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Mount Marathon is the kind of course that doesn’t care about your resume. It’s steep, loose, fast, and packed with a century of mountain running history, and that’s exactly why we wanted Kyle Richardson back on the podcast right before the 98th running.

We talk about what it means to arrive in Alaska healthy after past injuries, and why that alone can feel like a win in trail running and skyrunning. Kyle shares how he’s balancing curiosity with competitiveness as a first-timer, taking in the Alaskan mountain running culture, swapping notes with locals, and treating the whole scene like a masterclass in steep movement. If you’ve ever traveled for a race with unfamiliar terrain, you’ll recognize the mix of awe and nerves he describes when you stare up at a mountain that everyone else seems to know by heart.

Kyle also opens up about changing his approach to training by working with coach Jack Kenzel. We get into structured interval sessions, weighted workouts, heat training, and why “hard days harder, easy days stupid easy” can be a breakthrough when you’re used to chasing constant effort. We also dig into the mental shift from FKTs, where you can pick the perfect day, to racing, where the calendar is fixed and you accept whatever the mountain gives you.

We wrap with the practical details that matter on a course like this: shoes with lugs for mud, gaiters for fine rock, uncertain line choices through braided sections, and the simple commitment to go full gas on the descent. If you like conversations about mountain race strategy, technical descending, and training specificity, hit play, then subscribe, share this with a trail buddy, and leave us a review.

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