Narrative maps
I have always drawn inspiration from the wilderness. From the woods. From Big Nature. Since 2011, I’ve done around 50+ endurance trail runs (from 25K to 100K organized races, as well as self-supported 30- to 50-milers). In 2016, after completing the Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim, a 42-mile self-supported run in the Grand Canyon, someone asked, “What does trail running feel like?” Later that night, during the night-shift at a law firm in NYC, where I worked for 2 years to fund my less-paid pursuits, I put pen to paper. You’ll see that 8.5 x 11” drawing to the right. A week later, on a sheet of Kitakana paper, I recreated the drawing, the route, and the rendering. These maps are not drawn to scale, but the sensation of memory. They are an illustration of what it feels like to move for an extended period of time across land.
Top Trails Seattle
In 2018, the shoe company Hoka went to major cities around the country to film endurance athletes in their natural habitats, both on and off the trails. When they came to Seattle, they featured me alongside Brian Morrison, the owner of Fleet Feet Seattle, previous Race Director for the Teanaway Country 100-Mile Race, and beloved trail runner in the Seattle community. When I moved (back) to Seattle in 2018, I worked at Fleet Feet for six months, which is when this episode was filmed. Below on the left is the video that features just me and my narrative maps, while the video on the right is the full episode — Episode 2 of Season 4 of Top Trails — with Brian, which also features my fixation with unwords, and how running fuels writing (and vice versa).