© Martina Valmassoi

American trail runner Katie Schide spent her childhood and early adult years hiking in the mountains, so it’s perhaps not a surprise that she now negotiates them so quickly on foot. After swapping America for Zurich, the almost 27-year-old (it’s Katie’s birthday on Thursday) geologist now has the Swiss mountains as her training ground and a slew of mountain race wins to her name. A two-time Pierra Menta Ete race winner, Katie’s also won the 85km Maxi Race, and last year she added a cherry on top with an incredible second place at the CCC, the 100km mountain race from the UTMB.

Here, Katie spills the beans on hiking, hut life, her CCC podium and ONE&1 – Run to Camp, the new two-day partner race she and her race winning other half, Germain Grangier, have developed for April this year.