183. Max Keith | Pacers, Crews, World Champs & the Future of Trail Running: The 2025 Recap

About this episode

Francesco Puppi and Max Keith discuss the evolving landscape of trail running in 2025, covering topics like pacers, technology, and athlete inspiration.

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 reflect on the challenges, the opportunities, and the responsibility that comes with a sport growing faster than ever. They also open up about the athletes who inspired them this year — from world-class performances at UTMB and Worlds, to breakthrough storytellers on YouTube and Substack — and unpack what makes certain moments and people truly stand out. Francesco shares how his own training has evolved after Worlds, how he’s approaching winter with a fresh VO₂max block, and why Western States 2026 is quietly becoming his north star. Max, meanwhile, talks about crewing, pacing, fairness, and how the culture of the sport shapes the choices we make on race day. If you love trail running — not just the racing, but the community, the culture, and the conversations that shape it — this episode…

People in this episode

Guests: Francesco Puppi, Max Keith

Topics covered

• trail running
• pacers
• competition
• technology in sports
• athlete inspiration
• training evolution

Keywords

• trail running
• pacers
• competition
• technology
• athletes
• training
• UTMB
• Worlds

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: UTMB, Worlds, YouTube, Substack

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