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4 febbraio 2024, domenica

Un po’ di cose che ho scritto

Cadenze

Relentless pursuit

Olympic Trials

francesco.puppi

Next week I’ll be racing CCC at @utmbmontblanc.

Next week I’ll be racing CCC at @utmbmontblanc. I’m excited and a bit nervous to tackle a distance that still feels very new to me and an incredible field of athletes.

It’s been a fun and challenging preparation, which started way back during the winter, and went through some pretty special places and circumstances, thanks to many great people.

Of course, a race is just the tip of the iceberg of a massive amount of training that goes into it, it’s when we get to enjoy what we love the most: running in the mountains and trying to push our bodies beyond what we thought was possible.

I’ll try to bring you with me through the process: the highs and lows, the doubts, the joys, and a bit of madness that makes this adventure my own.

Watch on Youtube: GOING FURTHER - Season Two: The Build

[ITA]

La prossima settimana correrò la CCC a @utmbmontblanc. Sono emozionato e un po’ nervoso nell’affrontare una distanza che per me è ancora nuova e un parterre di atleti incredibile.

È stata una preparazione divertente ma anche molto impegnativa, iniziata già durante l’inverno e passata attraverso luoghi e circostanze davvero speciali, grazie a persone straordinarie.

Una gara è solo la punta dell’iceberg rispetto al percorso e al lavoro che ci stanno dietro, è il momento in cui possiamo divertirci facendo ciò che amiamo di più: correre in montagna e provare a spingere il nostro corpo oltre quanto ritenevamo possibile.

Cercherò di portarvi con me attraverso il processo: gli alti e bassi, i dubbi, le gioie e quel pizzico di madness che rende questa avventura la mia.

Watch on Youtube: GOING FURTHER - Season Two: The Build

Production and editing: @demiangoaway
Support: @hoka @hoka_eu

#runthedistance #anysurfaceavailable #trailrunning #summerofmotion #utmb #wearesoback

Sierre Zinal madness at its finest ⚡️⚡️ S

Sierre Zinal madness at its finest ⚡️⚡️

Success is going from finishing 4th, running 2:35 and feeling like a failure, like in 2018….to running 2 min slower, placing 10th and feeling at peace, like this year.

Sometimes the real win is how you carry yourself across the line. It’s in the way you choose to see yourself when the race is done.

Every race, no matter the result, can be a step forward in becoming a better athlete

@hoka @hoka_eu @enervitsport

#runthedistance #anysurfaceavailable #trailrunning #sierrezinal #basetraining #flyhumanfly

Video: @timetjean

9th time the charm @sierrezinal_officiel I’ve

9th time the charm @sierrezinal_officiel

I’ve given you my best, you’ve given me more

@hoka @hoka_eu @enervitsport

#sierrezinal #summerofmotion #runthedistance #anysurfaceavailable #wearesoback

Another consequence of having a season that is wid

Another consequence of having a season that is widely regarded as successful (so far), is that people start putting more expectations on you. I’ve won four races in a row, and technically I’m undefeated since OCC 2024, so almost a year. So there’s pressure to keep the streak alive, like it’s the most important and logical thing to do, like I owe it to the story that people are writing about me, in order to continue this narrative and build a reputation that honestly doesn’t belong to me.

Well, I’m sorry to let you down, because I’m racing Sierre-Zinal this weekend, and realistically I’m not going to win what is widely regarded as the most competitive mountain race in the world. The thing is, I don’t have any ego to protect, reputation to defend, or public image to build. So the possibility of my win streak ending on Saturday doesn’t touch me at all and in fact, I’m kind of relieved that this whole narrative is going to end. Because it’s not who I am.

I primarily compete to see how good I can get relative to myself and to the best athletes in the world on race day, and if I walk away from a race knowing I gave it everything, I’m happy, regardless if the result is a 1st, 4th or 20th place. I feel like this is a healthier approach to competing which stems from an intrinsic motivation, instead of putting all the importance on the external outcome (which is only partially within our control) and recognition.

@katieschide, one of my role models in the sport, who hasn’t lost a race in 2 years, is also lining up at Sierre Zinal and I can imagine similar thoughts going through her mind. Sure, it might be easier to pick a low key race or, in my case, a 50-80km race where I’m probably more competitive, keep the win streak alive, and sell the victory to reinforce the myth. But we chose not to. Because ultimately that’s not how we define success.

Success is challenging ourselves with hard things, and trying our best in the process. That’s what really matters. It’s tempting to think that a win or the achievement of some goal will fulfil you, but what will truly fulfil you is who you become and what you discover in the process of going for it.

And you still wonder why I signed with Hoka? Firs

And you still wonder why I signed with Hoka?

First ever training camp with the team (and first ever training camp with any sponsor I’ve had, at 33) surrounded by incredible athletes, amazing energy and the kind of support that makes you dream bigger. Going from Nike to Hoka was worth it even just for experiences like this.

It’s kind of crazy that I get to call this my job and that, at the same time, it remains my greatest passion and source of happiness, fun, and motivation. It will forever feel like a privilege.

As athletes, we live in a system that often pushes us to move quickly from one goal to the next, making it hard to truly appreciate and soak in all the in‑between moments that actually make up most of our time. While competing is the main reason we get to live this life, those moments are the real why behind what we do. Training at a high level is hard, but sharing parts of the journey with people who share my same passion and lifestyle is incredibly motivating.

Feeling grateful, inspired, honestly somewhat tired but excited for the big goals ahead!

Thanks @hoka @hoka_eu teammates and people for making this possible!

Cool photos by @peigneeverticale and @simon.dugue, everything else 🤳

07/2025 - Wild July #runthedistance #summerofmoti

07/2025 - Wild July

#runthedistance #summerofmotion #vertvertvert #anysurfaceavailable

Cover photo @danielemolineris

I try my best #runthedistance #anysurfaceavailab

I try my best

#runthedistance #anysurfaceavailable #summerofmotion #track

Filming and editing: @demiangoaway @danielemolineris

Many people asked me what’s changed since I star

Many people asked me what’s changed since I started winning some international races - apparently I have won four this year (Transgrancanaria Marathon, Chianti 50k, Canyons 100k, Lavaredo 50k).

I would be lying if I said nothing has changed, however it’s not the kind of change that most people think, and I cannot point out a single factor that has made all the difference. It’s more like the result of a long term process, of years of hard, silent work now beginning to show more consistent results. It’s probably just a coincidence that I have won four races in a row, and realistically I’m not going to win the next one; it also doesn’t hurt me at all to say so because I don’t have any ego to protect.

It’s crazy how the body learns, adapts and normalizes what once seemed impossible. With my coach, when we started working over 10 years ago, we set things up for long term growth, not for immediate success. We never chased race results over the simple beauty of challenging ourselves with running. Results were just a consequence, like the fact that I’m now a professional runner.

The difference between a victory and any other outcome that falls short of it is less than you’d think. I don’t believe it takes any particular talent, killer instinct, or any other god given gift to win. Everyone is working hard, at a high level. The oversimplified, eternal mind vs body debate, like how much impact one or the other has on performance, like they were two separate entities, doesn’t apply. My mindset hasn’t fundamentally changed. I’m probably just more at peace with myself than a while ago, and I recognize that’s a huge component. My body has definitely changed, slowly and gradually, because I can handle more training than ever.

Over 60 years ago, Ikai and Steinhaus wrote: “Physiologic factors set the relatively fixed and outermost limits, psychological factors, the more proximate ones. In this sense it is appropriate to speak of a physiologic and psychologic limit. Capacity is the always undetermined measure of the former. Performance is always limited by the latter.”

I believe this is as relevant as ever.

#runthedistance #summerofmotion

Photos: @danielemolineris

06/25. June was a hot one #nevertoolate #summerof

06/25. June was a hot one

#nevertoolate #summerofmotion #anysurfaceavailable #nomadland #runthedistance #viavareselibera #flyhumanfly

Cover photo @philippreiter007
Photo 15 @martin_fettich

Three days in Canfranc to check out the long and s

Three days in Canfranc to check out the long and short trail running world championships course.

Wild and tough, technical and beautiful, we really enjoyed these 85km and almost +6000m in the Pyrenees. It’s interesting to see how different communities and parts of the world decline the concept of trail running, here, for example, in a version that is maybe closer to skyrunning, with lots of scrambling and many parts off-trail, where you have to employ some navigation skills. I feel like it’s this uniqueness- which is the contrary of standardization- that we should strive to preserve, as one of the beauties of our sport. Sure this course may not be my favorite, it might not suit me 100%, but this is what trail running is also about!

Lots of double digit kilometers were ran (and hiked), lots of calories were consumed, lots of madness was shared and fun was had.

This course is far beyond my comfort zone, but I really want to take this challenge, learn, adapt and discover things I thought I’d never be able to do.

See you at the end of September @wmtrc2025_canfrancpirineos 👋🏾

Thanks @atleticaitaliana for making this trip possible
Thanks @luca_delpe97 and @andreas_reiterer for the fun

#canfranc #runeverything #anysurfaceavailable #pyrenees #canfrancmadness #hiking #runthedistance #wildandtough

@maratonadolomites - my first bike race! 😍

- è bellissimo essere dei principianti, andare in gara senza aspettative, senza pretendere nulla da se stessi se non il massimo dell’impegno, come sempre del resto, e farselo bastare. Senza bisogno di fingere di essere esperti, né di sapere più di quanto sappiamo davvero, solo con la voglia di esserci, imparare, cercare di dare il meglio

- probabilmente ero l’unico al via con i fili del manubrio ancora fuori come negli anni ’90, cosa che faceva già capire diverse cose sul mio livello tecnico

- non ho ancora capito come funzionano i rifornimenti. Mi sembrava di essere l’unico a fermarsi alle aid station per prendere l’acqua. Ma i ciclisti non bevono?

- mangiare cibo solido si è rivelato molto più complicato del previsto: in discesa staccare le mani dal manubrio è fuori discussione, in salita rischi di soffocare, in pianura…alla maratona dles dolomites non c’e mai pianura 😰

- il bello di essere un beginner è che migliori rapidamente, sulla prima discesa sei come un bambi su ghiaccio e gli altri ti passano al doppio della velocità, ora della quarta o quinta discesa la fiducia nella forza di attrito cresce notevolmente e non sei più aggrappato ai freni come se la tua vita dipendesse da quello (in realtà dipende sempre da quello)

- è una follia realizzare quanto vadano forte i veri pro. Non che ce ne fosse un reale bisogno…ma ho preso quasi mezz’ora dal primo classificato (grande @ste_bona88) su una gara da meno di 4h, facendo 106km con +3200m a 27.8km/h di media. Cosa farebbe Pogi?

- mi è mancata un po’ la dinamica da gara ciclistica che pensavo avrei vissuto: le scie, i gruppetti, la sensazione di correre in gruppo. E’ stato uno sforzo molto più individuale di quanto mi aspettassi. Probabilmente il percorso non si prestava granché: troppo duro, in salita ognuno prendeva il suo ritmo e in discesa il pensiero principale era salvarsi la pelle. Mi rimane la voglia di riprovarci su un percorso più filante e di limare quanto più possibile

- la sensazione di andare a canna in bici > quasi ogni altra cosa

- rimaniamo in ogni caso dei piantati totali, ed è bellissimo così

Photos: @piegaro
Special thanks @enervitsport

Mai avrei pensato di poter pedalare a fianco di Mi

Mai avrei pensato di poter pedalare a fianco di Miguel Indurain, di fare uno shooting con @fabioaru1, di presentarmi sulla stessa linea di partenza di @petosagan.

Mai avrei pensato che sarei diventato un atleta professionista - non è mai stato un obiettivo, ma forse è sempre stata una possibilità lasciata aperta - che avrei vinto delle gare abbastanza importanti, che avrei avuto un mio podcast, pubblicato per delle riviste, fondato un’associazione di atleti pro riconosciuta a livello internazionale e tante altre cose.

Mai avrei pensato che avrei potuto seguire fino in fondo la mia strada, senza bisogno di soddisfare alcuna aspettativa, né mia né degli altri. Che in fondo essere me stesso va bene, e probabilmente è il modo migliore di stare al mondo sia per me che per gli altri.

Uno degli aspetti più affascinanti dell’endurance è quello di riuscire a normalizzare ciò che prima sembrava difficile o impossibile. Trovare sempre degli step successivi che vale la pena inseguire, a qualsiasi livello, non importa quanto forte o piano andiate.

Domani torneremo a seguire sempre la stessa strada, a fare un km, un metro di dislivello in più, a scoprire che ne vale sempre la pena.

@maratonadolomites bring it on

@enervitsport 💙

#anysurfaceavailable #maratonadlesdolomites #altabadia #ridethedistance #outsideisfeee #dolomites #mdd38 #lüm

Photos: @piegaro

Not interested in letting off the gas pedal #runt

Not interested in letting off the gas pedal

#runthedistance #lavaredo #feelslikegrignetta #anysurfaceavailable #trailrunning #runhard

Photos: @diegodelfavero_

@lavaredoultratrail, WE ARE SOOOO BACK!! 🥇 Can

@lavaredoultratrail, WE ARE SOOOO BACK!! 🥇

Can definitely say it out loud now 😍😂✌🏾

Super happy for how I raced today, giving everything I had to give.

I was on CR pace until km 40 (Croda da Lago) and right on track for a sub 4h, splitting 2 min faster than my 2023 time, but the heat and the trail conditions took their toll on the final downhill and then I was just at my limit. I fell 2’31 short of my goal but honestly, I think this was the very best I had in me today.

A reminder for anyone who needs it that chasing big, ambitious goals is where the true value is. The result is just part of a larger journey and may or may not arrive. But if we gave it all, we can and should be proud 😊

Thanks @luca_delpe97 for today’s race, we shared some great moments and you pushed me really hard! You’re building an amazing career in this sport and you constantly inspire me and challenge me to be better!
Also congrats to @alexoberbacher third place finisher at his 50k debut.

Thanks to my support/filming/coaching/madness crew @tito_tiberti @demiangoaway @filipposolaro for always being there at the right moment and having the right words.

Thanks to everyone out there on the course, you were so many today!

@lavaredoultratrail 🫶🏾 4:02:31 - 1st place

@hoka @hoka_eu

#lavaredo #wearesoback #itsalifestyle #runthedistance #runlikecrazy #anysurfaceavailable #trailrunning #dreambig

Photos: @philippreiter007 / @the.adventure.bakery

So how am I actually going to try and run sub 4 ho

So how am I actually going to try and run sub 4 hours at the Lavaredo 50k?

To run under 4 hours (5’04/km pace), I need to cut 2 minutes and 17 seconds from my 2023 finish time (4:02:16 for 47.3 km with +2480m), which averages out to less than 3 seconds per km. That might not sound like much, but ask any elite marathoner to shave off 3”/km from their marathon pace and they’ll tell you how significant that is. At this level, we’re chasing marginal gains and nothing comes easy.

The real question becomes: where on the course can I realistically go faster?
In 2023, I had one of the best downhill runs of my life, splitting 31:41 from Rifugio Croda da Lago to the finish line: that’s 8.97 km at 3’31/km pace. Very unlikely I can improve much there.
With Nadir, we ran Val Travenanzes pretty well, splitting 1:12:10 from the start to Col Gallina. There may be a little room to improve, but not much.
The section where I think I can really make a difference is between Col Gallina and Passo Giau. It’s a fairly hard and technical part of the course and in 2023 it took me around 48’: it’s where I lost the most time to Nadir; conditions didn’t help, it was rainy and slippery.

Overall, I’m not training to improve specifically in just one area (uphill, downhill, flat, technical..). I think we should train to become better overall athletes, which means to increase our capacity to handle the demands of a race as a whole.
Too often we try to break trail running performance down into isolated pieces: become a better climber, faster on flats, stronger on descents. But I think we should have a more holistic perspective, because
- that’s what the sport demands, we have to put all the pieces together on race day.
- when we train, we’re mainly working on our metabolic capacities, which are the primary limiters of endurance performance. And these capacities impact every part of the run: uphill, flat, downhill…

I have two more years under my belt now, and another layer of fitness, experience and perspective added to the athlete I was in 2023. I’m really not sure I can break 4h at Lavaredo, but it’s fun to put myself out there and take on this challenge.

@lavaredoultratrail

PROJECT SUB 4h In less than two weeks, I’ll be

PROJECT SUB 4h

In less than two weeks, I’ll be back on the start line of the Lavaredo 50K chasing a sub 4h finish.

In trail running, we’re not really used to putting time goals out there, because doing so inevitably exposes us to public judgment and potential failure. But I believe there’s value in saying it out loud. It means you’ve dared to imagine your best performance and you’re willing to stand by that vision, regardless of the outcome. Sure, it can be scary. Sure, trail conditions are unpredictable and times can vary greatly. But that’s not a good reason not to try.

In June 2023, I ran 4:02:16 on this course, breaking the previous record held by Zach Miller by 18 minutes. That race turned out to be an eye-opener for some, showing what a not-so-negligible part of the sport had already been doing for years: fast, competitive racing over shorter distances, with athletes coming from mountain running or circuits like the Golden Trail Series raising the bar sometimes much higher than what the average ultra running scene could offer. For a long time, the bias toward longer distances meant that those of us competing in shorter, faster races were mostly ignored or not taken as seriously, unless we crossed over into ultras and happened to perform well.

I felt like my win at the Lavaredo 50k Iegitimized my name to a large part of the Italian trail running community, who had, until then, mostly ignored or overlooked me, although my results were already - I’d say - pretty decent. Somehow, that win was a way to say out loud: “this is what we’re doing, this is the game we’re actually playing. And I’m by no means the best among these athletes”.

Two years later, the sport has grown and changed quite a lot. The level has risen, the spotlight is wider, and more people are starting to understand that speed and distance aren’t mutually exclusive. That arbitrary division between short and long races feels less relevant now. There’s more crossover between disciplines, more fluidity and at the end of the day, athletes are just out there running on trails, regardless of the format.

I’m looking forward to racing in Cortina and seeing you all out on the course!

Non è facile stilare una lista precisa dei criter

Non è facile stilare una lista precisa dei criteri con cui scelgo una scarpa - come ho cercato di spiegare, dipende da moltissimi fattori, razionali ed emotivi, che si mescolano tra loro - ma spero di avervi dato qualche insight di come funziona per me, e magari anche un’idea diversa su come approcciare questo aspetto dell’allenamento.

@hoka @hoka_eu thanks for the performance, the cushioning, the fun, the feeling like I can fly and the myriad of other sensations of when I run!

#runthedistance #anysurfaceavailable #trailrunning #trailshoes #runningshoes #whywerun #flyhumanfly

Run track @hoka @hoka_eu @enervitsport #runthed

Run track

@hoka @hoka_eu @enervitsport

#runthedistance #anysurfaceavailable #basetraining #whywerun #flyhumanfly

🎥 @riccardo_amadori

05/25 May, I will miss your tender green #may #ru

05/25 May, I will miss your tender green

#may #runthedistance #anysurfaceavailable #trailworks #trailrunning #anzaborrego #tendergreen

Cover photo @charlie_mccarthyyy

Things you don’t see on @strava: strides They d

Things you don’t see on @strava: strides

They don’t look particularly impressive (unless you start and stop your watch and record a 2’30” km made up by 10x100m, which I never do - who cares about stopping the watch or looking at the average pace on Strava!) but they’re another training mean with a very low cost to benefit ratio. Incredibly effective! And they feel sooo good 😍🏃🏽‍♂️

You could copy and paste here the caption of my latest post because what’s valid for drills is basically also valid for strides. I generally do two sessions per week, either after easy runs or after a warmup, before doing speedwork.

At the training camp with @hoka in Font-Romeu a couple of weeks ago, I had a bit of a calf issue that forced me to pause my usual training. I’m grateful to have the awareness and experience now to stop before a small niggle becomes a real injury. So after a short break (which wasn’t a break, because I trained my butt off on the bike), today was my first proper run without any pain and I think it’s mandatory to say, we’re so back!

Way less glamorous location than Mammoth this time, but the Via Varese is where each prep must go through and where we’ve learned to love the grind. Ring up @glo_87 and @ul_fabius for more info ✌🏾

#runthedistance #stridesforlife #strides #anysurfaceavailable #flyhumanfly #giroditalia #viavarese #runthebadlands #lovethegrind #runlikerita #ritaunchained #doyourstrides

Coaching and 🎥 @tito_tiberti

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