Running Behind

In the Navajo culture, there is a sacred ceremony called a Kinaaldá. It happens when a girl transitions to women hood. As part of the ceremony they must run to the east three times a day, songs are sung, and prayers are given. Like many of their rich traditions, it is rooted in communal participation and focuses on teaching the young women about generosity, endurance, strength and community. My gu...

There is currently an estimated 12-14 million law abiding immigrants in the US, living in fear. Not knowing if they will be taken away from their families or forced into a detention center. Someone you know is afraid to travel, to work to even go on a trail race or run, not knowing if they will be safe, even though they are legal and have done nothing wrong. Because of the color of their skin and...

2.7 million likes...just let that sink in for a minute. I mean, I am happy with a handful of views, a couple of likes, but my guest today takes that to a whole new level. Lindsay Teague, or Linz or Run. This. Life as she's known on social media has a huge following and with good reason. The best part though, is that she doesn't make all those posts for the attention. She does it because sh...

Picture the scene...It's the finish line of the 2026 Cocodona 250 mile race. Everyone is celebrating and going crazy. Overall race winner, Rachel Entrekin is there and she is embracing my guest, Suzy Lurie...Now, did Suzy come in 2nd or 3rd...well, not exactly. Suzy is used to setting FKTs (Fastest Known Times) at various places in her home state of MN. Isn't it ironic then, that her claim to fame...

Heather Vinge Hanson is a MN trail runner, and in 2025 Heather ran several marathon or longer distances, including her first 50K race. She does all that, while dealing with a multitude of chronic conditions and syndromes.  Everything from gastro-intestinal disorders, to Ehlers Danlos to Chronic Fatigue and Fibromyalgia , and that is after battling an eating disorder for many years.  This is someon...

Today is another Crew Access episode with Mario and Erik, and this is a special one.  This is Crew access, Storm The Park edition.  The three of us headed down to White Water state park and did the 15K at Storm Sporting Events Storm The Park trail race.  We weren’t there to worry about pace or effort, just to hang out with friends, explore the trails at a beautiful place and enjoy the day and grea...

Erin Shaw, by her own admission, is not fast.  She has come in last more than once, she has been cutoff more than once, she has just made the cutoff with 8 minutes to spare, more than once, but Erin gets it done and she savors the moments along the way.  Whether it’s taking on multiple-day trail races in rugged backcountry areas like the Scottish highlands, or battling cancer and coming out the ot...

Anyone remember the old days when you had to go to the library, to find the information you needed?  These days, a simple Google search or a look on YouTube and you can usually find it.  I began posting videos on YouTube as a reference for folks to see trail races, courses, areas and experiences, and to show my family and friends what I was up to.  Well, so did my guest today, Kevin Swift. Kevin,...

I am not quite sure why they agreed to be on my humble little podcast, but I'll take it. Today, I am honored to be joined by Dylan Harris and Drew B Darby.  Dylan is a well-known filmmaker, and the creator/director of the feature film, The Chase, that covered the 2024 men's race at the  Cocodona 250.  Drew, also has quite the resume, with clients that include household names like Sally McR...

Jamison Swift, along with his wife, Lisa, is a race director in MN for the St Croix 40 Winter Ultra (BTW, bring your own sled), and the Fire Tower Trail Races. Besides that, he is an avid photography, active volunteer at races, a bike, run and sled adventurer, a musician, and quite frankly, a bit nerdy like yours truly. We cover all of that, along with Jamison and Lisa's amazing efforts to mak...

Season Two is here!! Yes, my loyal listeners, I am back, and so are my wonderful guests. My first guest is Tiffany Piotrowicz. At a fairly young age, she pivoted in her career and bought her own business. She has used her creative and marketing skills, and grown and guided that business into a great success, and now is using that as a tool and platform for bringing hope and help to her community....

The Boys Are Back! In this post holiday, episode, the boys and I discuss everything from dogs to race plans to bathroom re-remodels. Get to know about our plans for races and training in 2026 (likely to change by the next episode LOL), and get to hear to story of precious Hoka, aka TT, Erik's beloved little furry friend who he recently had to say goodbye to. And I would be remiss not to acknow...

Wes Cornett was born in Hawkins, Indiana...well, maybe not Hawkins, but basically though. While still just a kid, a bad breakup and a love of cheap tacos lead him to the military. After a 20 year career that included deployments in Bosnia and Afghanistan, his military career left a wake of hard realities...the loss of his best friend, struggles with PTSD, anxiety, depression, sobriety and his ment...

IN A TIME BEFORE FIREBALL...around mile 20, somewhere along highway 61 just north of Duluth, MN, Dr. Tonya hit a low in her first marathon, when suddenly four hands from the Reef Bar reach out with some much needed Jack Daniels. It was one of several inspirational moments that helped her complete her first of ten straight Grandma's marathons. Or there was the time when she moves to a new town...

This is Neeraj's story... He was born in India and grew up with the typical norms and traditions of his community, spending a few of his key formative years nestled in the foothills of the Himalayas, in the idyllic village of Nainital. In 1994, he had the opportunity to visit the US through an exchange program, and it was quite the culture shock. He ultimately stayed though. Settling in Louisv...

Alex met his wife Amanda when they were both in college.  They got married, and after years of trying, they finally had a child.  Tragically, while their child was still a toddler, Amanda was diagnosed with cancer and lost her battle to that relentless disease 16 months later.  In this powerful and emotional conversation, Alex walks us down the path of that pain and loss, but also through the tran...

Julie Anding, like me, is a cutoff chaser. I met Julie at Mammoth Trailfest where we both got cutoff at the summit of Mammoth mountain. It turns out that was not her first (or even second) time doing that. We get the full details on Julie’s history of running, trail running and chasing cutoffs. We also learn how Julie is using her yoga business and positive mindset to make a difference and help he...

The boys are back! And this time we are in the backyard. That’s right, we are doing this episode “Boulder Boys” style, recording it live in person in my backyard. And yeah, the audio quality is not perfect, but hey, there’s nothing better than hanging together with some burgers and beer and chatting about our recent trail running adventures. We recap Mario’s Continental Divide 50K with his brother...

This is the MAMMOTH episode you've waited so long for!! Finally, you get to hear all about my adventures at the 2025 version of Mammoth Trailfest - what will soon be called The Greatest Show On Trail! From hobnobbing with trail running royalty to the new amazing friends and fans I made along the way. I guarantee that listening will likely get you itching to sign up for 2026. Not only do you get to...

Amber Thielbar has been 'casually winning' ever since she started doing trail races some seven short years ago. In fact, her Ultrasignup results read like Tom Brady's winning percentage. Now, not all races go as planned or are as successful as others. We sit down and discuss how all this got started, what is helping her to be so successful, and we dissect her recent first attempt at the 100 mile d...

Hey, it's Dee Lukas day! Now, Dee may not be a back-of-the-packer, or a TRAIL runner (yet), but she is a dear friend of mine and my wife's, with a ton of great stories to tell. We cover everything from her running origins, to her multiple (try like 8) knee surgeries, to her involvement with a great Twin Cities organization called Mile In My Shoes. And dogs...we talk a ton of dogs. So get those Hok...

Dave Shannon is a numbers guy. In 1997, twelve years before anyone even thought up Strava, he began documenting his runs…EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM.  Since then, he has logged over 46,000 miles, 332 races, 172 marathons, including one in every state and four of the six world majors, 49 ultramarathons...and near and dear to my heart, a handful of DFL podium finishes.  He is also a race director for F...

It' s not the heat, it's the humidity!! Welcome back to the back of the pack world of Running Behind. In this volume 3 of Crew Access, I am once again joined by Mario and Erik. We have plenty of topics to discuss, including the hot, humid and muddy day that Erik and I had at the 2025 Afton trail races. Mario's attempt at a 100 mile week, including a 34 mile day to honor his 34 trips around the sun...

He may say different, but my guest is not your "average" runner or person. My guest is not a back of the packer. In fact, my guest today runs a 2:18 marathon (hey, that's like 2:08 in super shoes), has created one of the premiere North American trail race events, placed 3rd at UTMB...TWICE, made the Olympic qualifying multiple times and has come in the top 5 at the Wester States Endurance Run! So...

Mandy and Bill Hansel have created what has quickly become one of the premier trail race and sporting event organizations in Minnesota and the Midwest. Not only does their Storm Sporting Events provide first class and accessible but challenging events, but the mission behind it all is what really matters. From day one, they knew that it would be important that Storm Sporting Events be a vehicle to...