Clare is an ultrarunner from Englewood, Colorado and studied coral ecology at Princeton University, where she ran cross country and track. She taught English in Southern Thailand, while also establishing a swim and environmental conservation program. Clare began running professionally in 2016 after winning the Leadville 100. She's since won Western States (2019), CCC 101k (2017, UTMB series) and has the Fastest Known Times on the Zion Traverse and Joshua Tree Traverse. She's proud to be sponsored by Patagonia, Petzl, La Sportiva, and Honey Stinger. She is a fierce advocate for the environment who focuses on imperfect advocacy and local civic engagement. She’s devoted to advocating for the protection of public lands and climate change policy.
Links:
Hilariously Funny Video “Lunch with Clare Gallagher” on Outside TV
Embrace the Night, Race Recap of the CCC with Petzl
Changing Course, a 2017 REI Film about Clare Gallagher
Addie Thompson: Welcome to the Trail Ahead, conversations at the intersection of race, environment, history, and culture. We're your hosts, Addie and Faith.
Faith E. Briggs: We bring on folks from all walks of life to have real authentic, messy dialogue that can lead to tangible change.
Clare Gallagher: Running brings me so much joy. Even when I can't do it, even when I'm injured, I'm like I just can't wait for the day where I can go get 20-minute running. And my brain will be cleansed, all will be healed, I won't have touched a piece of technology for however many minutes. And I just love running, if anyone needs running hype hit me up, I'm your girl. You too can love running.
Addie Thompson: Our guest this week is Clare Gallagher. She's a trail runner and environmental advocate. And she became a good friend over the past few years. I first met Clare at a trail race called CCC back in 2017, a race she ended up winning casually. Despite having vastly different finishing times, I'll leave it at that, she and I have stayed in touch ever since it's been so great to watch her step into the role of athlete-activists over the last few years.
Faith E. Briggs: In this episode, we can do some super real conversations which we're able to do based on how well we know each other. We talk about the two costs of running since people always say things like running is free. We talk about group dynamics and trying to find a running community. We talk about whiteness, advocacy, finding your voice and being an imperfect advocate. We hope you enjoy this one as much as we did.
Clare Gallagher: My name is Clare Gallagher. I'm a professional trail runner, an environmental advocate. I work for Patagonia as a global sports activist, and I live in Boulder, Colorado.
Faith E. Briggs: When did you run your first ultra marathon? Did you run a marathon first? How did you find your path to doing this?
Clare Gallagher: I mean, I think the bottom line for me is that I just love running. I ran in high school, ran in college in New Jersey. And then after graduating, I moved to Southern Thailand to teach English for a couple years that is where I ran my first ultra marathon. It's honestly a very atypical way to get into elite ultra marathon racing, which it's not that big of a sport yet, but it is growing in popularity. And you see more people these days with my background, which is collegiate track. So I ran the 5k, I ran the steeple chase, which is 3000 meters, little less than two miles on the track. So I got quite burned out at Princeton, I mean, I ran all four years, but I struggled with injuries, motivation and other priorities.
Clare Gallagher: And so when I moved to Thailand, I kind of thought this is when I let go of running, this is when I started to get a healthier relationship with something else. And I happened to move to extremely remote fishing village a couple hours north of bouquet. And I had a lot of free time on my hands when I wasn't teaching, and what did I end up doing? Running. And it just was one of those things. I was ready to give up this thing that had dictated so much of my life, my identity has always been distance runner. And when I was basically put in a vacuum I didn't really have friends, I had a few English teacher friends, I didn't speak Thai. I was sort of bumbling my way through this beautiful, amazing place. And I decided the way I want to explore this is on foot. So I would spend weekends if I wasn't traveling to other parts of Thailand or something going on, two, three, four, five, six-hour runs and I would build up.
Clare Gallagher: And I was doing this without a coach, without a guidebook. Sometimes when I have really good wifi, I would try and screenshot pages of this amazing book, highly recommend it's by a fellow Patagonia ambassador, Krissy Moehl, And it's called Running Your First Ultra. And I would try and screenshot pages out of this book to be like, "What should I do?" Because I wanted to train for a race I signed up for in Northern Thailand. And it was a 80-kilometer race, so 50 miles. So I had come from never running a road marathon, never running even a half marathon. And I was I'm going to just go for it and run this 50-mile race in these basically the jungle with a lot of poisonous snakes, luckily didn't get bit.
Clare Gallagher: I mean, I'm obsessed with running, I can't hide it. If anything, I mean, it's been seven years since that race. I did that race in 2014 and I am still as obsessed with running, it's heartbreaking, it's amazing, it's also not the point to life. I've developed this I think a really healthy relationship with the sport. The sport has absolutely annihilated me, the activity itself I've been extremely injured from it. I've had heartbreak from it, why did I have to meet this person now? We have this breakup because of running and this stupid race I had. It's infiltrated every single crevice of my life, and I can't thank the activity enough.
Clare Gallagher: And obviously with the activity, there comes a community. I probably wouldn't be talking to both of you, Addie and Faith right now if it weren't for running. And so when I say the activity running, yes, but it's also this community and it's such an accessible sport. Running is simple on the whole, once you get into ultra running, it gets a little more complex with logistics and the time you need, so ultra running, the community, it's not quite as socioeconomically diverse as I would love to see it just because the sheer number of hours you need to devote to training and paying for races and stuff. But on the whole running is it's as good as it gets.
Addie Thompson: On access, like the access piece for a second, it sounded like you were really leaning on Krissy Moehl's book and maybe some other running knowledge you'd had from your high school and college years. But I've always thought it's just a pair of running shoes, and then I'm realizing but ultra running specifically yes, trail access, physical access is one piece. But it's also the more we talk about it, I'm realizing there is a community component that's very, very positive, and I love the community, obviously I've met both of you through that. And it's also I wonder what that feels to not be in that community and to kind of needing to be seeking access there?
Clare Gallagher: I think it should be stated that ultra running doesn't require just a pair of shoes, it requires some way to hold your water. So whether that's $150-hydration pack, it requires food. So you might be buying gels, which costs two bucks a piece, clothing that is comfortable, oftentimes like a lot of high-tech running apparel. And then if you want to race, there's the race registration fees, there's travel to and from races. So that's the financial component, right? But then you also have the social component of, well one, where do you live? And is there a trail running or ultra running group in your area? Most cities areas in the U.S. probably not, unfortunately.
Clare Gallagher: And I think ultra running is one of those sports where you really do want a community, a lot of this stuff is kind of stupid. Why would you run 100 miles? Why? Why? Who came up with this dumb idea? Especially in terms of just the race component, I get that there are indigenous cultures that have used ultra running through spiritual means. But the way I run, I do find it spiritual, but it's not part of my cultural identity in the same way, the reality is I'm running for myself, I'm running races to compete. I absolutely love it, but I definitely rely on these people around me who think that these ideas are also good ideas.
Clare Gallagher: Going back to your question, Addie, I think a lot of allowing someone to feel comfortable, how do I get into the scene? How do I meet these people? The first step is showing up. And I'm fortunate that I don't have any problems showing up, just it's my personality. It's easy for me to show up into groups, often the groups, it's people who look like me. And I've thought a lot about the trail running groups I run with, whether it's in Boulder or other places, what are we doing to make sure that people feel comfortable here?
Faith E. Briggs: I feel this conversation I have so many thoughts, and this is going to sound such a strange statement, probably to a lot of people and to our listeners, I still feel like I'm on the outs. And I've had a full-page spread article in Trail Runner Magazine me.
Clare Gallagher: You've been on the cover, you've literary been on the cover.
Faith E. Briggs: Of women's running?
Clare Gallagher: Yeah, women's running.
Faith E. Briggs: And I still, I still feel on the outs, I still show up to groups and I feel uncomfortable. And I've shown up to trail runs before and literally had a panic attack, crying in the back of this thing and trying to get myself together. I struggled to show up to things, even though I'm a gregarious, I'm an extrovert, I am a person who can show up. And I still think that for whatever reason, the act of running is so freeing and also so vulnerable. I think I'll say one thing. So after college, I started running on my own then I found out about different running groups around the world. And one of the things that was always really helpful was pace groups. I think with trail, there are so many elements that it's really hard to know what you're getting yourself into.
Faith E. Briggs: And when it's a big group and you don't know who's going to go at what speed, and maybe you don't know how long the actual thing is going to be an options, that are just we've got this group, this group and this group. And I see that so much with urban run crews where there's a walk group, there's a group that calls himself the cruisers. I've been to Charlottesville in New York and LA where they're like, yeah, my grandma comes out and she does the walking group, and I go with the medium group.
Faith E. Briggs: And people know exactly what their experience is going to be, and they feel in control and they don't feel that they're putting themselves into an uncomfortable position. And I think that when you through life every day, feeling you have to put yourself into uncomfortable positions and that maybe those positions aren't safe, or maybe you're going to be shamed or embarrassed, you don't want to do that with your free time.
Clare Gallagher: I won't lie, it bums me out to know that you've had those experiences at group runs. The best parts of trail running, I believe are the fact that you can do whatever you want, in my opinion, no one really cares. And I know that's sort of an opposite mentality of where you're coming from, Faith, in some ways. And it's taken me a long time to get there and I know it's comes with an asterisk since I've had a lot of success in this sport and by the traditional means of how we say success. But if we scratch all of that out and we go running on a trail, whether it's Central Park in Omaha or in Boulder, you can do whatever you want.
Faith E. Briggs: And I'll say the other side of my experience too is a community that's just been like, "You want to come run trails? Oh, my God, please come, we're so excited." The idea that there was like another weirdo out there trying put peanut butter on potato chips. They're, yes, let's go.
Clare Gallagher: Great.
Faith E. Briggs: I was doing an interview with Rory Bosio, and she was I believe that if we all run we'll be better humans, I believe that. And it was like, I do too, I believe that. And it's not that we think everyone should be running all the time, whatever, but it it's interesting just to be what does being in relationship with your body do for yourself and the world? What does that do for compassion? What does that do for vulnerability?
Clare Gallagher: Yeah, I'd agree with it too. And especially in the chance that our listeners who have felt intimidated at the thought of starting running and I'm talking one mile, one mile is totally worth it. If you get out for five minutes that counts. Everyone can decide what running means to them, whether you listen to music, great. Whether you want silence, great. Whether you want 25 other humans talking around you, great. Seek that out. And I see running as a way, especially if you go down the route of ultras or these longer somewhat ridiculous races, there's a lot of self-introspection.
Clare Gallagher: And I find it almost the closest I'm able to in my everyday life of sort of tickling this question that gnaws at me is just what's the point? Not what's the point of running this race but why are we here? Not to get too meta about it but I'm not religious, period. And so I asked myself, there's a ton of unknown in my life that I've chosen by consciously not being religious. And in a way, when I get into these really strange sometimes euphoric, sometimes dark places in a long run, I'm able to kind of be okay with not knowing.
Addie Thompson: We're so excited to talk about this super cool partnership. Merrell has teamed up with Big Brothers Big Sisters to address two topics we care a ton about, being outside and increasing access to outdoor spaces specifically for you youth.
Faith E. Briggs: Big Brothers Big Sisters creates life-changing connections for young people in the United States and Canada, and for mentors too.
Addie Thompson: The goal of the partnership is to break down the barriers youth face and offer additional outdoor activities for bigs and littles to enjoy together.
Faith E. Briggs: Merrell will provide shoes and gear and the partnership will bring more awareness and increase equity for all youth who may not have adequate access to nature, natural parks or public trails.
Addie Thompson: To learn more and find additional resources visit merrell.com/bbbs. On the topic of our partners for this podcast being rad, we want to talk about all the cool stuff Patagonia does through Patagonia Action Works.
Faith E. Briggs: Patagonia recently launched skills for action, a campaign designed to help you use your unique skills to much the needs of local nonprofits.
Addie Thompson: If you haven't heard of it, check it out from logo design to website work, to volunteer farm shifts and so much more. They make it easy to find a place to show up to do good.
Faith E. Briggs: You can find information about organizations in your area that are working at the intersection of environment, justice and climate.
Addie Thompson: And get matched with a grassroots environmental group looking for your particular brand of genius.
Faith E. Briggs: Learn more and get involved at patagonia.com/volunteer. Hey, listeners, fun fact. This week, our partners at Trail Butter want you to experience the yum, that is their product. Addie and I are huge fans, our favorite is the Maple Sea Salt Almond Butter. Try it out with a 20% discount for any purchase over 20 bucks, by going on their website and entering the promo code Trail Ahead. You have combined your running with advocacy, environmental advocacy, just speaking up and speaking out over the past few years. And how has running been a part of that? Did they feel they were separate things being an athlete and being an advocate? How do you feel about those two parts of who you are?
Clare Gallagher: I started running professionally in 2016 after I won the Leadville 100, I was 24 years old. I had recently moved back from Thailand to Colorado. And I landed a contract with the North Face and I ran with them for a year. And it was in that year, I found myself with this platform of why do people care about this? Why are people watching when I raised? And I found it strange, uncomfortable, but this was the same fall that Trump was elected, it was the fall of 2016. And I just started to sort of educate myself. I'm like, wait, why is everyone especially in the environmental world, that's my background, I studied climate change. So I was pretty had my ears on the ground to the climate world. And I was like, "whoa, this is really bad, this one person, this one administration could do what to the future of this planet and humanity and all of the other critters and species that we know and love?"
Clare Gallagher: And so 2017 was a very pivotal year for me of just honestly doing a ton of personal research. I'm like how does a senator get elected? Who is my representative? What are they voting on? How are we able to block some of these executive order rollbacks that the Trump administration is doing? And the only people who can change that are the people in power. And so in 2017, I just was started talking about this stuff on my social media. I started doing more in-person work with Protect Our Winners, which has taught me a ton, this organization, a climate advocacy org about how to lobby effectively, how to be strategic with your time. And so I've just been going from there.
Addie Thompson: I think what's also struck me about your platform and your messaging is how tangible you make the calls to action. And I think that that's something that is not always present on our various platforms or the folks that I follow or just in general websites or resources, I go to try to find information and then action items I can take, and that's not always there. So what prompted you to go that path?
Clare Gallagher: I'm not trying to influence anyone unless there is a greater purpose or reason. I just, frankly, am not. I don't think I'm that interesting. I'm not that interesting, I'd rather just be doing my thing and live in my life hanging out with my cats. But meanwhile, yes, I have this small little platform in this niche world of ultra running and everything is about a specific action. For example, we have this infrastructure bill. So I will be asking specifically in the State of Colorado people give Senator John Hickenlooper's office a call, and to say, please, please support this and support these elements of it. That's kind of how democracy works, right? We need people to be calling our representatives so that they make the decisions we want them to make. So that'll be a specific, I'm not stoked about the bill, but it's got to get done, we need that versus nothing.
Clare Gallagher: And then with public lands asks, those are sometimes a little bit simpler. I recently have been advocating for the Boundary Waters because there's a proposed copper mine on the boundary of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, which is in Northern Minnesota, most visited wilderness area in the U.S. And there's this garlic copper mine. I mean, I laugh because it's great place to put a copper mine in one of the few freshwater ecosystems left in North America, that's untainted. And copper mines are notorious for leakage, it's going to spill, it's not if it's when.
Clare Gallagher: So anyways, there's a bill in the House of Representatives, so we're talking DC federal level that we need to pass this this year. So there's an ask to go on, save the boundarywaters.org. Send a small paragraph to your representative. They do all of the internet things for you, so all you have to do is put in your name, your zip code. You could write a personal meshes, you can use the message that's already written. And I know some listeners are probably rolling their eyes like, "Oh, that's clicktivism." But the reality is these small actions have been proven to help things get over the finish line.
Clare Gallagher: The Boundary Waters is not in Colorado, but if my representative Jonah Goose gets 25 emails from some random people like me and my friends about please vote to protect the Boundary Waters area by retiring these mineral leases, they might look into that vote and make sure they're voting the way that they should be and what are their constituents think about it. So those are some examples of specific asks that I am actually grateful for social media to be a conduit to get these calls to actions out to people.
Clare Gallagher: Now when we dabble into more complicated topics of intersectionality and environmental justice, I'll be honest, I'm not the ultimate expert on that. I came at environmental activism from more of an ecological background, that's what I honed in on. And now I'm expanding, talking to people you watching this land, listening to your podcasts. And so I've just been going from there.
Faith E. Briggs: I want to talk a little bit about whiteness, like Clare as a white woman and your experience of getting more into conversations around environmental justice of traveling, of standing with indigenous relatives on conversations about sovereignty and things like that. How has your own whiteness shown up? Got in the way that uncomfortable? Caused you to feel you were making mistakes? Has there been guilt? How have you just navigated all of that?
Clare Gallagher: To be perfectly honest, I don't think I ever understood my whiteness until probably in the last year. I'm 29 years old. And I just honestly, I bow down to the Black Lives Matter movement and the environmental justice movement that has completely opened my eyes to other people's experiences. That in the past, I might've think, "Oh, I've read a book, I've read a study, I've seen a movie, I've traveled all over the world through running and through coral reef research." I think I know maybe what other people who don't look like me experience. And the reality is no, we need more education. I need to be quiet more and listen and ingest more information by people who have completely different experiences from me.
Clare Gallagher: I feel very humbled to now be aware that, one, I have to own my whiteness because I am white, and I don't feel that my whiteness is a bad thing. I think maybe there's been times where I've wondered how am I supposed to feel now that I'm sort of accepting my body, my family history, my personhood for what it is? And so I've gone through this interesting personal journey over the last year of wondering where my family came from. And I know no one might not care. "All right. White girl from Colorado, we don't care." But I personally feel asking these questions has been important for my journey when I'm hearing about where other people have come from or where a lot of African-Americans might not know where their history comes from and how painful that is and how unfair that is because I'm very fortunate.
Clare Gallagher: I know half of my family came over to America during the Irish potato famine. My name is Clare Gallagher, I'm very Irish. And I've started to learn that because my family is white, they got extra help just through this fucked up racial class system of America that people who aren't white didn't get, and that's not fair. And I'm accepting that, and I'm realizing that I have a lot of privilege that is a complete luck, it's not luck actually, it's built on systemic racism and that's just not fair, I accept it. And so what do I do with that? I know that I owe something to the system and make sure it changes so that other people who haven't been so fortunate can have a more equitable future.
Faith E. Briggs: Addie, your thoughts?
Addie Thompson: No, I mean, it's so interesting, Clare, because something that Selema Masekela said to me, I think it's in the podcast. He said, "You're able to talk to folks that we can't as a white person." I mean, I got emotional actually, when he said that because it was as if someone was sort of handing me this opportunity or this mandate, go do this, because this is the change that you can make with the voice that you have, with the identity that you are, or the race that you are being white. As you said, Clare, you said it so well, I'm owning my whiteness. And what does that look like moving forward? What actions can I take? And what change can I make?
Addie Thompson: And I think that that evolution has occurred for me as well, this past year, specifically in the sense of okay, I could dwell on how embarrassed or ashamed or guilty I feel. I mean, don't get me wrong, there's healthy doses of that on certain days, for sure. But I have also been very inspired by guests like Selema who have really described ways in which I think Clare, you and I, and other white listeners who want to be allies and co-conspirators how we can move forward in this and take up our specific ability to have these conversations.
Faith E. Briggs: It's very refreshing to be able to have these conversations with you. And from my understanding, none of us are going to go cry in the corner, right? About it and feel our lives are over and someone called us racist, which is what happens with fragility. And you learn to have those conversations and you learn that no one is trying to attack you. And I'm sure at times it feels that way, I've had people be like, "Oh, you said I was racist." And I'm like that's absolutely not the words that I used. I'm like let's talk about this. But when that's what people hear, it's really hard keep having the conversation. So I'm really grateful that they can-
Addie Thompson: If that's what they hear and shut down, if the parts that's shutting down that happens then that's conversation over and that's really hard to combat or to get past.
Clare Gallagher: In a way, I see it as an opportunity, lot of it's really bleak. What I've learned, what I've done on my own in the past year, reading tasks was pretty eyeopening for me. I don't know if either of you read that book. But if anyone is wondering how to get not super depressed about U.S. history. I recommend something that Faith once told me probably years ago, Faith. And I think it was along the lines of something what is your circle look like? Who are the people you're around? Whether it's in-person every day, or who are you following online? What movies are you watching? What podcasts are you listening to?
Clare Gallagher: And at the time, I probably was like, "Dude, what are you talking about?" I probably had some type of defensive feeling that I didn't share with you. I was like what's she saying? I've got great friends. My information I'm ingesting, I'm proud of it. And I think in the last year it's really hit home of, no, no, no, no. I can expose myself to so many more human experiences. It's not easy necessarily, but it's so worth it. People will open your mind, especially those who don't have the same experience as you who aren't the same skin color as you.
Faith E. Briggs: I've also been thinking a lot recently after reading Resmaa Menakem his book, My Grandmother's Hands, and then listening to other things by him. And his challenging in the sense that he uses the term white body supremacy instead of the word white supremacy, and I think that's also really hard for people. And similar putting him in conversation with Isabel Wilkerson who wrote Caste and The Warmth of Other Suns. But one of the things that he talks about is I don't think he used the term psychic violence, that's a term I get from Elizabeth Alexander. But the cyclic violence of that white people also have experienced over the years of being perpetrators of racism or being told you are the upper hand or you're supposed to treat people this way and those kinds of things.
Faith E. Briggs: And so I think about not only what is the world that the next generation of young Black children, what world will they inhabit? And the next generation of young white children what hate can they potentially be taught? What prejudice can they be taught? What can they be taught and what can they not be taught? How can we teach a very different way of looking at the world and looking at each other? And I think in that sense, I guess I look at that because it shows that like, we are all in this together if we're concerned about the next generation, how we all treat each other impacts the kind of... You don't like feeling white guilt, okay, how do you make us your kid don't have to feel it? What can you do in the world to change that?
Faith E. Briggs: Pauli Murray has a quote that I don't know perfectly, but it's talks about this racial justice fight is our inheritance, all of our inheritance. And I think that's really powerful. Of course, it also feels heavy and people don't like to have responsibilities thrust on them. But the idea of all of us have inherited this thing and it's our job to fix it feels less isolating, I think to think about it that way for me anyway.
Clare Gallagher: That is less isolating, Faith. Yeah, I do. And it's an opportunity, right? Let's put on our shoes and do something. Let's be good people, right? Which is so crazy. And we're all homo-sapiens, right? We all are the same as far as the history of the world and history of species go and we have treated each other so, so poorly on so many occasions. It's like homosapiens are gnarly species, but we can be better, right? I believe we can.
Addie Thompson: Thank you, Clare, for your insights, questions about life's purpose and candid thoughts on whiteness. These are not easy conversations, but as we've said, week after week, we think they're conversations we absolutely need to be having. Thanks for being an inspiration to both Faith in myself.
Faith E. Briggs: To learn more about Clare and follow her action items on climate and so much more, you can follow her @clare_gallagher_runs on Instagram. Make a note, that's Clare, C-L-A-R-E. You might also see her pop up on the Patagonia trail running account, check that out too. As she is indeed a Patagonia show running ambassador.
Addie Thompson: The Trail Ahead is created and hosted by us. Faith E Briggs and Addie Thompson. It's produced by Lantigua Williams & Co. Jen Chien is our editor. Elizabeth Nakano is our producer. Sound design and theme music by Cedric Wilson
Faith E. Briggs: Our podcasts art is by Shar Tuoasia. Check it out on Instagram @punkyaloha. Special thanks to our amazing teams from Merrell, Adam Koepfer, Lauren King, Will Pray, and Patagonia, Bianca Botta, Sasha Teniety, Clare Gallagher and Whitney Clapper.
Addie Thompson: Big thanks also to Trail Butter and Outdoorsy. And thanks to our team on the visual side, Tyler Wilkinson-Ray, Fred Goris, and Monica Medellin. Thank you for listening and for spreading the word. Follow the Trail Ahead on apple podcasts, Spotify, Amazon music, or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts. See you next episode.