The Usual Suspects of Every Trail Run

I love trail running and look for trail races near me all the time. Instead of paved streets, I get dirt paths, hilly sections and if I am lucky, the route can be quite scenic with waterfalls and streams. When I run, I like to focus on my thoughts, the sound of my breathing and the sounds of nature around me. People who do trail running are an interesting bunch. I have met all kinds of people on these trails and it was on one such trail that i thought i would write about the different personalities I often meet on the trail. I have done different trails in different places, but somehow still meet the same personalities.

The Serious  Granny
The serious old granny overtakes you when you are struggling with the uphill sections of the trail. You can tell she has been trail running for a while because she carries herself with the confidence of someone who has buried every doubt about her ability decades ago. Don’t let her age fool you. She has a consistent pace that she maintains throughout and when everyone else is gasping, she is still going strong. You will spend the rest of the race trying to catch up with her and asking yourself why you keep torturing yourself in this way.

The Full Face Beat Crew
There is the young woman who has a full face of makeup, complete with size 16 eye lashes. She is most likely going to be with two or three other friends, all looking glamorous. This group is not really running, they walk for most of the race  discussing Jonasi Gomora with the kind of passion that makes you forget how tired you are. Occasionally they stop for a photo opportunity at a scenic point, because if there is no picture, did the race even happen?  They cross the finish line looking fresher than when they started.

The  Amapiano Guy
Then there is the middle aged guy who is listening to Amapiano without earphones, speaker turned all the way up. You try as much as possible to accelerate so you can run without the noise, but this person seems to be using you as his pace setter, matching your speed step for step. Every time you slow down to catch your breath, they do the same. By kilometre five you have accepted your fate and are now running to the beat, wondering if you should thank him for providing a soundtrack for the trail.

The Future Professional
There is also the young boy who is clearly serious and is probably going to become a professional one day. He runs with the kind of discipline you did not know teenagers still had; controlled breathing and eyes fixed somewhere far ahead. He is very respectful and even cheers others on as he runs, throwing out a quick well done or almost there to strangers twice his age. You wish you could film this because in ten years you want to say you ran alongside him before he was famous.

The Reluctant Partner
Then there is the reluctant partner, dragged along by a significant other who insisted this would be a fun weekend activity. He is not dressed for a race, he is dressed for the couch he wishes he was still on. Every uphill is accompanied by a visible internal debate about whether the relationship is worth this. He walks most of it, phone in hand, occasionally shouting encouragement to his partner from several hundred metres behind while silently plotting how he will get out of the next one. You will see him again at the finish line, arms crossed, telling anyone who will listen that he is never doing this again.

The Overzealous First Timer
The first timer is easy to spot because they have clearly done their research. They have the right gear and a hydration pack that looks like it belongs on a Mt Kilimanjaro expedition. The only problem is they start like Usain Bolt, forgetting this is a 15km race and your starting speed isn’t that important. By kilometre three, reality sets in and the legs that sprinted past everyone at the start are now negotiating a truce with the rest of the body. You will overtake them somewhere, exchanging a knowing look that says we have all been there.

Yes there are every day life  lessons to be learnt on a trail run. Hebrews 12 vs 1-2 (New Living Translation) says:

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.

The writer of Hebrews says strip off every weight and on the trail and in life that weight looks like distraction. You start with a clear goal and a clear plan of what you would like to achieve and then the Overzealous First Timer’s sprinting in the first kilometre makes you want to compete and run just as fast or The Reluctant Partner’s complaints get to you and start draining your energy. None of that weight was yours to carry in the first place and every kilometre you spend managing someone else’s race is a kilometre stolen from your own.

Verse 2 says run with endurance. Endurance is not for the easy stretch of the trail or life. It is for the sections when your legs get heavy and when quitting would be reasonable and nobody would blame you. Even in those seasons we are told to endure and to keep going. We are not promised an easy race, but one worth finishing if we keep going.

Gratitude: this week I am grateful for life and everything it brings my way. The flat stretches, the climbs, the downhill and everything in between. Knowing I never have to do any of it alone is something I am grateful for.

On my playlist is Minister GUC’s Obinigwe. Obinigwe means He Who Lives In The Heavens or God of Heaven in Igbo, a language spoken in Nigeria. This song was released four years ago and I can’t believe I only got to know of it in 2026. It’s a great worship song that declares God as the  supreme and ultimate sovereign power over everything.

Gratefully