Ep.134 Winter Spine Race. With Rebecca Devereux

“While I was doing the Spine, even though I was on my own on the Pennine Way, it felt like I had the other Black Trail Runners around me.”What started as a reluctant attempt to stay active quickly became a passion for Rebecca Devereux. Her journey was fast and within three years she was standing on the cusp of one of Britian’s most grueling races. The Winter Spine Race is notoriously difficult. It also had a really convenient finish line just a few minutes from Rebecca’s house. It was a challenge she couldn’t resist and so she was in. Community Trail Running is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.As much as the race was about personal triumph, it was also about community. Black Trail Runners had been crucial to her growth in trail running. When she first stood at the start line of a race a year into her running journey, she was the only person of colour. It was an experience that left her feeling isolated, despite being used to predominately white spaces in her career and community. The disconnect sat with her until she met Sabrina Pace-Humphries at a talk and heard more about Black Trail Runners. That sense of solidarity gave Rebecca the strength she needed, knowing that she wasn’t just running for herself. This new community gave Rebecca energy and a sense of belonging in the sport, and this helped her push herself into such a challenging race."I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for Black Trail Runners. I wouldn’t have been in that race. I wouldn’t be on this podium. They’ve been such an important part of my running journey.”It was awesome chatting with Rebecca and hearing her story. It’s so incredible how fast she’s taken to the sport and amazing to think what else she might accomplish! I hope you enjoy the conversation as much as I did.Trail Running Film FestivalWe’re incredibly excited to be hosting the Trail Running Film Festival once more. As you may or may not have heard, we are also a media partner and official podcast of the film festival, so we’re pretty excited about that too!We will keep this page updated and you will want to pay attention as we announce our sponsors and entertainment! This year will be our biggest and best yet and we can’t wait to hang out and celebrate our community with all of you.2025 Community Trail Running Tour Dates* Vancouver, BC – Thursday, April 3 | Rio Theatre* Edmonton, AB – Thursday, May 1 | Metro Cinema* Calgary, AB – Friday May 2 | Cardel Theatre* Crowsnest Pass, AB – Saturday, May 3 | Frank Slide Interpretive Centre* Jasper, AB – Saturday, May 17 | The Legion* Canmore, AB – Thursday, June 5 | artsPlaceFood Fight FridayThe latest episode went up and we are so excited to be sponsored by 7 Summits Snacks! The Long RunLast week our latest episode of the Long Run went up as well! Huge shoutout to Chantelle Erickson for taking over the intro hosting duties while I dealt with some technical issues. I thought she was a natural! I also thought our guest Marlinda Bedonie was awesome and we were so grateful to chat with her and hear some of her story.Listen where you listenSpotify: Click HereGoogle Podcasts: Click HereApple Podcasts: Click HereMusic by Paolo Argentino from PixabayWe’re on the journey to 2,000 subscribers, help us get there!If you enjoy this podcast, I would really appreciate it if you could like, share, subscribe, or comment! I’m trying to make this the best trail running podcast it can be and I certainly appreciate your time. Thank you all and happy trails :) Get full access to Community Trail Running at communitytrailrunning.substack.com/subscribe