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MUNDIAL CANFRANC 20025 ULTRA: Duelo Jim Walmsley vs Francesco Puppi. Entrevista por Mayayo

·39 min·3 clips

Puppi led Walmsley over the snow at Cerro Bayo's summit but lost on the final descent by exactly 60 seconds — 3:13:16 to Walmsley's 3:12:16.

1. Radio Trail Carreras de Montaña host Sergio Mayayo interviews Italian trail runner Francesco Puppi, a 2017 WMRA World Champion, previewing the WMRA Ultra World Championship in Canfranc. 2. Puppi is 33 years old, has been in the sport for approximately 15 years, and is transitioning from marathon-distance (42km) world championship racing to ultra distance (82km) for the first time at a major championship. 3. The interview is conducted in English between Mayayo and Puppi, with Mayayo summarizing in Spanish at the end; the episode functions as both a pre-race preview and a career retrospective. 4. Puppi won the 2017 WMRA World Championship in Premana on a 32km, 2,900m course and then collected two silver medals at subsequent championships. 5. The first silver came at the 2022 Patagonia K42 World Championship at Villa La Angostura: Puppi and Walmsley separated from the field within 3km and traded the lead across the course, with Puppi topping Cerro Bayo's snowy summit first before Walmsley passed on the final descent. 6. The official finish times were 3:12:16 for Walmsley and 3:13:16 for Puppi — a margin of exactly 60 seconds — with Oriol Cardona third in 3:20, and the Spanish team of Cardona, Andreu Simón, and Antonio Martínez winning the team gold. 7. Puppi describes the Patagonia loss as 'almost a privilege' given Walmsley's status, while noting it came after a difficult year of health problems he solved just in time to peak for the race. 8. The second silver came at the 2022 Thailand World Championship (originally scheduled for 2021, delayed by COVID): a short trail race in 30°C+ heat and extreme humidity where Stian Angermund won in 3:08:29, Puppi finished second in 3:11:47, and Jonathan Albon was third. 9. Puppi suffered two elbow fractures and three surgeries in the period leading up to Thailand but recovered well enough to compete at full strength by the end of the season. 10. Puppi confirms that Jim Walmsley is racing the Canfranc Ultra World Championship and that a rematch is his primary motivation: 'That is my hope and that's what I'm training for.' 11. The Canfranc course starts at Canfranc station (approximately 1,200m elevation), climbs to La Moleta at 2,600m, then crosses repeatedly between Spain and France via technical terrain past the Midi d'Ossau lakes. 12. Puppi describes the final 20km as the most technically demanding section, arriving when runners are most fatigued; he calls it 'a wild roller coaster' and says there is almost no section to recover. 13. His predicted winning time is around 9 hours, significantly slower than the 6-minute-per-kilometer pace that a less technical course might allow. 14. Puppi has trained specifically for the ultra with added strength training, cross-training, and improved nutrition strategy; he plans to target 100g of carbs per hour and will not use poles. 15. He corrects Mayayo's assumption that he still runs for Nike — Puppi has moved to Hoka and will race in the Tecton X3, which he tested on the Canfranc course. 16. Regarding experience and age, Puppi argues that older athletes develop better ability to handle setbacks, manage training challenges, and perform under pressure — skills that compensate for reduced peak physiological capacity. 17. Mayayo notes that Oriol Cardona, who was third in Patagonia and would have been a key Spanish contender at Canfranc, will not race because he is prioritizing the Winter Olympics in Cortina d'Ampezzo as a ski mountaineer. 18. The interview is a mix of English and Spanish; Puppi speaks fluent English throughout, Mayayo interviews in English and provides a Spanish summary after the conversation ends. 19. Fans of international trail running, especially those following World Mountain and Trail Running Championships, ultra-distance racing, and the Walmsley-Puppi rivalry. 20. Listeners who do not follow elite trail running or who prefer Spanish-language sports content may find the extended English interview sections a barrier.

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