Eli Hemming | Uncovering The Secrets From The Fastest 50k Trail Runner Ever! - The Roadmap Ep.1

In this episode of The Roadmap, we sit down with Eli Hemming, the first American ever to win the prestigious 2024 UTMB OCC. With a background in elite triathlon and a powerful transition into trail running, Eli has quickly become one of the most dominant and disciplined endurance athletes in the world. We unpack Eli’s evolution as an athlete—from structured racing circuits to the uncharted terrain of the ultra world—and explore the mindset, recovery strategies, and movement training he uses to perform at the highest level. Topics covered in this episode include: Eli’s journey from Olympic-level triathlon to trail ultramarathons Training for performance vs. training for durability The often overlooked key to injury prevention: human movement capacity Why holistic strength and mobility are essential for every endurance athlete Preparing for UTMB CCC and what’s next This is a deep dive into performance, resilience, and rethinking what it means to train intelligently. Want to train like the best? Discover the Kinesis App— https://www.kinesisintegrated.com/app the same system used by top endurance athletes to build strength, improve mobility, and unlock next-level performance. Designed for runners, cyclists, and triathletes who want to move better and race longer, injury-free. Coming next: Two time Olympian and American record holder Elise Cranny joins us to share insights from the Paris 2024 Olympics, managing recovery, her hot takes in the industry and using strength and movement work to stay at the top of her game. Subscribe to The Roadmap for more interviews with the world’s top endurance athletes and performance experts. CHAPTERS: 0:00 Intro 1:08 OCC 2024 Recap. 3:15 Trail Durability. 4:40 Why Strength? What is Strength? 7:37 Big Picture - What to focus on. 10:20 The Details - Mr. Potato Head 13:40 Where Strength Fits (Running Economy) 19:27 Eli’s Areas of Focus 21:01 Eli Grills Chris | Q&A 22:17 Question #1 - Periodization 26:18 Question #2 - Recovery from Huge Races 28:56 Question #3 - Why Strength Is More Important On Trails. 32:20 Question #4 - Fueling for training. 34:05 Advice to Athletes from Eli