Send us a text A young ultra runner with a mountain kid heart and a pro’s mindset—Coleman Cragun brings the heat. We dig into how he went from SUU walk-on to stacking top finishes at Canyons, Broken Arrow, Speedgoat, and Mammoth in his first year of ultras, and how mentorship from trail legend Hayden Hawks is shaping every decision. The honesty of their training partnership, from blunt fitness assessments to choosing the hardest race fields, has helped Coleman skip the usual trial-and-error and focus on the skills that actually win races. Black Canyon 100K is the target, and Coleman breaks down the pillars of his prep: specificity on fast desert singletrack, back-to-back long runs, sweat testing to dial sodium and fluids, and the art of not leading when the opening miles go hot. He shares how he’ll choose between carbon and non-carbon shoes, why pacing by effort and heart rate matters when Bumble Bee changes the race, and how he structures 5,000-calorie days to stay durable in heavy blocks. The goal is simple and bold: keep the leaders in sight, stay patient, and make a real run at a golden ticket to Western States. We also look ahead to a season that may pivot on one result. If he punches a ticket, Western States becomes the centerpiece—with OCC as the UTMB-week balance. If not, CCC offers a bigger Alpine canvas. Coleman’s excited by Sierre-Zinal for speed, by Cedar City’s high-low training ecosystem, and by the sport’s growing professionalism that could one day let him run full time. He’s coaching, refining, and choosing the hard line: race the best, learn fast, and build a name the right way. If you’re into trail running, heat management, fueling strategy, Western States lore, or the mentor-mentee dynamic shaping the next generation, you’ll love this one. Subscribe, share it with a friend who lives for golden ticket drama, and leave a review to help more listeners find the show. Follow Coleman on IG - @coleman_cragun Follow James on IG - @jameslauriello Follow the Steep Stuff Podcast on IG - @steepstuff_pod
