The Steep Stuff Podcast
Professional trail runner James Lauriello sits down with some of the most interesting athletes, coaches, adventurers, and personalities in the mountain running world to take an inside look at what drives them and what it really takes to chase greatness in the mountains.
With no script and no two conversations quite the same, The Steep Stuff Podcast dives deep into the people, stories, and ideas shaping trail, mountain, and skyrunning. From training and racing to adventure, gear, lifestyle, the highs and lows of competition, and everything in between, James brings an athlete’s perspective and genuine curiosity to every conversation.
Whether it’s sitting down with the world’s best mountain runners, emerging talents, legendary figures, or the people working behind the scenes, The Steep Stuff explores what makes these individuals tick, what they’ve learned along the way, and why they continue to push themselves into the mountains. It’s all things trail, mountain and skyrunning—and the people who make the sport what it is.
Episodes
401 episodes
#202 - Hunter Macy, Founder & CEO of Rendezvu
A single gear text from a mountain guide sparked a bigger question: why do the most trusted people in the outdoors drive so many purchases and earn nothing from it? We sit down with Hunter Macy, founder and CEO of Rendezvous, to unpack how that...
Hillary Allen - on Career, Worlds, Injury, Cycling, 2025 & 2026 Seasons & the North Bend Trailfest
A last minute race entry. A season stitched together from recovery. A mindset that refuses to let results decide your worth. James L’Oriello sits down with mountain runner and endurance athlete Hillary Allen for a wide ranging conversation that...
Casey Campbell - Pre North Bend Trailfest Interview
Something wild happens when a runner stops chasing “perfect” and starts chasing what they actually love. Casey Campbell is living proof. Casey joins us to unpack his late-season shift toward uphill racing, including a breakout day at the Broken...
Noah Dusseau - Pre North Bend Trailfest Interview
A 47-mile pacing shift on a record attempt would be a season highlight for most runners, and Noah Disot treated it like another valuable day in the mountains. Fresh off crewing and pacing Joe McConaughy on a John Muir Trail (JMT) effort, Noah j...
Dustin Mullaney - Pre North Bend Trailfest Interview
Race week exposes everything: what you’ve built, what you’ve ignored, and what actually holds up when the course turns steep. We’re joined by Dustin Mullaney, defending North Bend Trail Fest champion, to talk through the reality of racing often...
#201 - Matthew Zupan
A hundred-mile podium doesn’t happen by accident, and Matt Zupan doesn’t chalk it up to luck. From a quiet start in Missouri to finding his stride in the Reno and Truckee trail running scene, Matt tells the full story of how community, mountain...
Most Replayed Episode: Matt Daniels
Something breaks in an athlete’s season, and the story usually gets edited into a neat comeback. We do the opposite here. Matt Daniels talks with us in real time about the messy middle: a divorce, an unexpected mold exposure that kept making hi...
#200 - Chrissy Lofgren, 2026 Pikes Peak Marathon Champion
Winning Pikes Peak isn’t just about fitness, it’s about decisions you make when your lungs are burning, your stomach is turning, and the mountain keeps asking for more. I sit down with Chrissy fresh off her Pikes Peak Marathon win to replay the...
#199 - Darren Thomas, 2026 Pikes Peak Marathon Champion
Ten tries at Pikes Peak can either break you or build you. Our guest Darren Thomas shows exactly what it looks like when it builds you, turning a decade of near-misses into a 2026 Pikes Peak Marathon win that’s equal parts patience, craft, and ...
#198 - Aimee Kohler, RD of the Running Kind Introducing the new Catskill 100
A new 100-mile race is coming to the Catskill Mountains, and it’s not pulling any punches. Amy Kohler, race director at The Running Kind, joins us to reveal the Catskill 100, a technical Northeast ultra marathon that leans hard into steep climb...
#197 - Will Johnson
Pikes Peak week has a way of making every runner take stock: what am I chasing, and what’s actually worth it when the climb gets real? I sit down with Will, a full-time high school English teacher and developing mountain runner, to talk about t...
History of the Pikes Peak Ascent & Marathon with Mark Tatum
One mountain, nearly a century of stories, and a finish line that keeps moving further into the clouds. We sit down to unpack the deep history of the Pikes Peak Marathon and Pikes Peak Ascent, from its early ascent roots to the moment it become...
#196 - Erin Ton, FKT on Mount Kilimanjaro
She didn’t just beat a record on Mount Kilimanjaro, she rewrote what “supported speed” can look like at 19,000 feet. Aaron Ton joins us fresh off a massive double: new supported ascent and supported round-trip Fastest Known Times on Kilimanjaro...
#195 - Marie Nivet, 2026 UTMB ETC Champion
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...
Most Replayed Episode: Cam Smith, 2026 U.S. Skimo Olympian
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 confide...
#193 - Joe "Stringbean" McConaughy - RD North Bend Trailfest & Ultrarunner
A mountain town, a brutally steep VK, and a trail festival that’s trying to feel like a hometown party instead of a corporate expo. We’re joined by Joe McConaughey, ultrarunner, coach, and race director of North Bend Trailfest, to break down wh...
#194 - Adam Sjolund
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 ...
Most Replayed Episode: Mason Coppi, 2026 U.S. Mountain Running Champion
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,...
Most Replayed Episode: Michelino Sunseri, Grand Teton FKT Holder
He just set a Grand Teton FKT, but what grabbed me most wasn’t the time on the clock. It was the way Michelino “Mike” Sanseri thinks about mountains, suffering, joy, and what it actually takes to become dangerous on a start line without losing ...
Most Replayed Episode: Allie (McLaughlin) Avatar, 2022 World Uphill Champion
A hip that might not cooperate. A course that’s basically a slip-and-slide. A start line you’re not even sure you’ll stand on. Then somehow… you find yourself racing at the front anyway. That’s the headspace Allie Mack brings us into right afte...
Most Replayed Episode: Grayson Murphy, 2X Mountain Running World Champion
Winning world titles is hard. Getting told you are “fine” for 18 months while your body is clearly breaking down might be harder. We sit down with Grayson Murphy to talk through the parts of elite mountain running that rarely get said out loud:...
BONUS Episode - UTMB Predictions with Nick Tusa
UTMB week brings out the most honest kind of sports conversation: we have a stacked start list, a million storylines, and almost no certainty once the race hits the high climbs and the long night. Nick Tusa joins me for a focused UTMB and CCC p...
