After a year plagued by accidents and injury Katharina finds herself at the starting line of her dream race: the massive, and mighty Tor des Géants in the Aosta Valley of the Alps. Over the following days Katharina goes through the usual challenges any trail runners faces in a massive ultra distance event but always stays in the leading position and in the process crushing the women’s course record and arriving in seventh overall, almost 5 hours ahead of the second woman. This episode is not a race recap but a conversation about what motivates us, what drives us, and what inspires us. Why do we take on these challenges and what adventures are we seeking?

German superstar Katharina Hartmuth, running for Hoka, is back on Singletrack. She just ran the Hardrock 100 and had an incredible time in the San Juans above Silverton. We chat about her race, her time in the Wild West of America and the logistical challenges getting to Colorado and her dealing with recovering from a late injury.

Katharina Hartmuth is the incredible 2nd place finisher of the 2023 UTMB women’s race and runs for Hoka. She’s joining me on Singletrack from beautiful Zürich, Switzerland where the German is studying earth sciences with emphasis on atmospheric and climate science at ETH Zürich. We talk about the importance of balancing the pro athlete life with the real world and her approach to training as a self-coached athlete. She sees joy as the key to her success and hopes that our trail running community will always stay as welcoming and accessible as it is today.