The Steep Stuff Podcast
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The Steep Stuff Podcast
Grace Strongman - 2026 Trail Team Selection
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The NCAA doesn’t last forever, but the hunger to train, compete, and belong to a team doesn’t magically disappear at graduation. That’s where Grace Strongman is right now: a Colorado School of Mines standout, a materials engineer, and one of the newest additions to Trail Team Elite, stepping into trail racing with equal parts confidence and curiosity.
We trace Grace’s story from growing up in Kansas City in an all-sports household to discovering cross country in high school, nearly quitting on day one, and then getting pulled in by the people around her. She explains how coaches shape identity, why the running community matters, and how trails became a source of peace after her coach used them as a way to keep her effort under control. From there we get into what it’s like choosing a school based on engineering first, finding the right fit at Mines, and treating training like a long science experiment across events from the mile to the 10K.
Grace also opens up about the real balance of elite running and a demanding materials engineering schedule, plus what she wants professionally, from research to the possibility of coaching. Finally, we talk trail racing goals and the shift from track pressure to the more open, community-driven world of short trail, including her plan to debut at Broken Arrow 23K and longer-term dreams like Moab, Pikes Peak, and eventually racing in Europe. If you care about trail running, post-collegiate running, endurance mindset, and the engineering side of performance, this one hits all of it. Subscribe, share this with a runner who’s in a transition year, and leave a review with the biggest change you’ve faced after a season ended.
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Welcome And Big Announcement
SPEAKER_03Welcome back to the Steep Stuff Podcast. I'm your host, James L'Oriello, and today I am joined by 2026 Trail Team Elite Selection, Miss Grace Strongman. Hope you guys enjoy this one. Awesome. Grace Strongman, welcome to the Steep Stuff Podcast. How's it going?
SPEAKER_01Thank you so much. It's going great. I'm a big fan and so excited to be here.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, I'm so stoked to have you on. This is uh we got some big news here. I feel like every day I'm bringing the bringing the big news, but you are one of the uh newest additions to the Trail Team Elite team. Congratulations. Uh thank you.
SPEAKER_02How's it feel? How's it uh I'm stoked. Stoked, yeah. Okay. I like it.
Kansas Roots And Finding Running
SPEAKER_03Yeah, get into uh all right. So yeah, let's let's let's uh back up. We'll talk about your background and things like that. Maybe give me like the uh the five-minute elevator pitch on like your or 10 minutes or however long you want to talk about your show. Uh but yeah, give me give me the background with sport, like growing up in Kansas and stuff like that.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, for sure. Um, I think for context, I have two younger brothers and grew up in a family that is just all sports all the time and a little bit competitive, or maybe a lot bit competitive, but um I played all the sports. Um I always joke that it's a miracle. I'm not a softball player now because that's what my brothers and my dad are really into. Um, but I didn't run at all until high school. Um, my first day of cross-country practice. I like got picked up by my mom and I was like, I'm not coming back. That was not, that was not it. But um, as a lot of runners know, I think the sport can it just draws you in so fast and the community is so wonderful. And um, I was really lucky to have a really excellent experience in high school. Um, teammates and a coach that just believed in me beyond anything I could ever see in myself. Um, having that experience just yeah, drew me in real fast. I was like, I was like, I'm gonna be a competitive swimmer. And then, you know, one track season later, I was like, no, I'm sold. Um, track is it, cross country is it. Um, but just like anything, it's been, you know, a slow grind, just one step, one step at a time, just trying to get better every day. Um and now what are we nine, 10 years into doing that, and it's more fun every day. Um I got into trails originally in high school because I got in trouble from my coach for running um a little bit too fast when I shouldn't have been. And so a lot of times in the winter, um, my long runs, he'd be like, You're running them on the trails. Like you're you're going to the trails, and that'll keep you keep you in check. Um, but the trails have just always been such a place of peace for me. Um, and they're they're so wonderful. Um, Kansas City has an underrated trail scene. Um, I don't know, it's hard to hard to sell out here in in Colorado where I train now, but um definitely part of the reason that I love them now today. Um and then coming to the end of high school, I actually didn't even know if I was gonna compete in college. I was like mainly looking to go to school for engineering. Um obviously I'm at Minds now. Um, but I was like, I'm keeping that door open. Um, wherever I end up, I'll keep running in some way, but I didn't know if that was gonna be in the NCAA or not. And so when I showed up um at Mines to visit, I texted Coach Chris and I said, Hey, like, can I can I stop by and say hi? Um I was like, Do you think you have a spa for next year? And he's like, Yeah, why not? And so, you know, it's just like these choices one after another. Um, you know, just keeping following the love of the sport. Uh so Coach Chris gave me a chance, and he again has just been the most wonderful supporter, like believing in me more than I believe in myself. Um, even when it's not pretty and when it is, like it's just been the best experience and I've always had, you know, teammates leading the way here at Mines. Um, and I'm so lucky to get to be that teammate now, like five years into the experience. So um, yeah, all positive things uh on that front. I've done just about every event under the sun. Um I've gone to, you know, started out as a 10K when I was younger just because I, you know, wasn't really sure yet, and then ended up running the mile at Indoor Nationals um last year and the 1500, but now this year we've drained the 5K and 3K, and we'll probably be circling back to the 10K outdoors. So, you know, making the rounds, just it's all just been a journey of figuring out what's most exciting to me and what um you know brings the most out of me in training. And it's just a big science experiment. And that's that's what I always come back to is like, you know, it's all just trying new things and trying to get better. And I'm so excited to be a part of the trail team because it's just it's just this new variable that I get to mess with and try to optimize, and that is so exciting, you know, because it's a little scary coming up to the end of the end of your time in the NCAA when everything is beautiful and and organized and and laid out in front of you. And so having this new opportunity, a new challenge was was really it's a like a relief in a way, but also really exciting.
SPEAKER_03I love it. I love it. Lots of lots. I have so many questions off this. Um I'd say first and foremost, like how how did minds become a thing for you? Like how did uh was it like a full recruitment process? Did you have other schools that you were looking at? Um, I guess how did you settle on because it it's as far as academically, it's an amazing institution and they're a powerhouse program as well. I mean, amazing athletes come out of there as well. So how did how did that come to be for you?
Choosing Colorado School Of Mines
SPEAKER_00Yeah, and totally a testament to Coach Chris. Like, because we don't we don't do super fancy recruiting, like we don't necessarily get the best, you know, the best high schoolers in Colorado aren't always gonna be coming to minds, but yeah, testament to him, he does a great job. Um, but I guess for me, I was I was narrowed down to mines and then one other um pretty big engineering institution. And so that was really the driving force for for my school decision. Um and then I visited Colorado and was like, hmm, like I do really like the mountains, so if if that could be part of it too. Um and then the the opportunity to be in a D2 program for me coming out of high school was a really big opportunity. Um the other program I was looking at was um D3, which is also gonna be awesome. But the resources at Minds, um, you know, Chris's optimism for my future, and then like the academic rigor, just kind of all the puzzle pieces came together. Um, nothing flashy, totally just showed up, said, Hey, is this possible? It's like, yeah, why not?
SPEAKER_03Talk about uh one of the things I find so interesting about you is uh you are a materials engineer, uh, both I guess undergrad and grad. Dude, I so I studied, I I went up picking geology uh after taking a bunch of like uh engineering classes in undergrad. I hated the math. I could barely do it, and I wasn't an athlete in college. So, how how were you able to balance both these incredibly difficult like engineering math one and two suck? Differential equations sucks, like these are hard classes. How are you able to balance uh these these really difficult intro and even you know higher end level uh mathematics engineering courses, especially for materials which I don't even know where to begin, with with running at a high level?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, one of the coolest parts is everybody here is doing it, so it it doesn't even feel like it's out of the norm. It's just you know, I have a Cal 2 test, you know, at 7 to 9 p.m. tonight after the workout, but so do six other freshmen. Like it's you just it's part of the grind. But I also love it, and I think I think engineers make really good runners, just the way that the the brain works, you know. Um, and I've always loved math. If I think if I could get another degree, I would get a degree in just straight math. Um but um I don't it's it's a balance that that gives back and forth instead of taking, at least for me. Like um having a day that's full of things that are challenging you and is kind of keeping you on track has always been really productive for me at least. Um, I know like this semester, my last semester in school is a little bit more relaxed. Um, taking fewer credits just because I'm about to graduate. Um and almost that free time is a little bit, it's a little bit uh disconcerting, but maybe that's just uh something I need to get more used to. But for me, at least having those things has always complimented, complemented each other. Like one keeps the other going smoothly, if that makes sense.
Career Paths And Coaching Ambitions
SPEAKER_03It does, it does. I I gotta ask you, what will you do like professionally, like as a uh as a materials scientist or materials engineer? Like will you go work for like defense or like what like what what specifically uh like are you interested in working in? Just because it's such a cool topic.
SPEAKER_00Something I actually love most about the degree is how versatile it is. And folks from my program go do a ton of different things. Anything from, you know, working in defense to I've done work for a couple of years now in construction material, specifically like pavement, um, which doesn't sound flashy, but it's it's a really um it's a place where a lot of research needs to be done because pavements kind of suck. Um, but actually moving forwards, I'd also love to pursue a career in coaching. So I'm kind of balancing those two things and and gonna give this running thing, you know, a full swing before I step back from it. Um, so I don't know exactly, but what I love about my degree is it's really flexible. Um, like Grant, he's also on the trail team, he's a good testament to that. Um, and his wife, Chloe, too. They were both in the MME program at Mines. Um, it can take you a lot of directions. Like anything you're passionate about, it can, it'll get you there one way or another.
SPEAKER_03Yeah. Yeah, it's super interesting. We need more people like you. I feel like I talk about this all the time, like more materials, like engineers and material scientists. Like there's not a lot of you floating around, which is uh, I think for uh, I don't think people understand like when it comes to developing like batteries for electric cars, like so many different things. Like I read up on this stuff. It's like it's always good to uh yeah, have more people like you. So I think it's very cool.
SPEAKER_00Literally, everything is made of something, and I think every company like has material scientists. Usually it's like a really small department, but every company that's doing something, developing something has material scientists.
SPEAKER_03Yeah. It's pretty cool. I I have I want to get into the weeds with this, but we'll save this for another podcast. Yeah, yeah. I could take this in so many different directions. Um you're interested in coaching. Talk about that. Will you are you interested in coaching like at the collegiate level or at uh maybe like individual? Like how, like, what do you want to pursue with that?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I think just big picture reflection, the people who've had the biggest impact on my life, and then the reason I'm the person I am today have been my coaches. Like I've had the most wonderful experience over and over again with the people I've been coached by. And I want to do the same, like I want to do the same thing. And obviously it's a skill that takes years and years to develop, and there's a lot of science behind it too. So that combination of it being a science experiment and seeing how good you can get, while also just making life better. Like running makes my life better. The teams I've been a part of make my life better. Um, and if I can just perpetuate that in any way, um, like even if it's just coaching at the high school level, I think that's really impactful. Because you never know. Um, you know, a kid has no idea I didn't have any idea what I wanted to do. I could have been swayed any direction. I could have been swayed totally away from sports. I could have been swayed to soccer or swimming or any of those things. But it was a coach that believed in me. And so if I can do that same thing, like I want to do that.
SPEAKER_03Oh, I love that. Very cool. Do you will you stay in Colorado after graduation? Is that like the plan? Or will are you yeah, okay, good, good idea. It's a great place to train, great place to live.
SPEAKER_00At least for now, yeah.
Joining Trail Team Elite
SPEAKER_03Yeah, it's hard, hard to beat Colorado. Um let's finally get into the trails and the trail team and all that good stuff. Obviously, you have an enormous uh pedigree coming from your background, and yeah, I feel like that will translate so well into the trails. I'm just curious, like as far as like interest, you you kind of talked about being punished and having to end up on the trails uh for going a little hard in your runs, but but what pushed you to apply for the trail team? Like, did Andy reach out to you? Did Grant reach out to you? How did how did that come to be?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I have definitely there are a number of alumni from Mines who go this direction, and that's been really cool to see. Um, I also got a chance to connect with Courtney Coppinger, talk to her about her experience. Um I went to one of their yo, yeah, she's the best. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Um went to like an event they put on, just hearing more about it. Um, I've also been a lifelong fan of the Leadville 100, and I am not interested in ultras right now, but I've known the trail community in that way for a long time and have been like, you know, on a crew or two and always gone to the race every summer, and the community is just unlike anything else. Like it's so cool. And so looking at next year, being like, okay, NCAA team, can't do that forever. But what community do I want to jump into? And what team do I want to build for myself after the pre-constructed one is taken away? And the easiest, the easiest answer that came up right away was trails. Like I think it's gonna be really good shift from like my love for cross country and just the training I do here on the day-to-day, you know, north table, south table, all the trails we have within like 30 minutes. Like that's what I live on. And so that plus just the excellent community and the chance to be a part of another team was is an easy choice.
First Trail Races And Big Goals
SPEAKER_03Oh, I like it. All right. I like where where are we gonna see you this year? What uh what interests you as far as races go?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I think I'm more interested um in like I'm gonna open up at Broken Arrow 23K is my plan. Um definitely more drawn to the not the vertical races, probably, because they scare me a little bit coming off of the track and cross country to be honest. But maybe maybe we'll go there. But I know um I think the 23k is something that I'll my training will translate really well to. Um, and so I'm excited about that. Um, it depends a little bit on how the end of the track season wraps up. Um, just how we have some big goals um in the 10k and the 5k. So hopefully we'll put it all on the line, you know, at the end of May. Um uh because I thought maybe do GoPro games like two weeks out from Broken Arrow, but it'll just depend on how recovery's going. Um, but for sure Broken Arrow, and then that's where um, you know, Andy and the trail team are so helpful is I can use all the mentorship I can get, like in my first season on the trail. So the middle parts are a little unwritten still. And then looking later into the fall, I'd love to do the Moab half, like the US champs. So those are kind of the bookends, and then the middle part is TBD, but that's really exciting to me.
Mentors And Trail Community Mindset
SPEAKER_03I like it. Yeah, well, the trail stuff is like, especially for short trail, it's uh outside of a few races, it's like pretty easy to get into most things. All you gotta do is just and you clearly know the right people right now. So it definitely uh all you gotta do is ask, and you're it's pretty easy to get into a lot of stuff, especially North American wise. Uh I like that. Is there anything that I don't know, you had mentioned Leadville, but like is there anything that like calls to you in the next five years that you really want to do? Like, have you did you grow up watching any of like the golden trail stuff on YouTube um or stuff like that? Did you like anything that uh like a series on all or a Pikes Peak or anything that you find interesting?
SPEAKER_00Pikes Peak was always like an urban legend for I had like folks from Kansas City would go and do like the Pikes Peak Ascent, and that's like what? Like that's crazy. But that one would definitely be cool to touch on. Um it's really like I'm pretty new to the to the subultra world. Um just in the last couple years, like living in Colorado and knowing um folks that take part in it. So it would be super cool to get over to Europe and do some of those races um as soon as I can, you know, establish myself a little bit. And the challenge of, you know, establishing myself in this world and then earning a spot on those bigger stages is really exciting. But I don't know if it's gonna take, you know, it'll take a little bit of time, who knows how long, but I'm I'm ready to give it a shot.
SPEAKER_03I think you're gonna do so well. I find it so interesting too because you've never raced a trail race. So like you you don't know ex at all what to expect, which but I think coming directly from the track uh and cross country right into the sport, I mean I feel like there's so much more pressure on c on and NCAs and things like that. Like that when you get to a trail artist, you're gonna be like, this is it? Like this is this doesn't feel like a lot of pressure. So you're gonna perform great because you're not gonna feel you know that much pressure compared to what your peers will be feeling. Um at least that's what everybody tells me coming off the track. They're like, this is yeah, so much easier. Um so I I think you'll you'll do amazing right away. I think broken arrow is a uh I mean, you're throwing yourself into the deep end of the pool very early on, and I think that's a really good idea because you can very quickly see like, okay, what the level is here. I just find it interesting because Andy's got a great job. Uh they've done an amazing job at picking athletes for their trail team elite. And a lot of them do get sponsorships within the first few years. So is that something you're interested in long term? Or is it more so just like a feeling out thing? Like, do I like this? Do I not like this? I don't know, kind of thing.
SPEAKER_00100%. And like I'm not afraid to say that either. Like I love like running is the thing I love most. And it's so cool, and I'm so grateful that coming off of my collegiate career, I have a place to start. And yeah, I'm gonna make the most of it. Who knows where it's gonna go? But yeah, like I'm I'm all in. And so who knows what it'll look like. But yeah, I'm here to give it a shot. And if anyone thinks that's cool along the way and wants to help out, like I'm ready.
SPEAKER_03I like that. I think it's the best attitude to have. It's honestly like the most important thing about the sport is just have fun. Enjoy it. Challenge yourself in unique and fun new ways. And you know, you'll find the stuff that interests you. Like I kind of laughed when you were like, oh yeah, I don't like any of the vertical races. And I'm thinking in my head, but like you're gonna be so good at those because you're coming off the track. Like that's one-to-one fitness right there.
SPEAKER_00So I yeah, I can't even say I it's not I like I don't like them. I'm just I'm I'm intimidated by them.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, yeah. Who uh who are you who do you look up to in the sport? Like, do you you've have you met anyone that you're like, oh my god, like Courtney Coppinger is like an amazing type of mentor? Like it's a it's a great human right there. Like Grayson Murphy. There's so many good uh and standout humans in this sport that you can learn from that can be great mentors.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah. Talking to Courtney, I think I relate to her in a lot of ways, um, you know, out inside and outside of running. And everyone you talk to is kind of like that. And I love talking to her specifically because of her her journey to get where she is today is like is so refreshing. And it's a good reminder that yeah, we don't know what the next chapter is gonna look like. And you just have to be okay to kind of sit in that and be excited about that instead of let it you know torture you as you go along, like be a stressor. Um yeah, she's awesome. I like her a lot.
SPEAKER_03One of one of my favorite people in the sport, she's in she's a cool human. Um, there's a ton of them like that. So you're in for a treat. I don't know who Andy has picked yet for the mentors, but I'm guessing she might be one of them. Or there's always he always picks great mentors for uh the trail team. So and the camps, I've heard amazing things about the camps. Camps are gonna be a ton of fun. Um yeah, you're in for a treat. It's gonna be uh it's a good, it's you'll get to see all of the best parts of the sport and the community and what the sport is about, which is really cool.
SPEAKER_00And like another moment of oh my gosh, these people are so good to me, and it's so amazing for someone to say, I believe in you, and I'm so grateful and I'm so excited.
SPEAKER_03I love it. What kind of shoes do you run in in these days? What are you what are you rocking on the trails? What do you like?
SPEAKER_00We like just had a conversation about this yesterday at practice. We're like, what if if any shoe company could sponsor this team, what would it be? And we all said ASICs, honestly. Um the Nova Blasts are my go-to daily trainers, and honestly, if I'm just out there doing, you know, like my Monday and Thursday um just longer, easier trail runs, sometimes I'm in the Nova Blasts, you know, if it's not muddy. No shame in that. Um I want to order a pair, the basics Metafugies. I think I want to try out, um, see how those feel for a little quicker efforts on the trails. Um I have a pair of the ultra experience twos. Um, those are pretty solid. Um nothing too fancy though, just because most of my trail miles are are my easy miles. So yeah, nothing flashy.
SPEAKER_03Oh, I like it. I like it. I mean, it's always good to try a bunch of a whole slew of new things, and I'm sure with the trail team, they'll they'll hook you guys up to you. We'll get all kinds of badass shoes. Yeah, I've heard amazing things about ASICs. Like I um Yeah, I've heard rumblings, they're trying to get into the American market. Like we have they have like one athlete that is was formerly on the roads, still does road stuff, and then now is kind of time on the trails, and then they've got a bunch of Euro athletes, so maybe they'll make a splash in America. It'd be kind of cool.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_00The MetaSpeed, the MetaSpeed Tokyos on the track, unbeatable. Best super shoe right now.
SPEAKER_03I have the Nova Blast. I I I used to run a lot of roads in the Nova Blast. I didn't like they were I don't know. You know what? I had to get a a pair of I got I think I miss sized them because they didn't have the specific uh size that I needed. So I got a women's pair um that like equated to my size, and it just didn't didn't click right for my feet, and that that was my experience, wasn't it wasn't that great. But oh well, they're still cool.
SPEAKER_00A little bit down the rabbit hole, but like the Nova Blast threes were like best shoe ever. Four is kind of a miss. Fives, they're like kind of back on track. But I think the Nova Blast Six, the six is gonna be where it's at. Okay.
SPEAKER_03Wow, you know your shoes. I'm impressed. Well, you are a material scientist, dude. That's what you need to do. You need to go to the show. Exactly. Exactly. Yes. You need to go in-house at like one of these shoe companies and like just change the game. I like that.
SPEAKER_00Exactly. And I think ASIC A6 is doing it right right now with the foam.
SPEAKER_03Yeah. Yeah, the foam, the foam's gotten crazy. Like, I feel like we've gotten in most shoes, like, you can't even talk about carbon anymore. Just the foams have gotten so advanced.
SPEAKER_00Anyone can have a carbon plate, but yeah, but the foams, you're going.
Broken Arrow Plans And Closing
SPEAKER_03We just got uh I run for Sportivo and we just dropped the new Prodigio 2, and we have this like X-Flow foam that they kind of moved over from the pros into the twos. I was like, dude, this is space age technology. This is like so yeah, it's uh to layman's like me. I'm like, oh, this is amazing. Like, this is yeah, so I love it. So yeah, Grace, well, listen, I don't want to take too much of your time. This is an amazing conversation. I am wishing you the best of luck. I'll see a broken arrow, uh, be doing a bunch of pre-race interviews. So wishing you the best of luck in your season and uh thank you. Can't wait to see what's next. And uh good luck this weekend as well, or this week uh as well at Indoor Champs. So thank you. Yeah, appreciate it. Thanks for coming on.
SPEAKER_01Excited, excited for what's next. Thank you so much for your time.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, of course.
