Finlay Grant - Pre UTMB ETC Interview

Send us Fan MailA race where the “course” is more like a suggestion sounds fun right up until you’re waist-deep in a peat bog, freezing, and trying to decide which ridge will get you to the next checkpoint fastest. That’s the world of UK fell running, and Finlay Grant joins us to explain why it creates a uniquely durable kind of mountain athlete. We talk about Finlay’s path from school cross-country into fell running, then onto the European skyrunning scene, including his build toward ETC and the longer skyraces on his calendar. He breaks down what training looks like when most of your runs are already technical and steep: elevation-heavy weeks for leg durability, three to four hard sessions when he’s sharpening up, and just enough faster running to keep speed online without living on the track. Finlay also tells the story of racing well in broken shoes held together with duct tape and how that moment helped open the door to working with Scarpa. Along the way, we compare the grassroots culture of fell races to the big production feel of modern trail events, and we get into the real logistics of balancing work shifts with travel, recovery, and racing ambitions. If you’re into trail running, skyrunning, mountain running, or you’re simply curious about route choice racing and the toughest terrain traditions in the UK, this one will expand your view of what “technical” can mean. Subscribe or follow, share the episode with a mountain-running friend, and leave a rating and review so we can keep telling these stories.Follow Finlay on IG - @fingrant456Use code SteepStuff for 20% your cart on Sidas.usFollow James on IG - @jameslaurielloFollow the Steep Stuff Podcast on IG - @steepstuff_podFollow Sidas USA on IG - @sidas_usa