Brad Thiessen and Geoff Dueck Thiessen. Photo by Adam Harum
The Mountain Magic Trail Run June 29, 2025
By Brad Thiessen
The Mt Spokane Nordic ski trails make Mountain Magic uniquely runnable and challenging for all levels of runner.
I created the Mountain Magic trail run, held on June 29th this year, on the Mt. Spokane Nordic (cross-country) ski trails eight years ago, but the roots go back 25+ years.
I started running reluctantly when I moved back to my childhood home city of Edmonton, Alberta, after college. It was a way to work off the gut I had grown from a year of eating a free pizza a day as a Pizza Hut server. I was surprised to find I actually enjoyed it.
When my wife and I moved to a new house a couple of years later, I discovered that the trails that wound through a nearby ravine were a much more satisfying option than pavement. The up-and-down motivated me to push harder and threading my way among the trees made me relaxed and brighter even when I was exhausted.
Then we moved to the flat desert of Central California. The next seven years were filled with tedious runs on a grid of pavement. The traffic lights every half mile gave me a chance to heave in the most polluted air in the U.S.
So moving to Spokane in 2005 was a rebirth, a chance to really dig into running again. The Centennial Trail was one thing, but discovering the Dishman Hills Natural Area at Camp Caro transformed my running life. The trails weren’t as rolling as the ones back in Edmonton but they were higher, longer and more challenging.
Nordic (cross-country) skiing on Mt. Spokane came a few years later. I fell in love with the area, and Nordic skiing, almost instantly. Then I ran those trails in summers for the first time and was blown away. For me it was like the fun of my first runs in Edmonton combined with the rewarding challenge of the Dishman Hills trails rolled up into the ideal running experience. I found myself getting into the zone where it was just my legs, the ground, the trees and the sunshine. With some lung- and quad-busting sections thrown in along the way. After I got cancer in 2015, running there became a refuge and a source of healing.
You see, when I run trails, I want to be able to actually run most of them, not spend half the time power-walking. I’ve entered a few races and gone on many runs that had steep uphills for large sections where you have no choice but to power-walk, and you find yourself heaving and light-headed and cursing your poor judgement, wondering how you could think this would be a fun way to spend your morning. These kinds of runs are satisfying to look back on, but for me they just don’t have the same thrill in the moment. They don’t get me in the zone.
That’s why I created the Mountain Magic Trail Run—so I can share my love of running those trails with OTHERS who get that same kind of joy and satisfaction as I do.
It’s also why I added a 5k option the second year—if your main running experience is the weekly 5k at running club, this is your chance to give dirt a try and get that same feeling of the friendly running community at the same time.
Since the first Mountain Magic run 8 years ago, a lot of things have changed—tweaking the routes, trying a marathon (won’t happen again!), adding a 35k to the 10k and 25k options, and giving out medals this year.
To top it off, Athletic Brewing is supplying a selection of their award-winning non-alcoholic beer for free this year. Trail runners love craft beer, but it’s illegal to serve alcohol on State Parks land so this is something I’ve dreamt of for years!
Some things haven’t changed, like the awesome positive vibe of the trail running community, the full meal afterward and of course the amazing setting.
Now I want you to have the chance to experience this magical event. Head over to MountainMagicRun.com and register today. It’s the trail running party to kick off your summer—runnable, challenging and magical!
