The Mountain Races Podcast

On the second day of Silk Road Mountain Race 2026 we set out early in search of the leading women. We hear from riders as they push into the Karakol Valley, as well as the leading men arriving at Checkpoint 1. Over the past two days many have had to square up to the race they'd imagined and recalibrate to the one in front of them.

Riders featured in this episode:
Nathalie Schneitter — Cap 153
Kerry MacPhee — Cap 105
Max Riese — Cap 144
Sven Brenner — Cap 26
Ashley Cordingley — Cap 38
Christopher Rennie — Cap 142
Rob MacLennan — Cap 104
Manu Cattrysse — Cap 32
Steven Davis — Cap 44
Alexander Kopp — Cap 95
Justinas Leveika — Cap 100

Follow the dots on MAProgress and follow @silkroadmountainrace on Instagram for visual updates from the trail.

Production & hosting by Mel Webb
Sound design by Ben Crannell
Cover photo by Stephen Shelesky

Visit our website to learn more about The Mountain Races

Thanks to our race partners Albion, Pertex and Tailfin.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The eighth edition of the Silk Road Mountain Race is underway! We hear from riders at the startline and on their way up the first long climb. For many this has been years in the making, and now the racing is officially underway — the adventure has begun and their dream is alive.

Kerry MacPhee — Cap 105
Nathalie Schneitter — Cap 153
Rico — Cap 36
Thomas Maberly — Cap 221B
Matthew Maberly — Cap 221A
Sean Geivett — Cap 210A
Alvin Escajeda — Cap 53
Cameron Bristol — Cap 27
Mateo Paez — Cap 217B
Daniel Anzola — Cap 10
Mack Faint — Cap 55
Vadim Fatkulbaianov — Cap 56
Steph Skinner — Cap 160

Follow the dots on MAProgress and follow @silkroadmountainrace on Instagram for visual updates from the trail.

Production & hosting by Mel Webb
Sound design by Ben Crannell
Cover photo by Stephen Shelesky

Visit our website to learn more about The Mountain Races

Thanks to our race partners Albion, Pertex and Tailfin.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We begin the eighth Silk Road Mountain Race in Talas, a small town tucked in a green valley in Kyrgyzstan's far northwest, walled off from the rest of the country by mountains and best known as the birthplace of the hero Manas. We hear from riders on Registration Day before they embark into the mountains.

Riders featured:
Avri Beach — Cap 15
Lajos Köves — Cap 97
Rob MacLennan — Cap 104
Alvin Escajeda — Cap 53
Doug Dunlop — Cap 51
Leonie Leitgeb — Cap 99
Justinas Leveika — Cap 100
Sofiane Sehili — Cap 157
Sara Bukies — Cap 29
Lois Hunter — Cap 214A
Jonathan Quarrie — Cap 214B

Follow the dots on MAProgress and follow @silkroadmountainrace on Instagram for visual updates from the trail.

Production & hosting by Mel Webb
Sound design by Ben Crannell
Cover photo by Stephen Shelesky

Visit our website to learn more about The Mountain Races

Thanks to our race partners Albion, Pertex and Tailfin.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Silk Road Mountain Race begins 15th August, 2026 at 09:00 local time. Beginning in Tala and finishing on the shores of Issyk-Kul in Cholpon Ata, riders will embark on a route of over 2000km and 35,000m in elevation — the longest route to date. We'll be on the ground throughout the racing, bringing you visual updates on Instagram and our daily race podcast.

Follow the dots on MAProgress and follow @silkroadmountainrace on Instagram for visual updates from the trail.

Production & hosting by Mel Webb
Sound design by Ben Crannell
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Cynthia Carson, women's winner of Hellenic Mountain Race 2026, fell violently ill on the opening hike-a-bike over Smolikas — what she calls the hardest thing she's ever done. With 700km still to go, she was forced to recalibrate and what follows was a masterclass in relentless self-care, patience, and perhaps a record quantity of glasses of milk consumed.

Read the interview

Production & hosting by Mel Webb
Sound design by Ben Crannell

Visit our website to learn more about The Mountain Races
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.