Noah Williams - Pre UTMB OCC Interview

Send us Fan MailChamonix does something to your brain. You land, look up at the peaks, and suddenly every run feels like it should be longer, harder, and higher. We sit down with Noah Williams to talk through the reality of preparing for OCC when the terrain is unreal, the field is stacked, and the smartest move might be holding back even when your legs feel electric.We get into the nuts and bolts of mountain running performance: adapting from Leadville altitude to lower-oxygen-cost running, why that “superhuman” feeling can still destroy your quads, and how Noah thinks about controlled downhill stimulus to build durability without blowing up the taper. He also opens up about a rough Sierra-Zinal day, what he learned from it, and the lifestyle shifts that are improving recovery in a measurable way, including better sleep quality and HRV.From there, we zoom out to race craft and expectations. Noah breaks down how he approaches deep fields like OCC: staying within himself for the first 20 to 25K, taking stock mid-race, then turning it into a real fight over the final kilometers. We also talk course recon choices, realistic goals like a top-10 finish, and why the sport’s growth and sponsorship money can be a good thing if we protect what makes trail running special.If you’re training for OCC, UTMB week races, or any mountain marathon style ultra, this one is packed with practical strategy, recovery lessons, and honest perspective. Subscribe, share this with a trail friend, and leave a rating and review so we can keep bringing you these conversations. What part of taper week do you struggle with most?Follow Noah on OG - @nowawillUse 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