Current Location: North Vancouver, BC
Brand: XACT Nutrition
Distances: Short-Trail / 50K / Sub-Ultra
Strava: Rhys Desmond | Profile
UltraSignup: Results
ITRA: Results
2026
5️⃣ Run Ridge Run 25K
2025
4️⃣ Javelina Jackass 31K
4️⃣ Trail Coureur des Bois de Duchesnay 34K
6️⃣ Ultra-Trail Harricana 28K
6️⃣ Historic Half Marathon 21K
🔟 Gorge Waterfalls 30K
2024
🥇 Sulphur Springs 20K
🥈 Ultra-Trail Harricana 42K Classique
7️⃣ Quebec Mega Trail 50K
9️⃣ Gorge Waterfalls 50K
⏸️ Squamish 50K – National Championships
2023
🥇 The Bad Thing 50K
🥈 Falling Water Trail Marathon 42K
🥉 Sulphur Springs 50K
UTMB: UTMB Index
2026 Racing Plan:
⏭️ Trail des Collines 16K
⏭️ Whistler Half Marathon 21K
⏭️ Squamish 23K
⏭️ UTHC 30K
Race-Day Mantra:
✅ Be smart.
✅ Work hard.
✅ Have fun.
RACES
Vancouver Sun Run 10K – Race Recap – Mario Kart Vancouver
Around 8K, I told myself “this is the moment to get that 10K best. It’s now or never.” I got a little more mushroom power-up in my legs but unfortunately no coins or star power. This managed to bridge the gap between the other dudes fighting in that Yellow bib wave as we continued to…
Controversy over start-line access continues at Gorge Waterfalls 50K
Race organizers of the Gorge Waterfalls 30K granted special start-line access to Nike ACG athletes, raising questions about fairness and consistency in rule enforcement at one of North America’s premier trail events.
How different trail races handle shuttle buses to avoid rule-breaking
Gorge Waterfalls has kicked off with controversy to start their 2026 event, after ACG sent their athletes to the start-line early, ahead of the mandatory race shuttle buses. What initially seemed like a cheating scandal outside of the race organization’s control has quickly turned into one more about transparency and fairness, as Freetrail admitted on…
Nike ACG athletes granted alternate start-line access at Gorge Waterfalls 30K
Race organizers of the Gorge Waterfalls 30K granted special start-line access to Nike ACG athletes, raising questions about fairness and consistency in rule enforcement at one of North America’s premier trail events.
How to pass in a trail race
One of the best parts about racing is the chance to see where you stack up against other people. While the focus always needs to be on you and your race, the dynamics of racing against other people is often what can make racing memorable and fun. But it can sometimes be difficult to pass…
Newsletter – Do down weeks negatively affect fitness?
While we’d all love to have a consistent string of weeks where everything comes together perfectly and everything clicks into place; it’s never that easy to hold onto that success for months on end. It’s natural for a dip to occur. It’s good for a dip to occur.
Those super good weeks are only…
Newsletter: How much trail time do you really need for trail races?
In any sport, I’ve long been a proponent of “game-realistic training”. The notion is that you need to prepare for the specific demands of what the game actually looks like. When it comes to endurance sports, this becomes more complex. What we need to develop as athletes is a well-rounded skillset.
Run Ridge Run 25K – Recap
I’ve never been so close to not starting a race. Had it been the day earlier, or the two or three prior, I might not have. But I’m so glad I started this race, as it was one of my best in years.
Weekly Newsletter
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Newsletter – Making the treadmill more fun!
The treadmill simply can’t compare to the thrill of running outdoors, enjoying nature, and the fun challenge of varying terrain. I enjoy treadmill workouts, but I don’t think I’d be alone in saying that I enjoy an outdoor workout ten times more in ideal conditions. With that, here are some of my top tips to…
Weekly Newsletter – Adapting your training in the winter
As you approach the Christmas season and the year comes to a close, it’s normal to fall into a bit of a slump with training. Here is how to adapt your training and stay motivated over the holidays and winter season!
Weekly Newsletter: Giving yourself an off-season
Last Sunday, I concluded my season with a historic half marathon (literally called the Historic Half Marathon).
I think I’ve often looked at this year’s races as somewhere within the ‘B’ tier, with no standout results, no podium finishes and no ‘A+’ days.
I’m inevitably hungry for what’s to come in 2026 and to put…
Historic Half Marathon – Race Recap
I don’t know what it is with my body. Why it always chooses the week of a race to get sick. Racing while sick isn’t easy, but I also need to get better at being uncomfortable. Here is what I learned from Vancouver’s Historic Half Marathon.
Weekly Newsletter – The Strava metrics that actually matter
Recently, I’ve noticed a wonderful trend with my fitness. My heart rate has continued to lower by the month, both on easy runs and workouts. Faster paces are more manageable than they’ve been in years. Yet Strava has continuously shown a downward trajectory in my “Fitness”. It’s easy to see that this isn’t correct. But…
Weekly Newsletter – The best fitness stems from a variety of stimuli
My greatest transformation this year has been really loving running on flat ground again. Running on roads in particular (which, actually, aren’t flat at all where I live), and the flatter paths that I might have previously avoided. And it’s completely showed up in my fitness! Here is why you need a variety of work…
Weekly Newsletter – Dealing with low motivation
As the 2025 racing season comes to a close and the distant goals of next year feel oh so far away, it’s important to continously check on your moitvation levels and ensure that you’re in a good place for when training starts to get serious again. Here is how you can resolve feelings of low…
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.
LATEST POSTS
- Vancouver Sun Run 10K – Race Recap – Mario Kart Vancouver
- Controversy over start-line access continues at Gorge Waterfalls 50K
- How different trail races handle shuttle buses to avoid rule-breaking
- Nike ACG athletes granted alternate start-line access at Gorge Waterfalls 30K
- How to pass in a trail race
- Newsletter – Do down weeks negatively affect fitness?
Rhys Desmond 