September 23, 2025 • 26 mins
When Sydney Petersen toed the line at the Broken Arrow Skyrace this summer, she wasn't sure she'd even finish. After two weeks of complete rest nursing what she feared might be a serious hip injury, her training was far from ideal for what would serve as the US World Championship qualifier. Yet sometimes our greatest performances emerge when expectations fall away.
"I think everything that could have gone wrong leading up to this race went wrong," Peterson reveals in this candid conversation. "I wasn't feeling good, I wasn't even sure if I was going to be able to race." Despite these setbacks, Peterson found herself in a unique mental space—grateful simply to be healthy enough to compete and free from self-imposed pressure. What followed was a breakthrough performance that secured her spot on Team USA's vertical squad for the World Mountain Running Championships.
The drama of that qualifying race unfolds like a thriller as Petersen describes getting caught behind slower runners at the start, methodically working through the field, and misunderstanding her position. Believing she was the fourth American (the final qualifying spot) rather than her actual position as second American, she sprinted desperately to the finish in what she calls "the farthest I've ever gone into the pain cave." This performance marked a profound shift in how she views herself within the competitive landscape: "Before it was like the top American women are in their race and I'll be running my race behind them. Now I consider myself in the same race."
From European racing adventures to Team USA training camps in Colorado, Peterson shares the lessons she's gathered in her rapid evolution as an elite trail runner. With the World Championships approaching, she balances the team's medal potential with her desire to remain present for the experience. Her journey reminds us that in trail running's unpredictable world, adaptability and gratitude often matter more than perfect preparation.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:14):
It's time.
Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, we are live Sydney Peterson.
(01:06):
Welcome back to the Steep StuffPodcast.
How's it going?
Great, how are you?
I'm so stoked.
I'm good, it's good to catchback up and talk to you.
The last time we chatted wasjust before your big race at
Broken Arrow.
Yeah, it's been a fun summer.
How has your summer been?
You've been everywhere.
It's been great.
Yeah, I think we a fun summer.
How has your summer been?
Speaker 2 (01:25):
You've been everywhere.
It's been great.
Yeah, I think we talked likebefore Broken Arrow or Sunapee,
and then I went out to Europefor the first time ever and
raced out there and I did theAustria Golden Trail race and
Sierras and all a week later andthen went back home after that
and I've just been stacking areally good block of training.
Speaker 1 (01:49):
So yeah, that's what I've been up to.
Oh my gosh, we've got so muchto talk about and get into first
things first.
Uh, I don't want to bury thelead here.
You are on the vertical teamfor the women.
You're going to be racing atKen Frank next week.
Um, just like maybe paint apicture as far as the Stoke
level goes for, you know, goingto a world championship race.
Speaker 2 (02:04):
Stoke level goes for.
You know, going to a worldchampionship race, oh I'm so.
I can't even like contain myexcitement.
I feel like I'm just likelevitating off the ground right
now.
I'm so happy and I think theright word is just gratitude,
Like there's and I think this isjust to be said about the sport
of running in general and justsports in general like you can
(02:26):
do everything right and not haveit go your way, and so the fact
that I didn't have likeeverything go my way during the
training block and was able toput it together on the day and
excel when I needed to and makethis team, is just really
special.
And I know there's a lot ofpeople who could have made that
team.
So I'm just really honored andand I know there's a lot of
people who could have made thatteam, so I'm just really honored
(02:47):
and really, really grateful tobe a part of this team.
Speaker 1 (02:50):
Yeah, I think it's so cool and it's also really cool
that, like you and Taylor, likeyou're you know this is like
your, I guess you could say yoursecond year, kind of like
really evolving in the sport,and both of you guys made a team
which is dope Like there's alot of couples on this team
which is kind of crazy.
So it's uh, I don't know, it'sjust interesting.
It's a lot of interestingdynamics there.
Um, let's talk about brokenarrow, where you place.
(03:12):
You got fourth at the ascent.
Um, but like, how did that raceunfold?
Because it like was a littleweird for you guys.
I know I talked to a bunch ofpeople pre-race and obviously
everybody was kind of set on itbeing a full VK as far as the
ascent goes.
Then in the kind of the hours,if not, yeah, probably in the
hours leading up to the race,they cut it back down to where
(03:32):
it was only 1,800, 1,900 feet ofvertical.
How did that affect you guysmentally, kind of going in, like
, did that kind of change thingsfor you?
Speaker 2 (03:40):
Yeah, so I was actually pretty quiet about my
few weeks before Broken Arrow,but I actually had a pretty big
injury scare.
I think there was like a monthbetween Sunapee and Broken Arrow
and I didn't have the best raceat Sunapee, just didn't quite
put it together the way I wantedto and was pretty bummed about
that.
And then, I think a week or twoafter that race, I started
(04:03):
having some pain in my hip andwas worried about it being a
stress injury.
So I pretty much didn't run forthe entire two weeks leading up
to the VK at Broken Arrow andthen got some confirmation like
okay, I think it's just bursitis, it's something you can run
through, and at that point thepain was pretty much subsided
(04:26):
and wasn't really bothering meanymore.
Um, so it was definitely anemotional rollercoaster leading
up to it and there were pointslike I remember the Friday
before the week before the race,like I didn't even know if I
was going to race because Ididn't know what my body was
doing and like what would be theright decision.
And so, um, flash forward a weeklater and they were changing
(04:48):
the course and whatever, and Ithink that was all just kind of
noise outside, but I was just sograteful to, at that point,
like be healthy, be lining upfor the race, that it didn't
really affect me like mentallyas much, and I was just so happy
to be there and having a chancewhen I wasn't sure I was going
(05:08):
to be Um.
So I think it put me in a reallyunique mental spot going into
that race where, um, I was justhappy to be there but also still
fit enough and competitiveenough.
But I think it took a lot ofthe expectations and pressure
off, like at least that I wasputting on myself and lined up
(05:29):
and um just went for it.
And I'm just, I think I'mreally proud to be on that team
and I'm just really proud of howI excelled in, like managed my
emotions in that process beforeand then during the race, and
how focused and just like um,how I was able to excel under
really high pressure to like getthe job done.
Speaker 1 (05:47):
So so cool, so crazy.
It's amazing what happens ifyou, like you know, I've heard
so many stories like this whereyou take a week or two off and
you know, maybe trying to getaway from an injury or thinking,
like you know, I just got tolet things settle and then sure
as shit, you go have like suchan an amazing both you in the
23k.
You had a great race as well.
Um, it's, it's just interestingkind of the way that stuff
(06:09):
plays out and how the body and,when you take expectations off,
how sometimes that can just likeelevate the performance.
Um, let's get a little bit moreinto the performance itself.
Racing it's so like that wassuch a crazy competitive race.
At any point in time, were youaware of your placement and
where you were?
Were you fighting?
Not fighting, but contestingback and forth with other ladies
(06:30):
?
As far as the positioning went,did you know where you were
from once you asserted yourposition?
Speaker 2 (06:38):
I had no idea.
And I think there was aninteresting element in this race
because it was a US qualifierbut it was an international
field and there were some reallyelite international runners in
there.
I wouldn't say I'm somebodylike some people look at the
start list and they're like thisperson's racing and this
(06:58):
person's racing and thatstresses me out.
I try not to do that.
So I think, that being said, Ididn't know who a lot of people
were and I think in general Idon't know all the names in
running, just because I like togo and just race the race and
not overthink it.
And I remember, on the startingline, I was just so happy to be
there and was just in a verygood headspace.
(07:20):
But I got stuck going up thatfirst hill because, like,
because there's so many peopledoing it, and immediately, like,
all the top women were justgone and I was like, okay, well,
like here we are, I guess, like, don't panic, it is a shorter
course but you need to go.
And I got to give a shout outto Cam Smith, to my, my fellow,
(07:43):
like neighbor in crestibution.
Um, he, I didn't get to see thenew course before they changed
it and he gave me probably thebest advice and like race plan
to um to focus on and hebasically just said don't go out
too fast.
But then that middle sectiononce you're kind of on the Jeep
(08:03):
road through to where you get toRed Dog Ridge, you need that.
Like that's where the race isdecided, because you can only
run so fast on technical terrain, so you need to be at like 90%
of your full effort by the timeyou get there.
And so I think once I got tothe top of that first ski slope
and was able to pass some people, like I just went crazy and
(08:27):
like started passing as manypeople as I could, and I think
that slower start and gettingstuck allowed me to pass people.
And I just had Taylor's likepre-race advice in my head and
he was like you've just like ifyou're gonna do this, you have
to be in the top four, like youcan do this, don't overthink it.
And so I was just like you gotto be in the top four and I had
(08:48):
no idea where I was, um, but Iwas passing people where I was.
Like this person is reallyelite, like um, like I'm
definitely in an okay spot, butI had no idea if I was in the
top four.
So I was just like every bodymatters and was just going after
every man, every woman in thefield to try to gain as much
ground as I could.
And then I passed Adam Chase onthe ridge and he was like Sydney
(09:14):
, you're in fourth.
And so I thought I was thefourth American.
So I had Pema right behind meand I was like a sprinting for
my life because I thought I wasin the last qualifying spot and
I didn't know who she was.
I thought she was an American.
And so I was just like fightingfor every single spot and just
like had this crazy performance.
I think that's the farthestI've ever gone into the pain
(09:36):
cave and like the most I've evergotten out of my body in the
race.
And then I like cross thefinish line and Taylor's like no
, you were the second American,like you were right behind or
not right behind, but like youwere behind Anna and Jade's
Canadian and um, joyce was infront of you.
So I was like oh wow, I was notin fourth, I was second for
Americans, fourth overall.
(09:57):
So, yeah, it was just like thebest day and probably one of the
best days of my life.
Speaker 1 (10:02):
So that's what I was going to say.
It's like it's kind of crazyCause.
It's like that's a memoryyou'll have for the rest of your
life, Like something you willprobably never forget.
Like so cool, Like a banner,just a banner thing that you'll,
you know, you always kind ofpull back to it.
It must've given you, like Imean, you should have already
had confidence as far as, likeyour ability, but like, did that
just from a confidencestandpoint, like like really
(10:23):
just give you like understandingthat, like I belong here, I can
do this.
Like how did that feel from aconfidence perspective?
Speaker 2 (10:30):
Yeah, that's a really good question.
Thanks for asking that.
I think like I was prettyconfident going into the race
and then I think everything thatcould have gone wrong leading
up to this race like went wrong.
Like I just wasn't feeling goodI wasn't even sure if I was
going to be able to race andjust I think, fitness wise, I
still put it together and had anamazing performance physically.
(10:53):
And then also just knowing andhaving the confidence now that
like I can be on the biggeststage and managing my emotions
and mentality when things arenot just going well but like
arguably going pretty horribly,and like being able to still put
it together, it just gives methe confidence that like, okay,
I can do that on one of theworst build-ups and like I
(11:16):
wasn't feeling great on race dayand still like put it together
so and run with the best of theworld.
And I think that's kind of beena mindset shift of like I see
the top American women now andbefore it was like, okay,
they're, that's their race andthen I'll be running my race
behind them.
And now it's like I considermyself in the same race and like
(11:37):
able to compete with them.
And so, yeah, broken arrow hasbeen like a huge turning point
in my running career in a lot ofways, I feel like.
But I'm just very proud of likehow it's been a turning point
in ways that aren't obvious,especially mentally and
emotionally, and just withconfidence and poise and being
able to handle pressures.
Speaker 1 (11:56):
So so cool and beautiful answer.
By the way, like I reallyappreciate you being candid on
it, I got to ask you this likeyou're so talented I mean you're
talented on like every racethat you do, but like you're
very, very good at the verticalLike, do you think you'll do
more vertical races?
Like, do you think I don't knowwhat next year holds, but if
you go out to Europe again torace, do you think there would
be more VKs and things like thatin your future?
Speaker 2 (12:19):
Yeah, I'd love to race some more VKs.
I think I'm kind of finding myniche race distance and I think
um the NCAA training in mybackground that's been really
recent also.
Um I think makes thattransition into trail running
and specifically that distancereally easy because you're
(12:41):
constantly working in thatreally high like vo2 max, um
like it feels very similar.
You're going 12 minute pace,not low five minute pace like
running a 5k, but um the itfeels similar.
So I think I can credit a lotof my success in um this like
(13:01):
ascent vk distance to thatcollege background.
But um would love to keepmixing it up and um races in
Europe.
But also I really want to keepdeveloping my like other parts
of my trail, um like resume, Iguess, like I'm not as talented
of a downhill runner so I reallywant to like work on my
(13:22):
technical downhill running andum just kind of see what I can
do, cause yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1 (13:29):
I love it.
I love it, I um sorry, so let'spivot.
Then I want to talk aboutgrowing, developing, learning,
and I think the best place totalk about that is your stint in
Europe at Golden Trail.
You did this crazy back-to-backweekend between the Plitzalpin
Glacier Trail and then Ceres andNall, and you got to experience
, you know, euro Trail runningat its finest in those.
(13:51):
What was that all about?
Like what did you think?
Like what was that experiencelike?
It must have been so much fun.
Speaker 2 (13:56):
It was incredible, like I think I just had to like
constantly keep stepping back.
Same for Taylor we were talkingabout this the other day, but
just like pinch me, like I'mgetting to race internationally
in some of the most beautifulplaces in the world doing my
favorite thing with my favoritepeople.
Like to be able to do that withyour partner and like just so
(14:18):
many incredible people on theBrooks team and just all around
the world is such a gift andsomething I will never take for
granted and was constantly likereminding myself, like don't
let's get the most out of yourbody and from this experience
and learn and race as much asyou can, but like be present in
the whole experience, becauseit's such a gift and so few
(14:39):
people get to like experiencethat in their life.
Um, definitely a learning curve.
With the european racing though.
We were chatting with some ofthe brooks european, some of our
brooks european teammates onenight at dinner before the um
austria race and I was like yeah, the course is super technical.
(14:59):
And they're like, oh no, thisis not technical.
And I was like this is the mosttechnical terrain I've ever
seen in my life.
Speaker 1 (15:06):
Like yeah, I think the terrain's really different.
Speaker 2 (15:10):
The level of competition is just up here and
then also just learning how totravel and like manage your
energy and stress level and justmanage the entire your emotions
throughout the entireexperience, because you do have
a finite amount of energy, andlearning how to travel well and
um, yeah, all of that.
My races weren't great overthere but learned a lot.
(15:33):
And learned a lot about what Ineed to incorporate into my
training and um thing like heattraining and nutrition and um,
just yeah, learned so manylessons that are really going to
help me in future years, Ithink, and I'm really eager to
come back to those races nextyear, at least Sears and all and
get some redemption.
Speaker 1 (15:54):
So I love it.
I love it and you know whatit's like.
I don't know.
I think for you it's just likethis year is just such an
opportunity to just, you know,just absorb so much and learn as
much as you possibly can,because, you're right, it is so
different, it's a completelydifferent world.
It's funny you said that, likeit's such an American thing.
Our American definition oftechnical versus their
(16:15):
definition of technical is liketwo very different things, which
is kind of funny.
What was it like going overthere and getting like?
Obviously, in the United Statesyou got to spend time with your
other Brooks teammates Remy,dan, that group and Courtney
before Sunapee but getting tomeet your European Brooks
teammates and kind of learn moreabout the brand on a larger
(16:35):
scale, like, what was that like?
Was that a cool experience aswell?
Speaker 2 (16:38):
It was so cool to just like yeah, thank you for
asking that, because at SunapeeI think I talked about this with
you earlier, but we had thatteam house and there's just a
very strong team presence and avery strong vision for the brand
that I feel like we all verymuch align with.
And to see that that's also thecase just as much so over in
(17:02):
Europe is just really cool.
And it's so cool to meet peoplefrom like with total different
backgrounds, but they're equallyas passionate, if not more,
about this thing that we're alldoing and we have so many shared
experiences.
And just to meet people andalready have that background is
really, really cool.
And they were just so welcomingand Taylor and I don't speak
(17:26):
any French and they were just soinclusive and made us feel
welcome.
So, yeah, yeah, huge shout outto them.
Speaker 1 (17:33):
So cool, so cool.
All right, on the team subject,earlier this summer, maybe
about a month ago, cam puttogether kind of like a camp for
some of the well, a good groupof American athletes that were
going to go over there andcompete at Worlds.
Can you talk a little bit aboutthat experience and just what
that was all about and what thatwas like?
Speaker 2 (17:54):
Yeah.
So huge shout out to Cam fordoing that he put so much work
into it and Paul and Tom andsome of the Team USA staff for
helping us make that happen.
Um, yeah, we had a mix of likecamping and an Airbnb in Buena
Vista, um, and went out on a fewteam runs and just cooked meals
(18:17):
together and it was so fun likeI don't think I have laughed
that hard in like a really longtime and I had a lit like we
have a little bit of abackground because there's a lot
of Brooks people and I knew Cam, but just to get to know like
Mason and Tyler, um and ahandful of the others a little
bit better before, thisexperience I think is gonna, um,
(18:38):
speak volumes on the racecourse.
I think is going to um speakvolumes on the race course and I
think it's gonna translate intoreally good results.
Like you gotta have theserelationships and when you're
hurting in the race and you havea team title on the line, um,
that can really like propel yourperformance forward.
Speaker 1 (18:56):
So so cool, so cool.
Yeah, I got to give Camasflowers for doing that.
Like, what a neat.
Um, just like a team buildingperspective and just getting
everything about it.
I'm just like man.
We need more of that in thefuture.
That's how Team USA rolls.
Speaker 2 (19:12):
Yes, that's the energy we need and we just had
so much fun.
Went to this beautiful lake.
I think the Anna, courtney andI didn't summit both the 14ers
but the boys summited Columbiaand Harvard all in one go and
then it was just the verticaland classic people who kind of
(19:33):
put that together.
But then we ran into Noah atthe trailhead and a bunch of old
college teammates.
So there was this group of, Iwant to say, like 20 of us from
like all these past eras of mylife, like CSU track and cross
country Um, and then the teamUSA and cams from CB and just
(19:53):
like all the all these differentum stages of my life, and all
these people were just runningon this trail together, talking
so loud.
Speaker 1 (20:01):
And it was just so cool, like on this trail
together talking so loud and itwas just so cool, like, yeah, I
love it.
I love it.
Um, all right, let's talktraining really quick, now that
this is a different kind of race.
I mean, this is a differentkind of race.
To get ready for um 6k 990meters, that's like 3.72 miles
with over 3 000 feet of vertical, did you adjust your training
for this, because it's adifferent like, and then you
(20:22):
also have the golden trail final, uh, in october.
Did you like?
What did you like?
Did you just your training forthis, because it's a different
like, and then you also have thegolden trail final, uh, in
October.
Did you like?
What did you like?
Did you just keep doing thesame stuff or did you make any
changes?
Like, how did you approach thethe block for this one?
Speaker 2 (20:31):
Yeah, that's a great question.
Um, I think the main goal wasjust to stay um like healthy
first and foremost through itand not do anything crazy.
So I didn't want to adjustanything too much to like add a
risk of being injured.
But I think I hit my samestructure.
I increased my long run alittle bit to just keep building
(20:54):
that fitness, tried to berunning a lot more vert and then
I've actually been doing thelast month or so some very track
specific like high VO2 maxworkouts there.
And our track is in Gunnison isreally cool because it's right
in the corner and so you can doa track workout but then you can
(21:15):
go run trails straight up thishill and there's like 500 feet
of vert, like in a half mileprobably, or maybe even less
than that, right from the baseof the track.
So I've been kind of doing likesome track and then hill
strides at the end and reallylike trying to work that high
intensity system and then justrunning as many trails and
(21:40):
trying to also improve mytechnical running abilities,
cause you're still doing thatrunning uphill.
Um, but yeah, being in CrestedButte like I, I feel so
fortunate to have like the bestspot to train Like I'll do
intervals up the ski runs andthen ride the lift down, um and
yeah, pretty much like have thebest spot to train.
(22:01):
So feel very fortunate and I'mhappy with where I'm at um going
into this race.
Speaker 1 (22:05):
So I'm jealous.
That's the.
I'm telling you that, likeCrested Butte is such a great
place to train, I don't want toput this on the podcast Cause I
don't want people to, I mean inthe summer, in the winter it's
like you got, you got to earn it.
Speaker 2 (22:15):
You got to earn your summers here.
Speaker 1 (22:17):
But crazy, crazy stuff.
Um, all right, let's get, let'stalk, let's talk like more like
world stuff specifically.
Um, obviously, you're on a team.
There's a lot of um.
It's interesting because yourteam I think specifically the
women's vertical team isinteresting because you've got
hillary allen, who has so muchexperience in the sport.
(22:38):
You've got jess brayu, you,then you go on a gibson like a
lot of different like types ofathletes, in a lot of different
types of athletes in a lot ofways, some people with a ton of
experience, some people a littlebit newer and from a dynamic
perspective, what do you think?
What is your expectation?
I personally think we'resending a squad.
I think this team has anability to meddle for sure.
(22:58):
What are your thoughts on that?
Speaker 2 (23:01):
Yeah, mean I remember we were talking leading up to
both of these us championshipsand I think you said like this
vk might be the most competitiverace we've had on us soil and I
do still agree with that likethat was a very competitive
start list.
Um, and yeah, like hillary andjess and an Ana just have so
(23:24):
much knowledge and I like I havealready learned so much from
Ana and Hillary and just verygrateful for their kind of
guidance and mentorship goingthrough this and I think we as a
team are capable of some reallybig things there.
And yeah, I think for myself, Idon't want to put too many
(23:46):
expectations on it.
It's my first worldchampionship and I don't want
pressure and expectations andoutcome goals to, I guess, like
take away from me being presentwith the entire experience, me
being present with the entireexperience.
(24:07):
But I think, yeah, I just Ithink my main goal is to be an
incredible teammate and presentin there for all of my teammates
and present with the experienceand present with the race and
able to execute in those hardmoments and execute in those
high pressure like highemotionally charged situations,
in the same way I did at BrokenArrow.
(24:27):
And I think if I can do that, Iwill be happy, whatever the
outcome.
Speaker 1 (24:32):
So if you, as a team, were to medal, what would that
mean for you personally, likewhat would that mean?
Speaker 2 (24:38):
Oh, for me personally , I think I would just be so
honored, I mean to be on apodium with those women and just
all of their accolades in trailrunning.
Such an honor to do that on theworld stage for Team USA.
That's the pinnacle of thissport and really any sport.
What a pinch-me moment.
(25:00):
I'm going to do everything ittakes to help get us there
because, wow, like what an honor.
Speaker 1 (25:06):
So cool.
I think that's a good place toput it on.
Um, let's uh definitely want tosay congratulations and wishing
you the absolute best of luckas you go compete.
I hope it's an amazing day foryou guys.
Um yeah, I definitely will bein touch and can't wait to see
what unfolds on race day.
Speaker 2 (25:22):
Thank you so much, thanks for putting this together
and thank you for chatting.
Speaker 1 (25:26):
Yeah, no problem, appreciate it.
Thank you, we'll see you nexttime.
It's time.
Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, we are live Sydney Peterson.
(01:06):
Welcome back to the Steep StuffPodcast.
How's it going?
Great, how are you?
I'm so stoked.
I'm good, it's good to catchback up and talk to you.
The last time we chatted wasjust before your big race at
Broken Arrow.
Yeah, it's been a fun summer.
How has your summer been?
You've been everywhere.
It's been great.
Yeah, I think we a fun summer.
How has your summer been?
Speaker 2 (01:25):
You've been everywhere.
It's been great.
Yeah, I think we talked likebefore Broken Arrow or Sunapee,
and then I went out to Europefor the first time ever and
raced out there and I did theAustria Golden Trail race and
Sierras and all a week later andthen went back home after that
and I've just been stacking areally good block of training.
Speaker 1 (01:49):
So yeah, that's what I've been up to.
Oh my gosh, we've got so muchto talk about and get into first
things first.
Uh, I don't want to bury thelead here.
You are on the vertical teamfor the women.
You're going to be racing atKen Frank next week.
Um, just like maybe paint apicture as far as the Stoke
level goes for, you know, goingto a world championship race.
Speaker 2 (02:04):
Stoke level goes for.
You know, going to a worldchampionship race, oh I'm so.
I can't even like contain myexcitement.
I feel like I'm just likelevitating off the ground right
now.
I'm so happy and I think theright word is just gratitude,
Like there's and I think this isjust to be said about the sport
of running in general and justsports in general like you can
(02:26):
do everything right and not haveit go your way, and so the fact
that I didn't have likeeverything go my way during the
training block and was able toput it together on the day and
excel when I needed to and makethis team, is just really
special.
And I know there's a lot ofpeople who could have made that
team.
So I'm just really honored andand I know there's a lot of
people who could have made thatteam, so I'm just really honored
(02:47):
and really, really grateful tobe a part of this team.
Speaker 1 (02:50):
Yeah, I think it's so cool and it's also really cool
that, like you and Taylor, likeyou're you know this is like
your, I guess you could say yoursecond year, kind of like
really evolving in the sport,and both of you guys made a team
which is dope Like there's alot of couples on this team
which is kind of crazy.
So it's uh, I don't know, it'sjust interesting.
It's a lot of interestingdynamics there.
Um, let's talk about brokenarrow, where you place.
(03:12):
You got fourth at the ascent.
Um, but like, how did that raceunfold?
Because it like was a littleweird for you guys.
I know I talked to a bunch ofpeople pre-race and obviously
everybody was kind of set on itbeing a full VK as far as the
ascent goes.
Then in the kind of the hours,if not, yeah, probably in the
hours leading up to the race,they cut it back down to where
(03:32):
it was only 1,800, 1,900 feet ofvertical.
How did that affect you guysmentally, kind of going in, like
, did that kind of change thingsfor you?
Speaker 2 (03:40):
Yeah, so I was actually pretty quiet about my
few weeks before Broken Arrow,but I actually had a pretty big
injury scare.
I think there was like a monthbetween Sunapee and Broken Arrow
and I didn't have the best raceat Sunapee, just didn't quite
put it together the way I wantedto and was pretty bummed about
that.
And then, I think a week or twoafter that race, I started
(04:03):
having some pain in my hip andwas worried about it being a
stress injury.
So I pretty much didn't run forthe entire two weeks leading up
to the VK at Broken Arrow andthen got some confirmation like
okay, I think it's just bursitis, it's something you can run
through, and at that point thepain was pretty much subsided
(04:26):
and wasn't really bothering meanymore.
Um, so it was definitely anemotional rollercoaster leading
up to it and there were pointslike I remember the Friday
before the week before the race,like I didn't even know if I
was going to race because Ididn't know what my body was
doing and like what would be theright decision.
And so, um, flash forward a weeklater and they were changing
(04:48):
the course and whatever, and Ithink that was all just kind of
noise outside, but I was just sograteful to, at that point,
like be healthy, be lining upfor the race, that it didn't
really affect me like mentallyas much, and I was just so happy
to be there and having a chancewhen I wasn't sure I was going
(05:08):
to be Um.
So I think it put me in a reallyunique mental spot going into
that race where, um, I was justhappy to be there but also still
fit enough and competitiveenough.
But I think it took a lot ofthe expectations and pressure
off, like at least that I wasputting on myself and lined up
(05:29):
and um just went for it.
And I'm just, I think I'mreally proud to be on that team
and I'm just really proud of howI excelled in, like managed my
emotions in that process beforeand then during the race, and
how focused and just like um,how I was able to excel under
really high pressure to like getthe job done.
Speaker 1 (05:47):
So so cool, so crazy.
It's amazing what happens ifyou, like you know, I've heard
so many stories like this whereyou take a week or two off and
you know, maybe trying to getaway from an injury or thinking,
like you know, I just got tolet things settle and then sure
as shit, you go have like suchan an amazing both you in the
23k.
You had a great race as well.
Um, it's, it's just interestingkind of the way that stuff
(06:09):
plays out and how the body and,when you take expectations off,
how sometimes that can just likeelevate the performance.
Um, let's get a little bit moreinto the performance itself.
Racing it's so like that wassuch a crazy competitive race.
At any point in time, were youaware of your placement and
where you were?
Were you fighting?
Not fighting, but contestingback and forth with other ladies
(06:30):
?
As far as the positioning went,did you know where you were
from once you asserted yourposition?
Speaker 2 (06:38):
I had no idea.
And I think there was aninteresting element in this race
because it was a US qualifierbut it was an international
field and there were some reallyelite international runners in
there.
I wouldn't say I'm somebodylike some people look at the
start list and they're like thisperson's racing and this
(06:58):
person's racing and thatstresses me out.
I try not to do that.
So I think, that being said, Ididn't know who a lot of people
were and I think in general Idon't know all the names in
running, just because I like togo and just race the race and
not overthink it.
And I remember, on the startingline, I was just so happy to be
there and was just in a verygood headspace.
(07:20):
But I got stuck going up thatfirst hill because, like,
because there's so many peopledoing it, and immediately, like,
all the top women were justgone and I was like, okay, well,
like here we are, I guess, like, don't panic, it is a shorter
course but you need to go.
And I got to give a shout outto Cam Smith, to my, my fellow,
(07:43):
like neighbor in crestibution.
Um, he, I didn't get to see thenew course before they changed
it and he gave me probably thebest advice and like race plan
to um to focus on and hebasically just said don't go out
too fast.
But then that middle sectiononce you're kind of on the Jeep
(08:03):
road through to where you get toRed Dog Ridge, you need that.
Like that's where the race isdecided, because you can only
run so fast on technical terrain, so you need to be at like 90%
of your full effort by the timeyou get there.
And so I think once I got tothe top of that first ski slope
and was able to pass some people, like I just went crazy and
(08:27):
like started passing as manypeople as I could, and I think
that slower start and gettingstuck allowed me to pass people.
And I just had Taylor's likepre-race advice in my head and
he was like you've just like ifyou're gonna do this, you have
to be in the top four, like youcan do this, don't overthink it.
And so I was just like you gotto be in the top four and I had
(08:48):
no idea where I was, um, but Iwas passing people where I was.
Like this person is reallyelite, like um, like I'm
definitely in an okay spot, butI had no idea if I was in the
top four.
So I was just like every bodymatters and was just going after
every man, every woman in thefield to try to gain as much
ground as I could.
And then I passed Adam Chase onthe ridge and he was like Sydney
(09:14):
, you're in fourth.
And so I thought I was thefourth American.
So I had Pema right behind meand I was like a sprinting for
my life because I thought I wasin the last qualifying spot and
I didn't know who she was.
I thought she was an American.
And so I was just like fightingfor every single spot and just
like had this crazy performance.
I think that's the farthestI've ever gone into the pain
(09:36):
cave and like the most I've evergotten out of my body in the
race.
And then I like cross thefinish line and Taylor's like no
, you were the second American,like you were right behind or
not right behind, but like youwere behind Anna and Jade's
Canadian and um, joyce was infront of you.
So I was like oh wow, I was notin fourth, I was second for
Americans, fourth overall.
(09:57):
So, yeah, it was just like thebest day and probably one of the
best days of my life.
Speaker 1 (10:02):
So that's what I was going to say.
It's like it's kind of crazyCause.
It's like that's a memoryyou'll have for the rest of your
life, Like something you willprobably never forget.
Like so cool, Like a banner,just a banner thing that you'll,
you know, you always kind ofpull back to it.
It must've given you, like Imean, you should have already
had confidence as far as, likeyour ability, but like, did that
just from a confidencestandpoint, like like really
(10:23):
just give you like understandingthat, like I belong here, I can
do this.
Like how did that feel from aconfidence perspective?
Speaker 2 (10:30):
Yeah, that's a really good question.
Thanks for asking that.
I think like I was prettyconfident going into the race
and then I think everything thatcould have gone wrong leading
up to this race like went wrong.
Like I just wasn't feeling goodI wasn't even sure if I was
going to be able to race andjust I think, fitness wise, I
still put it together and had anamazing performance physically.
(10:53):
And then also just knowing andhaving the confidence now that
like I can be on the biggeststage and managing my emotions
and mentality when things arenot just going well but like
arguably going pretty horribly,and like being able to still put
it together, it just gives methe confidence that like, okay,
I can do that on one of theworst build-ups and like I
(11:16):
wasn't feeling great on race dayand still like put it together
so and run with the best of theworld.
And I think that's kind of beena mindset shift of like I see
the top American women now andbefore it was like, okay,
they're, that's their race andthen I'll be running my race
behind them.
And now it's like I considermyself in the same race and like
(11:37):
able to compete with them.
And so, yeah, broken arrow hasbeen like a huge turning point
in my running career in a lot ofways, I feel like.
But I'm just very proud of likehow it's been a turning point
in ways that aren't obvious,especially mentally and
emotionally, and just withconfidence and poise and being
able to handle pressures.
Speaker 1 (11:56):
So so cool and beautiful answer.
By the way, like I reallyappreciate you being candid on
it, I got to ask you this likeyou're so talented I mean you're
talented on like every racethat you do, but like you're
very, very good at the verticalLike, do you think you'll do
more vertical races?
Like, do you think I don't knowwhat next year holds, but if
you go out to Europe again torace, do you think there would
be more VKs and things like thatin your future?
Speaker 2 (12:19):
Yeah, I'd love to race some more VKs.
I think I'm kind of finding myniche race distance and I think
um the NCAA training in mybackground that's been really
recent also.
Um I think makes thattransition into trail running
and specifically that distancereally easy because you're
(12:41):
constantly working in thatreally high like vo2 max, um
like it feels very similar.
You're going 12 minute pace,not low five minute pace like
running a 5k, but um the itfeels similar.
So I think I can credit a lotof my success in um this like
(13:01):
ascent vk distance to thatcollege background.
But um would love to keepmixing it up and um races in
Europe.
But also I really want to keepdeveloping my like other parts
of my trail, um like resume, Iguess, like I'm not as talented
of a downhill runner so I reallywant to like work on my
(13:22):
technical downhill running andum just kind of see what I can
do, cause yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1 (13:29):
I love it.
I love it, I um sorry, so let'spivot.
Then I want to talk aboutgrowing, developing, learning,
and I think the best place totalk about that is your stint in
Europe at Golden Trail.
You did this crazy back-to-backweekend between the Plitzalpin
Glacier Trail and then Ceres andNall, and you got to experience
, you know, euro Trail runningat its finest in those.
(13:51):
What was that all about?
Like what did you think?
Like what was that experiencelike?
It must have been so much fun.
Speaker 2 (13:56):
It was incredible, like I think I just had to like
constantly keep stepping back.
Same for Taylor we were talkingabout this the other day, but
just like pinch me, like I'mgetting to race internationally
in some of the most beautifulplaces in the world doing my
favorite thing with my favoritepeople.
Like to be able to do that withyour partner and like just so
(14:18):
many incredible people on theBrooks team and just all around
the world is such a gift andsomething I will never take for
granted and was constantly likereminding myself, like don't
let's get the most out of yourbody and from this experience
and learn and race as much asyou can, but like be present in
the whole experience, becauseit's such a gift and so few
(14:39):
people get to like experiencethat in their life.
Um, definitely a learning curve.
With the european racing though.
We were chatting with some ofthe brooks european, some of our
brooks european teammates onenight at dinner before the um
austria race and I was like yeah, the course is super technical.
(14:59):
And they're like, oh no, thisis not technical.
And I was like this is the mosttechnical terrain I've ever
seen in my life.
Speaker 1 (15:06):
Like yeah, I think the terrain's really different.
Speaker 2 (15:10):
The level of competition is just up here and
then also just learning how totravel and like manage your
energy and stress level and justmanage the entire your emotions
throughout the entireexperience, because you do have
a finite amount of energy, andlearning how to travel well and
um, yeah, all of that.
My races weren't great overthere but learned a lot.
(15:33):
And learned a lot about what Ineed to incorporate into my
training and um thing like heattraining and nutrition and um,
just yeah, learned so manylessons that are really going to
help me in future years, Ithink, and I'm really eager to
come back to those races nextyear, at least Sears and all and
get some redemption.
Speaker 1 (15:54):
So I love it.
I love it and you know whatit's like.
I don't know.
I think for you it's just likethis year is just such an
opportunity to just, you know,just absorb so much and learn as
much as you possibly can,because, you're right, it is so
different, it's a completelydifferent world.
It's funny you said that, likeit's such an American thing.
Our American definition oftechnical versus their
(16:15):
definition of technical is liketwo very different things, which
is kind of funny.
What was it like going overthere and getting like?
Obviously, in the United Statesyou got to spend time with your
other Brooks teammates Remy,dan, that group and Courtney
before Sunapee but getting tomeet your European Brooks
teammates and kind of learn moreabout the brand on a larger
(16:35):
scale, like, what was that like?
Was that a cool experience aswell?
Speaker 2 (16:38):
It was so cool to just like yeah, thank you for
asking that, because at SunapeeI think I talked about this with
you earlier, but we had thatteam house and there's just a
very strong team presence and avery strong vision for the brand
that I feel like we all verymuch align with.
And to see that that's also thecase just as much so over in
(17:02):
Europe is just really cool.
And it's so cool to meet peoplefrom like with total different
backgrounds, but they're equallyas passionate, if not more,
about this thing that we're alldoing and we have so many shared
experiences.
And just to meet people andalready have that background is
really, really cool.
And they were just so welcomingand Taylor and I don't speak
(17:26):
any French and they were just soinclusive and made us feel
welcome.
So, yeah, yeah, huge shout outto them.
Speaker 1 (17:33):
So cool, so cool.
All right, on the team subject,earlier this summer, maybe
about a month ago, cam puttogether kind of like a camp for
some of the well, a good groupof American athletes that were
going to go over there andcompete at Worlds.
Can you talk a little bit aboutthat experience and just what
that was all about and what thatwas like?
Speaker 2 (17:54):
Yeah.
So huge shout out to Cam fordoing that he put so much work
into it and Paul and Tom andsome of the Team USA staff for
helping us make that happen.
Um, yeah, we had a mix of likecamping and an Airbnb in Buena
Vista, um, and went out on a fewteam runs and just cooked meals
(18:17):
together and it was so fun likeI don't think I have laughed
that hard in like a really longtime and I had a lit like we
have a little bit of abackground because there's a lot
of Brooks people and I knew Cam, but just to get to know like
Mason and Tyler, um and ahandful of the others a little
bit better before, thisexperience I think is gonna, um,
(18:38):
speak volumes on the racecourse.
I think is going to um speakvolumes on the race course and I
think it's gonna translate intoreally good results.
Like you gotta have theserelationships and when you're
hurting in the race and you havea team title on the line, um,
that can really like propel yourperformance forward.
Speaker 1 (18:56):
So so cool, so cool.
Yeah, I got to give Camasflowers for doing that.
Like, what a neat.
Um, just like a team buildingperspective and just getting
everything about it.
I'm just like man.
We need more of that in thefuture.
That's how Team USA rolls.
Speaker 2 (19:12):
Yes, that's the energy we need and we just had
so much fun.
Went to this beautiful lake.
I think the Anna, courtney andI didn't summit both the 14ers
but the boys summited Columbiaand Harvard all in one go and
then it was just the verticaland classic people who kind of
(19:33):
put that together.
But then we ran into Noah atthe trailhead and a bunch of old
college teammates.
So there was this group of, Iwant to say, like 20 of us from
like all these past eras of mylife, like CSU track and cross
country Um, and then the teamUSA and cams from CB and just
(19:53):
like all the all these differentum stages of my life, and all
these people were just runningon this trail together, talking
so loud.
Speaker 1 (20:01):
And it was just so cool, like on this trail
together talking so loud and itwas just so cool, like, yeah, I
love it.
I love it.
Um, all right, let's talktraining really quick, now that
this is a different kind of race.
I mean, this is a differentkind of race.
To get ready for um 6k 990meters, that's like 3.72 miles
with over 3 000 feet of vertical, did you adjust your training
for this, because it's adifferent like, and then you
(20:22):
also have the golden trail final, uh, in october.
Did you like?
What did you like?
Did you just your training forthis, because it's a different
like, and then you also have thegolden trail final, uh, in
October.
Did you like?
What did you like?
Did you just keep doing thesame stuff or did you make any
changes?
Like, how did you approach thethe block for this one?
Speaker 2 (20:31):
Yeah, that's a great question.
Um, I think the main goal wasjust to stay um like healthy
first and foremost through itand not do anything crazy.
So I didn't want to adjustanything too much to like add a
risk of being injured.
But I think I hit my samestructure.
I increased my long run alittle bit to just keep building
(20:54):
that fitness, tried to berunning a lot more vert and then
I've actually been doing thelast month or so some very track
specific like high VO2 maxworkouts there.
And our track is in Gunnison isreally cool because it's right
in the corner and so you can doa track workout but then you can
(21:15):
go run trails straight up thishill and there's like 500 feet
of vert, like in a half mileprobably, or maybe even less
than that, right from the baseof the track.
So I've been kind of doing likesome track and then hill
strides at the end and reallylike trying to work that high
intensity system and then justrunning as many trails and
(21:40):
trying to also improve mytechnical running abilities,
cause you're still doing thatrunning uphill.
Um, but yeah, being in CrestedButte like I, I feel so
fortunate to have like the bestspot to train Like I'll do
intervals up the ski runs andthen ride the lift down, um and
yeah, pretty much like have thebest spot to train.
(22:01):
So feel very fortunate and I'mhappy with where I'm at um going
into this race.
Speaker 1 (22:05):
So I'm jealous.
That's the.
I'm telling you that, likeCrested Butte is such a great
place to train, I don't want toput this on the podcast Cause I
don't want people to, I mean inthe summer, in the winter it's
like you got, you got to earn it.
Speaker 2 (22:15):
You got to earn your summers here.
Speaker 1 (22:17):
But crazy, crazy stuff.
Um, all right, let's get, let'stalk, let's talk like more like
world stuff specifically.
Um, obviously, you're on a team.
There's a lot of um.
It's interesting because yourteam I think specifically the
women's vertical team isinteresting because you've got
hillary allen, who has so muchexperience in the sport.
(22:38):
You've got jess brayu, you,then you go on a gibson like a
lot of different like types ofathletes, in a lot of different
types of athletes in a lot ofways, some people with a ton of
experience, some people a littlebit newer and from a dynamic
perspective, what do you think?
What is your expectation?
I personally think we'resending a squad.
I think this team has anability to meddle for sure.
(22:58):
What are your thoughts on that?
Speaker 2 (23:01):
Yeah, mean I remember we were talking leading up to
both of these us championshipsand I think you said like this
vk might be the most competitiverace we've had on us soil and I
do still agree with that likethat was a very competitive
start list.
Um, and yeah, like hillary andjess and an Ana just have so
(23:24):
much knowledge and I like I havealready learned so much from
Ana and Hillary and just verygrateful for their kind of
guidance and mentorship goingthrough this and I think we as a
team are capable of some reallybig things there.
And yeah, I think for myself, Idon't want to put too many
(23:46):
expectations on it.
It's my first worldchampionship and I don't want
pressure and expectations andoutcome goals to, I guess, like
take away from me being presentwith the entire experience, me
being present with the entireexperience.
(24:07):
But I think, yeah, I just Ithink my main goal is to be an
incredible teammate and presentin there for all of my teammates
and present with the experienceand present with the race and
able to execute in those hardmoments and execute in those
high pressure like highemotionally charged situations,
in the same way I did at BrokenArrow.
(24:27):
And I think if I can do that, Iwill be happy, whatever the
outcome.
Speaker 1 (24:32):
So if you, as a team, were to medal, what would that
mean for you personally, likewhat would that mean?
Speaker 2 (24:38):
Oh, for me personally , I think I would just be so
honored, I mean to be on apodium with those women and just
all of their accolades in trailrunning.
Such an honor to do that on theworld stage for Team USA.
That's the pinnacle of thissport and really any sport.
What a pinch-me moment.
(25:00):
I'm going to do everything ittakes to help get us there
because, wow, like what an honor.
Speaker 1 (25:06):
So cool.
I think that's a good place toput it on.
Um, let's uh definitely want tosay congratulations and wishing
you the absolute best of luckas you go compete.
I hope it's an amazing day foryou guys.
Um yeah, I definitely will bein touch and can't wait to see
what unfolds on race day.
Speaker 2 (25:22):
Thank you so much, thanks for putting this together
and thank you for chatting.
Speaker 1 (25:26):
Yeah, no problem, appreciate it.
Thank you, we'll see you nexttime.
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