Running + Adventure = Runventure

Before there were races and ultras in my life, before there were run clubs and communities on my radar, and before there were training programs and coaching calls on a weekly basis, there was running and there were adventures.

I’ve written before about my evolution to trail and mountain ultra running, and while my story has evolved and needs a proper re-write, the thread remains the same: First there was the childhood thrill of running through acres of rural land. Then there was the teenage ache to move my body through green spaces — whether it was a wooded route around my high school in downtown Durham or along the trails of Carolina North Forest outside my college apartment. Then came the hiking and backpacking years, weekends where I left work on a Friday afternoon and returned home late on Sunday night smelling ripe and covered in chafes and aches but with a heart full of adventure. Then came the road running half marathon years — perhaps a deviation from my natural spaces, but also a key stepping stone to new adventures as I kept hiking on weekends but added more and longer runs to my schedule.

And then came the trail running days.

And oh, how these days have filled my soul with joy!

But while trail races are a celebration of training efforts, a time for community, and are a chance to push limits in a supported setting, I will always love my solo or small group adventures. These are the days where we head out to the trails “just because” — where we tackle some route or area that may have some hidden gems or unique challenges or lend themselves to stopping to savor the view or enjoy a picnic or dip into a pool at the base of a waterfall. These are the days where the whole point of the run is being outside on the run; no time limits or pace expectations, no awards ceremony or finisher medals, no peer pressure or social media exposure. These are the days that we run and hike for the sake of moving our bodies, when we seek to challenge ourselves physically and mentally in a quiet way, when the whole point is the process and the journey.

Origin of the Word “Runventure”

“Runventure” is a portmanteau of “running” and “adventure” but the intent is to be inclusive: I choose to use “running” liberally because I believe anyone who moves their body with intention along the trail is a trail runner. (But ultimately it’s up to the individual to decide whether to adopt this moniker and identity; it’s not a label or name that I will assign or force on anyone.)

I’m not entirely sure how the word got started; it’s possible I heard it in passing and latched onto the idea, or it’s possible it just sprang up organically. But in any case, it entered my lexicon and has been a regular mainstay over the years.

What Counts as a “Runventure”?

Honestly, just as anyone who moves on a trail with intention can choose to call themselves a “trail runner,” so too can any trail adventure be considered a “runventure”! A runventure is truly subjective. This is because everyone is on their own journey with trails, so for some people the first time exploring a local trail may be a runventure, while for other people it may be waking up before dawn for a big day in the mountains or a maybe even a running camp or multi-day stage adventure or slack-packing trip. This is the beauty of a runventure: it is exactly what you make it. The point of the runventure is to get outside — outside in nature, but maybe also outside your comfort zone. The runventure isn’t something easily defined or measured, but instead it is a feeling. Does your time on the trail incite a feeling of adventure? If yes, then it’s a runventure.

I’ve gone on countless runventures over the years, and organized a few for the Fleet Feet Trails program. We’ve done runventures for various summer trails programs at places like Stone Mountain State Park (NC) or Hanging Rock State Park, and the March 2018 Fleet Feet trails excursions to Hanging Rock State Park to run in the snow is one of the original runventures! This spring, we’re heading back to Hanging Rock State Park as our end-of-season celebration for the winter/spring trails program (I suspect Nora, the program director for the Fleet Feet training programs, is secretly hoping it snows again 😄) And with a couple solo runventures already in my legs for this year and more on the horizon, I’m excited to see all the runventures that 2024 has in store.

Have you ever gone on a runventure? Let me know about it in the comments!