Run Mountain Peaks

This week I react to the recently announced White Mountains Bounty by Run the Whites. $10,000 annually to be allocated to five of the most competitive mountain running routes in the Northeast. The Presidential Traverse - 18mi 8.5k ft vert Pemi Loop - 29mi 9kft vert Hut Traverse - 45mi 16k ft vert White Mountains 100 - 95mi 34k ft vert Mahoosuc Traverse 28mi 11k ft vert Each route has either $1,000...

This week I sat down with Lars Hogne and Tyler Sheedy. A couple young mountain crushers with a cross country and track & field background. They both ran in Division I at URI and have brought that speed to the trail running scene. Lars is coming off a 7th place finish at the US Mountain Running championships at Sunapee Scramble. Tyler already has multiple race wins under his belt this year and...

Summer is here and June has not disappointed. It's one of the best times of the year. Full blown trail season with lots of people getting on trail, races every weekend, and big miles in the mountians. Without giving anything away, this week I rank the best months of year for trail running & hiking in the Northeast mountains. Lincoln Woods is officially closed and lots of people squeezed in...

This week I talk about my recent DNF on the notorious Hut Traverse. The Hut Traverse links all 8 AMC Huts in the White Mountains in an epic 45 mile 16k ft of gain route over the best of the best Whites terrain. You start at the Carter Notch hut in of the coolest spots in the Whites, traverse over the Presidential range over the highest and gnarliest terrain in the region, then take the A to Z trai...

This week I talked with Lexi Jackson who is fresh off her Wantastiquet-Monadnock-Sunappee ~100 mile unsupported FKT. This route combines the Wantastiquet-Monadnock trail with the Monadnock-Sunappee Greenway trail in a single push with 20,000 ft of climbing. An epic route and cool story, doing it all solo. We also discuss some of Lexi’s other FKT and race efforts including the White Mountains 100,...

This week I ranked the toughest trails in the White Mountains. Not just the most technical, but the hardest trails to go fast on. I got a ton of input for this list which was awesome and did a little bit of research on trail stats as well. I gave a bunch of honorable mentions and then ranked the top 10. I did a Chocorua Mountain race preview and some of the history from one of the coolest races in...

This week, I deep dive into the iconic Presidential Traverse. 18 miles and 8,500ft of gnarly White Mountains terrain. I discuss the required peaks: Madison, Adams, Jefferson, Clay, Washington, Monroe, Eisenhower and Pierce. Yes on Clay, but no on Franklin? And Jackson was a president, but not that Jackson. I talk about the Presi FKTs and the blazing paces over those rocks. At the end, I brought ba...

This week I sat down with Eli Burakian. Eli wears just about every hat you can imagine in the Northeast trail scene. He’s an ultra runner, backpacker, professional photographer, author, and race director/co-founder of Northeast Trail Adventures. He just loves getting out on trails and being part of the Northeast community and it shows. We dive deep into his background managing the Moosilauke Ravin...

This week we were joined by a true NH trail running power couple, Clark Plummer & Allie Leveille. Clark is a staple NH & White Mountains trail runner. He is a Grid Finisher and stacked over a million feet of vertical gain on foot three straight years in a row. One of the most enthusiastic people you will ever meet on the trail. I asked if he will ever lose the stoke and he immediately said H*ll no...

This week, I’m breaking down everything I think about when it comes to moving efficiently in the rugged Northeast mountains during summer. Shoes, gear, strategies & more. If you don't listen, it could be summed up simply as: don’t ever stop moving, bring the lightest gear (safely) possible & don’t fight the trails and its many obstacles, just keep moving forward relentlessly and as unp...

This week, I dive into how the podcast came to be, lessons learned through 6 months, and how I feel being a content creator. Two years ago, I had zero social media presence, no TV, no laptop & no wifi. Now I’m posting a weekly podcast and posting on multiple social media platforms almost daily. The transition was gnarly and I talk about all the growing pains and why doing a podcast is so much...

This week I interviewed Joe Palisi. He is a runner, hiker, climber and skier and this March became the first person to finish the Northeast Ultra 8 Gold Skyrunner Challenge. Joe completed the Presi Traverse, Pemi Loop, Mahoosuc Traverse, Devil’s Path, Great Range Traverse, Taconic Crest Traverse, Saranac 6 & Cranberry 50 in both summer and winter all under strict time limits. These are eight o...

This week’s episode is an unplanned deep dive into setbacks and the uncertainty of training & running goals. I was gearing up for an FKT attempt, but an untimely ankle roll on my bad ankle that just got good, changed my plans and gave me some flashbacks of my long recovery this fall/winter. Luckily, it wasn’t bad at all and should be fine in the near future. I still wanted to get an effort in...

This week I talked through the essentials in my training and coaching philosophy for mountain running and ultra running. I think there is so much information out there, quick hacks, new research, supplements, etc. that it is hard to know what to focus on and what is worth it. But I truly believe that endurance training fundamentals along with unwavering consistency is where all the gains are actua...

This week I sat down with Conor Brown. He is a hiker and trail runner that has accomplished some pretty mind blowing feats over the past few years. He was the finisher at the inaugural Mt. Ascutney Vertical Backyard Ultra, hiking over 200 miles and 108k ft of climbing in a single push over four days. He set records for most summits in 24 hours on his home mountains North Ucanoonuc and South Uncano...

This week I give my New Hampshire spring trail & mountain running playbook. Dirt, rocks and roots are here, you just gotta go find them. Spring shoulder season in the White Mountains is full of postholes, rapidly changing trail conditions and other surprises. I usually take this time to check out a handful of other mountain gems in the region, of which there are many. Some of these are very po...

This week I'm diving into a recent time trial effort I did on my local peak. I ran the same 1 mile route (510ft of climbing) twice in the span of five days. The first effort was at a 7:37min/mi pace, but during the second effort, I was able to knock off almost 30 seconds and run a 7:08min/mi pace (4:50min/mi grade adjusted pace).  Obviously, I didn’t gain a ton of fitness in those five days, s...

This week I sat down with Ryan Fournier. He is a friend and a road & trail crusher. He started road running a handful of years ago and after thru hiking the AT in 2024, has thrown down some amazing efforts. Everything from short road to long trail. Big range. 50 miles in 6hr 58m, Sub 16min 5k, 6:39 Pemi loop, Boott Spur throwdown, etc. He was slated to PR the half marathon this March but unfor...

Lots of topics this week. I talk about some of my time spent living and getting outdoors in Maine. My annual trip to Moosehead Lake and how cool of a region it is up there. The view from under Mt. Kineo rock face being undefeated. I talked through and ranked each of the extreme activities I have done: white water rafting, parasailing, zip lining, sky diving. Some quick Hundred Mile Wilderness talk...

This week I tell the story of my first place finish at the 2024 Kilkenny Ridge Race. A great effort for me and had a few learning lessons for next time. Potentially looking at running that race again this year. Then I talked about Marathon Sports buying Six03 trail races and the $100,000 of prize money they are putting on New Hampshire trail races. Gave my quick thoughts on the Lincoln Woods trail...

This week I got to interview John Hirsch. John raced triathlons as a pro for over 20 years. He collected four Top 10 Pro Ironman finishes and competed at the notorious Kona Ironman World Championships. He had a ton of cool stories and great insights into triathlon and endurance training. Outside of triathlons he competed in trail races, grabbing three wins at the Spartan Ultra Beast Masters World...

This week I go through my entire gear kit for winter trail running and hiking. Literally took everything out of my bins and went through it. Not so much a brand talk but more of what items I bring with me and all my tips and tricks I've learned over them years to make them useful and efficient. Everyone has thier own system and kit that works them but hopefully you can take away at least one t...

This week I ranked the NH 48 4,000 footers from my least favorite to my top pick. There is only one hike I actually dislike. Lots of tough decisions had to be made. I will not second guess my decisions.  Then did a preview for the upcoming Last Skier Standing race by White Mountain Ski Company that starts next weekend. That race usually goes for days and lots of heavy hitters on the entrants list....

This week I talk through my hierarchy of ultrarunning recovery tips. If you are increasing your training for the new year, you should also be increasing your focus on recovery. None of the top four items have to do with “recovery” products or supplements. I go through some deer hunting FAQs I get asked a lot to try and educate all public land recreation users. I messed up my one grid fact from las...

This week I sat down with my own mother who is quite the accomplished hiker. She is a Grid finisher, and has completed several hiking lists in New England including the 100 Highest, 67 4000 Footers, 52 With a View, Terrifying 25, and is in the middle of a Single Season Winter 48. We discussed all of these accomplishments and the trails and peaks associated with them. She gave some tips about thing...