In late-October of 2021, I travelled to Namibia to run the 7-day Namib Desert race, part of the Racing the Planet 4 Desert Series.

I ran a similar race back in 2015, the Grand to Grand Ultra, where we ran through the desert for 7 days from the Grand Canyon in Arizona to the Grand Staircase in Utah – while carrying all our food and other supplies for the week on our backs. I learned a lot in that first race which I couldn’t wait to apply to this one.

With a group of 30 other runners from around the world, I’d run 250 km through sand dunes, canyons, and moon-like landscapes in the deserts of Namibia. We’d battle extreme heat and high winds. All the while, we’d be carrying up to 18 pounds of supplies.

At night, we’d sit around the fire, we’d share stories, we’d learn about other countries and cultures, and would forge new friendships.

This is the story of my adventure.

The SwissPeaks Trail 360k is a trail running race that travels more than 360 km (224 miles) across the Swiss Alps, climbing more than 26,000 metres (87,000 feet) from Oberwald to the shores of Lake Geneva.

Runners have up to 160 hours to complete the race, refuelling at the 31 minor aid stations, with the option to sleep at any of the 6 major life bases along the way.

Starting in Courmayeur, the 330 km Tor Des Geants follows two popular trekking routes in the Italian Alps. The course heads counter-clockwise on the Alta Via 2 along the south side of the Aosta valley for the first half of the race, returning along the Alta Via 1 back to Courmayeur.

There are 43 aid stations along the way, along with 6 major life bases, where runners can eat, sleep and obtain medical care if needed, with a cut off time of 150 hours.

This interview first appeared on the Hillsound Equipment blog on June 30th, 2016.

Local brand ambassador, Jeff Pelletier, gives us the lowdown of this year’s Sun Mountain 100 km race and his experience as a fourth timer at this race hosted by Rainshadow Running.

2015 was my third full season on the trails and was by far my biggest. After running my first 100 miler in 2014, I wanted to raise the bar again by going a little faster and a little further, while taking care of some unfinished business and revisiting one of my first races, and testing my limits at a new style of racing.

This season wasn’t all about racing though, as I had an amazing summer of training that included a week in Colorado to pace a friend at the Hardrock 100. I also led my first two trail running clinics with North Shore Athletics, and got to be a part of Gary Robbins’ FKT of the Wonderland Trail around Mt. Rainier while helping on a film project with the Ginger Runner.

As I set my goals for 2016, it’s time for me to now take a look back at my 5 biggest accomplishments in my 2015 racing season.