The Steep Stuff Podcast

Send us Fan Mail A great race can change your season, but it can also expose every weakness you’ve been dodging. We’re joined by Mason Coppi for a Gorge Waterfalls 30K pre-race talk that goes deeper than predictions, getting into what it really takes to show up ready when the course is fast, punchy, and technical and the men’s field is stacked. Mason shares how he’s building Hello To Running, coaching everyone from couch-to-5K athletes to runners competing at the highest level. We dig into w...

Send us Fan Mail The Gorge Waterfalls 30K brings a rare mix of speed and strength: runnable trail, road sections where pace changes can stick, and late climbs that punish anyone who goes out too hot. We’re in Hood River with Alexa Aragon for a pre-race conversation about stepping up to 18 miles, testing her limits against a deep women’s field, and using one early-season start line to guide an entire summer of trail running goals. We talk training through an unusually warm winter, when less s...

Send us Fan Mail A great trail race isn’t a distance on a flyer, it’s a line you cannot stop thinking about. I sit down with Connor and Alice, the founders and race directors behind Mountain Tiger, to unpack how a “run it because it’s beautiful” mindset turned into one of the most talked-about mountain races in Donner Summit, California near Lake Tahoe. We get specific about what makes their course work: a point-to-point route that links two ski areas, hits four summits, and avoids the usual ...

Send us Fan Mail Breaking news with a human pulse: we sit down with Kyle Richardson to unpack his move to Arc’teryx and what it means for the future of mountain running, creative projects, and the gear we trust on steep ground. From FKTs to film, Kyle’s vision thrives where art meets endurance, and this partnership gives him the tools, team, and runway to make it real. We dive into why the fit works beyond logos. Kyle describes a culture where designers, marketers, and athletes are climbers,...

Send us Fan Mail A stress fracture can either end your momentum or teach you how to build a career that actually lasts. I’m joined by Elise Coates, fresh off being named to the 2026 Trail Team Elite squad, and her story is a rare blend of high-performance ambition and real-world perspective. She’s the only Canadian on the new elite squad, based on Vancouver Island, and she’s chasing the tricky middle ground where track speed meets mountain durability. We get into how a soccer background turn...

Send us Fan Mail A re-release with a purpose: we’re celebrating Zach Erickson’s selection to the 2026 Trail Team Elite and unpacking the gritty, honest road that got him there. Zach grew up in Idaho Falls chasing every ball sport, found running in middle school, and lived the BYU dream—until a chronic hip injury benched him for a year and eventually cut him from the roster… twice. What followed wasn’t a comeback montage; it was a mindset shift. He let go of fear, built gratitude into his dail...

Send us Fan Mail A late-race surge, a flow-state descent, and a new home with the bird—this conversation with Jane Moss is pure momentum. We kick off with Black Canyon 50K where Jane, still two weeks removed and sore in all the usual places, explains how a volume-first, low‑workout block set her up to race by feel. She breaks down the risk of going out hot, the mental game of tuning out hype, and the moment she finally spotted the leader’s hat and decided to chase. It’s a masterclass in pacin...

Send us Fan Mail You can feel the momentum from the first minute: a year after his last visit, Alex King returns with a bigger warehouse, a stronger brand story, and the same stubborn commitment to making trail running gear people can actually afford. We dig into the founder’s rollercoaster—$75k days, quiet slumps, and the steady routine that carries him through both—and why he refuses to chase competitors or rent attention with paid ads. Instead, Alex lays out a different model: build produc...