Singletrack With Mathias Eichler

The companion podcast for Electric Cable Car. Conversations with the people who shape the world of trail, ultra, and mountain running.

324: 'The New Generation is Different', with Francesco Puppi 01/15/2025

324: 'The New Generation is Different', with Francesco Puppi It’s the first episode of 2025 and Francesco Puppi, who needs no introduction, joins me for a candid conversation about the state of the trail running media and it’s influence on our sport. We also talk about the message behind Nike’s ad for the Olympic Games and how a new generation of athletes are redefining what participating and winning in a sport really means. People like Francesco are why our sport is so incredible special. What a way to kick off the new year! LINKS Francesco Puppi on Francesco Puppi’s That Nike Ad ‘‘ Connect with Singletrack on: Brought to you by - your trail and mountain news! /episode/index/show/sngltrck/id/34862000

323: 'First Dig Then Shred', with Tim Tollefson 11/28/2024

323: 'First Dig Then Shred', with Tim Tollefson Tim Tollefson wears many hats and came to Singletrack with important business. Tim is newly on the board of directors for Runners for Public Lands. The environmental organization just recently shared the uncomfortable news that our trails and trail races may be significantly impacted this coming year and beyond by the U.S. Forest Service budget and staffing shortfalls. Luckily for us, Tim is a man with a plan and offers hands on experience, and with that solutions and ideas on how we can get involved. It's high time for trail runners to take action. LINKS Tim Tollefson on Mammoth Trail Fest Runner’s for Public Lands – Connect with Singletrack on: Brought to you by - your trail and mountain news! /episode/index/show/sngltrck/id/34189545

322: ‘Racing the Snowman Trek’, with Thomas Reiss 11/23/2024

322: ‘Racing the Snowman Trek’, with Thomas Reiss Thomas Reiss is back on Singletrack and back from Bhutan where he supported the runners and race organization of the famous and grueling Snowman Race. We chat about the event, the mission that inspired its founding, and mostly the people and how connecting with other cultures makes us better human beings. Climate change affects us all and we really one have that one rock floating in space we call home. LINKS Thomas Reiss on Thomas Reiss on Nate Bender’s Snowman Race experience Connect with Singletrack on: Brought to you by - your trail and mountain news! /episode/index/show/sngltrck/id/34115671

321: 'Backstage on Grand Teton', with Alex Rienzie 11/13/2024

321: 'Backstage on Grand Teton', with Alex Rienzie On September 2, 2024 Michelino Sunseri set a new speed record on Grand Teton in 2h 50m 50s. It was supposed to be a new FKT, beating an old record that has stood for over 12 years. What ensued afterwards turned an epic run into a much talked about news story, a social media fire storm, and an eventual lawsuit. Friend of Michelino, Alex Rienzie was out on the trails that day and shares his observations and some background info on all of it. Alex joined Singletrack on his own initiative and any views expressed are his alone. LINKS Alex Rienzie’s detailed report on Michelino Sunseri’s Connect with Singletrack on: Brought to you by - your trail and mountain news! /episode/index/show/sngltrck/id/33920117

320: 'Road Soda, Let's Go!', with Troy Meadows 11/08/2024

320: 'Road Soda, Let's Go!', with Troy Meadows /episode/index/show/sngltrck/id/33854067

319: 'All The Mountain Sports', with Jessie McAuley 10/19/2024

319: 'All The Mountain Sports', with Jessie McAuley Canadian multi-sport athlete Jessie McAuley, repping Arc’teryx, joins the show to talk about his journey from competitive mountain bike racing in his youth to finding skimo racing for his winter adventures and trail racing for the summer. As if that’s not enough Jessie still finds time to bike and climb and goes on long adventure runs in the coastal mountains in British Columbia. This seems to works for the Squamish resident who came in 3rd at this year’s Mount Marathon in Seward Alaska and who’s getting ready for another busy season of skimo races here in North America and over in Europe. LINKS Jessie McAuley’s website: Jessie McAuley Cover shot by Connect with Singletrack on: Brought to you by - your trail and mountain news! /episode/index/show/sngltrck/id/33525017

318: ‘Knowing your Why’, with Katharina Hartmuth 10/05/2024

318: ‘Knowing your Why’, with Katharina Hartmuth After a year plagued by accidents and injury Katharina finds herself at the starting line of her dream race: the massive, and mighty Tor des Géants in the Aosta Valley of the Alps. Over the following days Katharina goes through the usual challenges any trail runners faces in a massive ultra distance event but always stays in the leading position and in the process crushing the women’s course record and arriving in seventh overall, almost 5 hours ahead of the second woman. This episode is not a race recap but a conversation about what motivates us, what drives us, and what inspires us. Why do we take on these challenges and what adventures are we seeking? LINKS Katharina Hartmuth Katharina Hartmuth Cover shot by Connect with Singletrack on: Brought to you by - your trail and mountain news! /episode/index/show/sngltrck/id/33342222

317: 'We Are Not Machines', with Rosanna Buchauer 09/23/2024

317: 'We Are Not Machines', with Rosanna Buchauer Rosanna follows up her earlier in the Summer with a stunning 3rd place finish at CCC in Chamonix at the UTMB World Series Finals. Here on Signletrack we chat about her race, misplaced chocolate, the surprise Western States Golden Ticket reception, and her upcoming trip to the in Bhutan. LINKS Rosanna Buchauer Rosanna Buchauer Cover shot by for Dynafit Connect with Singletrack on: Brought to you by - your trail and mountain news! /episode/index/show/sngltrck/id/33176962

316: ‘Great Until It Wasn’t’, with Julie Urbanski 09/23/2024

316: ‘Great Until It Wasn’t’, with Julie Urbanski Julie and I ran OCC. And while we both ran the same race we had very different days out there on the trails around Mont Blanc. Here we share our stories, our challenges, and our celebrations. And here’s to more gelato in town cheering on runners and connecting in person. LINKS Julie Urbanski Team RunRun Connect with Singletrack on: Brought to you by - your trail and mountain news! /episode/index/show/sngltrck/id/33176892

315: 'Back in Chamonix', with Scott Michie 08/13/2024

315: 'Back in Chamonix', with Scott Michie Finally I got Scott Michie on Singletrack. It’s only taken 315 episodes. And all it took was Scott heading back to Chamonix for another dance around that big white mountain. Over the last few years Scott and I have trained together, run many trails, and climbed many mountains. And in a couple of weeks we’ll both be in Chamonix together. He will run UTMB, for the second time while I put on a bib for OCC. In this episode we’ll chat about Scott’s experience at UTMB a couple years ago and how he’s approaching training and preparation differently. Oh, and we’re both very very excited about it all. LINKS Scott Michie Connect with Singletrack on: Brought to you by - your trail and mountain news /episode/index/show/sngltrck/id/32553212

314: 'My Turn This Time', with Julie Urbanski 08/12/2024

314: 'My Turn This Time', with Julie Urbanski Julie Urbanski, cofounder of Team RunRun will be racing OCC in just a couple of weeks. No stranger to the UTMB madness Julie has been with her family many times in Chamonix, crewing and spectating, but this year it is her turn to run the race. I also ask her about some of her favorite places and things to do in the Chamonix valley, including what gondolas to ride! I cannot wait to touch down in the Alps and take it all in. LINKS Julie Urbanski Team RunRun Connect with Singletrack on: Brought to you by - your trail and mountain news /episode/index/show/sngltrck/id/32550692

313: 'Somehow I Managed', with Katharina Hartmuth 08/09/2024

313: 'Somehow I Managed', with Katharina Hartmuth German superstar Katharina Hartmuth, running for Hoka, is back on Singletrack. She just ran the Hardrock 100 and had an incredible time in the San Juans above Silverton. We chat about her race, her time in the Wild West of America and the logistical challenges getting to Colorado and her dealing with recovering from a late injury. LINKS Katharina Hartmuth Katharina Hartmuth Katharina Hartmuth Cover Photo by Connect with Singletrack on: Brought to you by - your trail and mountain news! /episode/index/show/sngltrck/id/32521292

312: 'Making The Locals Proud', with David Norris 07/31/2024

312: 'Making The Locals Proud', with David Norris David Norris is the current record holder and 5 times winner, including 2024! of Mount Marathon in Seward, Alaska. He runs for ON, often competes at Cirque Series events and in the winter switches to nordic skis. David is currently training to beat me racing OCC by UTMB in Chamonix in just a few weeks. LINKS David Norris on Cover Photo by Connect with Singletrack on: Brought to you by - your trail and mountain news! /episode/index/show/sngltrck/id/32358712

311: 'Building A Racing Series', with Scott Sowle 07/26/2024

311: 'Building A Racing Series', with Scott Sowle Scott Sowle is the owner of ‘Mountain Running Races’ offering several awesome events east of Seattle in Washington State. On this episode we talk about his visit to the Broken Arrow Skyrace, one of America’s biggest trail events, where Scott volunteered and took in the atmosphere. We ponder on what the team is building down there at Lake Tahoe in the days between Broken Arrow and Western States, including the new Trail Conference. LINKS Connect with Singletrack on: Brought to you by - your source for trail and mountain news! /episode/index/show/sngltrck/id/32311142

310: 'My Journey to Hardrock', with Michael Marchand 07/10/2024

310: 'My Journey to Hardrock', with Michael Marchand Michael Marchand, from Olympia Washington is running Hardrock in just a couple of days. He got his entry in the lottery and has been training his heart out at a local city park pounding the miles and vert just mere feet from his house. We talk about his training leading up to the race and his motivation to take on audacious challenges like this. Follow his tracker through the San Juan mountains and cheer him to a finish back to Silverton. LINKS Michael Marchand Electric Cable Car Connect with Singletrack on: Brought to you by - your trail and mountain news! /episode/index/show/sngltrck/id/32027737

309: 'Touch That Rock', with Dale Garland 07/08/2024

309: 'Touch That Rock', with Dale Garland Dale Garland has been part of the Hardrock family since the first moments. He’s the run director and part of an incredible team of locals from the Silverton, Colorado area who deeply care about these mountains and love to share them with the runners, support crews and spectators who come every year to this tiny, remote and very special place. We talk about Camp Hardrock and many of the behind the scenes elements that make this event one of the top trail races in the world. LINKS Electric Cable Car Connect with Singletrack on: Brought to you by - your trail and mountain news! /episode/index/show/sngltrck/id/32027202

308: 'The King of Lavaredo', with Hannes Namberger 07/05/2024

308: 'The King of Lavaredo', with Hannes Namberger Hannes Namberger, German Dynafit athlete and now triple winner of the Lavaredo Ultra Trail is back on Singletrack. We’re chatting about the race and his conversation with Tom Evans in the last few kilometers of the race leading to Hannes charging ahead and taking first place. We’re also touching on the topics of the longevity of an athlete’s career, what it takes to win at highly competitive races, and most importantly the famous Hannes Namberger Pizza at Ristorante 5 Torri in Cortina. See you in Chamonix later this summer. LINKS Hannes Namberger Hannes Namberger Hannes Namberger’s pizza at by UTMB Finish line shot by Background photo by Peter Namberger Connect with Singletrack on: Brought to you by - your trail and mountain news! /episode/index/show/sngltrck/id/32026387

307: ‘The Queen of Lavaredo’ with Rosanna Buchauer 07/05/2024

307: ‘The Queen of Lavaredo’ with Rosanna Buchauer The German Dynafit athlete Rosanna Buchauer is the new queen of Lavaredo. Last weekend she ran an incredible race leading from start to finish at the highly competitive Lavaredo Ultra Trail 120K in Cortina, the heart of the Dolomites in Northern Italy. Rosanna is coming back from a rough winter battling injury and self doubt, raced her heart out and gained back her confidence with this stellar performance. Now, as she’s recovering and slowly restarting her next training block she has her eyes set on CCC late August at the UTMB Finals in Chamonix. LINKS Rosanna Buchauer Rosanna Buchauer by UTMB Cover photo by Connect with Singletrack on: Brought to you by - your trail and mountain news! /episode/index/show/sngltrck/id/32018462

306: ‘We’ve Been Doing This a Long Time’, with Buzz Burrell 06/28/2024

306: ‘We’ve Been Doing This a Long Time’, with Buzz Burrell Buzz Burrell needs no introduction. A giant in our trail running world, Buzz joins Singletrack to talk about the differences and similarities of trail running in Europe and North America. We touch on tourism, permitting, environmentalism and the way the media has influenced the past, present and future of our sport. LINKS with Buzz Burrell an Zoë Rom from UltraSignup Buzz Burrell Buzz Burrell Connect with Singletrack on: Brought to you by - your trail and mountain news! /episode/index/show/sngltrck/id/31935492

305: 'A Cocodona Story', with Ben Mead 05/20/2024

305: 'A Cocodona Story', with Ben Mead Ben Mead is a finisher of Cocodona 250 2024. After months of training, he almost didn’t make it to the starting line, and then just after a few miles his race seemed over before even the first nightfall. But, with his team by his side Ben rallied, adjusted, and gritted his teeth all the way to Flagstaff. The stories of humanity these ‘multi-day mega trail races’ like Cocodona generate are truly something special, and this is Ben's story. LINKS Ben Mead is Chasing Cutoffs , an Aravaipa Running event Cocodona RD Steve Aderholt Cocodona winner Maggie Guterl and finisher Staci Revel Connect with Singletrack on: Brought to you by - your trail and mountain news! /episode/index/show/sngltrck/id/31393727

304: 'Better Lucky Than Good', with Adam Lee 05/10/2024

304: 'Better Lucky Than Good', with Adam Lee Adam Lee, Mr. Community Trail Running, from beautiful Vancouver, BC is back on the show to chat about the importance of keeping ‘community’ in trail running and challenges of the ever-changing media landscape. We opine about the possibility of taking our little sport of trail running to the Olympics and I check in with Adam about his screening of the Trail Running Film Festival at the Rio in his hometown. Catch Adam and the Trail Running Film Festival in early June in several more locations all over Western Canada. LINKS Adam Lee is Community Trail Running on Trail Running Film Festival Connect with Singletrack on: Brought to you by - your source of daily trail and mountain news! /episode/index/show/sngltrck/id/31236827

303: 'Trees are Good, Obviously' with Jakob Herrmann 05/04/2024

303: 'Trees are Good, Obviously' with Jakob Herrmann Swiss Alps 100 race director Jakob Herrmann stops by to chat about the origins of the event, what motivated him to get it off the ground, what keeps him going and what his dreams are for the near and far future. The event has grown offering lots of different race distances, including a Hike and Fly event and now for the first time a Backyard Ultra. Hosted in one of the most beautiful corners of the world a race at the Swiss Alps needs to be part of everyone’s bucket list. LINKS Swiss Alps 100 on Swiss Alps 100 Connect with Singletrack on: Brought to you by - your trail and mountain news! /episode/index/show/sngltrck/id/31121068

302: 'Something Died at That Finish Line', with Nick Triolo 04/24/2024

302: 'Something Died at That Finish Line', with Nick Triolo Nick Triolo, writer, activist, and trail runner is back on Singletrack to share an update on his recent professional move and the giant leap of faith he just took. Nick and I chat about what motivates him to run, to share with others, and why he believes in beauty within our broken world. We also talk about running for a cause and the importance of story-telling in our overcrowded life full of churned out content. LINKS Nick Triolo’s Nick Triolo on Nick’s new book: ‘‘ Nick on Connect with Singletrack on: Brought to you by - your trail and mountain news! /episode/index/show/sngltrck/id/30973063

301: 'A Labor of Love' With Gretchen Walla 04/17/2024

301: 'A Labor of Love' With Gretchen Walla Gretchen Walla, race director for Walla Trails and now for the Cougar Mountain Trail Series just outside Seattle is back on the show to chat about the amazing events she’s putting on and what makes them so special. We share stories about the challenges of race directing, and I cheer her on taking on a personal challenge of training for Teanaway Country 100 while directing almost a dozen events. LINKS Gretchen Walla on Walla Trails on Walla Trails Connect with Singletrack on: Brought to you by - your trail and mountain news! /episode/index/show/sngltrck/id/30857763

300: 'Finding Your Journey', with Madlen Kappeler 04/10/2024

300: 'Finding Your Journey', with Madlen Kappeler Madlen Kappeler just returned from the SkySnow Skyrunning World Championship in Tarvisio, Italy with 4 silver medals two her name. The Bavarian triathlete went to Florida Atlantic University on a scholarship and is now competing in sky running events for the German National Team. LINKS Madlen Kappeler’s Madlen Kappeler Connect with Singletrack on: Brought to you by - your trail and mountain news! /episode/index/show/sngltrck/id/30758148

299: 'LBA Race Recap' with Matt Urbanski 04/01/2024

299: 'LBA Race Recap' with Matt Urbanski Matt Urbanski from returns to Singletrack to chat about Rock Candy Running’s LBA races in Olympia, Washington. We chat about the ins and outs of race directing and why I love being a race director. The 12hr event was held for the first time and here are your legends of LBA: Men’s race: Rob King - 19 Loops or 76miles Women’s race: Natalie Silver - 16 Loops or 64miles Nonbinary’s race: Estella Hassertt - 9 Loops or 36miles Links: Connect with Singletrack on: Brought to you by - your trail and mountain news. /episode/index/show/sngltrck/id/30633078

298: 'Not Too Fussed About', with Chrissi Faber 03/28/2024

298: 'Not Too Fussed About', with Chrissi Faber Chrissi Faber is from Germany, lives in New Zealand and just very cool came in 3rd at the Tarawera Ultra Trail Miler. We chat about her race day experience, the event and its origins and the evolution under UTMB ownership. LINKS Chrissi Faber Chrissi Faber Connect with Singletrack on: Brought to you by - your trail and mountain news! /episode/index/show/sngltrck/id/30588893

297: 'Baking Carbon in my Oven', with Marcel Höche 02/15/2024

297: 'Baking Carbon in my Oven', with Marcel Höche Marcel is back! After a tumultuous winter Adidas athlete Marcel Höche joins Singletrack for a very personal conversation about the challenges of the athlete fan relationship. We take a deep dive into building a new and better running shoe, including the much hyped soon-to-be-released Adidas Terrex Agravic Speed Ultra. Of course we touch on the UTMB situation, chat about sky running and make plans to meet for a beer in Chamonix. LINKS Marcel Höche Connect with Singletrack on: Brought to you by - your trail and mountain news! /episode/index/show/sngltrck/id/29977833

296: 'Capturing a Feeling', with Dan Patitucci 02/06/2024

296: 'Capturing a Feeling', with Dan Patitucci Dan Patitucci, is the owner of AlpsInsight and his professional outdoor photography has been in magazines and advertisements all over the world. He’s a legend in the mountains and has captured the achievements and stories of some of the greatest mountaineers of our time. As a trail runner and climber he shares his time between Switzerland and California. We talk about the changing and enduring landscape of the outdoors, discuss the differences between mountain towns in the Swiss Alps and the Eastern Sierras and debate the challenges of capturing the true emotions of trail running on camera. Super honored to bring Dan’s first ever podcast appearance to Singletrack. LINKS Dan Patitucci Connect with Singletrack on: Brought to you by - your trail and mountain news! /episode/index/show/sngltrck/id/29815038

295: 'It's All About Belonging', with Kathleen Baker 01/20/2024

295: 'It's All About Belonging', with Kathleen Baker Kathleen Baker, managing director for Runners for Public Lands joins me this week to announce the new partnership with RPL and the Trail Running Film Festival to bring the Global Tour 2024 to your city this Spring. SPONSORED BY: – a coach for every runner. Use code: singletracktrr for $20 off your first month of coaching. LINKS Kathleen Baker Trail Running Film Festival Connect with Singletrack on: Brought to you by - your trail and mountain news! /episode/index/show/sngltrck/id/29569883

Singletrack With Mathias Eichler

TOPICS