Rhys Desmond

Jackass 31K @ Javelina – Race Recap – Alone in the dark 🔦

I treated this trip like an adventure. I didn’t have an exact time or place goal. I just wanted to have fun. And despite all the darkness of the race, there was a whole lot of adventure light. Here is my race recap of my 4th place finish at Javelina Jackass 31K!

Weekly Newsletter – Constructing your 2026 Racing Calendar

As 2025 comes to a close, many of you have already given your racing plans for 2026 some significant and serious thought. After making sure you’ve taken enough time to celebrate the season that was, here is what you should keep in mind when constructing your 2026 racing calendar!

Weekly Newsletter: My favourite workouts of 2025

As the year starts to come to a close, I reflect upon my favourite workouts of 2025.

Weekly Newsletter – The biggest lesson I learned each year on the trails

As another year of training racing starts to approach its end, I reflect on the biggest lessons I’ve learned in each of my years in the sport of trail running so far!

Weekly Newsletter – Post-Race Blahs & Blues

After the high of a race, it’s inevitable that you may experience a low. Here is everything you need to consider to avoid falling into the trap of the post-race blahs and blues!

Training theories for a shorter, faster race

As I gear up towards my next few shorter races and coach many athletes doing the same, I wanted to share some thoughts on the training theories for a shorter race taken from my most recent training block – leading into the Harricana 28K.

Weekly Newsletter – The 80/20 Rule & Analyzing Heart-Rate Zones

If you’ve consumed any endurance content within the last few years, you’ve likely heard about the ‘80/20 rule’. It’s a great starting place, but requires a lot more nuance and knowledge of heart rate zones than at first glance. Here is how to analyze your own heart rate data, using examples from mine as a…

Ranking every shoe I tried in 2025

After using Saucony all my life, I became increasingly annoyed about how little the shoes lasted on the trails. As a result, I explored six different shoes from five different brands this year. Here is my ranking of all the shoes I’ve tried in 2025, from bottom to top!

Weekly Newsletter – The best reflective exercise I do before every race

This exercise works in written form for those that enjoy writing or journaling like me, but it can also simply be done as a visualization exercise.

My unsolicited takes on elite trail running culture & racing in Canada – 2025 Edition

Here’s an article no one asked for, and perhaps one that could spark debate and maybe even hate! But I’ve seen a lot of stuff this year that gives me pause, and none of it could make for an entire article on its own. So here are my top takes in the elite trail running…