Community Trail Running

Celeste Ramage has made it a mission to let men know they can find support. It’s so personal to her because her partner Chad Evans suffered in silence and alone, and ultimately ended his own life tragically at the age of 34. She’s found strength and meaning in connecting with the running community and supporting Heads up Guys through “Chad’s Day for Change” , an urban trail race in Edmonton, Alber...

Well friends, this week’s guest is the best-looking guest I’ve ever had… OK, now I’m done with the hosting myself jokes ;) I’ve been having an absolute blast producing this show and the other shows here on the network. This journey has been so much fun. I’ve got to meet so many amazing people, and the fact that we continue to grow around here tells me the future is still just as exciting as it’s e...

Another year of awesome Trail Running Film Festival screenings has come and gone, and did we ever have a great time! My partner in crime, Jeannine Avelino , and the Executive Producer of the festival, Mathias Eichler , join me to wrap our season. It’s a blast chatting about what we got up to and how it all came together. I loved working with Jeannine and hearing about the film selection process, a...

Holly Grahn is passionate about helping athletes maximize their performance. The mental side of the sport is her specialty, and after she found ways to get more out of herself, she knew she wanted to do this for others as well. Leading Edge Hypnotherapy is her business, and she loves helping athletes get the most out of themselves. It was really fun to hear why she’s so passionate about it, and it...

Sean Carberry fell in love with trail running and wanted to get as involved as he could. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? It’s amazing how common some of the threads are in our sport, but how different people’s backgrounds can be. Sean was a great interview; he is passionate, knowledgeable, and fun to talk to. He shared about his role with the Perseverance Trail Run and the Cumberland Community Forest...

Dan Bourget is a self-proclaimed one-trick pony. And that trick is trails. He’s always on them. Whether it be running, racing, or volunteering, there is no place he would rather be. That’s how he ended up with his role at Devil’s Ladder , and he couldn’t be happier working with the small team of passionate race crew! It was a ton of fun hearing about him and his experience volunteering (his first...

Heather Anderson just wanted training partners and to bring runners together. She set out to create a safe space for anyone who wants to run, and now she’s loving the result. Body Art Run Club is giving her motivation, and she enjoys seeing the growth already. It was fun hearing about why she wanted to start the group and her insights into her community! The Trail Running Film Festival: The Last E...

Courtney McQueen loves trail running and everything around it. That’s why Run Like a Girl was born and she continues to grow it today. She loves to make the sport welcoming and inclusive and is always looking to support the community. Her passion was evident and it was a lot of fun learning all about Run Like a Girl and herself! The Last Episode: Crossing Lines: The Trail Running Film Festival: Sh...

Stag Leap Running is a non-profit trail running resource in Fernie, BC. They host group runs and races and love spreading the joy of trails. Lauren Boudreau and Jessica Gamey are honoured to carry on the legacy of Abi Moore, who was the founder of Stag Leap and died tragically in a motor vehicle accident. The loss was heavy, but Lauren and Jessica are sharing Abi's love of trails as they continue...

Carrie Scherkus and Lisa Sweetman work great together and the opportunity to direct the Ontario 5 Peaks races was one they cherished. The races mean so much to them and they wanted to keep that feeling going for the next wave of trail runners. They really want to make new runners comfortable while offering a fun challenge and environment for those who have more experience. It’s all about creating...

Haven Johnson found running as she quit drinking and the allure of trail kilometres and the community around it was so strong she felt supported and strong enough to stay sober. She felt safe amongst those trails and runners in a way she had never before. When Amanda Palmer met her at a local Capra group run, the pair hit it off. As Amanda learned more of Haven’s story, it was clear that this was...

Hans Kristian Smedsrød Engdahl wanted to tell this story and managed to find a way to do so within his own means and on his own time. He loved that athletes were training in his hometown and how amazing both the terrain and the runners were. It was a passion project that people are loving, and Hans is thrilled that it’s out there. Help me get to 2000 subscribers and sign up today! Film Description...

Carrie Highman is so passionate about telling stories that she and her partner, Tim , live the “van life” so that they can be mobile enough to tell them all the time. When the chance came to work with Stephanie Case and Sophie Grant , they were all over it. An emotional journey followed and Carrie is proud of the offering they’ve put out together. It’s part of the online film selection and I hope...

Allie Mac had long thought about this project, but it took a while for all of the pieces to come togheter. Max Haimowitz was the right filmmaker for the job, and they teamed up to make the project as they envisioned. It was fun hearing about how it came to be and some of the pressure that came with creating it. I hope you enjoy the chat as much as I did! Film Description: Allie races herself up an...

Edisa Zorilla kept showing up at her local Protect Our Winters meetings and events so often that they asked her to be involved. Her passion for the outdoors and sharing those spaces made her a perfect fit for the organization. She loves that she can be involved with her community and make a difference in the city of Edmonton. Making a difference at home and finding ways to preserve our awesome out...

Patrick O’ Leary tried to get into the Dipsea many times, and once he finally did, his love only grew. The chance to make the race more diverse and showcase where the sport wants to go was one that he leaped at. It was great hearing about his motivation for the story and some of the challenges they faced along the way. It was great chatting with another passionate creator and film festival entrant...

Billy Barraclough has a deep connection with fell running and so he wanted to tell the story in a specific way. Everything came together for him with the production of “Fellsman,” and now he gets to tell the story that honours the style of running and the region that mean so much to him. It was great hearing about why he wanted to tell this story, and I’m excited to share it today! Film Descriptio...

Milo wants to make sure we link to Born to Adapt , so that’s where we start, and I’m pumped to share our conversation about his film festival entry, We Belong. Milo was a part of the festival in 2023, so it was exciting for me to see him involved once again. I enjoy his insightful thoughts on what made the project exciting for him and why he wanted to tell the story. It’s gonna be another great ye...

Dick’s is a burger joint in Seattle. One of those IYKYK burger chains, and the thought of running a marathon between their 5 locations while consuming something at each one is daunting. Dylan tells us why he wanted to tell this story and how it came together. It’s a silly run, but comes from a deep place of meaning, and it was great to hear more about the project . Film Description: 26.3 Miles. 5...

It’s film fest week on the podcast. I’m always excited to chat with the filmmakers behind the stories we feature during the Trail Running Film Festival . This is a pleasure for me as I get to get excited for festival season and spread the word about what these great creations are all about! We’re starting with “ Becky Bates , Not a Running Story”. Scot Proudfoot and Lukas Neemeth joined me and it...

Yannick Vézina is the host of Pas Sorti du Bois , the Canadian Podcast Awards winner of Outstanding Francophone Series, and he joined me to chat all about himself and his show. It was so awesome hearing about his love for the trails and how much he enjoys his show and the community. I really love that his show and ours both won awards, as I think it shows what great shape our sport is in here in C...

Fred Jeffery is always outside. It’s a huge part of his life, and so the opportunity to host races and bring the community together is one that he takes very seriously. That’s why he helped start the Hillbilly Hustle and why he gets involved with so many events in his hometown area of Nanaimo, BC. They continue to grow in popularity and Fred is always excited about getting more people out. This ev...

Runner finds trails, runner finds trail running, trail runner finds trail running community, and trail runner wants to grow and give back to the trail running community. The story may be similar, but that doens’t make it any less awesome! For the crew behind North Sun Ultra , the idea was to bring that community together in the city of Edmonton proper. They love that their trail race starts downto...

Luke Tuttle loves exploring and sharing about his explorations. He loves the act of finding new places, and he loves the dopamine hit he gets from hitting “publish” on the articles he writes about these amazing places. It’s how he’s ended up with so much content at Ultrarunning Destinations and a book as well. He’s always looking for the next adventure, and he enjoys researching his new run locals...

I love the way Raziq Rauf writes and so I’m very excited that he is releasing a book this spring! This is Running will be his debut book and it was awesome to hear about it, and get an update on how is Running Sucks publication is going. Raz has a fun and unique perspective which excites me for the book. I’ve even made sure to order an extra copy so I can do a giveaway with our awesome little book...