“I just decided this is going to be kind of part of my life mission, to try to just be an open book and share my struggles and share the triumph over them, and help people realize that there is life outside of that. That's kind of how we got to be where we are now. I work a lot with people in recovery still to this day. And, just want to keep spreading the word that recovery is possible and we do recover.” - Yassine Diboun

Yassine Diboun was addicted to drinking in his early 20’s and the addiction affected himself and everyone around him. Things got quite rough for Diboun but he was eventually able to get himself into rehab and turn the corner. It’s not the most direct path into trail and ultra running, but Yassine found peace and solace through running which helped him in recovery. Suddenly Diboun finds himself looking back over 20 years to reminisce about the no-so-good ole days, a challenging past that remains there, through hard work and dedication to his sobriety. He’s also become an open book over the years, looking to help people in recovery and show them there is light at the end of the tunnel. It’s an inspiring story and a story that filmmaker and good friend of Yassine’s, Steven Mortinson, felt a lot of pressure to tell right.

“Being a good friend with Yassine, it's incredibly stressful because you've got this big weight. You want to tell it right.vYou don't want to mess it up. And so it was a lot of responsibility on me, I feel like, to just tell It true to Yassine.” - Steven Mortinson

Steven nailed it as this film is fantastic, and Yassine agreed. It’s a great glimpse into a real struggle from someone who we now know as a completely different person. It offers hope without judgment and I hope you all enjoy the film and this conversation as much as I did. Come on out to the film festival and see for yourself!

You can also check out Yassine’s Wy’East Wolf Pack here.

Vancouver Trail Running Film Festival tickets available

Thursday, April 4, 2024. The Rio Theatre. Doors at 6, show at 7.

Sheena’s Burlesque is in the house as our opening act…

Bring your noisemakers!

I’m so excited to host all of you amazing trail runners once again here in Vancouver, BC, and to have Sheena’s Burlesque producing our opening act! Meadow Phorical, Ronnie Canela, Sugar Lestrange, and Sheena herself have been working hard on the routine, themed “welcoming a new trail runner” and it’s a blast. We can’t wait to share it with all of you at the Rio Theatre Thursday, April 4, 2024. The doors open at 6 and the show starts at 7. We’re gonna do it bigger and better than last year and give this thing a festival vibe!

We have amazing sponsors lined up once again, we’ll have some great giveaways, an awesome guest, and we will be announcing our show opener that you’ll want to make noise for. Bring your cowbells, tambourines, or whatever you have to get loud, and let’s rock the Rio together!

Tickets are on sale now for $30/$35 at the door.

Our local sponsors:

5 Peaks

Coast Mountain Trail Running Conquer the Vedder

Distance Runwear

Ridgeline Athletics

Peaks N Valleys

Beast of Big Creek

Heads or Trails

RunGo

Naak

Mum’s the Word

Alberta tickets available!

I’m incredibly excited to be able to hang out with more of you and share the film festival vibes. Our dates are:

Tuesday, June 4, 2024, Edmonton (Garneau Theatre) $25 (Early birds sold out in just over 72 hours!)

Wednesday, June 5, 2024, Calgary (Globe Cinema) $25

Thursday, June 6, 2024, Canmore (Partnering with artsPlace) $25 (members receive a discount)

Friday, June 7, 2024, Crowsnest Pass (Blairmore) (Frank Slide Interpretive Centre partnering with Sinister Sports) Limited (75) $25 tickets on sale now

Click on the links above for the FB event pages to keep up to date. Keep an eye peeled for official announcements as we will let you know the moment these become official and tickets are listed for sale. I’m so pumped to hang out with you all!

#Naaksquad

I enjoy the Naak products, even if the sauces took a few tries to grow on me. They get the job done and they don’t give me any issues, and isn’t that the point? So I applied to be part of the squad to get a discount on the products I plan on using a bunch. Reach out to me if you have any questions and I’ll do my best to answer! They give me a referral code, so I’m including that today. If you’re gonna check it out, click through this link, I appreciate it.

Listen where you listen

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Apple Podcasts: Click Here

Music by Paolo Argentino from Pixabay

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