Member Spotlight: Kris Kierulff
Kris joined Trail Roots in 2019 when he was looking to find community in a new city. Hailing from Washington state, he had dabbled in trail running as a lover of the outdoors. He moved to Austin in 2019 after a short stint in Houston after moving from Seattle to help in the recovery of his then partner from a brain injury. Since then he has become a big part of the Trail Roots community, running on Saturdays with his chihuahua/terrier Elvis leading the way and cooking for hungry runners after races. We wanted to ask him a few questions about his journey with running and Trail Roots.
What inspired you to start running?
I only ran a little when I lived in Washington. I did my first half marathon in 2014. But then tapered away from it for a while. In 2017 my life exploded (you can hear me tell the whole story when Erik interviewed me in 2019). When I moved to Texas in 2018, I moved to Houston first to be near my partner recovering from a brain injury but I didn’t know anyone. Houston was probably dead last on my list of anywhere I’d choose to move. It was one of the toughest years of my life. So I started running more to basically pass the time and process the trauma and grief I was experiencing. Then I started signing up for trail races on weekends as a way to explore more of this new big state I moved to. So far I’ve done three 50K’s, and eventually might try and do another, but for now just running as a hobby and to continue work through my grief and figuring out what the next chapter holds for me.
Why did you join Trail Roots?
When I moved to Austin in 2019, a friend in Seattle put me in touch with Bobby Daniel. I met up with Bobby on a run on the greenbelt in which we passed a whole bunch of runners coming off the trail and they all knew Bobby. I thought, wow, this guy knows everyone! Turns out it was Trail Roots and Bobby put me in touch with Erik. I joined as a way to meet people and explore different trails around town. And to find new places to eat tacos.
“Trail Roots has been my main source of regular social engagement in Austin. Saturday mornings are the highlight of my week (when I don’t oversleep), mostly just for the community. ”
Has your training changed since joining a group?
I was focused on training for a bit, but haven’t “trained” for a race in a while. I really enjoy more adventure runs rather than racing. Several years ago I ran my own self-supported 50K on the PCT and loved it! I have a few on my bucket list like Timberline trail on Mt. Hood and of course R2R2R. So I look at races as a way to get in shape for those. Currently I’ve recently obtained another hip injury, so I’m working on fixing that before I can get back out. I’m super inspired by being around folks doing really tough things.
What do you love about running?
I don’t always love running! But when I force myself to do it, I usually don’t regret it. Coming from the Pacific Northwest, I have a connection to nature and outdoor spaces, so I love being out in it, and running trails is a great way to do it, oh and I guess it’s good for you. Also, did I mention tacos?
What do you think is special about the Trail Roots community?
I’ve been really struggling since moving to Texas. Community is such an important thing to me, and I left a lot of friends and family in the Northwest and it’s difficult to make new old friends, especially in your 40’s where we’re not going to shows every night like we did in our 20’s. However, Trail Roots has been my main source of regular social engagement in Austin. Saturday mornings are the highlight of my week (when I don’t oversleep), mostly just for the community. I’ve enjoyed running parts of Austin I never would have found on my own. I’ve been thinking about whether or not to stay in Austin or head back to the Northwest, which has me evaluating the pros and cons in a serious way, and honestly the thing I think I would miss the most is Trail Roots, and sharing tacos with everyone after the runs.
You recently ran Hood to Coast, what do you like about that event?
I ran H2C for the 2nd time this year. The first year Marla just asked the group if anyone was interested and I was already planning to be up there around that time, which is usually when I head back to escape the Texas heat and catch the end of PNW Summer. It was a crazy experience because I had only met Marla two weeks before the race and I was hopping in some vans with 12 total strangers. And for 40 hours of almost no sleep you travel nearly 200 miles from Mt. Hood to Seaside, Oregon. First of all there’s something spiritual to me about Oregon, having been born there and my grandfather built a cabin on Hood in the 50’s and my dad grew up on the mountain. learning to ski. So there’s a connection I have with the mountain, with my dad, and with my grandfather whom I never met. The other thing I liked about the race is that it reminded me of when I was on the road touring with rock bands many years ago. The inside jokes, the laughter, the silliness and the goal of getting to the end. The legs themselves aren’t incredibly difficult, but the uncertainty of when you’ll be running them, when you’ll get to sleep (if at all), and when you’ll be able to eat, makes for an interesting challenge. It’s really a test of patience and grace that you have with each other when you or your teammates may not be at their best mentally. And in such a relatively short span of time you get to know people differently. This last year we had a later start time and we were in danger of not finishing before the race closed, but every single runner shaved time off their predictions and we finished over two hours earlier than expected. Plus I got to know other trail rooters Jonathan and Suzanna, so more friends in Austin!
You love to cook and help us out at races with post run food. How did you get into cooking?
I worked in a camp kitchen as one of my first jobs. Then I volunteered at some camps in high school and college. I loved being part of the kitchen crew. In my 20’s I lived in a large historic mansion with 10 roommates. We had a chore wheel every week to help keep the house clean and one of the chores was cooking Sunday night dinner. It was a loose expectation that you’d attend Sunday night dinner with the other housemates. It was my favorite day of the week because everyone was together sharing stories from their weeks and lives and there was so much joy and laughter and love shared around the table. I loved the process of planning, prepping and cooking. I almost went to culinary school but then got hired at School of Rock. Cooking for people is one of the ways I show love. So when I observed the need at the two new races Erik bought, I thought it was a good way to plug myself in and help out.
Working for School of Rock and being able to travel often, what are some of your favorite places to trail run?
Often when I’m booking travel for work I use my All Trails app to see where I can go or where there’s any greenspace and book a hotel close by. My territory currently is Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico. Obviously there is a bit more opportunity for trails on the western half of that. So Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico have been fun to explore. I also bought an IKON pass this year so I plan on spending a good amount of time shredding some Colorado powder this winter, snowboarding is probably my favorite outdoor activity.
Do you have any big travel or run plans in the pipeline?
Once I get this injury in check I’ll start looking at some things, so nothing on the books currently. I’ve been inspired by other Ttrail Rooters’ run through the Grand Canyon and loved seeing the photos from Amy’s Gorge Waterfalls run in Oregon, so I may look at those down the road.
What advice would you give people who are new to running and want to join a group?
I usually tell people new to running to try and get to 3 miles. I’ve found that no matter how long I’ve been running, I usually hate the first three miles because your body is trying to tell you in so many ways to stop, but after three you convince your body that we might be doing this for a while, so get to three miles and then you can run as many after that. As far as the group goes, I’m super grateful for the community, so join for that, at least as a way to not have to eat tacos alone.