Hillary Gerardi won the 2018 Skyrunner Extra World Series Circuit, and yet, she still doesn’t necessarily think of herself as a runner. So Brendan Leonard and I discuss this with Hillary, and, turns out, her hesitation makes a lot of sense once you understand her background and what it is that she enjoys most about being in the mountains.

Hillary was born in Vermont, but has lived in France since 2010, and currently lives in Chamonix, where she works at the Research Center for Alpine Ecosystems, so of course, we discuss all of that, too.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• The hesitation to call yourself a “runner” (2:10)
• Hiking & backpacking in New England (5:03)
• The Hut Traverse in the White Mountains (9:45)
• Getting into trail running & moving to France (14:14)
• Skiing & backcountry accidents (19:40)
• Winning prosciutto (25:42)
• Hilary’s work with CREA Mont Blanc (29:16)
• What did you study in college? (33:47)
• Balancing work & running (37:30)
• Getting into “Skyrunning” (41:55)
• Trail Running vs. Mountain Scrambling (51:40)
• Having fun vs. wanting to win (1:07:19)

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