Community Trail Running

“The conference is more about inviting people to come in and have conversations about taking leadership.”

Terry Chiplin has been organizing the US Trail Running Conference for 11 years now. The conference has changed a lot over the years, now with a focused theme each year and the idea is the conference is a platform for all involved to grow the sport. This year that platform is taking place in Mukilteo, WA, from October 18-20 and the theme is creating sustainable events within trail running. Terry is excited about the group getting together and seeing what happens.

“We do everything in the one room. We have the meetings, the presentations, the discussions and the expo all happen in one room. We deliberately set it up this way so that people get really connected. It’s not just about, “Oh hi, I like your product”. You end up having really deep meaningful conversations.”

Terry is really proud of how far the conference has come and is really excited at the prospect of where it can go. He’s looking for the next leaders to step forward and take the conference into the future but he's enjoying the journey too. The future is seemingly bright for trail running and the conference will continue to find ways to celebrate and evolve the sport.

Find out more and get involved here.

If you’re heading to the conference, let me know! I’d love to hear from you and perhaps we can meet up :)

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Music by REDproductions from Pixabay.

If you enjoy this podcast, I would really appreciate it if you could like, share, subscribe, or comment! I’m trying to make this the best trail running podcast it can be and I certainly appreciate your time. Thank you all and happy trails :)

“My goal is to break generational poverty in the downtown communities and help newcomers, BIPOC folks, have access to these opportunities through sports.”

Vincent Kuber is the type of person who knows an opportunity when he sees it. When he saw an opportunity to make the running scene in his hometown of Hamilton, Ontario, more inclusive and more inviting, he ran with it. When he received pushback and didn’t feel welcome in the entire scene, he pushed harder. He’s wired this way and it certainly seems like the community of Hamilton is a better place for his presence. His tenacity drives him and it was incredible to hear about his passion for the community.

“As an opportunist and also having to deal with this type of stuff all my life, I’ve learned to take that information, yeah it hurts, but it’s nothing new to me, I’m kind of numb from that now, but what I usually do is come back stronger with more force and more of what I’m doing vs bowing my head down and walking away and leaving the space to how they want it. Which is kind of private.”

Vincent has built a great community in Hamilton and he loves helping others. Steel Town Athletic Club is the club that he runs and how he reaches into his community. Not only do they have several runs each week that are inclusive and diverse, but the club also helps young people play basketball, and go hiking and he’ll soon be training track athletes. Vincent is doing everything he can to remove barriers for people so they can get out and enjoy activities. We chatted shortly after he got back from running the Minotaur Skyrace and the interview was so much fun for me. I hope you enjoy what he has to say as much as I did.

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Music by REDproductions from Pixabay.

If you enjoy this podcast, I would really appreciate it if you could like, share, subscribe, or comment! I’m trying to make this the best trail running podcast it can be and I certainly appreciate your time. Thank you all and happy trails :)

Roslyn Braun and her father Randall own RouteArrows, a company that specializes in route marking. Whether it's road cycling, road running or trail running, RouteArrows has what you need to mark the way. Randall had participated in many events over the years, where some were marked better than others, and finally decided he had to offer a better solution. When Roslyn was old enough to start contributing herself, she did just that.

I've never really thought about the business potential of route marking until chatting with Roslyn. It was a fascinating conversation as it was really cool to hear what they are looking to accomplish as well as how much time and thought goes into creating route marking that works.

"We’re just trying to make that job a little bit easier for them (race organizers). Hearing their stories and helping them make their jobs just a little bit easier is what is energizing. There’s so much potential because my dad is an inventor, he’s constantly innovating and we’re working together to create things that are totally new or a better version of what’s being used."

Roslyn is passionate about what she does and the opportunity to work with her father is something she also cherishes. RouteArrows is a company that wants to grow and find its way to a start line near you, and Roslyn is working hard to make it happen. I really enjoyed the conversation and I'm excited to follow the company and see where they end up!

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Music by REDproductions from Pixabay.

If you enjoy this podcast, I would really appreciate it if you could like, share, subscribe, or comment! I’m trying to make this the best trail running podcast it can be and I certainly appreciate your time. Thank you all and happy trails :)

“Helping people see that running is just a chance to go have fun. It's a chance to go see what you’re capable of, but there is no obligation to do certain things, especially, just because you’ve done them in the past, It doesn’t mean you need to do it again in the future.”

Andrew Miller has been trail running for 15 years and has been the youngest ever to win Western States (2016) along the way. He’s also a coach who loves to volunteer and give back to the community in any way that he can. His wealth of experience comes through many ups and downs over the years, including after winning Western States and feeling unexpected pressure. He’s realized how he finds joy in the sport and he loves the ability to share his experience through coaching.

“It just gets me excited. Seeing people do races, especially people who are running an ultra or a new distance for the first time. Also, I like numbers. I like building training plans. I could look at running numbers all day long. So for me, that works out pretty well.”

Andrew was a great guest and I really enjoyed hearing about his trail running journey so far. You can check out his website and what he has to offer as a coach. Reach out to him and see if it’s a good fit for your trail running goals here.

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Music by REDproductions from Pixabay.

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If you enjoy this podcast, I would really appreciate it if you could like, share, subscribe, or comment! I’m trying to make this the best trail running podcast it can be and I certainly appreciate your time. Thank you all and happy trails :)

Myeloma Ride

Thanks to those who donated to the 2023 Richmond @myeloma_canada Fundraising Ride! Our team raised nearly $6,000 and the event was a great success as well, raising a touch over $84,000. Myeloma is a blood cancer made by bone marrow and people living with Myeloma, like my friend Misty, are able to prolong and improve their quality of life through treatments like chemotherapy but there is no cure and those treatments often cause other adverse effects on the body.If you can help out the cause with a donation, we would be incredibly grateful!

Donate here!

“From the first day I went out I had a blast out on the trails meeting new trail runners and I was hooked.”

Sean Symes has gone full circle with Toronto Trail Runners, from chasing leads while discovering new trails to leading groups of wide-eyed trail runners. He’s clearly passionate about the community and the sport and I had a fantastic time learning more about trail running in the city of Toronto.

Toronto is a former home of mine and a place I really enjoy, so learning about the trail running culture there was a lot of fun! Toronto is a multicultural city that celebrates its diversity and Sean takes pride in how inclusive Toronto Trail Runners is. It’s important to him as a Black Person to show other Black People that they are represented.

“Being a Black runner, there’s not too many Black People in trail running, in the trail running community. So I think it’s also good to have representation, especially in the city of Toronto, a lot of minorities might not feel comfortable joining trail sessions. So I think it’s important as myself, being a Black Person, to be a lead there to show people that there’s inclusivity on the trails.”

Toronto Trail Runners sounds like a great group to get out with and I’m going to have to look them up next time I’m spending some time in that wonderful city!

“Don’t mess with the Don” is another project Sean is working on. They organize clean-ups in the Don Valley which is a place they love to run. They are accomplishing great things and you should totally check out the website!

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Music by REDproductions from Pixabay.

Like, share, subscribe and comment

If you enjoy this podcast, I would really appreciate it if you could like, share, subscribe, or comment! I’m trying to make this the best trail running podcast it can be and I certainly appreciate your time. Thank you all and happy trails :)

Myeloma Ride

I'm thrilled to be riding in the 2023 Richmond @myeloma_canada Fundraising Ride.Myeloma is a blood cancer made by bone marrow and people living with Myeloma, like my friend Misty, are able to prolong and improve their quality of life through treatments like chemotherapy but there is no cure and those treatments often cause other adverse effects on the body.If you can help out the cause with a donation, we would be incredibly grateful!

Donate here!

“I know what those runners go through. What they have to do in order to succeed is just mind-boggling. So my favorite part is every year from 9 a.m. Saturday till 9 a.m. Sunday for 24 hours, I'm at the finish line. Everybody who finishes, I congratulate, high five, hug, I give the medals. I have goosebumps right now just thinking about it. It’s amazing.”

Jakob Herrman is an experienced trail runner who has run an incredible amount of races. This has led to a base of knowledge that the Swiss-born trail runner has used extensively for his race-directing practices, particularly his own race, the Swiss Alps 100. This race has evolved over the years and these days offers many different distances, and disciplines… You can literally hang glide as part of the Swiss Alps 100.

“The fun part is we have a tracker for every single participant for safety. And every ten seconds, the position is updated and you have a big map. You see all these points where everybody is. It's super interesting. And it's kind of funny because once in a while you see somebody falling down really fast and I'm like, I hope it's a flyer, not some runner falling down the cliffs.”

Thankfully it’s just been the fliers so far!

Jakob was an awesome guest and the Swiss Alps 100 sounds absolutely amazing. It’s definitely on my list now and hopefully, I can make it happen sooner than later! I hope you enjoy the conversation and are as intrigued about this race as I am.

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Music by REDproductions from Pixabay.

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If you enjoy this podcast, I would really appreciate it if you could like, share, subscribe, or comment! I’m trying to make this the best trail running podcast it can be and I certainly appreciate your time. Thank you all and happy trails :)

“We almost sold out the Rio this year in a relatively short time so I think we can sell it out next year. We just need to know where to focus our energy.”

Today we are looking back at the Trail Running Film Festival and putting a bow on the whole thing with Jeannine Avelino. Jeannine was a huge part of putting the event together and I’m incredibly grateful for her help and support! It was great to chat with her about the event from our different perspectives, as she was able to enjoy the show from the crowd. We’re both super happy with how the event went and are looking forward to next year already! Jeannine loved being in the crowd with all those other trail runners and feeling at home in the community.

“I loved hearing the reactions to the movies, you know? Just watching it alone, I just hear my reactions, but seeing or hearing everybody react to it the same was as I did. Just laugh at the little things or anything that is relatable to you when you’re out on the run, like “I know how that feels”, that was pretty cool.”

We’re so honoured to have hosted this thing and been able to play a tiny little part in our trail-running community. From all of us, thank you so much for all the support and for showing up. Next year we do it again, and we do it even better :)

Please like, rate, share and subscribe!

You can learn more about our live podcast guest Filsan and PLR here!

Our amazing sponsors from the night:

5 Peaks

Distance Runwear

Beast of Big Creek

Ridgeline Athletics

Thursty Elk Trail Race

Heads or Trails

Conquer The Vedder

Blumaka

Finlayson Arm Races

Social YVR

Harbour YVR

Galiano Trails Society

The podcast is available where you listen to podcasts:

Spotify: Click Here

Google Podcasts: Click Here

Apple Podcasts: Click Here

Music by REDproductions from Pixabay.

If you enjoy this podcast, I would really appreciate it if you could like, share, subscribe, or comment! I’m trying to make this the best trail running podcast it can be and I certainly appreciate your time. Thank you all and happy trails :)

Photo Gallery from Adam Stevens Visuals

So grateful to have Adam Stevens on hand!

Feel free to download and share. Please tag us all and we can help you share them!

The 2023 Trail Running Film Festival has officially come and gone from Vancouver, BC, and it was an incredible honour to host over 340 trail runners at the historic Rio Theatre. We enjoyed the amazing films together, raised some money for BC AdventureSmart, played some games and won some prizes, and we were so grateful to have Filsan Abdiaman of Project Love Run on hand as our special guest for the evening.

The chat with Filsan was great, it was fantastic to learn about Project Love Run. I’ll admit we were both a bit nervous doing this live in front of everyone, but I think it was informative and I’m grateful for Filsan joining us and telling us a bit of her story, how Project Love Run came to be, and what’s been rewarding for her.

“Project Love Run is about celebrating different stories. It is about celebrating both difference and growth. Project Love Run in 2016 looks nothing like it does today. We’re forever learning and unlearning in community and I think that’s the best thing about Project Love Run, that constant evolution and growth.”

I feel very fortunate to live in a part of the world where there is so much opportunity for people to get on the trails in spaces they feel safe. The more people that are out there on the trails, the better. It helps keep our spaces public and the more demand we have for outdoor spaces, the more outdoor spaces we will get. I’m inspired by any of you out there organizing groups and it was very inspiring to hear Filsan talk about PLR.

You can learn more about Filsan and PLR here!

Our amazing sponsors from the night:

5 Peaks

Distance Runwear

Beast of Big Creek

Ridgeline Athletics

Thursty Elk Trail Race

Heads or Trails

Conquer The Vedder

Blumaka

Finlayson Arm Races

Social YVR

Harbour YVR

Galiano Trails Society

The podcast is available where you listen to podcasts:

Spotify: Click Here

Google Podcasts: Click Here

Apple Podcasts: Click Here

Music by REDproductions from Pixabay.

If you enjoy this podcast, I would really appreciate it if you could like, share, subscribe, or comment! I’m trying to make this the best trail running podcast it can be and I certainly appreciate your time. Thank you all and happy trails :)

Photo Gallery from Adam Stevens Visuals

So grateful to have Adam Stevens on hand!

Feel free to download and share. Please tag us all and we can help you share them!

“Every step of the way we are building community and we are delivering. I’ve not heard anybody that’s been disappointed.”

Mathias Eichler is back! The man who wears all the hats puts on the Trail Running Film Festival Executive Producer hat as we chat all about the festival, which is happening here in Vancouver, BC, tonight! The Rio Theatre is set to host us with the doors opening at 6 and the show starting at 7. We have 9 great films to watch, awesome door prizes, a 50/50 in support of SAR, and even some special treats courtesy of Tailwind Nutrition for the first people in the theatre, so show up early! Mathias was a great guest to chat with and he is super pumped about what the film festival represents.

“We are staying true to our mission. I think the perfect balance would be inspiration and challenge. You need inspiration, you need that feeling of excitement and hype… The other piece though is you want to be challenged… You want to be confronted with reality as well.”

Click here for tickets!

Related Episodes:

Our sponsors include:

5 Peaks

Distance Runwear

Beast of Big Creek

Ridgeline Athletics

Thursty Elk Trail Race

Heads or Trails

Conquer The Vedder

Blumaka

Finlayson Arm Races

Social YVR

Harbour YVR

Galiano Trails Society

I can’t believe the big night is finally here! I can’t wait to see you all at the theatre tonight. It’s going to be a blast to celebrate our community together. Say hi if you see me and I hope you all have a great night out.

There is also…

Film Festival Special Guest Filsan Abdiaman

We’re so excited to chat with Filsan Abdiaman as our special guest! Filsan started Project Love Run which is “a running collective for all self-identified womxn seeking a space to connect with others and their own minds and bodies”. We can’t wait to learn more at the film festival. The film festival is going to be a great time and I can’t wait to hang out with all of you!

Spotify: Click Here

Google Podcasts: Click Here

Apple Podcasts: Click Here

Youtube: Click Here

Music by REDproductions from Pixabay.

If you enjoy this podcast, I would really appreciate it if you could like, share, subscribe, or comment! I’m trying to make this the best trail running podcast it can be and I certainly appreciate your time. Thank you all and happy trails :)

“At the Big Creek campground, just above Lake Cushman, which sits above Hoodsport, which sits above the Hood Canal, which is right on the edge of the Olympic Mountains, on the Southeastern side of the Olympic Penninsula, right by the staircase entrance of the Olympic National Park, about an hour away from Olympia WA, which sits about halfway between Seattle and Portland, in the Pacific Northwest, of the West coast of North America.”

Mathias Eichler is the Rock Candy Running Race Director and The Beast of Big Creek is one of their events happening in Hoodsport, WA, on Saturday, August 5! The Beast is also a sponsor for our screening of the Trail Running Film Festival which happens tomorrow here in Vancouver, BC! Mathias is the Executive Director for the film festival and we will chat about that tomorrow on the podcast. Today’s episode is about this incredibly fun-sounding race. The race itself sounds incredible and Mathias really loves to bring the community together as an RD.

“To provide that experience for runners. Being able to create these adventures that people can have and safely have, and enjoyable to them. Allowing them to push themselves in that way. I think that’s super rewarding and something I value extremely. “

The race itself has two options, a shorter forest loop and a longer summit route. The summit route takes runners up into the alpine and offers up plenty of challenges. The event sounds like a total blast and I’m registered myself. I can’t wait to get down there and see what this race is all about!

Remember to check out tomorrow’s episode as well when Mathias and I chat about the film festival.

Film Festival - 6 pm Tuesday, April 18 at the Rio Theatre

Click here for tickets!

Our sponsors include:

5 Peaks

Distance Runwear

Beast of Big Creek

Ridgeline Athletics

Thursty Elk Trail Race

Heads or Trails

Conquer The Vedder

Blumaka

Finlayson Arm Races

Social YVR

Harbour YVR

Galiano Trails Society

We’re busy getting ready for The Big Night! Tuesday, April 18 at the Rio Theatre where the doors will open at 6 pm and the show starts at 7 pm.

Click here for tickets!

We have 9 great films to watch, awesome door prizes, a 50/50 in support of SAR, and even some special treats courtesy of Tailwind Nutrition for the first people in the theatre, so show up early!

There is also…

Film Festival Special Guest Filsan Abdiaman

We’re so excited to chat with Filsan Abdiaman as our special guest! Filsan started Project Love Run which is “a running collective for all self-identified womxn seeking a space to connect with others and their own minds and bodies”. We can’t wait to learn more at the film festival. The film festival is going to be a great time and I can’t wait to hang out with all of you!

Spotify: Click Here

Google Podcasts: Click Here

Apple Podcasts: Click Here

Youtube: Click Here

Music by REDproductions from Pixabay.

If you enjoy this podcast, I would really appreciate it if you could like, share, subscribe, or comment! I’m trying to make this the best trail running podcast it can be and I certainly appreciate your time. Thank you all and happy trails :)