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The Birth of a Magical Trail Run on Mount Spokane
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.
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6 Steps to Enjoying Trail Running
If you’re a road runner, the idea of getting out onto the trails can be a little intimidating. But give it a few strides and you’ll see why trail runners are so passionate and why there’s such a fun, loose vibe at trail races. Here are a few pointers to help you make the switch
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Life on the Spectrum Lived Well on the Nordic Ski Trail
Trevin Hansen loves to go fast. And he lives loud. So that narrows his activities. No movies or quiet concerts. He’s also not a fan of most team sports. Baseball was a bust at an early age; it was too slow. But Nordic skiing, kayaking, biking, hockey (fast and loud!)—now those are the sweet spots.
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Cross-train For Triathlons on Cross-country Skis
During the 2018 winter Olympics, an Associated Press article gained notoriety among many in the Nordic ski community, due to the author’s assessment of our chosen winter activity as the worst Olympic event. He dissed it as an unrewarding slog—an assessment based mostly on how it looked when he watched it and on a single
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Proof of Life: Pacing
Twin Spokane Cancer Short Films hit local, state, and national stages October 4, 2018—The Seattle-based Trail Running Film Festival announced today the inclusion of the 5-minute short film “Proof of Life: Pacing” as one of ten films that will tour to over 40 US cities as part of its 2019 lineup. The film, created
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Refilling the Tank: Electrolyte Management and Hydration in the Heat of Summer
I got my first harsh lesson in hydration in June six years ago. I was training for a fall marathon but was already up to 22-mile training runs. One afternoon I set out alone on the Centennial Trail for a marathon-distance run. My hydration consisted of water in a 12-ounce handheld, plus more water in
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How Nature Can Help Heal Mental Health
Documentaries and memoirs show how physical activity outdoors can be a form of therapy and recovery from trauma and difficult life periods.
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Sam Schlieder: Pioneer of Nordic Skiing
If you were asked to describe the archetypal life-long Nordic skier, you’d picture Sam Schlieder: lean body, gray beard, quiet disposition, and low-key, dry sense of humor. One of the pioneers of Nordic skiing on Mt. Spokane 30 years ago, Schlieder was the first recipient of the Gary Silver lifetime contribution award back in 1979
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Proof of Life: from Brain Tumor to 50k
This is the short version of the story: three days before Brad Thiessen was set to run his first 50k trail run, he found himself in emergency surgery having a brain tumor removed. Over the next few years, he was able to journey from the hospital to a 50k run on Inland Northwest trails. A
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