Master Of Most
Trail Runner|March 2018, #126

A Jack of All Mountain Trades, Gavin Woody Is a Glutton for Fun, or Suffering—or Maybe Both

Yitka Winn
Master Of Most

Gavin Woody’s alarm clock goes off at 4:30 a.m. most mornings. His car is a roving gear locker of shoes, packs, ropes, helmets and hard goods—ready for whatever mountains, rivers or singletrack the day might bring. “It’s not an elegant thing,” he says. “I just get up in the morning and ask myself, ‘What haven’t I done enough of lately?’ It’s fun learning new stuff; I like the ‘master of none’ thing.”

Except that Woody, 40, of Bellevue, Washington, is quite the opposite. He’s an accomplished mountaineer, skier, triathlete, mountain biker, rock climber and yogi. He’s finished self-supported runs of California’s 211-mile John Muir Trail, and Washington’s 12-peak Tatoosh Traverse and Infinity Loop—a double summit of Mount Rainier and complete circumnavigation of the peak in a single, 99-hour push. His racing resume reads like a bucket list of the world’s most grueling races— Badwater, Tor des Geants, Dragon’s Back, UTMB, Susitna 100, Arrowhead 135, Plain, HURT, Western States, Bigfoot 200, Moab 240—with a handful of podium finishes among them.

“I search for races with the lowest finishing rates. Those are the ones I want to do,” says Woody, whose bright blue eyes and broad smile convey a mix of enthusiasm and humility.

While most people might have to relinquish all responsibilities and societal obligations to pull off the kind of adventures Woody pursues, he’s no dirtbag living alone in a van; he works full-time as the vice president of operations at a senior-care resource company called A Place for Mom. He’s also a loving husband, devoted father to two young kids, an Army veteran and Airborne Ranger, West Point grad, Stanford MBA grad, wilderness advocate, former board president of the outdoor-recreation advocacy group The Mountaineers and a regular volunteer on the trails.

Denne historien er fra March 2018, #126-utgaven av Trail Runner.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra March 2018, #126-utgaven av Trail Runner.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA TRAIL RUNNERSe alt
You Cannot Erase us
Trail Runner

You Cannot Erase us

Over the years and through thousands of miles of running, I have thought about the words that marked the beginning of colonialism on the land and the end of Indigenous sovereignty.

time-read
2 mins  |
Fall 2021
Inside The Adaptable Mind
Trail Runner

Inside The Adaptable Mind

How Courtney Dauwalter uses adaptability to stay cool, calm and collected when the going gets tough.

time-read
4 mins  |
Fall 2021
Take it Easy
Trail Runner

Take it Easy

How to stay at aerobic pace when you live in the hills

time-read
4 mins  |
Fall 2021
Here Comes the Sun
Trail Runner

Here Comes the Sun

Where pessimism meets its match

time-read
3 mins  |
Fall 2021
Connecting the Dots
Trail Runner

Connecting the Dots

How Laura Cortez uses her passion for trails to build community.

time-read
4 mins  |
Fall 2021
Carbohydrate Confusion
Trail Runner

Carbohydrate Confusion

When it comes to food and nutrition, we tend to overcomplicate things. Eat this, not that. Run fasted, restrict sugar. Unfortunately, much of the controversy stems from observations and sensationalized media headlines vs. actual data, leaving the consumer more confused from their Google search than they were before.

time-read
2 mins  |
Fall 2021
This Wild Life
Trail Runner

This Wild Life

ONE MAN’S 92-MILE RUN OF GRIEF AND SELF-DISCOVERY.

time-read
5 mins  |
Fall 2021
Our Town
Trail Runner

Our Town

Trail running is all about the community it fosters and the beauty and diversity within the community. Here’s a look at seven places, and the faces that call them home.

time-read
10+ mins  |
Fall 2021
Fueling for Females
Trail Runner

Fueling for Females

Here’s how female runners can use recent research findings for performance breakthroughs

time-read
4 mins  |
Summer 2021
Lose Weight with a Shake
Trail Runner

Lose Weight with a Shake

Being a health and nutrition correspondent means that companies frequently send me their products, and ask for my stamp of approval.

time-read
3 mins  |
Summer 2021