Running on Joy

Joy is...Many Faces.

Nick Acheson is a conservationist, author, speaker and presenter from North Norfolk where he lives in a flint cottage by a duckpond with his three-legged lurcher and a flock of rescued animals. For ten years, he lived in South America, working with conservation NGOs such as WWF and Wetlands International. He also spent three years in Asia and have worked with wildlife on every continent. Since their return to the UK they have worked for Norfolk Wildlife Trust, The Wildlife Trusts and the Hawk and Owl Trust. Having crossed the globe in search of wildlife and swum and snorkelled in every world ocean, he has become more and more invested in adopting a low carbon lifestyle and is a committed cyclist and keen runner. I spoke to Nick upon the publication of his book ‘The Meaning of Geese’, a memoir of seven locked-down months in 2020-21, during which he cycled 1,200 miles around North Norfolk on his mother's 40-year-old bike, following the great flocks of Arctic geese whose wild cries haunt the county each winter.

Nick is an eloquent and wise soul with a wealth of knowledge that reflects a true and intuitive relationship with the land. Our conversation flitted along many paths and we thought about what it means to pay attention in a disconnected world; heart-centred knowledge and protecting what we love; haunting and what brings us home, and the power of names and finding ourselves through smallness.

Read: The Meaning of Geese, released February 2023

Website themarshtit.com

Twitter: @themarshtit

Instagram: @thewillowtit

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Joy is...Quiet.

Rane Roatta might sound like your typical competitive cyclist, rising early to lay down the miles, following a strict regime and sweating in the Miami sun. What makes him unique, however, is that clocking up 80 mile daily rides originated from a real necessity not to crank out watts but…fruit. Although terming himself a 'professional amateur', Rane competed in the inaugural gravel world championships last year, balancing training whilst building his business 'Miami Fruit', which provides a direct-to-consumer exotic fruit shipping service. Rane still does much of the manual labor as well as leading the business alongside his girlfriend.

Rane is a contagiously positive personality and, together, we thought about being a life-long learner; the power of play; finding enrichment in goofiness, and why raising each other up, in racing and business, is the key to building sustainable communities.

A note on sound: Rane was calling from a slightly windy Miami with a temperamental connection. The sound has been reconstructed as best possible but please be aware of this whilst listening!

Follow: @cyclingspirit @miamifruit

Miami Fruit

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Joy is...Wordless Happiness.

Max Romey is perhaps best described as a person in motion. He is an artist who paints astonishing watercolours, often on top of mountains, which, of course, he has to get to first. He is a filmmaker who specialises in capturing athletes, particularly trail and ultrarunners, as they hurtle through simultaneously awe-inspiring and unforgiving landscapes. He is a runner himself, not simply because it enables him to keep up with their subjects, but because it is also vital to his being. However, perhaps what I find most consistent about Max is that he is a storyteller, bringing the world and people around him to life in a manner that epitomises what it means to unlock the incredible paintbox of our existence. 

We think about finding a path in a world beyond words; 'getting over the doorstep' in life, art and running; why there are no 'bad days' spent outdoors, and the magic of an intersectional existence.

Follow: MaxRomeyProductions.com - Vimeo - YouTube - Instagram - Facebook

Watch: Alaska Marine Debris

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Joy is...When You Can't See It.

After an early career characterised by hours at a computer, Charlie Harpur turned his back on desk work and embraced the physical elements of gardening. When not working as a Landscape Designer and Gardener, he is an impressive trail and ultra-runner who, in 2019, became the British 100km champion. His other achievements include finishing 3rd Brit at the CCC by UTMB and taking the win at Centurion Running's South Downs Way 100.

Charlie epitomises the strength that comes through vulnerability, and I was humbled by how reflective and open he was in sharing about his complex journey with running and mental health, both past and present. We talked about building emotional armouries; the connectivity brought by natural neural networks; comparison culture and seeing the person behind the results; the lure of the great unknown; how plants and running can save your life, and why we would all benefit from stopping to hug the tree.

Charlie and I chatted for a while after we finished recording and agreed that ideas around diversity in trail running that we touched on, in terms of life experience and body type, should not in any way detract from the need to continue advocating and addressing the issues that prevail with representation and inclusion in the sport. Charlie also dove further into his experiences with overtraining and underfueling, which led to hormonal imbalances and greatly impacted his physical and mental health, and the need for more conversations around this. We are hopefully going to schedule a follow up episode for him to share his story, as part of the process of starting those conversations.

Follow: @charlie.harpur

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Hailing from Edinburgh, Hannah Bailey is an award-winning photographer, journalist, and producer, who has spent the last decade immersed in the underground scenes of action sports, adventure and the outdoors, now running her own consultant company Neonstash, which specialises in adventure. Her work has been recognised with awards from the Women's Sport Trust and Campaign Magazine, and in 2020 she won the inaugural Getty Images Show Us Grant, recognising photographers working towards a genuine representation of women and non-binary in the media. Her photographs have been featured in media such as The Guardian, BBC, Vice, Positive News, i_D, Dazed, Asian Geographic, and Women's Fitness. What distinguishes her work is the focus on the free-spirited characters, in particular women, that define the worlds of skating, snowboarding and skating, rather than the sports themselves. I first encountered Hannah through the short film ‘A Land for Everyone’, by the videographer Rachel Sarah, which follows her and skateboarder, Lyndsay McLaren as they explore the highlands of Scotland. The film challenges stereotypical notions of what a skater or outdoors person should look like and is reflective of Hannah's aim in all her projects to show the real face and stories of those involved in a culture to a wider audience.  

Hannah is a bundle of creative energy, with a passionate and true drive to make a positive impact on the world around her. We had a hugely enjoyable and diverse conversation about why activism needs activity; holding space so that others can follow; the role models that we can find around us, and the power of being a 'lovely imposter'.

Follow: @neonstash

www.neonstash.com

www.hannahbaileyphoto.com

Support: skateistan

Watch: A Land for Everyone

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Joy is...Freedom.

Angel Collinson made her name snaking improbable lines down the sheerest mountain faces in her career as a big mountain skier. In that time, she racked up nearly every accolade possible: not only world titles, but also magazine covers and starring roles in adventure movies that would typically go to men. In 2021, however, she turned her back on her professional career and instead jumped on a 40-foot sailboat named Sea Bear to embark on a trans-Atlantic crossing. She has overcome a lot of mountains in her life, both on and off the ski slopes, but this latest plunge into the unknown has taken new levels of courage.

I connected with Angel upon her return to Sea Bear, after a period of reflective time on land. We shared a free-flowing space in which we explored ideas around embodiment, identity and the wild unknown. Angel reached out with a full and open heart, and I am so grateful for her emotional generosity as she navigates this 'one precious life'.

Follow: @angelcollinson

Image: Pete Willauer

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Joy is...Love.

Robbie Phillips is is a professional adventure climber and filmmaker from Edinburgh. His intrepid spirit has carried him across the globe, climbing, in his own words, 'every type of rock, in every style'. From an early career competing as part of the GB team and then working as the Scottish climbing team’s head coach, he is now best known for his cutting edge ascents on alpine rock, including becoming the first Briton to climb the infamous 'Alpine Trilogy'. One of his latest challenges was climbing the world’s hardest sea cliff ‘The Longhope’ on St John’s Head, Orkney, along with his climbing partner, Alex Moore. This big wall sea cliff had previously only been attempted by the most famous rock climbers, including Ed Drummonds and Dave Macleod. The documentary film that Robbie made of the effort, ‘Not a Hope in Hoy’, premiered at Kendal Mountain Festival in 2022. I spoke to Robbie as he was putting the finishing touches to preparations for his upcoming 'Edge of the World' speaking tour, in both his capacity as a world-respected athlete and as a content curator with a flair for telling stories in an incredibly human, relatable manner.

Robbie is nothing but himself, and our conversation gives a flavour of his deep and sincere connection to his country, to the natural world and to the 'tribe' that he has found few climbing. What became clear as we spoke is that Robbie's drive and hunger for adventure comes, not from the destinations, but from the journeys: the most significant of which has been with himself. He comments at one point that he doesn't really remember who he was before climbing: for him, it is the start, the vehicle and the fuel. Here are the traces of Robbie's journey, told with his characteristic, candour, humour, creativity and heart. There is no destination, only discovery – that's what makes it exciting.

Instagram: @robbiephillips_

You Tube: @RobbiePhillips

Not A Hope in Hoy

www.robbieclimbs.com

www.urbanuprising.org

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Joy is...Being You.

A Friday 'Shining Lights' episode with a remarkable young man. At nineteen years old, Avery Seuter is not your typical teenager. In September 2022, he set off on an incredible cycle journey from his home in Maine to Key West, Florida, to raise money for the East Coast Greenway, a 3,000-mile pedestrian and bicycle path that connects the two states. Not only is the scope of the distance impressive in itself, he set out, not on two wheels, but one, riding an average of 20 to 30 miles a day on a unicycle. At the time of speaking, Avery was due to arrive in Key West in late January 2023, and I caught up with him literally 'trail side' along his epic adventure. 

Avery is an incredibly perceptive, compassionate and fresh voice in a time when we are encountering so much upheaval, fear and divisiveness across the world. His words resonate with deep gratitude and wonder for the places he travels and the people he meets. We chatted about: Avery's childhood introduction to unicycling through the circus; the practical adaptations and physical demands of transitioning from two wheels to one; the mentorship and community surrounding unicycling; finding new connections and exploring identity and belonging to a place through the bike; turning unexpected challenges into positive opportunities; the importance of safe, shared spaces to make cycling and a more active lifestyle accessible; being an 'accidental' athlete and the benefits of purposeful movement; creating your own natural soundscape when you 'switch off' from the noise of fast living; why 'stranger' doesn't necessarily mean 'danger'; how the microcosm of travel choices reflects wider societal divisions, and why differences can be a chance for learning; navigating the expectations of online platforms; the importance of kindness and how a cat made national news; serious thoughts on ice-cream, and the necessity of pursuing what brings you joy.

Follow: @averyseuter @eastcoastgreenway

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Joy is...The Fuel.

Canyon and Forest Woodward are brothers who grew up in the mountains of Southern Appalachia and the North Cascades of Washington State. After childhoods spent roaming the woods and trails, Canyon would go on to forge a path as a championship level trail runner; political strategist; author, and climate activist, managing the campaign that would see his friend, Chloe Maxim, become the youngest female state senator in Maine’s history, alongside setting astonishing course records and Fastest Known Times on the trails. Forest trod a different path to become an internationally published and awarded photographer and filmmaker, with his work, which engages viewers in contemporary issues through a humanistic lens, featuring in The New York Times, National Geographic, Esquire and The Atlantic, and his films, Food Chains and The Important Places, receiving critical acclaim and screening in dozens of countries and festivals including Tribeca and Berlinale.

Canyon and Forest's footprints crossed this year, however, with the launch of the film Rural Runners, a meditative and intimate look at the incredible journey that rewrote progressive success in rural America and won two campaigns in red districts where they were expected to lose. The film epitomises what it means to show up in an incredibly relatable and raw manner that shines a light beyond the dark state of party politics.

It was so rewarding to bring the siblings together; their relationship really does encapsulate the love that infuses all of their interactions with the world and those around them. In this incredibly creative exchange, we reflected on: growing up in the outdoors and the connective power of Nature; being open to different pathways; creativity as a philosophy of being; re-connecting to body and spirit through running; the cross-overs between the different states experienced in training and racing and other areas of life; finding a voice for change; the road to engaging in electoral politics to address a divided nation; the power of process predicating outcome; friendship as a manifesto; the importance of the formative places and people in our lives; why we need more ‘public listeners’; mindfully amplifying the energy for social and political change within the trail running society, and finding joy within ourselves and each other.

Post-Script: Canyon did make it to the start line of Bandera 100km and came 3rd overall in a hugely competitive field.

Follow: @canyonwoodward @forestwoodward

www.forestwoodward.com

www.canyonwoodward.com

Dirt Road Organising

Watch: Rural Runners; The Important Places

Read: Dirt Road Revival

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Joy is...What You Have.

Rhys Jenkins is a record-breaking, ultra-endurance athlete from Cardiff, South Wales, who, over the last 10 years, has raised over £125,000 for various charities. Indeed, in 2021, he was a torchbearer for the London Olympics in recognition of his incredible work. His introduction to ultrarunning was running from Boston to Austin in the USA with his brother and two friends. Since then, it’s been a case of relentless forward motion. In 2019, he became Wales' first-ever competitor in the notorious Badwater 135 ultramarathon, renowned for being the hardest footrace on the planet. In 2020, he set a new fastest-know-time for the 870 mile Welsh Coast Path. In 2021, he then set a new record running the length of Great Britain whilst summiting the highest peaks in Scotland, England and Wales. Along with his wife, Rhys, is now the race director of Pegasus Ultra Running, which expanded this year to include the formidable Triple Crown of 200 mile 'Wild Horse' races. Their events are distinctive for their lack of aggressive cut-offs, which is a reflection of what a thoroughly empathetic and inclusive couple they are.

Rhys is, truly, one of the biggest-hearted, compassionate human beings I have ever met. He wears his astonishing feats with modesty, preferring to focus on the motivation behind the efforts: the charities that he runs for and the people with whom he connects. He is also exceptionally entertaining, with stories that make you simultaneously laugh and cry from literally wherever his feet have trodden. We could have chatted all evening but in this small snapshot we cover: the journey from 'Burger Boy' to ultrarunner; 'boils and all' stories from running across America; developing relationships/obsessions with particular routes and races; lightening, dust storms, near-death experiences and Billy Joel in Death Valley; why we need to speak out about difficult things and the stories behind Rhys's charity fundraising; reconnecting to landscapes and people on the Welsh Costal Path; why Scotland is 'Wales on steroids'; breaking the Three Peaks JOGLE record as a family; the terror of being a new dad; 'kind' thieves and kinder strangers, and feeling grateful for the most basic, and yet most easily overlooked thing in life: love.

Follow: @rjenko11

Donate: www.lucyfaithfull.org.uk

Pegasus: www.pegasusultrarunning.com  

Wild Horse: www.wildhorse200.com

Watch: Lighthouse in the Dark

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