Who can say they were able to spend 14 hours with their mom while participating in a sport that they love? That’s just what I did during Blackbeard’s Revenge 100-miler.
I wasn’t supposed to run again. Not really. I had a stent in my aorta—a rare thing for an active woman in her 30s. The doctors never sent me to cardiac rehab, so I had to figure it out myself. I started with walking. Then walking became jogging. Then, slowly, running.
Throughout my running career, I’ve had amazing adventures, opportunities to test my limits and travel all over the country for races, gained friends and made stronger connections. I even met my husband through trail running. More importantly, the trails and the community who shares them, have been my emotional support for years and helped me through many tough times.
The Trans Canada Trail is a 14,900-mile route—the longest trail network in the world—which stretches from the Atlantic to the Arctic to the Pacific Oceans. Most of us consider the 125-hour cutoff for the Cocodona 250 an impossibly long time, but It took Dianne Whelan six years to reach the finish line.
Riley Brady will tell you that one of the “least interesting” things about them is that they identify as non-binary. A few days before their record-smashing victory at Black Canyon.
The Grasslands Trail Run has always been a fast race. Over the years, many runners have earned a PR on the flat, non-technical course. This was why, after 25 years, I added the 100-mile distance. The course had potential with the right conditions and athletes.