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 h…

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 train…

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 physi…

🎙️ 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 innovati…

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 p…

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 c…

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 …

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 als…

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 increasi…

Dakota Jones is a professional trail runner for Nnormal living in Salt Lake City. Dakota is also the founder and executive director ofFootprints 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 attemp…

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 t…

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 t…

Andy Wacker is a professional trail runner for Salomon living in Colorado. Two years ago Andy founded The Trail Team, a project with the mission to independently support and develop rising athletes into the best professional trail runners in the world through mentorship, skill development, and media exposure. We caught up with Andy to see how the p…

Zach Miller is a professional trail runner for The North Face living in the United States. We caught up on a number of things happening in our sport right now, some future evolutions, then his current training, future plans for 2025 and much more. Enjoy! PLEASE SHARE THIS EPISODE WITH YOUR FRIENDS AND ON SOCIAL MEDIA IF YOU ENJOYED IT! ____________…

Tim Tollefson is a professional trail runner for Craft living in Mammoth Lakes, California, and the race director of the Mammoth Trail Fest. In this episode with Tim, we talk about community, antidoping efforts, sponsorships and opportunities to run professionally, growth of the sport, circuits and Mammoth Trail Fest affiliation with the Golden Tra…

Roberto Delorenzi is a professional trail runner for Brooks coming from Switzerland. Roberto has had a stellar 2024 season, with 38 races and 17 wins including 4 Skyrunner World Series races plus the final and the overall ranking, one european mountain running championship, a third place at Marathon du Mont Blanc, a fifth place in 2:32 at Sierre Zi…

Lauren Gregory is a professional trail runner for Nike from Colorado, living on the East Coast and training with the Northswood Athletic team, under the guidance of coach Ben True - a true legend of distance running. Lauren is really, really fast, from the track to the trails: within one season, this year, she ran a 15:17 5000m on the track and she…

Eli Hemming is a professional runner for Adidas Terrex from Kremmling, Colorado. Eli is maybe my greatest competitor of this 2024: we shared the podium at OCC in Chamonix, where he was first and I was second, so I absolutely wanted to have him on the podcast at some point. We’re good friends in life and great enemies during competitions, and we bot…

Vic Johnson⁠ is maybe better known on the internet as Mountain Sports Dietician. The principles surrounding sports nutrition are relatively simple - applying them is not. Vic’s mission is very simple, to help high performing mountain athletes apply these principles properly so they can fuel and hydrate to make the most of their training and perform…

Vic Johnson is maybe better known on the internet as Mountain Sports Dietician. The principles surrounding sports nutrition are relatively simple - applying them is not. Vic’s mission is very simple, to help high performing mountain athletes apply these principles properly so they can fuel and hydrate to make the most of their training and perform …

Matt Daniels is a good friend of mine - we’ve known each other since 2016 - and a great, great athlete and mentor. He lives in Boulder, Colorado. I’ve met with Matt in four different countries this year, and we’ve shared a memorable battle at the Chuckanut 50k in Bellingham WA, in March, where I finished first and he finished second, pushing me all…

Peter Frano is an elite trail runner from Slovakia who won a bronze medal at the world trail championships 2023 in Innsbruck and finished second at UTMB CCC in 2024. In this episode we discover more about Peter’s training and background, his preparation leading up to CCC, his race strategy and his plans for the future. Follow Peter on Instagram: ht…

Rosanna Buchauer is a professional trail runner from Germany running for Dynafit. This year Rosanna won the Lavaredo Ultra Trail and placed 3rd at CCC at UTMB. In this episode, we discuss everything about her race, how important it was for her to build confidence after her DNF last year, the physical and mental preparation, what goals she had going…

Dani Moreno is a professional trail runner for Adidas Terrex based in Mammoth Lakes, California. Dani is a great, great athlete and a true student of the sport. She has a really good perspective on various dynamics concerning our sport at an elite level, she hosts a podcast called The Sub Hub, together with Emkay Sullivan, she runs fast both on the…

Vincent Bouillard is the 2024 UTMB Champion. With an incredible masterclass of race tactics and management, Vincent took everyone by surprise and won the most prestigious ultra trail race of the year, finishing sub 20h and running the third fastest performance of all time at UTMB. In this episode we talk about Vincent’s race, his background, his wo…

Steve Krenn is a trail runner and a coach from New York City. Learn more about Steve: https://vert.run/coaches/ _______________________ Follow ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@vert.run⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on IG Download our app and sign up to our training plans on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠vert.run⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ You can send us a message with any questions for us or for our guests! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https:/…

In this episode Francesco is joined by coach Andy for a conversation around weight, Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport, eating disorders and body image in endurance athletes and endurance sports, particularly trail running. We give some facts and figures and we share our own thoughts and experiences with these issues. We’re glad that they are beco…

Today we're joined by coach Max, coach Manu and coach Steve for a recap of the UTMB week. Steve finished MCC and Francesco took second in OCC. Besides the races, the UTMB week is always a great chance to connect with and meet old friends and new people. The high energy and vibrant atmosphere left everyone inspired and grateful for the community tha…

As the summer season is coming to an end and especially after last week's UTMB, we figured it's important to re-listen to this conversation with Coach Daniel Rowland on recovery and managing the time after a race. It’s a very delicate period, both physically and mentally: we need to make sure that we are actually taking enough time to rest after a …

A guide on how to run OCC: from race preparation, logistics and gear to course description and strategy Resources: ⁠UTMB runner guide⁠ _______________________ Follow ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@vert.run⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on IG Download our app and sign up to our training plans on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠vert.run⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ You can send us a message with any questions for us or for ou…

A guide on how to run CCC: from race preparation, logistics and gear to course description and strategy Resources: ⁠UTMB runner guide⁠ _______________________ Follow ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@vert.run⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on IG Download our app and sign up to our training plans on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠vert.run⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ You can send us a message with any questions for us or for ou…

A guide on how to run UTMB: from race preparation, logistics and gear to course description, strategy and how to figure out what to do after the race! Resources: UTMB runner guide _______________________ Follow ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@vert.run⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on IG Download our app and sign up to our training plans on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠vert.run⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ You can send us a me…

Manu Ramirez is a trail runner and a coach from Venezuela. He trains and lives between Colombia and Panama. _______________________ Follow ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@vert.run⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on IG Download our app and sign up to our training plans on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠vert.run⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ You can send us a message with any questions for us or for our guests! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://anchor.f…

Jonathan Albon is a professional trail runner for The North Face living in Norway and one of the most accomplished and decorated athletes of our sport. Jon has just raced at Western States, his first ever experience at the 100m distance, where he placed 6th. In this episode we talk about his race at WS and the training leading up to it. We also tal…

Andrea Chickness is a trail runner, a professional ballet dancer and a coach for Vert.run. She trains and lives in the United States. ____________________________ Follow ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@vert.run⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on IG Download our app and sign up to our training plans on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠vert.run⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ You can send us a message with any questions for us or for our guests…

How did you start trail running? How do you see your future as a runner? will we ever see you at the start of a famous 100 miler? How did you figure out the nutrition strategy that works for you? And much more. Thanks for your questions, if you have more, feel free to send me a DM or comment under this episode on Spotify! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠_____________________…

Moises Jimenez is a trail and ultrarunner for The North Face and co-founder of Vert.run. He currently lives in Boulder, US. In this episode we talk about the reality of endurance training: training is hard and progress is often non linear. We must learn to navigate the ups and downs of training and racing, the setbacks, the tough workouts and bad r…

Germain Grangier is a professional trail and endurance athlete from France sponsored by The North Face. In this conversation, we discover more about Germain’s lifestyle, his approach to training and racing, why he chose to live in the Mercantour region of the French Alps, the potential he sees in dealing with struggles and setbacks, and his build-u…

Zeljko Radovic is a trail runner and a coach for Vert.run from Belgrade, Serbia ____________________________ Follow ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@vert.run⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on IG Download our app and sign up to our training plans on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠vert.run⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ You can send us a message with any questions for us or for our guests! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://anchor.fm/vertrun/message⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Francesc…

Lukas Ehrle is a trail, mountain and track athlete from Germany. Lukas is only 19 years old but he's already an accomplished athlete and for sure one of the most interesting rising stars in the sport of distance running. His versatility from the track to the trails is impressive and he represents really well the approach to running that the new gen…

Max Keith is a trail runner from Chile and the co-founder of Vert. In this episode we talk about GPS watches: from how to choose a GPS and how to use it, to the best models, the different activity data and some of the most recent innovations in the market. Maybe you have a GPS watch but you’ve never really understood how to take advantage of a cert…

Adam Brown is a trail runner and a coach for Vert.run from Australia ____________________________ Follow ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@vert.run⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on IG Download our app and sign up to our training plans on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠vert.run⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ You can send us a message with any questions for us or for our guests! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://anchor.fm/vertrun/message⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Francesco's links: …

Sophia Laukli is a professional trail runner and cross country skier for Salomon coming from the US. Sophia is only 23 but is already a star of the sport, being the 2023 Golden Trail World Series champion, having won races like the Mont Blanc Marathon and Sierre Zinal and her first cross country skiing world cup race this year. I decided to reach o…

Max Keith is a trail runner from Chile and the co-founder of Vert. In this episode we talk about the different types of tests that you can do to monitor your fitness. Tracking progress is not always easy, and tests are a good way to understand how you’re responding to training, if you know what you’re doing and how to interpret the data - something…

I’m recording this interview live, from the Vert.run headquarters in Boulder and my guest today is Kirsten Kortebein. Kirsten is one of the vert.run co-founders, together with her partner Moises Jimenez and their friend Max Keith. We talk about what she thinks and how she feels about the journey with Vert, what are some of the challenges that she h…

Steve Krenn is a trail runner from New York and a Vert.run coach. In this episode, Steve and I give some tips on how to find trails when you're in a new place, for example for a work trip or when you are on vacation, how to build routes, how to discover the most popular trails in a certain area, how to take advantage of some route builder apps and …

Last week Leo and I ran the Lake Sonoma 50 and Lake Sonoma Marathon in California. We both had very good races, with Leo placing 7th overall in the marathon in 4:01:53, and I winning the LS50 with a new course record in 6:30:17. This is our race recap: we talk about our training leading up to the race, strategy, taper, nutrition, gear, approach, wh…

Parker Farabee is a trail runner, physiotherapist, exercise physiologist and coach from Portland, Oregon. In this episode we talk about strength training for trail runners. Why is strength training so important, why do we need strength as trail runners? Of course we're not bodybuilders, so how much strenght do we need? What type of strength trainin…

I’m recording this interview live, from the vert run headquarters in boulder aka moi’s house, and my guest today is Seth Ruhling. Seth is a North Face sponsored athlete, a podcast host and a boulder boy fans favorite. He’s originally from Tennessee but he’s moved to Boulder to chase his dream to train and compete at the highest level in the sport o…

Yngvild Kaspersen, Toni McCann and Dani Moreno are professional trail athletes for Adidas Terrex and respectively CCC 2023 winner, OCC 2023 winner and third place finisher at OCC 2022. Yngvild, Toni and Dani are currently in Auburn for a short training camp on the Western States trails, so I thought it would be fun to catch up and see how they’re d…