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From Racing to Guiding: How Motherhood Transformed My Trail Running Journey

By: Shannon Mahre


Like many women, my ultra trail running journey didn’t begin until after I became a mom, in my  30’s and as a way to gain a bit of freedom after bringing a beautiful being into this world. After  having our first son (who just turned 6), I ran my first mountain marathon at 4 months  postpartum, then I began dabbling in 50K’s, and eventually entered and podiumed in my first  50 mile trail ultra. Kiddo number two brought on a zest for more mountain adventures in a bit of  a different way — I stepped away from racing and began guiding… and turned my focus  towards adventure runs with my friends instead of spending my time chasing podiums.


As a coach, photographer, writer, multi-business owner, wife and constant kiddo, dog and  horse wrangler, my life is full — so my happy hour, my girl time is spent doing the sports that I  love and that I coach with the people that I love — skiing, mountain biking, stand up paddle  boarding and trail running. So when I came up with the crazy idea to plan a trip to the Grand  Canyon and do the Rim 2 Rim 2 Rim, I knew just who to call… and boy, would we have the  adventure of a lifetime together.


At 4am the day of our journey, we began our descent into the Grand Canyon from the South  Kabab Trailhead. Traveling downhill by headlamp, poles in hand and smiles on our faces, we  wound our way down to the Colorado River. After passing Phantom Ranch, we began our 8  mile run up river to Manzanita, where our ascent up to the top of the North Rim would begin.  

Red rocks and dirt, cactus and desert beauty welcomed us along the way — and so did  several water fill-ups and restrooms where we’d find shade for a hot minute before continuing  on. 


Making our way past rock formations and colors so vibrant that they looked unreal, we chatted  our way up switchback after switchback until we found ourselves in a forest full of fall colors  right as we reached our turnaround point — the top of the Grand Canyon’s North Rim. This  side of the rim was a stark change from the South, with lush greenery and an almost jungle like  feel in places.  


After a quick sock change, sandwich chomp, water fill and joke sesh with with a crew that we’d  met along the way, we began our descent and return mission to the South Rim. And the  unexpected? It was just as breathtaking seeing the route from the opposite direction.


When got past Phantom Ranch, we made the turn onto the Bright Angel Trail — which would  take us our final 8 miles up to the top of the South Rim. Darkness eventually met us with a few  miles and seemingly never-ending amount of vert to go — but with friends by each of our sides  and fueled by the desire to accomplish this goal together, we made it to the top with hearts full  of gratitude and thankfulness for overcoming this insanely hard adventure together. 


7 years ago, I didn’t have the confidence to wear shorts in public let alone head out on a  journey such as the Rim 2 Rim 2 Rim. But since then, I have not only learned to love myself for  who I am and what I look like in this exact moment, but I’ve also learned that the older you get,  the more that you need to focus on growth, on learning and on getting past any fears of failure  that may creep up along the way.



So if you see me on the trail now, if it’s even remotely warm, I’ll be in shorts, cellulite and all,  with a big ol’ smile on my face— because now, the trail, the adventures, and the goals I set are  to bring me joy and to help me grow not only as an athlete, but as a coach, a mother, a friend  and a wife. The drive to impress, to compete, to be the best is no longer — but the drive to be  me is here to stay.




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