I started trail running in October of 2013. So I'm a newbee to the sport. I don't have much running history, but I love being outside. I've done quite a bit of hiking, and in 2012 I trekked in the Nepal Himalayas for 5 weeks.
It is really my trip to Nepal that got me here to trail running. There is a lot of poverty in Nepal. Poverty that I had never really witnessed before. It's one thing to see it on TV, or see photos in magazines, and it's quite another thing to see it right in front of you with your own two eyes. When I returned back to Canada in November of 2012 I knew that I needed to do something. I had so many thoughts and ideas about what I could do, but they all involved a lot of risk. So finally, just about one year later I came to the conclusion that the best thing I could provide was money to a well run organization that was already organized and focusing on things that I thought were important. It was at this time that I thought that ultra running could be my vehicle for raising money.
That has been my motivation and drive. The event is the Squamish, BC, Canada 50km in August of 2014. I will run it as a fundraiser for Room to Read. An organization that focuses on educating women and children across the developing world.
What I didn't really expect to happen, is how much I love trail running. When I'm out running, either with a group of people, or on my own, I feel freedom. I feel happiness. It's not the running, (because I could care less to run on the road for any distance), but the combination of running, physical activity driving me to the extremes, being outdoors, mountains and a sense of adventure that draws me to this sport. Love it!! Why do you run?
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