I met Francis on a very warm July evening a couple of years ago, quite by chance. He organized a very small trail running event above Lake Como, the Bosco dei Faggi Speedcrossing. A short ride of about 12km with a 3km time-trial at the halfway point: individual starts every 30″ and ranking according to the unchallengeable judgment of Strava. Penalty beers at the end.
A very homemade organization, but that was the beauty of it: which then in my opinion is precisely the difference that passes between the trail world and the often too glossy world of road running.
Francesco Puppi is very fast and is one of the few who competes at a high level both on the road and in the mountains. I won’t go into too much detail about his palmarès, suffice it to say that in 2019 he finished second in the World Mountain Running Championships after a very close race with Jim Walmsley. Not exactly the little village race (without taking anything away from the little village races, where, moreover, delicious cold cuts are often won).
A few weeks ago I thought I would contact him to ask him a few questions about the world of trail running. He was extremely kind and helpful and gave me almost an hour of his time (even though I promised him we could get by in 15 minutes). Eventually this thing came out here, I wouldn’t really call it an interview so much as a chat.
It begins
SL Let’s start at the end: a few weeks ago Nike came out with its new campaign for the Trail SP21 collection (which, in itself, would be news in itself, rarely does the trail industry have large communication investments) and it was with enormous pleasure that I saw you among the protagonists. Tell me more: if I’m not mistaken, the shooting was done in December 2020, right?
FP That’s right, in December on Lake Iseo: which is certainly not the Dolomites, but that’s the interesting thing. I was very happy to be involved, especially because Nike has chosen a concept that brings trail back into reach, moving quite a bit away from the imagery constructed by other brands. I also greatly appreciated having a visual focus on details and the athlete rather than-as is often the case-the landscape. And then I really like the color treatment with amplified saturation, very fitting for the collection.
SL Figurati, you’re breaking down an open door with me: out of professional bias, I noticed (and loved) all these details and the overall visual layout from the very beginning. I was very intrigued that you were pretty much the only one among the campaign protagonists who was a trail runner.
FP That’s true, and that’s precisely because Nike’s goal is to bring trail running closer to (and introduce it to) those who don’t already do it. By the way, I was also the only white male: the topic of diversity is very much on my mind and I was very happy to do this with Najla and Timothy.
SL Now let’s go back to the beginning instead: what is the moment that you consider your first real approach to the trail?
FP Since I was a child I have always spent a lot of time in the mountains: both those closest to where I live [Lake Como ed.] and the Alps and Apennines. But for the longest time I never thought of doing sports there, I was simply interested in enjoying the scenery and nature. At most, I used to do some cross-country skiing there. Then in 2007 I was coming down from Piz Boè, on the Sella group, and at that time there was the DoloMyths Sky Race going up from Forcella Pordoi and winding up to the summit, I don’t know if you know that area.
SL Are you kidding? You won me over with this one: Piz Boè has been in my heart forever, and just this summer I ran up it with three other friends.
FP Here, then you can understand me very well: I used to see these athletes running up and down with bibs and poles and I was fascinated. From that moment on, I haven’t stopped thinking about it. Initially, I mainly did a lot of uphill races, which went well with the training methodology I was used to.
SL What is the type of track you like best? Not necessarily what you do best but what you really have fun on. I cannot do without the Dolomites.
FP Certainly big mountains have their own charm. Clearly, racing in Chamonix or racing at Sierre-Zinal is a huge scenic thrill, but what I really love is the traverse. A full-speed traverse through the trees makes me feel happy about what I’m doing: after all, I think that’s what we all wish for, right? A fast track, without too many technical difficulties, in the midst of nature.
SL Well, since you mentioned traversing through the trees at this point the question is in order. Forest of Beeches Speedcrossing: I really loved the philosophy of it, this approach to small local events where top players like you race along with us desperate people. I know you’re very busy by now, but: shall we do it again?
FP Look, very willingly and – I hope – very soon. This particular event was an idea I had together with a close friend: we had wanted to repeat it as early as 2020, but of course the pandemic situation did not help. By the way, I hope, at this point, to get Nike involved, since the philosophy behind it is in total continuity with their campaign concept.
I am particularly attached to those places because they remind me of little adventures we had with friends where we got lost, encountered sudden downpours and had a great time: the concept of “making it together” is very dear to me.
SL I understand you very well, especially the part about sudden downpours. Are there any of these adventures that you particularly hold in your heart?
FP A relatively recent release comes to mind. In the summer of 2019, I, my aforementioned friend and my girlfriend Gloria had gone running in Switzerland near Lake Ritom: you can do a beautiful loop of about 30 kilometers all at altitude. There was still a lot of snow. My coach would have preferred me to rest after the World Trail Championships, but I am stubborn, and to this day that impromptu run is one of the days I remember with the most excitement.
SL Let’s talk about something else entirely: If I’m not mistaken, you’re a physics major, right? How much (and how) does this academic training affect your career as an athlete?
FP I have a degree in physics, and until last year I was also teaching high school. It is a passion that I have not stopped cultivating, but at the moment I have decided to put teaching aside to devote more effort to running. What I carry with me is definitely the habit of an analytical approach: going deep and grasping the workings of each phenomenon. I like contamination.
SL Let’s change the subject completely again: let’s talk about your relationship with social networks, particularly Instagram where I see you very active. My impression is that you – unlike a great many athletes or wannabe athletes – have a very truthful and personal relationship with these tools: I see no glossy training posts but instead a lot of desire to experiment and communicate.
FP I definitely like it. I have no special obligations to sponsors and can be myself, without too many constraints. Often this also becomes pure bullshit, as it should be, but recently I have begun to tell the story of running through my everyday life: it is a language that fits me very well and I hope in this way to be able to tell not only about myself but also about those athletes who have inspired me. It feels like something that is missing.
SL In fact, I have noticed this very free approach of yours: the thing that perhaps struck me most positively is precisely the fact that you talk smoothly about other athletes, singing the praises even of those who are your direct opponents. Congratulations, this is quite counter to the selfish mood of Instagram.
Let’s talk about trail again: last year you did this experience on Cima Tosa (FKT from Madonna di Campiglio to Cima Tosa and back in 3h 28′ 26″) with Cesare Maestri, all of us – more or less forcedly locked in the house – followed you with great interest and envy. Do you have any such projects in mind for 2021?
FP The idea is to do something again with Caesar-with whom I had a great time designing and sharing that experience-and with Xavier Chevrier. We would like to respond to a little provocation [pausa] but maybe I couldn’t tell you that yet [ride] so ask me another question.
SL Okay, what is your favorite shoe in the trail? I am very familiar with the Nike range (I love the Terra Kiger), and I was very intrigued that for the very ascent to Cima Tosa you used the Nike Pegasus Trail 2 and not the Nike Wildhorse, which was specially designed for a technical pissed-off trail like that.
FP At that time we had the launch of the Pegasus, so it was almost a forced choice, but I admit that it performed very well even on such rugged terrain. Of the Nike proposal, it is definitely my favorite because it is the one that allows me to go door-to-trail without any problems; versatility is its strong point. I think I would also choose this shoe in an ultra route, because it’s the one that gives me the most comfort anyway… but I seriously doubt I’ll be doing an ultra in the next few months [ride].
SL We close with THE question: pizza or carbonara?
FP 🍕🍕🍕🍕
Francesco Puppi is @fra_puppinho on Instagram: follow him, trust him.
(Cover photo © Philippe Reiter, courtesy Francesco Puppi)