Hey there, my name is Mariela and I’m the resident trail runner wannabe on the For Wild Places team!
I joined this gang of trailblazers early in 2020, after they’d all run takayna and started to formulate this wild, whacky idea — I came in bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, with not much experience under my belt but a whole lotta heart.
Over 9 months later, and big things are already starting to happen:
I’ve started training for my first big trail event in takayna in March.
I left my job at the incredible and empowering super fund Future Super to return to university where I’ll be pursuing my love for humanity through chiropractic studies.
And For Wild Places is still humming, and kicking some big goals as we go.
I see my role here as asking questions. The ones that come from a curiosity of my craft, social media, like how FWP can build a driven and impactful community. The big, curly ones about why we’re here and what we want our impact to be. The trail-noob ones about how to manage nutrition, or answering the calls of nature mid-run. And the powerful ones that explore how we might stand in solidarity with First Nations peoples as sacred, sovereign lands across the continent are being threatened.
As the trail runner wannabe, I’m here to learn as much as anything. So, please, if you consider yourself to be a bit of a trail connoisseur, I’d love all your tips and tricks, hints and hot takes. After all, it takes a village (to help a trail runner grow).
As we build this community, I’m hoping to be able to inspire anyone who wants to – no matter their running experience – to be a trail runner who just loves a bit of sports activism.
Can’t wait to run with you all.
Mariela
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