKER_00: And I think that there's not a world in which Jim finishes this race and doesn't win.
1:04:19
SPEAKER_00: Robruns
1:04:34
SPEAKER_00: Who the heck knows?
1:04:35
SPEAKER_00: But that is my Western States 2026 men's preview.
1:04:40
SPEAKER_00: I hope it was helpful.
1:04:41
SPEAKER_00: I've tried not to listen to other influences.
1:04:44
SPEAKER_00: So this is just my thoughts.
1:04:45
SPEAKER_00: Obviously,
1:04:46
SPEAKER_00: a lot of people are saying a lot of the same stuff because they have a lot of
1:04:48
SPEAKER_00: the same information.
1:04:49
SPEAKER_00: But I hope it was helpful.
1:04:50
SPEAKER_00: And I hope it helps you guys make your picks and that you kick my butt
1:04:54
SPEAKER_00: at Fantasy Free Trail, but not too much because I'm trying to get in that top 10.
1:04:57
SPEAKER_00: So thank you for listening.
1:04:59
SPEAKER_00: Merry Statesmas.
1:05:00
SPEAKER_00: You guys rock.