Stian Angermund is a two-time World Champion trail runner from Norway. One of the best performing athletes in the sport for the past decade, Stian has been noticeably absent from the racing circuit since OCC by UTMB 2023 – the 50k World Final – where Stian won for the 2nd time.

 

After OCC, it came to light that Stian had tested positive for a diuretic called Chlorthalidone – a substance that is banned in and out-of-competition for masking other banned substances or facilitating rapid weight loss. Stian has spent the last year and half defending himself against these allegations and has vehemently maintained his innocence.

 

To my knowledge, this is Stian’s first time speaking about the subject in a long-form interview and, to his credit, he left nothing out-of-bounds, supplying me with all relevant documentation from the case. Of course, doping is serious, it does happen, and when it does, it’s a terrible violation of everything that makes sport great. At the same time, there are banned athletes who are innocent or who test positive under questionable circumstances. Recognizing that this is a touchy subject that deserves scrutiny and seriousness, I encourage you to listen with an open mind and allow Stian to tell his side of the story.

 

We walk through the entire timeline of events, the emotional cost in losing his career, the financial cost of defending himself, the public support he’s received, lessons learned, advice for other pro athletes, his goals for returning to sport, and a lot more.

 

READ THE TIMELINE OF EVENTS

 

Sponsors:

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• Grab a trail running pack from Osprey
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Michelino Sunseri is a professional runner living in Driggs, ID. In September 2024, Michelino broke the existing FKT on the Grand Teton, held for 12 years by Andy Anderson - one of the longest standing and most iconic up/down speed records in mountain running. During the attempt, Michelino made the strategic decision to take the "Old Climber's Trail," deviating from the official route for a period during the descent.

 

Michelino managed to lower the existing FKT by a little over 2mins, finishing in 2:50:50. A few days after the run, controversy emerged as it related to Michelino's decision to use the Old Climber's Trail, creating a debate about FKT ethics and whether Michelino deserved to retain the record even though he used a slightly different route from the previous record holder.  

 

A week later, on September 9th, Fastest Known Time officially rejected the record based on objections from the National Park Service based again on Michelino's decision to use the Old Climber's Trail instead of staying on the officially recognized route. 

 

On September 25, 2024, the NPS charged Michelino under 36 CFR 2.1(b) with an initial court appearance, a statute that carries a maximum penalty of $5,000 and/or six months in jail.

 

In this podcast, we discuss the history of FKTs on the Grand Teton, including Michelino's personal history projecting the route. We talk through the ethics of FKTs and the grey area that exists and that this event revealed. We discuss the rejection of his FKT and the subsequent legal squabble that has ensued.

  Please visit the following links to learn more:  

Michelino's Strava file from the attempt

 

Grand Teton FKT page

 

 

Written recap of the timeline

 

Petition to drop the charges against Michelino

 

Anton & Kilian video from 2012

 

Sponsors:

• Use code freetrail10 for 10% off Speedland Footwear
• Grab a trail running pack from Osprey
• Use code FREETRAIL25 for 25% off your first order of NEVERSECOND nutrition at never2.com
• Go to ketone.com/freetrail30 for 30% off a subscription of Ketone IQ

Freetrail Links: Website | Freetrail Pro | Patreon | Instagram | YouTube | Freetrail Experts

 

Dylan Links: Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn | Strava

Corrine Malcolm joins the show again to break down the news in trail running. 

 

Topics discussed:

• Trail Runner of the Year results & analysis
• Trail Performance of the Year results & analysis
• Athlete specialization and the disciplines represented in the results
• American bias and whether it was present in the 2024 results
• Feedback received from trail fans
• Honorable mentions: 11-20th TROY & 6-10 TPOY
• Pro athlete free agency 
• Courtney Dauwalter's contract extension with Salomon
• Big name athletes on the move
• David Roche intentionally remaining independent
• Stian Angermund's post about the resolution of his suspension and return to racing

Sponsors:

• Use code freetrail10 for 10% off Speedland Footwear
• Grab a trail running pack from Osprey
• Use code FREETRAIL25 for 25% off of your first order of Never Second nutrition at never2.com
• Go to ketone.com/freetrail30 for 30% off a subscription of Ketone IQ

Freetrail Links: Website | Freetrail Pro | Patreon | Instagram | YouTube | Freetrail Experts

 

Dylan Links: Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn | Strava

Gina Lucrezi is a longtime trail runner and the founder of Trail Sisters, a global organization providing education, resources, and community to female trail runners around the world. Recently Gina ran for Commissioner of Chaffee County where she lives in Buena Vista, CO. Her campaign was captured in a film made by Auteur Sportif which documents how Gina has led a life of service and how she plans to continue that work as a public servant. This is her first appearance on the podcast.

 

Topics discussed:

• Gina's background and how the seeds of her career were planted
• The founding story of Trail Sisters
• Growing and nurturing the community over time
• The introduction of Trail Sisters Approved standards
• The future of Trail Sisters as Gina prepares to take office
• Chaffee County, where it is and what makes it special
• The importance of local politics and why it "gets in your blood"
• The realities of campaigning, including fundraising and communication with constituents
• Her goals for her term
• A lot more!

Sponsors:

• Use code freetrail10 for 10% off Speedland Footwear
• Grab a trail running pack from Osprey
• Use code FREETRAIL25 for 25% off Never Second nutrition at never2.com
• Go to ketone.com/freetrail30 for 30% off a subscription of Ketone IQ

Freetrail Links: Website | Freetrail Pro | Patreon | Instagram | YouTube | Freetrail Experts

 

Dylan Links: Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn | Strava

Karel Sabbe is a trail runner for On from Belgium, specializing in long trail FKTs. Most notably Karel set the PCT FKT in 2016, the AT FKT in 2021, the Via Alpina FKT in 2021, and the PCT FKT again in 2023. He is also a Barkley Marathons finisher and Bigs Backyard Ultra World Champion. The longer and harder the adventures, the more he excels. This is his first appearance on the podcast.     Topics discussed:  

• Karel's early exposure to long trail hiking
• The original inspiration to pursue FKTs
• The psychological and spiritual space Karel discovers in long efforts
• Karel's two completions on the PCT
• Comparing and contrasting the AT and the PCT
• Tara Dower's new AT FKT and their different approaches
• Karel's brother-in-law and crew chief
• Lessons from his 2023 Barkley finish 
• Announcing his next big project beginning early next year
• A lot more!

 

FOLLOW KAREL ON IG     FOLLOW KAREL ON STRAVA     KAREL'S PROFILE ON FKT     Sponsors:

• Use code freetrail10 for 10% off Speedland Footwear
• Grab a trail running pack from Osprey
• Use code FT15 for 15% off Gnarly Nutrition
• Go to ketone.com/freetrail30 for 30% off a subscription of Ketone IQ

 

Freetrail Links: Website | Freetrail Pro | Patreon | Instagram | YouTube | Freetrail Experts     Dylan Links: Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn | Strava

Corrine Malcolm is a pro trail runner, media personality, and co-host of the Trail Society Podcast. She is our most frequent recurring guest and also Freetrail's Editor-in-Chief. As is our tradition, Corrine is back for our End of Year Podcast where we celebrate the 2024 trail running season. These are the categories that we review:  

• Trail Runner Of The Year: Top-5 M/W
• Performance Of The Year: Top-3 M/F
• FKTs Of The Year
• Rookies Of The Year
• Overall Story of 2024
• Bill Dooper Spirit  Award - Someone who made an impact outside of being a good athlete
• Predictions for 2025
• Personal highlights from 2024 and what we're excited about for 2025

 

Sponsors:

• Use code freetrail10 for 10% off Speedland Footwear
• Grab a trail running pack from Osprey
• Use code FT15 for 15% off Gnarly Nutrition
• Go to ketone.com/freetrail30 for 30% off a subscription of Ketone IQ

 

Freetrail Links: Website | Freetrail Pro | Patreon | Instagram | YouTube | Freetrail Experts     Dylan Links: Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn | Strava

Nick Thompson is the CEO of The Atlantic, the famous American magazine and digital publisher founded in 1857. Before that, Nick was an Editor at both Wired and The New Yorker, developing a reputation for his great reporting, unique perspectives, and impactful stories across a range of subject matter.    

In addition to his amazing professional career, Nick has also been a committed runner for life, a talented marathon runner, who is now dabbling in trail and ultrarunning. Back in 2021, Nick set an age group American record for 50k running 3:04, famously at the same time that Des Linden broke the Women’s world record at the distance. Now, Nick is experimenting with trail and ultra running, doing a few 50 milers and a 100k, with at least some curiosity about the 100 mile distance. I’ve been a massive admirer of Nick’s for a while. A media guy who is also a runner, Nick is an inspiration for me and I’m honored to have him on the show.

 

 

FOLLOW NICK ON LINKEDIN

 

 

FOLLOW NICK ON IG

 

 

FOLLOW NICK ON STRAVA

 

 

MOSTLY HARMLESS STORY & FOLLOWUP

 

 

VOTE FOR TROY     VOTE FOR TPOY

 

 

Sponsors:

• Use code freetrail10 for 10% off Speedland Footwear
• Grab a trail running pack from Osprey
• Use code FT15 for 15% off Gnarly Nutrition
• Go to ketone.com/freetrail30 for 30% off a subscription of Ketone IQ
•  

Freetrail Links: Website | Freetrail Pro | Patreon | Instagram | YouTube | Freetrail Experts     Dylan Links: Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn | Strava

Lauren Gregory is a pro athlete for Nike Trail living in New England. This season, Lauren had a big breakthrough in her professional career, notching three top-10 performances in Golden Trail World Series races, including an amazing 2nd place finish at the World Final in October. She has a huge career ahead of her and we're excited to host her on the podcast.

 

Topics discussed:

• Lauren's background and history with sport
• Her bronze medal from the 2017 Junior Mountain Running World Championship
• Winning an NCAA Cross Country National Championship
• Signing with Nike and the realities of going pro
• The Trail Team and how it's onboarded new athletes to trail running
• The advantages and disadvantages of living on the East Coast
• Her coach Ben True, and he's influenced her training
• Her 2024 season and reasons for the success
• Goals for the future
• A lot more!

VOTE FOR TROY

 

VOTE FOR TPOY

 

FOLLOW LAUREN ON IG

 

FOLLOW LAUREN ON STRAVA

 

Sponsors:

• Use code freetrail10 for 10% off Speedland Footwear
• Grab a trail running pack from Osprey
• Use code FT15 for 15% off Gnarly Nutrition
• Go to ketone.com/freetrail30 for 30% off a subscription of Ketone IQ

Freetrail Links: Website | Freetrail Pro | Patreon | Instagram | YouTube | Freetrail Experts

 

Dylan Links: Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn | Strava

Aaron Lutze is a creator and sports marketing savant. He's also a dear friend and mentor who has had an enormous impact on my career as an athlete and content creator. Aaron recruited me to Red Bull and acted as my manager for many years. He's recognized as one of the best sports marketers in the industry. Now, Aaron and I co-host another podcast called Second Nature where we talk about the Outdoor Industry, endeavoring to help people build brands, businesses, and careers in the space. 

 

In this conversation, we talk about the past and present of athlete partnerships, the reasons brands sponsor athletes, the value of creating longform content, audience vs. community, the future of athlete partnerships, and a lot more!

 

LISTEN TO SECOND NATURE

 

SIGNUP FOR SECOND NATURE NEWSLETTER

 

FOLLOW SECOND NATURE ON LINKEDIN

 

SIGNUP FOR THE FREETRAIL NEWSLETTER

 

Sponsors:

• Use code freetrail10 for 10% off Speedland Footwear
• Use code freetrail15 for 15% off Gnarly Nutrition
• Use code BFCM24 for 20% off a one time purchase or 30% off a subscription of Ketone IQ at Ketone.com
• Get your next favorite pack at Osprey.com or at your favorite local retailer.

Freetrail Links: Website | Freetrail Pro | Patreon | Instagram | YouTube | Freetrail Experts

 

Dylan Links: Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn | Strava

Courtney Olsen is a pro runner for HOKA living in Bellingham, WA. She is also the brand new World Record holder for the 50-mile distance, something she was able to achieve last weekend at Tunnel Hill in Southern Illinois. Finishing in a time of 5:31:56, Courtney managed to lower the existing record held by Ann Trason for 33 years by nine minutes. This is her first appearance on the podcast.

 

Topics we discuss:

 

• Courtney’s background and history with sport
• Her struggles with depression and finding purpose in her 20s
• The Bellingham Distance Project, a training group she helped to found 10 years ago
• Her passion for art and writing
• Her experience at lululemon’s FURTHER event where she was there supporting Devon Yanko
• Her huge podium performance at Comrades
• A deep unpacking of her WR at tunnel hill
• Look ahead to the 100k World Championship next month
• And a lot more!

Follow Courtney on Strava

 

Follow Courtney on Instagram

 

If you enjoy listening to the Freetrail Podcast, please consider leaving us a review to help other like-minded listeners find our show.

 

Sponsors:

• Use code freetrail10 for 10% off Speedland Footwear
• Grab a trail running pack from Osprey
• Use code FT15 for 15% off Gnarly Nutrition
• Go to ketone.com/freetrail30 for 30% off a subscription of Ketone IQ

Freetrail Links: Website | Freetrail Pro | Patreon | Instagram | YouTube | Freetrail Experts

 

Dylan Links: Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn | Strava

Kilian Jornet is one of the greatest athletes of all-time across all sports. His athletic accomplishments are staggering across trail running, alpinism, and ski mountaineering. This season he won Zegama for the 11th time, Sierre Zinal for the 10th time, and then completed a 1200km traverse of the Alps -- a personal project he called "Alpine Connections." 

 

Some topics we discuss:

 

• Kilian and Emelie’s expanding family and lessons from parenthood
• The value of exposing kids to a life of adventure
• Zegama, a race that Kilan has now won 11 times over 17 years
• Kilian’s training, including a fascinating discussion around belief, circadian rhythm and stress management
• Sierre Zinal, exploring how we maintain high performance as we get older
• Alpine Connections, talking about the vision, the complexities, flow state experiences, and artistic influences inherent in the project.
• Kilian's future goals including some exciting potential races in 2025
• A lot more

READ KILIAN'S MTNATH BLOG  

 

Sponsors:

• Use code freetrail10 for 10% off Speedland Footwear
• Grab a trail running pack from Osprey
• Use code FT15 for 15% off Gnarly Nutrition
• Go to ketone.com/freetrail30 for 30% off a subscription of Ketone IQ

Freetrail Links: Website | Freetrail Pro | Patreon | Instagram | YouTube | Freetrail Experts

 

Dylan Links: Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn | Strava