Community Trail Running Adam Lee

“I couldn't do it without my wife and a whole host of volunteers, of course, dedicated volunteers that have been with me from the start. It is really a labour of love.”

Bryan Wallace started running later in life but enjoyed it thoroughly. We loved the challenge and the community. So as he got older and his body wasn’t able to keep trail running, he started hosting runners and putting them through tough challenges with Rivers Edge Running Series. It’s something he is enjoying and that’s led him to organize three different races. Each one is unique and an opportunity for trail runners to come together and push themselves, including “Hill of a Run” which was recently hosted at Rabbit HIll Snow Resort.
“We basically run up and down the hill on snow after they're closed. We go for a 5K, two loops, 10K, four loops, or see how many times you can go in six hours. 160 m elevation gain it's just a small hill and the record in six hours is 19 loops which is quite significant. We get more people doing the six hour then the shorter distances.”
Bryan was fun to chat with and he loves the chance to share Debbie’s (his wife) baked goods and the trails on their property. I hope you enjoy the conversation as much as I did!
Alberta tickets available
I’m incredibly excited to be able to hang out with more of you and share the film festival vibes. Our dates are:
Tuesday, June 4, 2024, Edmonton (Garneau Theatre) $25
Wednesday, June 5, 2024, Calgary (Globe Cinema) $25
Thursday, June 6, 2024, Canmore (Partnering with artsPlace) $25 (members receive a discount)
Friday, June 7, 2024, Crowsnest Pass (Blairmore) (Frank Slide Interpretive Centre partnering with Sinister Sports) $25
Click on the links above for the FB event pages to keep up to date. Keep an eye peeled for official announcements as we will let you know the moment these become official and tickets are listed for sale. I’m so pumped to hang out with you all!
#Naaksquad
I enjoy the Naak products, even if the sauces took a few tries to grow on me. They get the job done and they don’t give me any issues, and isn’t that the point? So I applied to be part of the squad to get a discount on the products I plan on using a bunch. Reach out to me if you have any questions and I’ll do my best to answer! They give me a referral code, so I’m including that today.
If you’re gonna check it out, click through this link (CTR15 for 15% off), I appreciate it.
Listen where you listen
Spotify: Click Here
Google Podcasts: Click Here
Apple Podcasts: Click Here
Music by Paolo Argentino from Pixabay
We’re on the journey to 2,000 subscribers, help us get there!
If you enjoy this podcast, I would really appreciate it if you could like, share, subscribe, or comment! I’m trying to make this the best trail running podcast it can be and I certainly appreciate your time. Thank you all and happy trails :)


Get full access to Community Trail Running at communitytrailrunning.substack.com/subscribe

"It's good for the series. It's good for the sport. It's good to give athletes a shot in other places, to actually expand the series a bit. We made an effort to expand in Asia. North America in particular is somewhere we're really focused on. Really happy that we have Andrew's Meet the Minotaur race.” - Etienne Rodriguez

The Skyrunner World Series has 21 races in 14 countries, including Meet the Minotaur in Alberta, Canada. The series works in a few different ways with local races to expand, as partnerships generally form through mutual interest. It was interesting hearing about how the group expands the series into new places and how much management goes into that. Even though the series is large they still deal with the same issues and stresses that most race organizers deal with.
“Everything is so fast paced. If you're at an event, you have to have, you know, the images straight away, you have to press release in, you have to have the ranking done, you have to have the video cut, you have to do so many things as soon as possible. So that is also a big pressure.” - Seana Forbes
It was fantastic to have Seana and Etienne on the cast and chatting about the series. I like how they work with local races and race directors to expand their series, it’s awesome they’ve been able to expand so much this way. They are working hard to bring a vision to reality and I love the fact the vision includes athlete development. There was a lot to unpack here and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
Shoutout Anastasia
Thank you to our first founding member Anastasia from Washington! I can’t tell you how much I appreciate you folks putting your hard earned dollars into this thing and I’m so grateful for the support. Pumped to keep growing this with all of you.
Alberta tickets available!
I’m incredibly excited to be able to hang out with more of you and share the film festival vibes. Our dates are:
Tuesday, June 4, 2024, Edmonton (Garneau Theatre) $25 (Early birds sold out in just over 72 hours!)
Wednesday, June 5, 2024, Calgary (Globe Cinema) $25
Thursday, June 6, 2024, Canmore (Partnering with artsPlace) $25 (members receive a discount)
Friday, June 7, 2024, Crowsnest Pass (Blairmore) (Frank Slide Interpretive Centre partnering with Sinister Sports) Limited (75) $25 tickets on sale now
Click on the links above for the FB event pages to keep up to date. Keep an eye peeled for official announcements as we will let you know the moment these become official and tickets are listed for sale. I’m so pumped to hang out with you all!
#Naaksquad
I enjoy the Naak products, even if the sauces took a few tries to grow on me. They get the job done and they don’t give me any issues, and isn’t that the point? So I applied to be part of the squad to get a discount on the products I plan on using a bunch. Reach out to me if you have any questions and I’ll do my best to answer! They give me a referral code, so I’m including that today. If you’re gonna check it out, click through this link, I appreciate it.
Listen where you listen
Spotify: Click Here
Google Podcasts: Click Here
Apple Podcasts: Click Here
Music by Paolo Argentino from Pixabay
We’re on the journey to 2,000 subscribers, help us get there!
If you enjoy this podcast, I would really appreciate it if you could like, share, subscribe, or comment! I’m trying to make this the best trail running podcast it can be and I certainly appreciate your time. Thank you all and happy trails :)


Get full access to Community Trail Running at communitytrailrunning.substack.com/subscribe

“It's really unique to this area, Western Canada, because you're surrounded by boreal forest. You have a huge river called the Athabasca River that flows beside this park. You have sand everywhere and it's pretty compacted for the most part, but there's parts on the hills that have eroded a bit and it's like sand dunes. It's old ancient sand dunes underneath that boreal forest. I brought a friend up there and we were running on the weekend. It was a long run. I said, wouldn't it be neat to have a race up here?”

Monty McNiece loves being outdoors and he loves helping others get out there as well. That’s why he started the Klondike Ultra at Fort Assiniboine Sandhills Wildland Provincial Park. Monty enjoys the unique nature of the park and the chance to feature it through the sport that’s so important to him was an opportunity he could not pass up. He describes the park as very quiet and the trail network needing some TLC. So he thought that was a natural way to get more involved and work with the park to showcase what’s really there.
“I thought if we can create better trails and work with Alberta parks more people are going to go up there. And you see it, you see it on Strava. Now more and more people are running the trails up there. There's a lot of equestrian users as well, but, but more and more trail runners. It's neat to see, right?”
Registration will be closing soon, so check it out while you can!
Monty was really fun to chat with. He’s so passionate about putting on a good event and he lit up speaking about how much fun it is for him to see people finishing and accomplishing their goals. I had a blast hearing him chat more about this event and I hope you enjoy the conversation as much as I did! Will you be adding Klondike Ultra to your list?
Alberta tickets available!
I’m incredibly excited to be able to hang out with more of you and share the film festival vibes. Our dates are:
Tuesday, June 4, 2024, Edmonton (Garneau Theatre) $25 (Early birds sold out in just over 72 hours!)
Wednesday, June 5, 2024, Calgary (Globe Cinema) $25
Thursday, June 6, 2024, Canmore (Partnering with artsPlace) $25 (members receive a discount)
Friday, June 7, 2024, Crowsnest Pass (Blairmore) (Frank Slide Interpretive Centre partnering with Sinister Sports) Limited (75) $25 tickets on sale now
Click on the links above for the FB event pages to keep up to date. Keep an eye peeled for official announcements as we will let you know the moment these become official and tickets are listed for sale. I’m so pumped to hang out with you all!
#Naaksquad
I enjoy the Naak products, even if the sauces took a few tries to grow on me. They get the job done and they don’t give me any issues, and isn’t that the point? So I applied to be part of the squad to get a discount on the products I plan on using a bunch. Reach out to me if you have any questions and I’ll do my best to answer! They give me a referral code, so I’m including that today. If you’re gonna check it out, click through this link, I appreciate it.
Listen where you listen
Spotify: Click Here
Google Podcasts: Click Here
Apple Podcasts: Click Here
Music by Paolo Argentino from Pixabay
We’re on the journey to 2,000 subscribers, help us get there!
If you enjoy this podcast, I would really appreciate it if you could like, share, subscribe, or comment! I’m trying to make this the best trail running podcast it can be and I certainly appreciate your time. Thank you all and happy trails :)


Get full access to Community Trail Running at communitytrailrunning.substack.com/subscribe

“Vancouver, I'm so excited to hang with you!”

Mathias Eichler is the Executive Director of the Trail Running Film Festival and he will be here in Vancouver, BC for our Thursday April 4 screening! It was fantastic to catch up with him about how the festival is going. We touched on the quality of the films, what it means to have Brooks as a title sponsor, where he sees the festival going, and what he's looking forward to about seeing a screening here in Vancouver. He mentioned how exciting it is for him to see the festival in another city and feel the local vibes, like what we’ve created here.
“You've really taken the ball and sort of figured out a way of how you want to interpret what the Trail Running Film Festival means for your community. And I hope I can preserve that, right? I hope that I can find hosts and sort of build relationships with them that they continue to want to be able to do this in their way.”
We have enjoyed the process of producing an event for you all and this film festival is a real blast to work on. We’re grateful for those who are coming out and we can’t wait to celebrate our amazing sport with you all. Hope to see you all tonight!
Vancouver tonight is the night!
Thursday, April 4, 2024. The Rio Theatre. Doors at 6, show at 7.
Sheena’s Burlesque is in the house as our opening act…
Bring your noisemakers!
I’m so excited to host all of you amazing trail runners once again here in Vancouver, BC, and to have Sheena’s Burlesque producing our opening act! We have amazing sponsors lined up once again, some great giveaways, the awesome Deanne McDoom as our guest, and of course our opening act! Bring your cowbells, tambourines, or whatever you have to get loud, and let’s rock the Rio together!
Tickets are on sale now for $30/$35 at the door.
Our local sponsors:
5 Peaks
Coast Mountain Trail Running Conquer the Vedder
Distance Runwear
Ridgeline Athletics
Peaks N Valleys
Beast of Big Creek
Heads or Trails
RunGo
Naak
Mum’s the Word
Alberta tickets available!
I’m incredibly excited to be able to hang out with more of you and share the film festival vibes. Our dates are:
Tuesday, June 4, 2024, Edmonton (Garneau Theatre) $25 (Early birds sold out in just over 72 hours!)
Wednesday, June 5, 2024, Calgary (Globe Cinema) $25
Thursday, June 6, 2024, Canmore (Partnering with artsPlace) $25 (members receive a discount)
Friday, June 7, 2024, Crowsnest Pass (Blairmore) (Frank Slide Interpretive Centre partnering with Sinister Sports) Limited (75) $25 tickets on sale now
Click on the links above for the FB event pages to keep up to date. Keep an eye peeled for official announcements as we will let you know the moment these become official and tickets are listed for sale. I’m so pumped to hang out with you all!
#Naaksquad
I enjoy the Naak products, even if the sauces took a few tries to grow on me. They get the job done and they don’t give me any issues, and isn’t that the point? So I applied to be part of the squad to get a discount on the products I plan on using a bunch. Reach out to me if you have any questions and I’ll do my best to answer! They give me a referral code, so I’m including that today. If you’re gonna check it out, click through this link, I appreciate it.
Listen where you listen
Spotify: Click Here
Google Podcasts: Click Here
Apple Podcasts: Click Here
Music by Paolo Argentino from Pixabay
We’re on the journey to 2,000 subscribers, help us get there!
If you enjoy this podcast, I would really appreciate it if you could like, share, subscribe, or comment! I’m trying to make this the best trail running podcast it can be and I certainly appreciate your time. Thank you all and happy trails :)


Get full access to Community Trail Running at communitytrailrunning.substack.com/subscribe

“We're (Lethbridge, AB) a huge arts community and a huge sports community and so it's a really cool mix to be able to mix the arts and sport. So just excited to see some returning faces and hopefully some new ones too. What stands out to me from the event last year was all the socializing that happened before and after the film started. I just loved seeing that. I love seeing people out in the foyer, all the sort of chit-chatter and people, you know, getting excited.”

Chantelle Erickson is always growing her community. When she sees a demand for something that isn’t offered, she’s all over it. This is why she is a coach, she has a website, she’s a writer, she hosts the film festival as part of the Lethbridge Sport Council, and she does all that while training and running big distance events. She recently completed “Moab Run the Rocks” and had rave reviews about the event. Through all of this, she is a beacon of positivity and continues to push forward sharing the sport and the space she loves, and making friends along the way.
“I actually went the wrong way on the first day of the course because I was way too busy meeting other Canadian friends at the race briefing. I'm in the back socializing at race briefing while they're giving (directions) and just “pay attention to this tomorrow and pay attention to that” while I was I wasn't not listening but I wasn't listening. So I missed my turn on day one too busy making other Alberta friends!”
Chantelle is an awesome human and I really enjoy the chance to chat with her. Her energy is infectious and I hope you enjoy the conversation as much as I did! Chantelle is pumped for her showing of the Trail Running Film Festival and we sure are excited to get rolling this week as well!
Vancouver Trail Running Film Festival tickets available
Thursday, April 4, 2024. The Rio Theatre. Doors at 6, show at 7.
Sheena’s Burlesque is in the house as our opening act…
Bring your noisemakers!
I’m so excited to host all of you amazing trail runners once again here in Vancouver, BC, and to have Sheena’s Burlesque producing our opening act! Meadow Phorical, Ronnie Canela, Sugar Lestrange, and Sheena herself have been working hard on the routine, themed “welcoming a new trail runner” and it’s a blast. We can’t wait to share it with all of you at the Rio Theatre Thursday, April 4, 2024. The doors open at 6 and the show starts at 7. We’re gonna do it bigger and better than last year and give this thing a festival vibe!
We have amazing sponsors lined up once again, we’ll have some great giveaways, the awesome Deanne McDoom as our guest, and an amazing show opening act by Sheena’s Burlesque! Bring your cowbells, tambourines, or whatever you have to get loud, and let’s rock the Rio together!
Tickets are on sale now for $30/$35 at the door.
Our local sponsors:
5 Peaks
Coast Mountain Trail Running Conquer the Vedder
Distance Runwear
Ridgeline Athletics
Peaks N Valleys
Beast of Big Creek
Heads or Trails
RunGo
Naak
Mum’s the Word
Alberta tickets available!
I’m incredibly excited to be able to hang out with more of you and share the film festival vibes. Our dates are:
Tuesday, June 4, 2024, Edmonton (Garneau Theatre) $25 (Early birds sold out in just over 72 hours!)
Wednesday, June 5, 2024, Calgary (Globe Cinema) $25
Thursday, June 6, 2024, Canmore (Partnering with artsPlace) $25 (members receive a discount)
Friday, June 7, 2024, Crowsnest Pass (Blairmore) (Frank Slide Interpretive Centre partnering with Sinister Sports) Limited (75) $25 tickets on sale now
Click on the links above for the FB event pages to keep up to date. Keep an eye peeled for official announcements as we will let you know the moment these become official and tickets are listed for sale. I’m so pumped to hang out with you all!
#Naaksquad
I enjoy the Naak products, even if the sauces took a few tries to grow on me. They get the job done and they don’t give me any issues, and isn’t that the

“I just decided this is going to be kind of part of my life mission, to try to just be an open book and share my struggles and share the triumph over them, and help people realize that there is life outside of that. That's kind of how we got to be where we are now. I work a lot with people in recovery still to this day. And, just want to keep spreading the word that recovery is possible and we do recover.” - Yassine Diboun

Yassine Diboun was addicted to drinking in his early 20’s and the addiction affected himself and everyone around him. Things got quite rough for Diboun but he was eventually able to get himself into rehab and turn the corner. It’s not the most direct path into trail and ultra running, but Yassine found peace and solace through running which helped him in recovery. Suddenly Diboun finds himself looking back over 20 years to reminisce about the no-so-good ole days, a challenging past that remains there, through hard work and dedication to his sobriety. He’s also become an open book over the years, looking to help people in recovery and show them there is light at the end of the tunnel. It’s an inspiring story and a story that filmmaker and good friend of Yassine’s, Steven Mortinson, felt a lot of pressure to tell right.
“Being a good friend with Yassine, it's incredibly stressful because you've got this big weight. You want to tell it right.vYou don't want to mess it up. And so it was a lot of responsibility on me, I feel like, to just tell It true to Yassine.” - Steven Mortinson
Steven nailed it as this film is fantastic, and Yassine agreed. It’s a great glimpse into a real struggle from someone who we now know as a completely different person. It offers hope without judgment and I hope you all enjoy the film and this conversation as much as I did. Come on out to the film festival and see for yourself!
You can also check out Yassine’s Wy’East Wolf Pack here.
Vancouver Trail Running Film Festival tickets available
Thursday, April 4, 2024. The Rio Theatre. Doors at 6, show at 7.
Sheena’s Burlesque is in the house as our opening act…
Bring your noisemakers!
I’m so excited to host all of you amazing trail runners once again here in Vancouver, BC, and to have Sheena’s Burlesque producing our opening act! Meadow Phorical, Ronnie Canela, Sugar Lestrange, and Sheena herself have been working hard on the routine, themed “welcoming a new trail runner” and it’s a blast. We can’t wait to share it with all of you at the Rio Theatre Thursday, April 4, 2024. The doors open at 6 and the show starts at 7. We’re gonna do it bigger and better than last year and give this thing a festival vibe!
We have amazing sponsors lined up once again, we’ll have some great giveaways, an awesome guest, and we will be announcing our show opener that you’ll want to make noise for. Bring your cowbells, tambourines, or whatever you have to get loud, and let’s rock the Rio together!
Tickets are on sale now for $30/$35 at the door.
Our local sponsors:
5 Peaks
Coast Mountain Trail Running Conquer the Vedder
Distance Runwear
Ridgeline Athletics
Peaks N Valleys
Beast of Big Creek
Heads or Trails
RunGo
Naak
Mum’s the Word
Alberta tickets available!
I’m incredibly excited to be able to hang out with more of you and share the film festival vibes. Our dates are:
Tuesday, June 4, 2024, Edmonton (Garneau Theatre) $25 (Early birds sold out in just over 72 hours!)
Wednesday, June 5, 2024, Calgary (Globe Cinema) $25
Thursday, June 6, 2024, Canmore (Partnering with artsPlace) $25 (members receive a discount)
Friday, June 7, 2024, Crowsnest Pass (Blairmore) (Frank Slide Interpretive Centre partnering with Sinister Sports) Limited (75) $25 tickets on sale now
Click on the links above for the FB event pages to keep up to date. Keep an eye peeled for official announcements as we will let you know the moment these become official and tickets are listed for sale. I’m so pumped to hang out with you all!
#Naaks