Episode 6 : The Surfing Trail Runner

n this episode of Majlis, Ahmed sits down with Gusthavo, a Brazilian surf instructor and lifeguard who left a small beach town called Balneário Camboriú in Santa Catarina, Brazil, for Lisbon, learned English in Dublin with €250 to his name, and found his way to the Azores and then Ericeira. From becoming a lifeguard to teaching surf and winning his first long distance trail race, he traces a journey built on two things his parents weren't sure about. They also talk about what it feels like to go back home and find nothing has changed, running 50 kilometres in the Dolomites having never run that distance before, and what it's like to want to quit at kilometre 20 and you still have over 30 kilometres to go.Follow Gusthavo on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gusthavosimas/Surf with him in Ericeira: https://mellowmove.com/en/Support a local small business in the Azores: https://www.azoresgarden.com/00:00 Growing Up in Santa Catarina03:26 Becoming a Lifeguard12:35 Why He Left Brazil14:23 The Two Things His Parents Weren't Sure About15:23 Moving to Portugal in 201818:40 Seven Months in Dublin21:28 Getting to the Azores25:30 On Taking the Leap31:32 Working to Live32:41 Going Back to Brazil35:34 Life on the Island37:36 Friends Who Stayed, Friends Who Left42:31 Moving to Ericeira47:54 On Teaching Surfing55:44 The Most Common Mistake Beginners Make1:02:03 How Trail Running Started1:05:29 Deciding to Run Lavaredo1:07:14 His First 50K1:11:41 Winning His First Race1:13:42 On the Mental Side of Trail Running1:18:42 A Story About Nearly Quitting1:23:11 How He Trains1:27:28 Where He'd Go — Surf and Trail1:31:02 On Taking OpportunitiesThe Majlis Podcast is about craft, physical presence, and unconventional paths. Subscribe for new episodes.