Home - Francesco Puppi

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4 febbraio 2024, domenica

Un po’ di cose che ho scritto

Cadenze

Relentless pursuit

Olympic Trials

francesco.puppi

Reasons to still be happy after Black Canyon’s D

Reasons to still be happy after Black Canyon’s DNF:

- spending 3.5 weeks in Flagstaff with @jbrazeau and @walmsleyruns was awesome and more than enough to make the trip entirely worth

- all the training I’ve done is not wasted. races are very fun goals, but the overarching goal for me is the training itself, to just get better at the craft, because I freaking love running. I still had one of the best training blocks of my life even without the race I was hoping for

- @_ericjenkins debut in the trail space

- getting to see @bygolly.molly earning her first golden ticket and being so freaking happy for her. we’re so back!

- the women’s race was honestly incredible to see. I feel like it’s marking a new milestone in women’s ultrarunning, for how good the competition was, running from gun to finish, with very small margins for error

- reconnecting with many old Nike people and employees genuinely happy for me and my career path even though we don’t work together anymore. also it’s been great to see what they’re building with ACG, it gives more credibility to the entire ecosystem

- still making it to the finish line, but with the school bus

- the overwhelming support and love I felt after I fell, with literally everybody making sure I was ok, sometimes stopping in order to help me or asking me how I was doing

- cheering for the real Walmsley, @wil.walmsley

- people who told me they appreciate me not only for my results, but for the things I stand for and how much I care about the sport and how I try to grow it

- shaking hands with @benfblankenship at the finish and telling him I have been a fan of him since that @flotrack video with @gociaran

- Chipotle was had after the race anyway

- Jim finally accepting my Strava follow

- extra motivation with @fullsendproject

- so next time we are so back

I believe that the best way to live the challenges

I believe that the best way to live the challenges that we chose is to be fully invested in what we do, accepting that things might go wrong sometimes. It’s cool to care and to try our hardest because the depth of the emotions and the growth that may come from it can be huge, and speaks for the value that these experiences have for us. It’s what makes us feel most alive.

Out there on the trails, we take millions of steps, and sometimes the wrong one can happen to anyone, even if, superficially, I feel like it never happens to the best athletes, which automatically makes me question where I belong. Thoughts like “Kilian wouldn’t have fallen. Jim wouldn’t have either. Actually Kilian finished Hardrock with a dislocated shoulder, while I chose to drop out from my race like a little kid”.

I know these things are not entirely true and that reality is way more nuanced than that, but it’s easy to be tempted to define ourselves through incidents like this when we go through them. Deep inside, I feel like this is what’s truly at stake. I am not confident enough to say to myself or out loud that I belong to the “best athletes” category, but part of me wishes I did, probably because recognition and validation feel good for your identity. I feel a bit ashamed admitting this, but it’s honestly what I feel. In reality I just want to be who I am, and I’m by no means comparing myself to Kilian or Jim for what they’ve done in the sport, but at the same time we all want to belong to the cool kids club, you know?

Writing these words helps me process these emotions and see things more clearly, and I feel lucky to have been given the right tools to move past this superficial but still very human interpretation of what happened. How we define ourselves through our internal monologue is so important and fascinating.

I’ll be back in the desert. See you soon, @blackcanyonultras, such a beautiful dawn, such a perfect line

Photo: @howiesternphoto

Chevron Hill There’s beauty in places that are

Chevron Hill

There’s beauty in places that are meaningless for most. Some acquire a kind of beauty through the repetition of hard efforts, especially if you stay present long enough.

I did this hill workout on a 12% grade dusty shoulder next to a Chevron gas station on a Friday evening. Nothing special except maybe the light, which is an impression I often get when I move to the west.
My left adductor has been bothering me a bit since then and today I decided to give it a break and rest. Resting, deviating from the trajectory that you imagined, feeling your perspectives shrink and having to readjust always creates a bit of friction. It’s part of the job, but that doesn’t necessarily make it easier. You just gain experience and adopt better strategies to cope with it. I think it will be fine, but I also don’t want to get injured during or after Black Canyon. We’ll see..

Anyway, Chevron Hill is another place of madness, like the Badlands or the Giro di Veniano back home. Madness is good. And that’s why we love it

#chevronhill #runthedistance #flagstaff #anysurfaceavailable #ordinarypeople

Images @demiangoaway and @danielemolineris

Food isn’t bad here but pizza tastes significant

Food isn’t bad here but pizza tastes significantly better at home 🥰

Ciao Rita, can’t wait to say we are so back!

We’ll make pizza night every night in Chiavenna! #soback

#rita #pizzanight #chiavenna #doublethresholddoublepizza

Photos @danielemolineris

Recovery day after the 52km long run yesterday A

Recovery day after the 52km long run yesterday

AM: 75’ indoor cycling (HR 110)
PM: 1h easy run (12,8km +200m, HR 123)

Flagstaff days 🫶🏾
Thanks @jbrazeau and @walmsleyruns for the bike and so much more! 🥰

#runflagstaff #altitude #runthedistance #flyhumanfly #tapering

Video @demiangoaway
Cover @danielemolineris

basically downhill races and where there’s no po

basically downhill races and where there’s no poison oak (hopefully)*

*seems a pretty obvious schedule at this point but the post is mandatory

**other races may be added depending on survival levels

*** plus all the things I forgot to include

#2026 #tentativeschedule #tryinghard #nopoisonoak #wearesoback

Sorry @danielemolineris for ruining your photos with a second grade canvas design 😘

Make it cool to try as hard as you can Video @de

Make it cool to try as hard as you can

Video @demiangoaway
Photo @danielemolineris

Sunday we ran 50km on the Black Canyon Trail. In

Sunday we ran 50km on the Black Canyon Trail.

In a time of political and social turmoil, running can feel like a very pointless and selfish act. There was a lot of silence and many words got stuck in my throat as nothing seemed appropriate or meaningful enough to feel comfortable sharing, during the run and afterwards as we drove back to Flagstaff. Sorry, Jim.

We have been deeply hit by what has been happening in the United States and around the world, and it’s impossible for us to make sense of the violence, the hate, the unwillingness to live together and talk to each other, because it’s completely against our values and what we stand for. We feel like we would like to distance ourselves from this reality, while at the same time we’re all part of it because this is the world we live in.

As I wrote last week, I have often asked myself the question why am I even here, what’s the point of traveling to the US during this time. My personal experience is deeply intertwined with the US, its culture and community. That’s just part of my life. I am in Arizona for several reasons, connected to my activity as an athlete, my interests, the opportunities and the education I have received and my desire to be here. What I can do is try to behave as consistently as possible with my values, knowing that absolute coherence probably does not exist, that I can accept some compromises and that I can appreciate things even when they are not perfect. I prefer to accept being part of the problem and try to change things from within, aiming to have a positive impact on my very small bubble and on my relationships, rather than staying outside out of a sense of superiority, apathy, or moral distance.

Ultimately, saying nothing feels like neutrality and supporting the what is happening. As athletes, as have voice and it’s our responsibility to use it well. Otherwise, what’s the point of keeping running?

Photos: @danielemolineris

“Work” Often times, being a pro athlete feels

“Work”

Often times, being a pro athlete feels like you’re constantly living on vacation, while at the same time you’re “working” 24/7, 365 days a year, because your job doesn’t stop when you pause the watch, it involves taking care of all aspects of your life, from recovery to relationships, food, sleep, time in and out of training. It also includes sponsors, media and opportunities that in theory are meant to facilitate and enhance your activity. This is not easy to explain to anyone who is not a professional athlete. It’s an all encompassing way of life. The work is diffuse and often invisible and this is probably why it’s difficult for me to recognize it as a job.

While I try to approach running as professionally and seriously as I can, which means I try to utilize every resource available to perform at my best, I have opposite feelings when I think about it as a job. Part of the reason is that I love running so much that I still find it hard to fully accept that I get to do this for a living. Yes it’s hard, you’re constantly tired, you’re averaging 180km per week with very intense sessions, but all of this is a choice, not a chore, and to me it feels like a huge privilege, a gift, and I just wish more people had access to similar opportunities.

Also, culturally we associate “work” with something hard, not enjoyable and often alienating, and being an athlete is quite the opposite. Often it feels too enjoyable to be a job. I feel incredibly lucky to be able to organise my days around training, to travel the world for races and training camps, to push my body and to have the opportunity and duty to take care of it. Those are privileges, things that I’m very aware only a very small minority of people can do unfortunately, which causes me a bit of an imposter syndrome, also because I see so many people struggling with their jobs, having to deal with burnout, pressure, excessive requests.

I guess I’m writing all of this because I feel some friction here. I often think about @glo_87 or @ul_fabius at home and I wish they had my same opportunities, because they love running and sports just as much as I do.

12/2025 - December, goodnight #2025 #thatsawrap

12/2025 - December, goodnight

#2025 #thatsawrap #runthedistance #northernlights

It’s that time of the year when I start getting

It’s that time of the year when I start getting itchy for the desert, the signs at the trailheads, the endless open spaces and @traderjoes scandinavian swimmers. Packing hasn’t been as easy as for previous trips, but it’s almost done.

In the meantime, I opened up the doors of my pain cave for one final session before I leave 🙂 this is where all the dreams get shattered and you get humbled!

Thanks @danielemolineris for capturing some fragments of daily grind

#paincave #itsalifestyle #anysurfaceavailable #runthedistance #flyhumanfly

Luckily I’m not training for a 1500m, but for a

Luckily I’m not training for a 1500m, but for a 100.000m 😁

It’s been fun and productive to get on the track once a week or so since we completed the base training block. We are now getting more specific, raising the ceiling with vo2max work while still maintaining a high training volume.

Training doesn’t get any easier over the years, if anything it becomes even harder as you build the capacity to do more work. My idea of fun related to training is to slowly turn what the body couldn’t handle into something I can handle and adapt to. It’s required a lot of patience and polishing work, and by definition there’s no end, no finish line, but that’s probably my main source of motivation for trying to put my best foot in front of the other, and doing it as professionally and as well as I can.

I’ll be heading out to the US soon, for the annual @hoka athlete summit in Portland followed by a training camp ahead of my first race of the season.

It was nice to have @demiangoaway, @danielemolineris and my coach @tito_tiberti coming over in Chiavenna, with the first lights of 2026, for an early season -kind of- reunion and some planning.

Uh, expect my 2026 race calendar soon 😉

BTW the workout was:
1000-800-600-400-200 off 2’ jog,
100-200-300-400-500 off 90” walk
2:49–2:15-1:38-64-30
14.2-29.0-44.7-62.1, with the last 500m in 1:21 totalmente fulminato by the lactate

#type2fun #runthedistance #chiavenna #anysurfaceavailable #wearesoback

Photos @danielemolineris

Last one of 2025. Keep running, always 🫶🏾

“Dedicated to all you
All human beings”

See you in 2026!

Video @glo_87

I take a lot of inspiration from other athletes, a

I take a lot of inspiration from other athletes, and I find learning from them far more interesting than celebrating my own achievements, so here is a non exhaustive list of athletes who inspired me during the past year. In no particular order:

@walmsleyruns, how he was able to close a near perfect season, despite being injured for a great part of the year, having to repivot his goals, winning in style every race he showed up to, an all time inspiration

@katieschide Hardrock + Sierre Zinal double, and how she’s been able to raise the bar so astronomically high for herself that she made things like a world championship title a little less special

@kilianjornet States of Elevation, maybe the most encompassing endurance feat I have ever witnessed

@remi_bonnet’s comeback after the injury, once again proving he’s the best uphill runner of our generation

@tovealexandersson’s world champs performance, Nina Engelhard worlds double, @philemon_kiriago and @patrick.kipngeno’s consistency, the seasons of @judithwyder, @saraalonso5, @abby.k.hall, @floreamadalina7, as well as @luca_delpe97 and @elhousine_elazzaoui

Talking about specificity and execution: @ruthcrofty and @tomevansultra UTMBs, @fredtranchand world champs, @calebolson123 WSER.

@lixsanyee’s Valencia marathon, honestly no surprise, but a crystal clear validation of the immense aerobic benefit of swim-bike-run training, something we should all be taking notes from.

Following @jakobing journey, especially through his youtube, how he talked about his injury, how he showed up at the world champs in Tokyo: seeing a more human side we’d never really seen before was humbling and inspiring

@mattia.gaffuri going pro with @teampicnicpostnl in road cycling, we had the privilege to witness what’s behind his journey

@colehocker and @georgebeamish insane comebacks, @jimmy_gressier defeating all odds, @faithkipyegon, @beatrice.chebet91 and @nadia.battocletti who made me jump on the couch almost way too often this year

@williamboffelli FKT on Mont Blanc, a very aesthetic line and great display of skills

(A few more in the comments)

Hugs of 2025 #runthedistance #summerofmotion #wea

Hugs of 2025

#runthedistance #summerofmotion #wearesoback #gratitude

We did something beautiful 29.08.25, Chamonix -

We did something beautiful

29.08.25, Chamonix - CCC

Photos @danielemolineris

11/2025 November, cooler days #movember #bregagl

11/2025 November, cooler days

#movember #bregaglia #indiansummer #xyz

I almost didn’t realize how much 2025 had added

I almost didn’t realize how much 2025 had added up until I saw my @strava Year in Sport 😊

We easily forget how each of those numbers have a story behind, a deliberate decision to lace up our shoes, hop on the bike, go outside; an intrinsic motivation and responsibility to show up day in and day out.

809 hours (still missing December!) are made by 48540 minutes and over 2 million 900 thousands seconds, each one of them counting exactly the same and being unique at the same time.

I believe the magic lies in the consistency and in the power of tiny little steps which, added up, can lead to big things.

You can unlock your Year in Sport with 20% off Strava with the code PUPPI20 or through the link in bio. Part of your subscription will help support my running (plus, you will have access to many incredibly useful Strava features like the ability to plan routes).

2025, what a year 😊

@strava #YearInSport #StravaPartner #ad

14:28 road 5k, nice to let the legs spin a little,

14:28 road 5k, nice to let the legs spin a little, feels good to remember there’s some speed in there too!

After 6 weeks of base training, consistent strength work, drills, strides and a couple of decent track sessions… I’ll take it. Solid step today and I’m excited to keep building from here 😊

Thanks for pushing me today @fframazza! We had to slalom a bit through ambulances, a police car and a few distracted volunteers 😅

Nice to be back running in my hometown and see many familiar faces today, congrats to everyone who showed up!

@runincomo

#roadseason #trailrunning #anysurfaceavailable #wearesobackontheroads #tooslowtobefast #flyhumanfly

Video: @glo_87

Two months since the world championships in Canfra

Two months since the world championships in Canfranc feels like the right amount of time to look back on the experience.

The result, on paper, was disappointing. Denying “negative emotions” by twisting reality or reframing a bad performance in overly sophisticated ways just to feel better seems to have become popular among athletes. But I think it’s ok to simply say that it sucks and that you feel sad when something doesn’t go according to (realistic) expectations.

This also says something about how much we’ve managed to raise the bar with my coach over the years, if we end up disappointed with a 9th place at a world championship.

I came to this championship aiming for a podium and I believe I was fit enough for it, with data, science, and training sessions to back up my expectations. Many people assumed I must have still been tired from CCC, not fully recovered. I don’t think that’s accurate and I have my own reasons for that, primarily the fact that both my build-up and the race itself were affected by an injury I picked up two weeks before the event. I finished 9th in what turned out to be one of the most painful experiences of my life, without exaggeration. Our team doctor can confirm; an hour after the finish I told her “I don’t think I will ever recover from this pain”. Of course, I was wrong.

However, the ranking position doesn’t tell the whole story and at a personal level, the experience was still incredibly valuable. I’m glad I found the physical and mental resources, the motivation, and even the desire to keep going despite everything, because it’s one thing to give everything when you’re winning the race, and a completely different thing to do it when you’re in 50th place and everything goes wrong. Once you realize that nothing is objectively preventing you from doing so but that you can rely only on your willpower and strengths, it’s very empowering and freeing. And proving to myself that I don’t need external incentives or validation to get the best out of myself was powerful. I honestly didn’t do that for my team nor for anyone else, I did it for myself, simply because I could and because I knew I wasn’t putting my health at risk

(continues)

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