Francesco Puppi: 2025 CCC by UTMB Champion

Aug 30, 2025

Francesco Puppi, the 2025 CCC Champion and HOKA athlete, shares his inspiring journey in the world of trail running. He reflects on his podium finishes at major events and the mental resilience required for success. Exploring the legacy of Italian endurance athletes, he hints at a golden ticket opportunity for a pivotal race in 2026. The conversation also touches on the motivations behind racing dynamics, including the quest for golden tickets, and the community spirit that fuels endurance sports.

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ANECDOTE

Post-Race Fatigue And Pride

Francesco described feeling

INSIGHT

Consistency Through Long-Term Coaching

Francesco credits long-term coaching continuity for steady progress and consistency at UTMB events.
He views peaking for this weekend as a deliberate, season-long plan with his coach over 11 years.

INSIGHT

Why 100K Feels 'Just Right'

Francesco feels the 100K distance balances intensity and survivability for him and suits his racing style.
He said the race gets hardest around two-thirds in, yet remains short enough mentally to endure.

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This interview is part of Freetrail's coverage of the 2025 Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc (UTMB). Our shows and athlete interviews are hosted by Dylan Bowman who sits down to talk with some of the favorites who are racing this year.

In this interview, Dylan talks to 2025 CCC Champion, Francesco Puppi (HOKA).

Make sure to tune into all of Freetrail's coverage leading into the 2025 UTMB. All shows hosted by Dylan Bowman, with special guests listed below:

Friday August 22nd: Top 10 Storylines of the 2025 UTMB with Tim Tollefson
Saturday August 23rd: OCC Preview Show with Dani Moreno
Sunday August 24th: CCC Preview Show with Hayden Hawks
Monday August 25th: UTMB Preview Show with Sally McRae
Tuesday August 26th: Final Predictions Show with Corrine Malcolm & Keith Byrne
Wednesday August 27th: TDS Recap Show with Ryan Sandes & Martina Valmassoi
Thursday August 28th: OCC Recap Show with Corrine Malcolm and Ryan Montgomery
Friday August 29th: We’ll provide photo and video coverage of the race for the Freetrail social channels. Make sure to follow along here and @runfreetrail on Instagram.
Saturday August 30th: UTMB Instant Reactions + CCC Results Show with Jim Walmsley & Sally McRae
Sunday August 31st: UTMB Week recap with Corrine Malcolm

Make sure to play Freetrail's own fantasy trail running at https://fantasy.freetrail.com/events and pick 10-deep for OCC, CCC & UTMB for a chance to win sweet prizes including Freetrail swag and special items from our partners HOKA, SunGod and more!

Our 2025 UTMB coverage is brought to you by HOKA, the best people and products in the trail running business. The show is also made possible with support from Red Bull & SunGod. We're grateful for their support!

HOKA

Make sure to check out the HOKA Mafate 5, the shoe Hayden was wearing during his interview and the CCC Preview show recordings today!

The Mafate 5 is a shoe with plush cushioning for tough terrain. A pinnacle product for technical trail, the Mafate 5 goes the extra mile with more cushioning and protection than ever before. Built tough for mileage chasers, this tenacious trail runner helps maintain control during long haul efforts with our Rocker Integrity Technology™ and protects from trail debris with an optional ankle gaiter. Finished with a soft, springy foam just underfoot and impact-absorbing foam near the sole, the Mafate 5 is grounded in aggressive Vibram® Megagrip traction lugs. No doubt, this is the shoe our team will be wearing on the trails all week in Chamonix!

SunGod

A longtime friend of Freetrail, we’re grateful for SunGod’s support of Freetrail’s UTMB coverage this year! SunGod makes performance eyewear worn by the world’s top trail running athletes.

Use code FREETRAIL10 off SunGod products at https://sungod.avln.me/c/xfOAIzPFAeSd

Freetrail Pro members receive a deeper discount on SunGod, available after you sign up at https://freetrail.com/pro

Red Bull

Thanks to one of Dylan’s longest sponsors for supporting our coverage of UTMB. Can’t get enough of Judith? Follow her on Instagram @judithwyder. And to get your daily dose of epic adventure content, follow @redbulladventure. Make sure to also check out the latest season of Red Bull’s How to Be Superhuman podcast for immersive stories of incredible achievements in trail running and beyond.