Shadowing Practice: In conversation with: Hans Troyer - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
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Kilian: How do you see yourself in the future, in running?
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Hans: I'm a huge fan of both you and Jim Walmsley. You two are my top athletes in the sport, so of course I'm trying to do a lot of the things you both did.
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Kilian: It's very cool to talk with you while you are still so young, almost like you are just starting. I remember being your age. How old are you now?
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Hans: I'm 26.
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Kilian: I remember that age being so fun. You are discovering races, discovering your capacities, and finding out what you are able to do. That excitement is something pretty unique.
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Hans: It's a cool place to be. I was talking with Hayden Hawks two weeks ago, and we talked about the "Kilian effect." For the runners five years younger than you, there is this huge generation of trail runners who were inspired by you to start trail running. Obviously, that brought in some really talented people.
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Hans: I feel like there has almost been a skip in generations. You don't see many 25-to-30-year-olds, so I feel like I'm in a unique spot, almost alone in my age group, which is interesting.
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Kilian: Yes. You still have that youthful excitement, but at the same time you already have experience. You have been running for a few years, you know how to race, and you know how to execute. That makes it the perfect moment.
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Kilian: What you have done over the last two years, breaking records and pushing limits, has been exciting to follow. It is cool to see how your generation is pushing the limits so much further.
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Kilian: You are not afraid to look at what came before and think, "I can go faster." Jim Walmsley ran incredibly fast, and you think you can run faster. Jim probably saw Scott Jurek and thought the same thing. That is how the sport evolves, each generation looks at the one before and believes it can improve.
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Hans: Yes, it's about taking notes, learning, and trying to improve. I also think the sport is professionalizing. In the past, people had a trail-running season, then a ski season, and so on. I grew up in Georgia, so there was no ski season. I just trained year-round.
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Hans: With things like high-carb fueling and all the new knowledge, I listen to podcasts, read books, take notes, and try to be a student of the sport. I am willing to sacrifice a lot to do everything I can to get faster. I think it's a really cool time in the sport, and over the next 10 years we will probably see a lot of change.
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Kilian: Yes. As you said, people are becoming more professional. Not only the athletes, but also the structures around them. Before, athletes might have been professional, but they were often alone. Now there are coaches, nutritionists, and many more people bringing knowledge into the sport.
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Kilian: How did you end up doing Western States, coming from Georgia?
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Hans: In college, when I was running, I started reading trail-running books. I read one of your books, Scott Jurek's books, Dean Karnazes, David Goggins, and others. In Scott Jurek's Eat and Run, he talked about Western States over and over again, and that intrigued me.
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Hans: Then we started putting on the livestream for some of those years, so I started watching the race. At first, I was oblivious to how hard trail running actually is. I remember seeing the paces and thinking, "I could run that pace, that should be easy." Hans: Then I was surprised when I started running trail races and realized, no, these are very fast times. I quickly became fascinated by it. The prestige of Western States itself, and the fact that everyone who has won it is legendary, makes it really exciting for me to compete there.
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Kilian: It is fun to see how people start trail running. You came from a track background, running in school, while other people come from mountain sports. But in the end we are all doing the same thing, running on trails.
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Hans: I want to read more of your books, but I read Run or Die. In the early chapters you talked about the value you found in endurance and athletic performance. I remember relating to that so much.
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Hans: When I first got into trail running, I had no intention of going pro. I did not think I was capable of that. All I knew was that I thought it was so cool to push myself to my limits and explore mountains. That was entirely intrinsic motivation.
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Hans: I found so much value in that, and I want to thank you for it. You showed me that other people felt the same way, and I really appreciated that.
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Kilian: Thanks, man. It is nice to inspire athletes like you to push things forward. You moved to Colorado so you could train more for this, and you are really committed.
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Kilian: What does your training ecosystem look like? Do you have a coach? A nutritionist? A strength coach?
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Hans: My coach is David Roche. I do not have a nutritionist, and my diet could definitely be better.
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Kilian: Then you have something to improve. That is good. Knowing that there are things you can improve is always useful.
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Hans: Absolutely. I focus more on calories than anything else, so I eat a lot of frozen pizza, burgers, and things like that. I know it could be better, but I am slowly adapting as I go.
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Hans: David helps me a lot. I did my undergraduate degree in kinesiology, then went back and got my master's in kinesiology. I like exercise science, so I enjoy having a bit of a say in things like strength training. David and I talk about training in different ways, and it is fun for me to experiment.
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Kilian: You have to find your own way and discover what works for you. The principle of individuality is something we often forget. We see someone doing something and think we should do the same, but we all adapt differently to different types of stimuli.
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Hans: Definitely. With the age of media we live in now, you could almost say media can act as a coach. Listening to podcasts and reading books gives you access to so much information. It is a huge resource today.
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Kilian: Yes, but the challenge is knowing which parts of that information are relevant and which are not. We have access to so much information, but it is difficult to separate what is truly useful from what is not.
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Kilian: It is the same with other athletes. Talented people can do very stupid things and still have good results. You might see someone doing something and think, "I should do the same," but it may not be the right thing for you. Finding the right way takes time and experience.
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Hans: Yes. Western States is in three days. I am from the United States, so that race really fits me. But I am also fascinated by UTMB, so I am racing CCC this year.
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Kilian: I think that race will suit you well.
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Hans: I think so too. It will be a good introduction to European racing. I have never been to Europe, so it should be a great introduction. But at least in my competitive career, I think Western States and UTMB will be my two target races.
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Hans: We will see where that goes. Right now I am obsessed with the competitive side of the sport, but I also love adventures. Things like States of Elevation are so cool to me.
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Hans: It was really cool that I got to come out for that. It was so windy and so cold. People asked what we talked about, and I told them that half the time we could barely hear each other because of the wind. But it was a really cool experience.
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Hans: Maybe long adventures like that could be something for me later on. But right now I am pretty obsessed with Western States and UTMB.
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Kilian: Those are huge goals, but you definitely have all the ingredients to succeed. As you said, you are a student of the sport. Understanding your body and how you function is very important if you want to win these races.
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Hans: Do you have any advice for me, as someone early in my career trying to tackle these big goals?
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Kilian: I think you already have this openness to learning, and to learning about your body. That is very important. In long-distance racing, it is a lot about resilience. At our level, almost everyone can run the first six, seven, or eight hours at the pace we run.
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Kilian: But what happens from there to the finish line is what matters. In Western States, it might be the last five hours. In UTMB, it might be the last 10 hours. The question is who is more resilient metabolically, muscularly, and in every other way.
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Kilian: That is difficult to figure out, and it requires experience. Your race here last year was very valuable because it probably helped you understand the race better. Small things you do can change the outcome. In a short race, they may not matter much, but in a long race they do.
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Kilian: A lot of it is about listening to your body. You need to understand your fueling, your muscles, and what you are feeling. Can you eat a bit more? Do you need to eat a bit less? It is good to have a plan, but you also need to adapt while racing. You might say, "That was the plan, but now I feel I need to adjust it." That is very important in races like this.
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Hans: Absolutely. I think you said something in one of your videos last year. You said you were chasing physiological changes over decades. I loved that. I thought that was so powerful because so many people are chasing quick fitness.
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Hans: Real fitness comes from months and years of changing the body. I have used that quote all year when talking to people.
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Kilian: We all want the easy solution. Take this pill and you will get stronger. Do this interval session and you will get stronger. But reality is not like that. When you look at successful athletes, they have been doing this for decades.
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Kilian: Even successful young athletes have usually been practicing sport or physical activity for many years. Being able to stay healthy and train week after week, day after day, month after month, and year after year changes your biology. That is what makes you the athlete you are today.
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Kilian: It is rare for young athletes to have that mindset. Many want to perform immediately. They say, "I want to train for four months and perform. What should I do?" The answer is to be patient. Things arrive over time. I think you have that mindset, and that will make you great.
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Hans: That is good to hear. David and I talk about that a lot. I hope my competitive career will last another 12 to 14 years if everything goes according to plan. The question is how to train hard, stay fit, avoid injury, avoid overtraining, and be patient.
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Kilian: It is better to be able to train every day for years than to do one crazy session and then be injured. I wish you the best of luck.
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Hans: Thanks. Hopefully we can admire the terrain together again, like last year.
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Hans: One of my memories from last year was when we were in the high country. I think you were right behind me, and I kept looking left. You said, "It's beautiful, isn't it?" Kilian: It is beautiful. We cannot take for granted that we are able to do this. It is amazing.
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Hans: Absolutely. Thanks for having me on. This is really cool. And thanks for everything you have done for the sport. Like I said, I am a huge fan, and I am honored to be racing you again on Saturday.
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Kilian: Same to you. I wish you the best of luck.
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Hans: Perfect. This is exciting.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B2 speaking lesson is built on the video “In conversation with: Hans Troyer”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: Hans, Kilian, race, running, sport. This video has 54 sentences and 2060 words to shadow. The speech runs for 16:25. The speaker talks at a steady 126 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 84% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start. 10 of its 54 sentences are questions, so it is good practice for question intonation and short answers.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| athlete noun | /ˈæθ.liːt/ | A participant in any of a group of sporting activities including track and field, road running, cross country running and racewalking. |
| excite verb | /ɪkˈsaɪt/ | To stir the emotions of; to cause to feel excitement. |
| nutritionist noun | /njuːˈtɹɪʃ.ənɪst/ | An expert or specialist in nutrition. |
| adapt verb | /əˈdæpt/ | To make suitable; to make to correspond; to fit or suit. |
| fascinate verb | /ˈfæsɪneɪt/ | To evoke an intense interest or attraction in someone. |
| fueling noun | The act or process by which something is fueled. | |
| kinesiology noun | /kəˌni.ziˈɔ.lə.d͡ʒɪ/ | The study of body movement. |
| obsess verb | /əbˈsɛs/ | To be preoccupied with a single topic or emotion. |
| mindset noun | /ˈmaɪn(d)ˌsɛt/ | A way of thinking; an attitude or opinion, especially a habitual one. |
| inspire verb | /ɪnˈspaɪə(ɹ)/ | To infuse into the mind; to communicate to the spirit; to convey, as by a divine or supernatural influence; to disclose preternaturally; to produce in, as by… |
| podcast noun | /ˈpɑdˌkæst/ | A program, especially an audio program, produced on a regular basis, delivered over the Internet in a compressed digital format and designed for playback on… |
| runner noun | /ˈɹʌnɚ/ | A person who moves, on foot, at a fast pace, especially an athlete. |
| excitement noun | /ɪkˈsaɪtmənt/ | The state of being excited (emotionally aroused). |
| carbohydrate noun | /kɑɹboʊˈhaɪdɹeɪt/ | A sugar, starch, or cellulose that is a food source of energy for an animal or plant. |
| individuality noun | /ˌɪndɪvɪd͡ʒuˈælɪti/ | The characteristics that contribute to the differentiation or distinction of someone or something from a group of otherwise comparable identity. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| do over verb | /ˈduˌoʊvɚ/ | To cover with; to smear or spread on to. |
| end up verb | To bring to a conclusion. | |
| figure out verb | To come to understand; to discover or find a solution; to deduce. | |
| find out verb | To discover, as by asking or investigating. | |
| go back verb | To return to a place or state after having been there at a previous time. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- How old are you now?
- Do you have a coach?
- Can you eat a bit more?
- Do you need to eat a bit less?
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect continuous have/has been + -ing — an action that started earlier and is still going on | have been running · have been doing · have usually been practicing |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | have done · has won · have never been |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | were inspired · be injured |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | group, which is · everyone who has |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 6 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, don't, isn't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: athlete /ˈæθ.liːt/, youthful /ˈjuθfəl/, athletic /æθˈlɛt.ɪk/
- Long words — get the stress right: nutritionist /njuːˈtɹɪʃ.ənɪst/, kinesiology /kəˌni.ziˈɔ.lə.d͡ʒɪ/, carbohydrate /kɑɹboʊˈhaɪdɹeɪt/, individuality /ˌɪndɪvɪd͡ʒuˈælɪti/, physiological /ˌfɪz.i.əˈlɑ.d͡ʒɪ.kəl/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like athlete, excite, nutritionist.
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.