The Steep Stuff Podcast

Your Source for all Things Trail, Mountain & Skyrunning

The Steep Stuff Podcast is a sports podcast hosted by James Lauriello, with 386 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

James Lauriello hosts The Steep Stuff Podcast, a sports show with 386 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  Episode #195

  #195 - Marie Nivet, 2026 UTMB ETC Champion

  Sep 15, 202654 minS1

  Send us Fan Mail She called it a “bonus race,” showed up with no pressure, and walked away with one of the biggest wins of her career. Marie Nive joins me right after UTMB week to unpack what it felt like to win ETC, why that result matters for mountain running, and how she reframes nerves when the stakes get loud. We talk about the specific thing she wanted to fix from last year, technical downhills, and why confidence comes from solving real race problems rather than trying to “feel ready.” We also go behind the scenes of UTMB week inside the Nike ACG house. Marie explains how sharing the week with teammates can actually reduce pressure, how the group cheers without adding expectations, and what it’s like to stick around and spectate the biggest races after you’ve already competed. Her take on Lauren’s OCC win is pure goosebumps, and it opens up a bigger point about mindset, composure, and finishing fast when everyone is watching. Then we widen the lens: US trail running culture versus France, why Broken Arrow felt like stepping into the TV version of America, altitude preparation, and how she trains between the French Alps and the Pyrenees. Marie also shares the less-seen side of her life as a sports science PhD studying hypoxia and high-intensity exercise to help people age well, plus how she balances research with a packed Golden Trail World Series season and a long travel block through Japan, China, and Korea. If you enjoy deep athlete stories and smart trail running talk, subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a rating and review so more people can find the show. Follow Marie on IG - @marie_nivet Use code SteepStuff for 20% your cart on Sidas.us Follow James on IG - @jameslauriello Follow the Steep Stuff Podcast on IG - @steepstuff_pod Follow Sidas USA on IG - @sidas_usa

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  Episode #194

  Most Replayed Episode: Cam Smith, 2026 U.S. Skimo Olympian

  Sep 12, 20261h 12mS1

  Send us Fan Mail A skimo World Cup podium is rare. Coming back after an ACL and meniscus tear, then surviving a major shoulder injury right after, is even rarer. We sit down with Cam Smith to talk about what it really takes to rebuild your body and your confidence when momentum gets ripped away and the biggest goal is still out there: qualifying for the 2026 Winter Olympics (Milano Cortina) in ski mountaineering. Cam walks us from Rockford, Illinois to Western Colorado University’s Mountain Sports program, then into the Crested Butte skimo scene that helped him snowball from “mid-pack and stoked” into Team USA and a history-making World Cup result. We get specific about what changed at that breakthrough moment, why belief matters in elite endurance sport, and how training at altitude forces you to chase power and pace, not just watts per kilo. Then we zoom into the Olympic reality for skimo. The format is sprint and co-ed relay, the athlete quota is tiny, and the qualification math is unforgiving. Cam explains how nations earn spots, how the U.S. plans to test relay pairings, and why the level is rising fast as countries pour resources into these short, explosive events. Along the way we hit the fun stuff too: training in France, the croissant count tradition, vegetarian fueling, Dynafit sponsorship loyalty, Pierra Menta as a “lifetime memory,” and a mindset reset that comes from working with a sports psychologist and staying grounded through work outside sport. If you care about ski mountaineering, trail running, strength training, ACL rehab, or Olympic qualification, this one delivers. Subscribe, share this with a mountain athlete friend, and leave a five-star review if it helps, what part of Cam’s story are you taking into your own training? Use code SteepStuff for 20% your cart on Sidas.us Follow James on IG - @jameslauriello Follow the Steep Stuff Podcast on IG - @steepstuff_pod Follow Sidas USA on IG - @sidas_usa

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  Episode #194

  #194 - Adam Sjolund

  Sep 10, 202658 minS1

  Send us Fan Mail A lot of runners dream about a breakthrough season. Adam Joland is living one, and he’s honest about how messy it looks from the inside. Right after a standout run at Sierre-Zinal and a strong Golden Trail campaign, we sit down to dissect what actually went right: keeping the monster climb under control, staying mentally present for the whole race, and learning how to race with confidence instead of just hanging on and hoping. If you follow mountain running, Golden Trail World Series racing, or just love hearing how elite athletes problem-solve in real time, this one gets specific fast. Adam also shares the long road that led here, from growing up in Bonnie Lake, Washington to running collegiately at the University of Nevada, Reno where trail running became part of the training culture early. Then comes Flagstaff, Arizona, a training environment that can either sharpen you or swallow you. We talk about adjusting to altitude, finding a crew, and building the Ponderosa Pirates as a group of hungry “misfit” trail runners who keep each other honest. Outside the racing, Adam balances a mechanical engineering PhD at NAU with research focused on carbon sequestration, plus the practical question every emerging athlete faces: how do you chase a professional trail running contract without turning your brain over to social media? He explains why he quit posting, why he came back, and how outsourcing Instagram helps him stay focused on training, nutrition, and technical skills. We also get into the sport’s rapid professionalization, what we gain with bigger money, and what we risk losing from trail running’s dirtbag roots. If you enjoy the conversation, subscribe or follow, share it with a training partner, and leave a rating and review so we can keep telling these stories. Use code SteepStuff for 20% your cart on Sidas.us Follow James on IG - @jameslauriello Follow the Steep Stuff Podcast on IG - @steepstuff_pod Follow Sidas USA on IG - @sidas_usa

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  The Steep Stuff Podcast

  Most Replayed Episode: Mason Coppi, 2026 U.S. Mountain Running Champion

  Sep 8, 20261h 20m

  Send us Fan Mail Mason Copi just came off a win at Cirque Series Alta, and what stood out to us wasn’t only the speed it was the optimism. We talk right after the race about the course, the steep Baldy descent, and why feeling “locked in” can look like smiling, waving, and actually enjoying the chaos. From there we zoom out into Mason’s full arc: Southern California roots, a nationally competitive high school program, Division I running at Furman, and the moment the sport started to feel like self-worth instead of sport. Mason shares how David Roche’s The Happy Runner mindset helped him rebuild a healthier relationship with training, then why trail running and sub-ultra racing became the perfect reset. If you care about mountain running, the Golden Trail Series, and the rise of the hybrid track-to-trails athlete, this one hits all the right notes. We also get practical. Mason breaks down how he trains like a road athlete during the week with threshold and 10K-style work, then adds mountain specificity on weekends. We dig into cross-training doubles on the bike to build aerobic volume with less wear and tear, plus his simple race-day nutrition for an hour-long mountain race, including caffeine gel timing and why “something sweet” can help you go all out. If you’re chasing faster sub-ultra results, better mindset under pressure, or just a more sustainable love for trail running, you’ll leave with tools you can use right away. Subscribe, share this with a running friend, and leave a rating and review so more people can find the show. Use code SteepStuff for 20% your cart on Sidas.us Follow James on IG - @jameslauriello Follow the Steep Stuff Podcast on IG - @steepstuff_pod Follow Sidas USA on IG - @sidas_usa

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  The Steep Stuff Podcast

  A Special Discount Code for Listeners

  Sep 6, 20261 min

  Send us Fan Mail Use code SteepStuff for 20% your cart on Sidas.us Follow James on IG - @jameslauriello Follow the Steep Stuff Podcast on IG - @steepstuff_pod Follow Sidas USA on IG - @sidas_usa

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