Running long - A trail and ultra running talk

Francesco and Abby Hall are both injured days after Black Canyon 100k. One DNF, one top-five finish, two hard falls. A real conversation about processing setbacks, racing at the front of a historic women’s field, and what actually drives a big performance. Abby breaks down how her race unfolded, from a controlled start hitting goal splits, to the fall that cost her minutes mid-race, to a split-for...

Days before lining up at Black Canyon 100K, Francesco Puppi sits down with Moisés Jiménez and Max Keith for a deep dive into training philosophy, double-threshold blocks, and what he learned from living and training alongside Jim Walmsley in Arizona. This conversation centers on performance — not hype. Francesco breaks down what he saw firsthand inside Jim’s preparation: Norwegian-style double thr...

Diving into the state of trail running in 2025, Francesco Puppi and Max Keith sit down for a wide-ranging, honest, and deeply insightful conversation about where the sport is headed — and what it feels like to live through this moment of rapid transformation. From debates around pacers and fair competition, to the explosion of content, technology, and brand involvement in trail running, they refle...

Dylan Walker joins host Francesco Puppi for an honest and inspiring conversation about what it really takes to transform your life through running — from starting at 240 lbs with no plan or fitness, to completing ultras, crossing the Alps in the Transalpine Run, and preparing for his first 100-mile race. They dive into the realities behind long-term progress: coping with pain when it shows up in e...

Mario Fraioli joins host Francesco Puppi for an honest and thought-provoking conversation about the modern state of running — from content overload and algorithm fatigue, to what it really means to “go one more.” They dive deep into the balance between performance and storytelling, the illusion of social media success, and why learning to go one less might be the most underrated skill in both trai...

Vert.run co-founders Moi Jiménez and Max Keith join host Francesco Puppi for a deep conversation on the evolving trail running scene in Latin America, the return of The North Face Endurance Challenge Chile , and the cultural roots that make South American trail running so unique. They dive into the growing presence of Latin American athletes on the world stage, the challenges of distance, visibili...

South African trail running star  Toni McCann  joins host  Francesco Puppi  for an honest and vulnerable conversation about rediscovering her love for the sport, handling pressure after success, and what happens when winning doesn’t feel like winning. After dropping out of  The Otter Trail  with an ankle injury, Toni shares how that DNF unexpectedly reminded her why she runs—the community, the con...

Vert.run co-founder and coach Max Keith joins host Francesco Puppi for a wide-ranging conversation about the end of a long racing season—what recovery really means, how to avoid burnout, and why finishing strong sometimes means doing less. Fresh off his CCC win and top-10 finish at the World Championships, Francesco shares what it felt like to go from 49th to 9th after cramping from the first down...

Psychologist and elite trail runner  Eva-Maria Sperger  joins host  Francesco Puppi  for a candid conversation about the mental side of performance—self-compassion, motivation, and racing with vulnerability—just ahead of the World Championships in Canfranc-Pirineos. Eva explains why naming emotions builds real toughness, how to balance “listen to your feelings” with “do the opposite,” and a simple...

We sit down with Francesco for a clear CCC recap : pacing the early climbs without forcing, the move after Champex-Lac, fast aid-station execution, and his fueling plan (~90–100 g carbs/h with a structured caffeine strategy). Then we look ahead to the World Championships and whether to accept a tempting Western States Golden Ticket. We also share what’s shipping inside the app: the new Coach Vert....

Francesco catches up with Max to debrief a packed couple of weeks: the HOKA training camp, a fast-and-furious Sierre-Zinal, and the final touches before Francesco’s CCC debut at UTMB. We get into all the nuances. We cover: Key takeaways from camp: how fun it is to meet teammates, train together, and connect with folks across the brand—plus a great chance to test products for the future. Sierre-Zin...

Rosemary Mitchell is a 62-year-old ultrarunner whose story with the Comrades Marathon is as powerful as the race itself. In this episode, I had the honor of sitting down with Rosemary for a heartfelt and inspiring conversation about endurance, tradition, and what it truly means to run with purpose. We explored her personal journey—how challenges and setbacks shaped her path—and what it took to con...

Max Keith is a trail runner, coach, and cofounder of Vert.run—and someone who’s been shaping the sport from both the frontlines and behind the scenes. In this episode, I had the chance to sit down with Max for a deep and honest conversation about racing, coaching, and the evolution of trail running today. We reflected on the emotional highs and lows of recent races, the path of athletes like Abby...

Ken Seals is a trail runner, storyteller, and the creator of The Ultra Minute, a newsletter and media platform that covers the evolving world of trail and ultra running. I was a guest on Ken’s platform to dive deep into the state of running media today—and we had such a rich conversation that it felt like a necessary one to share. We talked about how Ken found his way into the sport, what it’s lik...

In this episode, Katie Asmuth—elite ultrarunner and Western States finisher—joins Francesco to reflect on the emotional highs and lows of racing, recovery, and personal growth in the sport of trail running. They explore Katie’s connection to Western States, the identity challenges athletes face, and how she balances motherhood with high-level training. Katie shares lessons on resilience through in...

In this episode, Kameron Harder—physical therapist and strength training expert—joins Francesco to dive into the world of strength training for runners. They explore why strength training is essential for trail and road runners, how to structure it efficiently, and common mistakes to avoid. Kameron also shares insights from his work in remote physical therapy, plus tips on durability, injury preve...

🎙️ In this episode, Max & Moi sit down with Francesco to dive into the state of running and trail running coaching apps—and introduce Vert Pro , the first fully automated coach built specifically for trail runners of all levels. They break down how Vert Pro works, why it’s shaking up the coaching game, and how Vert.run is leading the way in innovation without sacrificing personalization or qua...

I had the pleasure and privilege to share three weeks of altitude training in Mammoth Lakes with Rod , seeing his hard work, commitment and self believe, learning a lot from him. It’s been roughly a year since Rod Farvard's name really came into the spotlight. Rod definitely had a breakthrough season in 2024, with the win at Canyons and the second place at Western States coming in quick succes...

What’s Coming in Trail Running in 2025? Clearly, 2025 is shaping up to be an exciting year for trail running. In this episode we examine the key races and their storylines, athletes to watch, new trends and predictions, strategies and advancements in performance. Guest: Max Keith For those of you who want to give training with Vert.run a try, you can take 30% off your first month of training with...

Florian Reiter is a runner, coach, podcaster and physiotherapist from Austria. I was a guest in Florian’s podcast Running Free and it was a great chance to touch on many relevant topics related to running, so we thought it would be fun to do a follow-up episode, and here we are.  We talked about the reasons why we run, how these reasons change over time, obsession and balance, vulnerability and co...

Josh Wade is a professional trail runner for The North Face coming from England. Josh took third at the Transgrancanaria Classic this year, running an incredible race and surpassing all his expectations. In this episode we go into the details of Josh’s race, from how he managed his strategy to how he handled the preparation leading up to it. We also talk about balancing work versus training, how J...

Today I’m sitting down with Max Keith to share some reflections as we approach the core of the 2025 season, which kicked off in big fashion with races like Black Canyon, Tarawera and Transgrancanaria. Athletes are racing as fast as ever, races are getting more competitive, brands are investing more and more, participation in trail races is increasing across all continents and events, the science o...

Dakota Jones is a professional trail runner for Nnormal living in Salt Lake City.  Dakota is also the founder and executive director of Footprints Running , a non profit organization with the mission to support climate action at the community level by bringing people together around their shared interest in trail running.  In two days, Dakota is attempting the American record for 100 miles at the...

Allison Lynch is a writer, artist, competitive runner and sports marketing professional. Allison has 12 years of experience in brand marketing and communications, specializing in sports technology, running, and fitness. She’s worked for companies like WHOOP and COROS. I was inspired to invite Allison on this podcast after discovering her work and talent for writing. She wrote a very interesting Su...

Adina Crawford is a trail runner from the US and a Vert.run explore athlete. Adina is a passionate runner whose goal is, like many other athletes that we coach, to run longer, faster and stronger while having fun in the process. In this episode we talk about being a trail runner from an underrepresented community in our sport, a memorable trip to the french alps, her experience training with Vert,...