Anton Krupicka | Trail Running, Identity, and Ignoring Trends

Anton Krupicka has spent two decades becoming something harder to define than a trail runner. This conversation is about how that happened, why he stopped caring about fitting the sport’s mold, and what it looks like to keep evolving without chasing relevance.

We talk about the injury that changed his relationship with running, the move toward scrambling and climbing, his influence on trail culture, the Leadville comeback, and why La Sportiva still makes sense for the athlete he is now. More than anything, it’s Anton on identity, aging, design, and trying to stay the peak version of yourself without pretending you’re still who you were ten years ago.

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Topics / Timestamps

• 00:00 Anton Krupicka on why trends don't matter
• 01:30 From trail runner to mountain man
• 03:52 When the whole landscape opened up
• 08:24 Identity, trends, and trail running culture
• 16:45 The Leadville 100 comeback
• 21:12 The peak version of yourself

Resources / Links

• Unbreakable | Western States Film
• Anton's 2021 Leadville Race
• Salt Lake Foothills Trail Races
• Borderlands.cc

Related Episodes

• Ultra Running isn't Just Running

Presented by Kiprun.

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Borderlands explores trail running through culture, media, and the forces shaping it.

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