Joy is...The Fuel.
Canyon and Forest Woodward are brothers who grew up in the mountains of Southern Appalachia and the North Cascades of Washington State. After childhoods spent roaming the woods and trails, Canyon would go on to forge a path as a championship level trail runner; political strategist; author, and climate activist, managing the campaign that would see his friend, Chloe Maxim, become the youngest female state senator in Maine’s history, alongside setting astonishing course records and Fastest Known Times on the trails. Forest trod a different path to become an internationally published and awarded photographer and filmmaker, with his work, which engages viewers in contemporary issues through a humanistic lens, featuring in The New York Times, National Geographic, Esquire and The Atlantic, and his films, Food Chains and The Important Places, receiving critical acclaim and screening in dozens of countries and festivals including Tribeca and Berlinale.
Canyon and Forest's footprints crossed this year, however, with the launch of the film Rural Runners, a meditative and intimate look at the incredible journey that rewrote progressive success in rural America and won two campaigns in red districts where they were expected to lose. The film epitomises what it means to show up in an incredibly relatable and raw manner that shines a light beyond the dark state of party politics.
It was so rewarding to bring the siblings together; their relationship really does encapsulate the love that infuses all of their interactions with the world and those around them. In this incredibly creative exchange, we reflected on: growing up in the outdoors and the connective power of Nature; being open to different pathways; creativity as a philosophy of being; re-connecting to body and spirit through running; the cross-overs between the different states experienced in training and racing and other areas of life; finding a voice for change; the road to engaging in electoral politics to address a divided nation; the power of process predicating outcome; friendship as a manifesto; the importance of the formative places and people in our lives; why we need more ‘public listeners’; mindfully amplifying the energy for social and political change within the trail running society, and finding joy within ourselves and each other.
Post-Script: Canyon did make it to the start line of Bandera 100km and came 3rd overall in a hugely competitive field.
Follow: @canyonwoodward @forestwoodward
Watch: Rural Runners; The Important Places
Read: Dirt Road Revival
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