My path to trail running began mostly out of a desire to stay fit and find a competitive outlet. In a past life, I was a professional road cyclist and after retiring from competition in 2021, I quickly learned that sitting at a desk 8hrs a day is a terrible way to maintain fitness. This somewhat existential crisis led me to sign up for a trail half marathon which quickly turned into a (very) humbling walk in the woods. Despite the wheels coming off, I was hooked and soon began training and competing more regularly.
In July 2022, my wife and I moved from Colorado to Bloomington to be closer to her family as we were expecting our second daughter that October. Having never lived in the Midwest, I didn’t really know anyone and joined ITRA mostly to meet people.
Do you have a favorite memory with the ITRA?
Last year’s Winter Fun-N-Run stands out most. Having never seen the whole community in one location, it was great to see everyone come together. Despite my competitive background, I believe community events–like the Fun-N-Run–where people can converse and interact with folks who share a common interest is what really attracts people to groups like ITR.
My wife and I ventured down to Asheville last year for the Seven Sisters 25k. For those who don’t know, Asheville has a pretty stout running scene and it was remarkable to see just how fast some people can run on trails–especially downhill.
Kristen and I are hoping to make it down to Kentucky for the Red River Gorge Ultra in April. Can’t say I’ve started training yet but carpe diem starts tomorrow.
It’s not a trail or a race but I would love to go hiking in Patagonia. If I had to pick a spot stateside, I’d go with the Pacific Northwest.
As I think about future goals for ITR two things come to mind: membership and community.First, regarding community, I want to create more outlets for our members to 1) interact with one another and 2) interact with the ITR community as a whole. This can be achieved through more formal/informal events (i.e., weekly training runs, social gatherings, races) and social media outreach (i.e., Strava, Instagram, Slack). It is important to the board and me that you get as much value from your membership as possible. If we are not doing everything we can to connect each of you with our best asset—our community—then I don’t see how we are accomplishing that goal.
Next, I’m committed to growing our membership. I encourage you to introduce ITR to people who are casually interested in trail running. Whether it be a race or a weekly run, the more people we expose to our community, the more folks will be willing to become members. Our Winter Fun-N-Run on February 15th is a great opportunity for people to experience trail running firsthand, so please encourage others to join us! Last year was our largest turnout, and I’m eager to make this year even better.
Finally, I want to hear from you! If you have any recommendations on how the board and I can make ITRA better, please don’t hesitate to share your thoughts. WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!