The Mountain Races Podcast

Cynthia Carson, women's winner of Hellenic Mountain Race 2026, fell violently ill on the opening hike-a-bike over Smolikas — what she calls the hardest thing she's ever done. With 700km still to go, she was forced to recalibrate and what follows was a masterclass in relentless self-care, patience, and perhaps a record quantity of glasses of milk consumed.Read the interviewProduction & hosting by Mel WebbSound design by Ben CrannellVisit our website to learn more about The Mountain Races Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The final episode of our Hellenic Mountain Race coverage. We hear from riders at the finish line about their journey, and everything that they learned along the way. Riders featured in this episode:Daniel Magrizos — Cap 40Colombine Courouble — Cap 33Jeff Hehn — Cap 214AEfthymios Tsipouras — Cap 43John Roe — Cap 86Christina Chappetta — Cap 206ASabrina Ste-Marie — Caps 206BGiannis Adamoudis — Cap 66Follow the dots on MAProgress and follow @hellenicmountainrace on Instagram for visual updates from the trail.Production & hosting by Mel WebbSound design by Ben CrannellVisit our website to learn more about The Mountain Races Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Day six, and the field is on the home stretch. As riders collect their final stamp at CP3 in Karpenissi, the race is taking its toll — cut hands, burst spokes, nine stitches, and a bumblebee with a bottle of Smirnoff for antiseptic. The weather has flipped: the snow and frozen passes of the early days are a distant memory, replaced by thunderstorms and scorching heat. We hear from riders at the checkpoint, on the climb up Kaliakouda, and cooling off in the turquoise water at the Stenoma–Viniani bridge.Riders featured in this episode: Marius Winter — Cap 112Efthymios Tsipouras — Cap 47Emma Missale — Cap 209ASean Geivett — Cap 209BJames Penny — Cap 78Michael Gaffey — Cap 125Reese Butler — Cap 136John Roe — Cap 86Nils Dongowski — Cap 130Alex MacLean — Cap 7Adam Broyad — Cap 201AAndrew Proffitt — Cap 201BFollow the dots on MAProgress and follow @hellenicmountainrace on Instagram for visual updates from the trail.Production & hosting by Mel WebbSound design by Ben CrannellVisit our website to learn more about The Mountain Races Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Three days into Hellenic Mountain Race and past the halfway mark, we begin our day at Checkpoint 2 in Melissourgi. The route swings from snow-lined waterfalls and 1,600-metre climbs to baking valley heat, leaving riders salt-stained, sunburnt and behind on sleep. Giulio Soffiati — Cap 67Evert de Proost — Cap 54Moez Bhatti — Cap 128Sean Geivett — Cap 209BJames Lindsay — Cap 79Conor McKenzie — Cap 35Cynthia Carson — Cap 37Manuel Rauwolf — Cap 105Lasse Strickert — Cap 99Follow the dots on MAProgress and follow @hellenicmountainrace on Instagram for visual updates from the trail.Production & hosting by Mel WebbSound design by Ben CrannellVisit our website to learn more about The Mountain Races Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Day two of the fourth Hellenic Mountain Race takes us to CP1 at the Mount Smolikas refuge, reached only by a tough nine-kilometre hike-a-bike over the second-highest peak in Greece. What follows is one of the finest, and gnarliest, single tracks in the country. Riders trickle in bleary-eyed and hungry, swapping stories of punctures, loose cranks, bear tracks and not-quite-enough sleep over spaghetti bolognese and Coke.Riders featured in this episode:Glenn Bloemen — Cap 211AThomas Ceyrowsky — Cap 211BRichard Lebon — Cap 140Michael Hayward-Brazier — Cap 124Gala Giannini — Cap 62Anastasis Tirtigos — Cap 11Carl Hopps — Cap 29Alex MacLean — Cap 7Mario Conradt — Cap 110Stephane Ouaja — Cap 156Emma Missale — Cap 209ASean Geivett — Cap 209BFollow the dots on MAProgress and follow @hellenicmountainrace on Instagram for visual updates from the trail.Production & hosting by Mel WebbSound design by Ben CrannellVisit our website to learn more about The Mountain Races Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The fourth edition of Hellenic Mountain Race has finally arrived. We gathered in Agios Athanasios for the usual registration day proceedings. Hear from our riders, along with Nelson Trees.Riders featured in this episode:Sabrina Ste-Marie — Cap 206AChristina Chappetta — Cap 206BAbe Kaufman — Cap 001Kristen Tonsager — Cap 096Mateusz Wąsowski — Cap 115Benedek Borsos — Cap 022Colombine Courouble — Cap 033Cynthia Carson — Cap 037Gala Giannini — Cap 062Josh Ibbett — Cap 088Marc Büchel — Cap 106Max Riese — Cap 120Jeff Hehn — Cap 214ASarah Robbins — Cap 214BFollow the dots on MAProgress and follow @hellenicmountainrace on Instagram for visual updates from the trail.Production & hosting by Mel WebbSound design by Ben CrannellVisit our website to learn more about The Mountain Races Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

At long last, we arrive at the finish line of the sixth edition of the Atlas Mountain Race. We hear from our riders arriving in Essaouira about their stories from the road.Riders featured in this episode: Darragh Cushen — Cap 52Martino Basilico — Cap 11Luise Ollick — Cap 162Gala Giannini — Cap 81Patrick Schwarz — Cap 191Greg Martin — Cap 307ARebecca Rusch — Cap 307BSilas Schmid — Cap 189James Illman — Cap 109David Tilly — Cap 214John Roe — Cap 184Murray Crichton — Cap 47Visit our website to stay up to date on future Mountain RacesProduction and hosting by Mel WebbSound design by Ben CrannellCover image by Stephen Shelesky Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After days of mountains and desert, riders cross back over the Atlas one last time, descending through fog and green hills toward the Atlantic coast. The air shifts, the ocean comes into view, and the end begins to feel within reach. In this episode, we hear from riders in the final kilometres before rolling into the finish line. Riders featured in this episode: Thierry Le Floch— Cap 125Kevin Masicotte— Cap 142Tanner Jackson — Cap 112Aurélie & Jérôme Mesplede — Caps 317A&BPaul Cresveaux — Cap 302BNicole Van Batenburg — Cap 221Emma Missale & Sean Geivett — Caps 309A&BDotwatch the 2026 Atlas Mountain RaceFollow us on Instagram @atlasmountainrace for daily visual & written updatesHosted and produced by Mel WebbSound design by Ben CrannellCover image by Nils Laengner Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Old Colonial Road is one of the most iconic sections of the Atlas Mountain Race route, featured across all six editions. Carved into the mountainside, it winds through folded layers of sedimentary rock, the earth rippling in bands of rust and ochre. From a distance the surface appears smooth; up close it is loose, and badly broken in places from erosion. Many riders will rider it at night, missing out on the views. At sunrise, the scale of the landscape comes fully into view and for the lucky few who see it at daylight, it will no doubt be a highlight of their race.Riders featured in this episode: Niki de Kadt — Cap 56JoJo Blunt — Cap 19Gala Giannini — Cap 81Ariane Richter — Cap 179Jeannie & Martin Dreyer — Caps 306A&BDarragh Cushen — Cap 52John Roe— Cap 184Adrienne Estrada — Cap 68Sebastian Sarx & Denise Vorberg — Caps 320A & 320BBastien Girard Nkouikani — Cap 82Richard Hunt — Cap 107David Tilly — Cap 217Cedric Henriot — Cap 90Dotwatch the 2026 Atlas Mountain RaceFollow us on Instagram @atlasmountainrace for daily visual & written updatesHosted and produced by Mel WebbSound design by Ben CrannellCover image by Nils Laengner Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

One of the most famous sections of the Atlas Mountain Race is the 100KM stretch of no resupply through the desert. Here riders meander through the Anti Atlas, climbing their way up to a plateau with stunning views of the network of canyons below. We meet riders chasing the snail here.We also hear from riders at Café Atlas in Ait Saoun which has become a popular stop for riders, and potentially the best omelette of the whole race.Riders featured in this episode: Zoe McIntosh — Cap 144Andy Dodd — Cap 61Julien Gravaud — Cap 89John Roe — Cap 184Cedric Henriot — Cap 98Roz Osborne — Cap 163Eoin Cocoran — Cap 205Julia Wuerzinger — Cap 232Erin Poland — Cap 308BJono Freeman — Cap 308ANeil Copeland — Cap 43Matthew Franklin — Cap 73Gala Giannini — Cap 81Dotwatch the 2026 Atlas Mountain RaceFollow us on Instagram @atlasmountainrace for daily visual & written updatesHosted and produced by Mel WebbSound design by Ben CrannellCover image by Nils Laengner Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After a cold, rain-soaked first night at the Atlas Mountain Race 2026, riders emerge from darkness into morning light scattered across the High Atlas. Frigid temperatures, flooded roads, and icy descents define the opening hours of the race, forcing decisions around shelter, sleep, and when to keep moving.In villages along the early tarmac corridor, riders gather briefly around wood stoves, cafés, and petrol stations — drying socks, warming hands, fixing mechanicals, and weighing fatigue against momentum. Some push on through the night, others pause for rest, all navigating the consequences of an unusually harsh start.As daylight reveals snow-covered peaks and saturated landscapes, bringing with it a renewed spirit for our riders. The lead riders reach Checkpoint 1, while much of the field continues to funnel through towns toward their first stamp. Riders featured in this episode: Gala Giannini— Cap 81Tanner Jackson — Cap 112Seun Alaba — Cap 4Fritz Meinecke — Cap 147Roz Osborne — Cap 163Julian Mills — Cap 153Stephane Ouaja — Cap 165Arthur Bonal — Cap 20Ariane Richter — Cap 179Sterre Witteveen — Cap 322BConor Dunne — Cap 64Sebastian Trimborn — Cap 126Victor Bosoni — Cap 21Rob Britton — Cap 25Stefan Haehnel — Cap 94Dotwatch the 2026 Atlas Mountain RaceFollow us on Instagram @atlasmountainrace for daily visual & written updatesHosted and produced by Mel WebbSound design by Ben CrannellCover image by Lloyd Wright Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to our podcast coverage of the 2026 Atlas Mountain Race, supported by Tailfin, Pertex and Albion.The sixth edition is a year of change for the Atlas Mountain Race with a new start in Beni-Mellal. In this episode, Media Manager and host of this year's race podcast, Mel Webb, sits down with Race Director Nelson Trees to provide an overview of this year's route, our favourites for the win and what dotwatchers and riders alike are in store for. Dotwatch the 2026 Atlas Mountain RaceFollow us on Instagram @atlasmountainrace for daily visual & written updatesCredits:Hosted and produced by Mel WebbSound design by Ben Crannell Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After 1,924 kilometers, riders finally reached the finish line in Karakol. Some had been there for days, others arrived just in time for the cut-off. The end of the race can be disorienting—time on the trail stretches and bends, days blur into nights, and by the time they reach the finish line, their ride can already feel like a different lifetime.In our final episode we hear from some of our riders, along with Race Director Nelson Trees, about their experience, knowing full well it will take plenty of time to soak in and more stories to emerge. Riders featured in this episode:Karen Wycurz — Cap 106Tobias Callister — Cap 196Cat Magill — Cap 33Niel Copeland — Cap 142 Ethan Washam — Cap 64Dan Bridle — Cap 44Helene Fromentry and Stefan Haehnel — Caps 312A&BNelson Trees, Race DirectorHendra Wijaya — Cap 83Visit our website to stay up to date on future Mountain RacesProduction and hosting by Mel WebbSound design by Ben CrannellMusic by BatyrkanCover image by Stephen SheleskyThanks to our race partners Albion, Pertex, Tailfin, Styrkr and Julbo.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.