Fueling the Journey: Emily Halnon on Joy, Healing, and Trail Magic

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Welcome to episode 106 of The Eat for Endurance Podcast! It’s been a few months since my last Athlete Nutrition Profile, so I’m extra excited for today's guest - writer, trail runner, and mountain athlete Emily Halnon.

Emily's essays and articles explore the intersection of running and the human experience, and have been published in a number of major media outlets. She also recently published her first book, called To the Gorge. 

To the Gorge is a beautiful memoir that Emily wrote about losing her mother to a rare uterine cancer and setting the Fastest Known Time (FKT) on the 460-mile Oregon Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) later that year to celebrate her Mom's life and help process her grief.

In addition to setting the FKT, Emily has run the Hardrock 100 for the last three consecutive years, finishing 6th female this past summer. 

Emily and I cover a wide variety of topics across her life, including:

• Her early memories of food and mealtimes with her family in Vermont
• Her time as a competitive swimmer and the positive nutrition influence of her high school coach
• Her transition from swimming to running, motivated by her mother's love of the sport 
• Emily's mental health struggles, including an eating disorder and depression, which coincided with her identifying as a more "serious" road runner and triathlete
• Her move from DC to Oregon, where she started trail running, began therapy, ditched her watch, and rediscovered joy in running 
• Trail magic and other treats on the PCT
• How she fuels during trail adventures as well as races, like the Hardrock 100 
• What she currently struggles with in her everyday and performance nutrition
• Her tips for how to care for yourself through hardship 

I hope you enjoy this interview as much as I did!

FYI, this is the last episode of Season 6. If you'd like to support my free content, you can:

• Shop using my ​affiliate links​ (e.g. ​EATFORENDURANCE20​ at SkratchLabs, ​EATFORENDURANCE15​ at Momentous)
• Share the podcast and rate/review wherever you listen 
• Join my ​Patreon community​ 
• Buy an ​Eat for Endurance hat​ - use code EFE15 for 15% off + free shipping

I’ll be back in mid Jan with Season 7! Wishing you all a healthy & happy New Year!

Links:

• Emily’s website and Instagram
• Check out my free nutrition downloads
• Fill out a new client inquiry form if you'd like to work 1:1 together in 2025
• Get in touch at claire@eatforendurance.com
• Music Credit: Joseph McDade

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