Best Ryan Mathias Podcasts (2026)

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339: 'The Most Beautiful Expression of Human Movement', with Ryan Kerrigan 1:09:34

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2h ago1:09:34

1:09:34

This week we're opening the much anticipated registration for Beast of Big Creek. Who better to help me launch all this than the person who reached out first when I wanted to get Beast on the radar of The International Skyrunning Federation. Ryan Kerrigan is the executive director of Skyrunning USA and on Singletrack we chat about the history of sk…

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State of the Steep Stuff 1:11:57

10h ago1:11:57

1:11:57

Send us a text Trail running deserves sharper storytelling than recycled podium posts. We open the books on Steep Stuff: what we botched in 2025, what finally clicked, and how we’re going big on short trail in 2026. James and guest host Francesco get specific about the pivot from clunky Zoom reels to clean Riverside workflows, a fresh brand identit…

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#150 - Lucy Kolpa 1:00:49

4d ago1:00:49

1:00:49

Send us a text A late start, a canceled senior season, and a move to Bozeman turned Lucy Kolpa from a soccer defender into one of trail running’s most compelling rising names. We dive into how she traded splits for summits, built a durable engine without a coach, and learned to treat races as a celebration of big mountain days rather than a verdict…

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338: 'It's a Trip', with Nicholas Triolo 39:31

5d ago39:31

39:31

Nicholas Triolo wrote my favorite book of 2025: 'The Way Around' and he's back on Singletrack to chat about it. We discuss the process of writing, the inspiration for the stories, and what a great travel books are meant to do for the reader. You'll think different about that loop in the woods next time you head out on your run, I promise. LINKS Nic…

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#149 - Tayler Tuttle Peavey 1:01:59

17h ago1:01:59

1:01:59

Send us a text The spark wasn’t love at first stride. Tayler Tuttle Peavey once hated running, chose softball, and struggled through PE miles—then found a coach who spoke the language of physiology and a path that led from Georgia to Colorado and, ultimately, to USATF national titles on the trails. We sit down to unpack how a hip labrum surgery, a …

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Best of 2025 - Ryan Becker Fan Favorite Episode 1:39:05

4d ago1:39:05

1:39:05

Send us a text Best of 2025 - Ryan Becker Fan Favorite Episode Follow James on IG - @jameslauriello Follow the Steep Stuff Podcast on IG - @steepstuff_podBy James Lauriello

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337: 'Running Into 2026', with Alex Bond 1:25:10

4d ago1:25:10

1:25:10

Alex Bond joins Singletrack for one last hurrah of 2025 - and yes, I am fully aware that I'm posting this already in 2026. So, a first hurrah of 2026. We're chatting about the world of trail and mountain running over the past year and looking ahead and the new one. Hope it will be a happy one for y'all! LINKS Alex Bond on Strava RE/Run 2025 on Elec…

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Best of 2025 - Emma Cook Clarke Fan Favorite Episode 58:43

4d ago58:43

58:43

Send us a text Best of 2025 - Emma Cook Clarke Fan Favorite Episode Follow James on IG - @jameslauriello Follow the Steep Stuff Podcast on IG - @steepstuff_podBy James Lauriello

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Best of 2025 - Jane Maus Fan Favorite Episode 37:10

5d ago37:10

37:10

Send us a text Best of 2025 - Jane Maus Fan Favorite Episode Follow James on IG - @jameslauriello Follow the Steep Stuff Podcast on IG - @steepstuff_podBy James Lauriello

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Best of 2025 - Kyle Richardson Fan Favorite Episode 1:05:51

13d ago1:05:51

1:05:51

Send us a text Best of 2025 - Kyle Richardson Fan Favorite Episode Follow James on IG - @jameslauriello Follow the Steep Stuff Podcast on IG - @steepstuff_podBy James Lauriello

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Best of 2025 - Bailey Kowalczyk Fan Favorite Episode 1:08:03

10d ago1:08:03

1:08:03

Send us a text Best of 2025 - Bailey Kowalczyk Fan Favorite Episode Follow James on IG - @jameslauriello Follow the Steep Stuff Podcast on IG - @steepstuff_podBy James Lauriello

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Best of 2025 - Anton Krupicka Fan Favorite Episode 56:25

12d ago56:25

56:25

Send us a text Follow James on IG - @jameslauriello Follow the Steep Stuff Podcast on IG - @steepstuff_podBy James Lauriello

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336: 'Running Back The Year 2025', with Krissi Polentz 1:28:38

14d ago1:28:38

1:28:38

It's the end of 2025 and I'm joined by special guest Krissi Polentz to chat about this past year in trail running. What stood out? What were the big stories and big misses that shaped out sport and culture? We're taking a look at the players that speak, the businesses that spend money, and the movers that have shape our sport this past year. And of…

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#148 - Mathias Eichler, RD Beast of Big Creek 1:21:35

15d ago1:21:35

1:21:35

Send us a text 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 s…

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#147 - Sean Rimmer, PT, DPT, OCS (Run Potential PT) Discussion on Hips, Pelvis & Nerve Injuries in Runners 48:37

18d ago48:37

48:37

Send us a text 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…

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Talking Prize Money with Erik from Run.Fund 43:53

20d ago43:53

43:53

Send us a text 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 transparent…

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#146 - Emma Cook-Clarke 58:43

22d ago58:43

58:43

Send us a text 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 t…

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The World Skyrunner Series has Returned to the United States 26:59

30d ago26:59

26:59

Send us a text 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 th…

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#145 - Coree Woltering 1:03:12

26d ago1:03:12

1:03:12

Send us a text 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 result…

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#144 - McKennon Woltman 1:42:27

29d ago1:42:27

1:42:27

Send us a text 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…

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#143 - Michael Wirth 1:15:19

1M ago1:15:19

1:15:19

Send us a text 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…

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#142 - Robin Vieira Brower 1:17:56

1M ago1:17:56

1:17:56

Send us a text 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 r…

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#141 - Noah McMahan 35:17

1M ago35:17

35:17

Send us a text 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 f…

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335: 'I Think I just Need To Run', with Morgan Powell 53:37

1M ago53:37

53:37

Very special guest Morgan Powell joins Singletrack to help me unveil the poster art for the Trail Running Film Festival's Global Tour 2026. We chat about the inspiration behind the artwork and get to know Morgen, the artist and athlete behind it all. LINKS Morgan Powell's design studio: Unthaw.co More of Singletrack on Singletrack.fm. Brought to yo…

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#140 - Mali Noyes 1:18:48

1M ago1:18:48

1:18:48

Send us a text 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 mode…

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334: 'And Then The White House Calls', with Alex Rienzie 1:32:02

2M ago1:32:02

1:32:02

Almost exactly a year after Alex Rienzie first chatted with me on Singletrack he's back with an update on the legal case that kept the trail running community on perpetual whiplash for the entire year of 2025. Now with a full pardon in hand, Alex can share what really went down behind the scenes of Michelino Sunseri's FKT run on the Grand Teton. Th…

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333: 'Will 128 Tickets Be Enough?' With Steve Auch 1:02:01

2M ago1:02:01

1:02:01

Steve joins the show from Bavaria, Germany and we're taking about the sentiment and response in the German trail running community after the announcement from a couple of weeks ago that Zugspitz Ultra Trail would join the UTMB World Series. Steve shares his personal history with the event and his thoughts and concerns about the future of this belov…

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#139 - Niko Teller 1:04:34

2M ago1:04:34

1:04:34

Send us a text 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 eng…

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#138 - Makena Morley 1:08:39

2M ago1:08:39

1:08:39

Send us a text 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’ suppo…

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#137 - Chad Hall 1:37:30

2M ago1:37:30

1:37:30

Send us a text The plan was simple: go test the 100K waters. The reality was a masterclass in pacing, hydration, and what happens when marathon instincts meet an eight-hour mountain day. Chad Hall brings candor and clarity to his Kodiak debrief—why he went out hard, where the wheels came loose around Snow Summit, and how he’ll rebuild for another s…

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#136 - Alicia Vargo 1:14:28

2M ago1:14:28

1:14:28

Send us a text A broken back, a fractured knee, and nearly a year off running—then podiums at Pikes Peak Ascent, Kodiak, and Moab. That’s the arc Alicia Vargo takes us through, sharing how a brutal dog attack in 2024 unraveled her season and how skate skiing, patience, and stubborn belief stitched it back together. We start with her fresh Moab Trai…

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#135 - Nick Cornell, Founder of Trailhead Athlete Management 1:13:55

2M ago1:13:55

1:13:55

Send us a text The sport we love is growing up, and that’s a good thing—if we build it right. I’m joined by athlete and agent Nick Cornell of Trailhead Athlete Management to dig into what “professional” actually looks like in trail running: livable contracts, smarter bonuses, real anti-doping, and a path that lets athletes focus on performance with…

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#134 - Zach Colby, Founder of Dust 48:01

2M ago48:01

48:01

Send us a text A brand doesn’t become real the day the website goes live—it becomes real the day someone beats it up on a mountain and still reaches for it the next morning. That’s the heart of our conversation with Dust founder Zach Colby, who walked away from politics to build a running brand rooted in the Mountain West: trails, dirt, big days, a…

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#133 - Abby Lock 59:10

2M ago59:10

59:10

Send us a text A sharpening workout at 10,000 feet. A sudden stab in the chest. Vision slipping. Hours later, Abby Locke learned her right lung had collapsed—and that was only the beginning. Across one summer she weathered three collapses, seven chest tubes, helicopter flights, and two surgeries, then found her way back to 50-mile weeks with a new …

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Coaching Mini-Series Episode 1 with Addison Smith 48:58

2M ago48:58

48:58

Send us a text Ready to stop signing up for everything and start building a season that actually fits your life? We sit down with CTS coach Addison Smith to design a smarter year from the ground up: choosing an A race that truly motivates you, mapping B and C races that build skill without burnout, and matching training blocks to your goal’s specif…

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#132 - Adrian Macdonald 1:00:12

2M ago1:00:12

1:00:12

Send us a text A week after tackling a steep Canadian classic, two-time Leadville champion Adrian Macdonald joins us to chart a season that nearly went off the rails—and how he brought it back. After Western States left him drained and “half-sick,” bloodwork confirmed anemia. Adrian pressed pause on workouts, added iron, and rebuilt with patience. …

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#131 - Dan Curts 1:25:34

3M ago1:25:34

1:25:34

Send us a text A tailbone crash on a triangle rock. A season of strange falls and late-race cramping. And then a decision to tear it all down and rebuild. We sit with Dan Curts to map the truth behind his 2025 campaign, from a promising start at Canyons to a frustrating run through Iger, ETC, and Plitz Alpin Glacier. The thread is unglamorous and v…

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#130 - Francesco Sunseri 1:20:41

3M ago1:20:41

1:20:41

Send us a text A short trail host, a 214-mile finish, and a brutally honest look at what it really takes to cross a 200-mile line with your head still on straight. Franc returns fresh off the Mammoth 200 to unpack the race that started as a joke and turned into a test of logistics, mindset, and pain tolerance. We talk about the fast first day that …

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World Mountain & Trail Running Championship Recap with Paul Kirsch & Tom Hooper 1:08:12

3M ago1:08:12

1:08:12

Send us a text A month after Canfranc, the dust has settled but the stories still sting—sometimes literally. We sat down with Team USA leaders Paul Kirsch and Tom Hooper to unpack a world championship defined by raw terrain, tight logistics, and athletes who found another gear when it mattered most. If you watched the medals, you saw the headlines.…

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#128 - Amanda Koslosky 1:04:29

3M ago1:04:29

1:04:29

Send us a text What if you didn’t grow up on a track and still became a force on steep, thin-air courses? We sit down with Colorado Springs native Amanda Koslosky to trace a candid, practical path from soccer fields to summit podiums—top ten at the Pikes Peak Ascent, podiums at Telluride Mountain Run and Bar Trail—and the bold decision to go part-t…

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#127 - David Sinclair 1:16:40

3M ago1:16:40

1:16:40

Send us a text Ten hours on the edge, a live stream watched by hundreds of thousands, and a second-place finish that announced David Sinclair to the world stage. We unpack how an injury scare turned into a smarter build, why he chose CCC over OCC, and the exact training and fueling choices that helped him lead for hours, survive the low points, and…

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#126 - Tyler McCandless 48:22

3M ago48:22

48:22

Send us a text The race began before the gun—shoulder to shoulder, 12 rows deep, with a call-up protocol that flipped expectations and turned the opening meters into a high-stakes fight for position. From a fast frontage road into stairs and tight singletrack, Tyler McCandless had to manage chaos without panic: protect effort, find clean lines, and…

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Golden Trail World Series Final Preview with Robert Prosser 1:09:09

3M ago1:09:09

1:09:09

Send us a text Golden Trail World Series Final Preview with Robert Prosser Follow Robert Prosser on Substack - @robrunsround (substack.com/@robrunsround) Follow Robert Prosser on Instagram - @robrunsround Follow James Lauriello on IG - @jameslauriello Follow the Steep Stuff Podcast on IG - @steepstuff_pod Use code steepstuffpod for 25% off your car…