Paul Lott
Purposeful Pace: In your journey as a trail runner, what are you truly running towards?
My journey into trail running started as an unintentional act of self-preservation. About ten years ago, I found myself trapped in a very toxic and abusive relationship in Australia that I desperately needed to escape. My confidence and self-worth had been destroyed, and I couldn’t find the inner strength to reclaim what I had lost and leave the person that was causing me so much harm.
On a cloudy autumn afternoon, I found an old pair of running shoes that had fallen behind the air conditioning unit on my verandah. I dusted them off, squeezed the toe boxes to check for spiders (mandatory Australia precautions), and slid them on my feet. Without even realizing that I was about to go for a run, I stamped out my last ever cigarette and snuck out the back door.
As an avid hiker, I was quite familiar with the trail network in the surrounding bush, so I slowly made my way to the closest trailhead. Once there, a feeling of sheer desperation welled up inside me and I involuntarily started to run. I ran and ran, cried a bunch, then ran a little more. Hours later, I finally returned home after completing eighteen kilometers on my first-ever trail run.
I was equally shocked by how far I had gone and how badly I had destroyed my legs. This first run absolutely gave me shin splints, but the pain didn’t keep me from doing the same thing the following day and the day after that until running became routine. The freedom and empowerment I gained through trail running provided me with the realization that maybe it was possible to escape the horrible situation I found myself in after all.
In less than a year, I had completed the Gold Coast half marathon, two 25 km trail races, and pushed myself to run nearly a full marathon on my local trails. I regularly found myself running past perfect surf without a care in the world, which, to me, indicated that a serious transformation was happening within my heart and mind. At the end of my first year as a trail runner,
I had reclaimed enough inner strength to finally leave the abusive relationship that had crushed my life for far too long.
In 2015, I decided it was finally time to leave Australia and follow my dreams of teaching English abroad, so I booked a one-way ticket to Hanoi, Vietnam. To make the adventure of moving abroad even spicier, I signed up for my first ultra, the Vietnam Mountain Marathon 70k prior to my departure. Training for an ultra in Hanoi is no joke. Fast forward…Less than a week after completing the race, I went out for a well-earned beer with my flatmate who, that night, introduced me to the love of my life, Saskia (a Montrealer), to whom I’ve been married for the past 6 years. Life sure is funny sometimes.
So, to finally answer the question at hand, I’ve always been running towards a more authentic self, empowerment, and emotional fortitude. Trail running caused a seismic shift in the way I view myself and reminded me how incredibly capable I am to do really hard things and come out the other side stronger than ever before.
Life’s Landscape: How has the act of running, especially on trails, shaped and enhanced the contours of your life?
I grew up surfing and spent over 25 years attending to my obsession. Every decision I made, every country I traveled to, and the overall trajectory of my life, was dictated by the pursuit of waves. I lived a very one-dimensional life, so to speak. As I previously described, trail running entered my life by accident, albeit a very welcomed one. Spending time on the trails motivated me to move beyond the salt and sand to experience other, equally beautiful parts of our earth.
Exploring these new spaces bestowed within me a happiness that was more authentic and intrinsically satisfying than anything I’d ever known before. Now, at 39 years old, I’ve never been so healthy and fit. My 20-year-old self never would have guessed…haha.
I remember that my first “personal” reason for trail running (outside of the aforementioned) was to simply move more efficiently through nature. Trail running has provided a space for me to develop a more holistic relationship with the natural world in which I live. Sure, seeing whales, dolphins, and the odd shark while surfing was, and still is, awesome, but I quickly discovered how much beauty I was missing by only spending time in the ocean. By developing a relationship with the forest and mountains, I started to understand
the interconnectivity of both ecosystems, the animals that lived there, and eventually, the people who inhabited them as well. This revelation is what initiated a movement towards embracing environmentalism, which is now my primary focus as an educator.
Endorf Essentials: Out of all the Endorf products tailored for runners, which one resonates with you the most and why?
As someone who struggles heavily with generalized anxiety, lion’s mane is my go-to Endorf product. I have a bottle on my desk at work and I drop lion’s mane into my water every morning. By combining lion’s mane with the mindfulness practices I’ve been developing, I’ve noticed a decrease in my overall anxiety, but I still struggle with acute attacks. Every step forward helps!
Mycological Explorations:
Within the diverse world of mushrooms, which varieties have you explored for their benefits? Have you ventured into the realm of psychedelics, and if so, how has that influenced your perspective?
Oh boy. Outside of the mushrooms you find on your plate, I’ve had a long relationship with purple caps stemming from cow patties. When I was in my late teens and early 20’s, I lived a pretty wild and unhealthy life full of drugs and psychedelics. Growing up in Florida, mushroom picking was something we did regularly during the hot and humid summer months. Gobbling down handfuls of psilocybin was geared more towards getting super off my head and less about any sense of spiritual discovery. Nonetheless, psychedelic mushrooms certainly helped to shift my world view and challenged my notion of reality. Or maybe that was LSD…
Author's Note: This article is more than just a story; it's a journey through trials and triumphs, a testament to the transformative power of nature and the human spirit. As you reflect on the paths taken and the trails yet to be explored, remember that every step is a part of a larger journey towards self-discovery and empowerment.
We invite you to share your own experiences and thoughts in the comments below. How have your adventures, whether on the trails or through life's metaphorical forests, shaped your journey? Your stories inspire us and others in our community.
Happy Trails and Transformative Journeys
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