Community Trail Running

Rene Unser has been bringing people together on the trails through PACE . She has a great team around her, which has PACE providing coaching and race events in the Kelowna area of BC, Canada. She loves being around her team and she loves sharing her love of trail running with as many people as she can. They currently host 3 races, and they are working on a new high alpine event for 2027. You’re go...

Craig Lewis and his wife Michelle , are the folks behind Running Tales . The UK-based publication loves to tell the extraordinary story behind everyday runners. Craig is a passionate person who loves learning more about the people running around him and sharing those stories through their podcast and written articles. It was awesome hearing how Craig and I have very similar stories in a lot of way...

Jeff and Warren Dudar are the race directors behind Prairie Sky Running . The brothers started Prairie Sky Running with Beaver Flats 50 (registration opened this morning at 7am for the 10th anniversary!), and now have a second race, Reesor 50 . They love the sport and getting people together, and they do so in a lighthearted manner. The races are tough and fun. They look to make memorable experien...

Fat Dog 120 is set for August 7-9 in Manning Park, BC, and it will be my first crack at this distance! I’m terrified and excited. A great spot to be. Erik Bird is the Race Director, and his journey to directing this race is a fun one to hear. His passion for the sport and the area drives him, and the race offers a remote and breathtaking ultra-challenge. Erik is proud of all the work Fat Dog does...

I am so excited to run towards a 100-mile finish in 2026! I am even more excited to be working with Team Run Run coach Andrew Miller once again to do so! He and I worked together while I trained for Moab Run the Rocks this past year, and so I’m really grateful Andrew wants to work with me some more towards my biggest goal ever. Andrew is also running 100-mile races this year, for the first time in...

Merry Christmas and happy holidays my friends. It’s an exciting day around here, and it’s time for our holiday special episode. The third year! The holiday special is when former guests share their funny trail running stories with all of us, and it’s something I greatly appreciate they take the time to do! This year is a set of fantastic stories that I know you will all enjoy and probably relate t...

Samuel Matte-Thibault is the Event Director for Événements Harricana and the only paid employee. So Event Director means all the jobs. And he wouldn’t have it any other way. He’s incredibly passionate about bringing the community together, he loves having a cause behind all the races, and he’s excited for the 2026 calendar. His description of the events they host is great to hear, and I think you’...

Mauro Campanelli and Steve Connor are the passionate folks behind Straw Dog Racing , the group that organizes Sulphur Springs Trail Race , the Western States Qualifier in Hamilton, Ontario. They are inspired to make their event as fun as possible and ensure runners have a great experience, no matter what distance they decide to tackle. It was so much fun for me to hear how much they care and how m...

Natasha Swartley wears many hats, but she never seems to be as happy as when she’s wearing hats that have to do with trails. As a medic or a runner, she loves being out there and getting the best out of herself and others. After working many years in the Navy, her leadership skills and no BS attitude allow her to be organized and supportive in her role as a Trail Medic. She is the lead medic at ma...

Community Trail Running is presented by Altitude Sports! Peter Cudmore met Red Isle Trail Running partner Kris at a race in 2023 and decided right away that they wanted to showcase what Prince Edward Island had to offer trail runners through their own event. They are a few years into the journey, they’ve added a few more events, and they’re pumped to be sharing trail running vibes with fellow isla...

Community Trail Running is presented by Altitude Sports! A big reason why Jeremy Rolle was drawn into the sport of trail running was the community around it. It was so much fun for him to be a part of it and that’s where his vision for sharing the sport with others starts. He just wants people to enjoy trail running as much as he does. As he continunes to expand what Heads or Trails does, fun will...

Community Trail Running is presented by Altitude Sports! Kristian Andres and his wife Nicole are passionate outdoor people who just want to get people on the trails. They both work in healthcare and know the benefits of outdoor activity, and that’s why they started organizing events. Although the races at Trails of ‘Toba weren’t the first activities they organized, they are certainly popular today...

Community Trail Running is presented by Altitude Sports! We are so lucky to have Cassandra de Winter on our latest version of The Long Run! Chantelle Erickson and I were so thrilled to chat with Cassandra about her family life and her running. She’s been finishing on podiums and setting course records (Black Spur Ultra), but none of that has been her goal, and that’s what makes her story so intere...

It was so good to have Shep and Kirsti on the cast once again. It’s always a treat to chat with them, and we were even lucky enough to chat in person at the famous Rum Runner in Coleman, Alberta. They told us all about the High Five, which is summarized awesomely in this post from Shep on IG: The High Five consists of peakbagging Turtle, Coulthard, Crowsnest, Tecumseh, and Bluff mountains. Shep wa...

Join the Community Trail Running Crew! Never miss an episode or post and be part of the community. Jon Ritter is a virtual physical therapist who specializes in ankle and foot care. He’s passionate about the outdoors and getting on the trails. This passion, combined with his education, enables him to work with individuals he has plenty in common, which fuels his work and growth. He loves the feeli...

I get the pleasure of working with Amy Reynolds and her skin care products through my real-life job at Rock Gear Distribution. runOn™ (a skin repair and antichafe) is one of those products. It’s a product that I really like, as it works well and is 100% natural. So I jumped at the chance to chat with Amy about runOn™ here on the show! It’s always fascinating to hear where the motivation comes from...

Brennan Fawcett finished in second place at the Divide 200 . Everything contained in that sentence is impressive, and yet it’s not the most impressive part of his time on course. Brennan and his pacer had an encounter with a couple of campers who will forever be grateful for the racer/pacer combo (even if they weren’t showing it at the time). I’m not sure “defend campers from bear” was on the map...

Janelle Schultz met Amy Alain, and it was an instant friendship. Both of them loved to run trails and foster community. Amy had a profound impact on Janelle in a short amount of time. Sadly, Amy was diagnosed with cancer shortly after the two met and passed away. Janelle and Amy’s partner, Phil, started Amy’s House in her honour for those having to stay in Edmonton for cancer treatment. They have...

I want to share some more about the amazing Galiano Island after yesterday’s episode with Kirsten Evanish of The Galiano Gallop , and since we’ve had so many new subscribers since July 2022, it makes sense to dip into the archive and share this once again. I will also share a podcast episode from the vault. I think this will pique your interest in the island and running there! An island meant for...

It’s so cool to see the Galiano Trails Society announcing their first trail race! Set for September 28, 2025, on gorgeous Galiano Island, the Galiano Gallop will feature a kids' race, 6 K, and 10 K courses on some amazing island trails. Kirsten Evanish is the race director, and she is so stoked to be highlighting the trails and the work GTS does. As a former member of the society and a lover of th...

James Duvall wanted to be able to raise money while being active outside of events. He found events would allow folks to collect money for important causes, but he wanted to carry that over to training and every day life. Trifundit was born, and now they are growing and looking for more ways to get involved and help great causes raise even more. It’s turned into a family affair for James and he co...

It’s always fun to explore with my wife Sheena , I’m always appreciative when we get to go check out a new race together. We did this in June when we went to “ The Wildness ” stage race at Panorama Resort . This was especially cool because Sheena doesn’t run, so it meant she’d have a whole resort to keep her entertained while I was on course at this event, how fun! I was thrilled to take on the be...

Cory Jennerman, co-owner of Run Guides , knew the beer mile event was quirky and fun, and he also knows how to bring people together to have a good time. This combo has led to some memorable events in Vancouver for runners and drinkers, and running drinkers(?) through “ Vancouver Beer Mile” . Whatever you want to call the participants, they certainly show up and enjoy the events that Jennerman hos...

Chantelle and I were super stoked to have Jacob Puzey on the latest episode of The Long Run! Jacob is a race director of many events, including the 5 Peaks race series, and he reached out recently with some race cancellations happening and wanted to chat with us about the back-end of races and how those sorts of decisions are made. He also sheds some light on what his event costs look like, includ...

6 Cities. 18 Performers. 850 Viewers. $1,500 Raised for Jasper. What a damn year! Thank you all for coming out. We celebrated our amazing sport and community in Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Crowsnest Pass, Jasper, and Canmore! Not only did we bring our community together, but we highlighted local performers as well. We had burlesque performers, magicians, theatre artists, go-go dancers, and music...