The Steep Stuff Podcast

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A world-level skyrace is returning to U.S. soil, and the path runs straight up a rugged Olympic Mountains summit. We sit down with race director and media voice Mathias Eichler to unpack how Beast of Big Creek became the only U.S. stop on the Skyrunner World Series, what ISF course certification really requires, and how you scale a steep, technical route without breaking the wilderness that makes it magic.

Ma...

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The ache that won’t sit still, the quad-dominant stride, the back that tightens after miles on trail—none of it is random. We invited Dr. Sean Rimmer, PT, DPT of Run Potential PT, to unpack how the pelvis truly drives running: three-plane motion, rotational loading, and the elastic recoil that makes a stride feel effortless. When the pelvis stops moving, hips overwork, nerves get irritated, and the system loses its sp...

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The sport keeps growing, the livestreams keep improving, and the fields get deeper every year—so why do so many iconic ultras still offer zero prize money? We sit down with Eric, the builder behind Run Fund, to unpack a direct, no-drama solution: let the community and sponsors crowdfund purses that pay athletes fairly and transparently. No betting, no gimmicks, just clean rails that move money from fans and brands to ...

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What does it take to choose the mountains when a different calling has your heart? We sit with Arc’teryx athlete Emma Cook-Clarke for a candid, high-altitude conversation about identity, risk, and the rare joy of sustainable excellence. Emma reflects on a season loaded with contrasts—top 10 in the world at the uphill and a historic team bronze for Canada, a Speedgoat podium in a record-fast year, and the sting of miss...

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Breaking news rarely hits mountain running like this. The World Skyrunner Series is officially returning to the United States, and the Beast of Big Creek on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula is the stage. We dive straight into what makes this 23K course so compelling: sustained grades exceeding 20 percent, a clean up-and-down profile that rewards efficient climbers and fearless descenders, and a summit near 6,000 feet th...

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What happens when a top ultrarunner steps behind the curtain and starts managing athletes, budgets, and contracts—while still chasing Western States dreams? We sat down with Coree Woltring for an unfiltered deep dive into the modern trail ecosystem: how sponsorships really get done, why timing matters, what brands value beyond results, and how the sport can better support its athletes.

Coree traces his arc fr...

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What happens when a Texas kid with marathon roots drops 60 pounds, moves across continents to mentor young athletes in Kenya, and then turns that purpose into a season-long charge through the Cirque Series? We unpack the full story with McKennon Woltman—complete with chai-fueled mornings, singletrack at altitude, and the lessons that only service and steep terrain can teach.

We start with a family tradition o...

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What happens when a mountain athlete chooses meaning over metrics? We sit down with ski mountaineer and mountain runner Michael Wirth for a rare, candid conversation about privacy, purpose, and why FKTs feel more honest than podiums. Michael traces his path from the Roaring Fork Valley to a brief stint in consulting, then into a life shaped by long tours, sketchy weather windows, and the strange pressure of being reco...

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The view from a razorback ridge can change your life—and your training. We invited Robin Vieira Brower, one of the few American women racing the Skyrunner World Series, to unpack how she built a season across Austria and Ireland, what “sea to sky” truly demands, and why skyrunning needs a bigger footprint in the U.S. Robin shares a refreshingly candid path from college soccer to technical mountain running, the exact w...

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A Tahoe childhood can shape an athlete for life—and Noah McMahan proves it. At 19, he’s a Gonzaga steeplechaser who keeps his easy runs on dirt, wins Broken Arrow 11K off a Hayward Field PR, and carries hard-earned lessons from the World Mountain Running Championships in Spain. We talk about the quiet confidence it takes to recover from injuries, the patience to build fitness through a long collegiate season, and the ...

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What happens when a Nordic engine meets Wasatch steeps and a taste for big objectives? We sit down with pro skier and trail runner Mali Noyes to trace the throughline from Sun Valley ski kid to freeride competitor to ultra podium threat, and the conversation is packed with sharp takeaways you can use right away.

Mali unpacks the modern mountain athlete’s toolkit: how backcountry ski touring builds unmatched m...

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The road from an Okinawan family dojo to the rocky spine of the Northeast isn’t as long as it looks. Meet trail runner and former Muay Thai athlete Niko Teller, a blue-collar UPS driver who turns daily mileage, discipline, and gritty terrain into real speed. We dig into how martial arts forged his mindset, why hips are the hidden engine for climbing and descending, and how he built technical downhill confidence on the...

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A road racer with big engine and bigger grit, Makena Morley decided to test the mountains—and then turned a curious experiment into a statement season. We go all the way back to Maui and Montana, through a high-pressure collegiate career at Colorado, and into the realities of turning pro during Covid. Then the pivot: why ASICS’ support opened the door to trails, how Bozeman and Montana State became her training backbo...