For our second Couple’s Who Adventure Together feature, we interviewed trail runners Tyler Green and Rachel Drake. We picked their brain on racing, their growing family and how they balance it all with an active lifestyle. Check out their full interview below.
What types of adventures do you have with your partner, and what's your favorite?
We have all kinds of adventures together! Mostly we spend our time trail running, but we also enjoy camping, biking, road-tripping and ski touring.
How has your adventuring changed with growing your family?
Admittedly, the times we get to run together are few and far between these days, but we really cherish those opportunities. We’ve found ways to get creative where one of us will hike with the baby while the other runs with our dog, and then we trade off.
How do you balance racing and traveling as a couple?
We’ve found the best-executed training cycles and trips involve lots of communication and planning. We have to be pretty strict with our training schedules, this makes it harder to procrastinate, which is a good thing! We’ve been dreaming big this year, but we also acknowledge that plans certainly don’t always work out the way you think. Rachel is a big dreamer, and Tyler is more realistic. This has been synergistic since Rachel will come up with ideas and Tyler brings them to life with his practicality.
What's a funny story about an adventure you've had together - good, bad, and ugly?
Rachel was pacing Tyler the last 20 miles at the Western States 100 when he ran it for the first time in 2019, just a few weeks after we got married. She hadn’t been taking very good care of herself while crewing earlier that day, and starting puking on the final climb up to Robie Point. We saw some headlamps closing in, and though Rachel told Tyler to continue without her, he refused. We eventually crossed the finish line together and it was a very special moment.
Any advice for other families on the fence about getting outside and adventuring?
We’re still very new to this and have a lot to learn but we haven’t yet regretted one of the adventures we’ve taken with our new family member. Don’t be afraid to ask for support and always pack plenty of fluids and snacks!
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Follow Tyler and Rachel’s trail running adventures on Instagram.
