Hey all! My name is Jessie, and this is The Chafe, a new blog and podcast for trail and ultrarunners, or those who know and love us. I am hoping that this blog will become a useful place for information, but also am hoping to use this platform to encourage more representation in our sport. Because we sure as shit need it.
Wow, dang Jessie, you’re just coming out swinging, aren’t ya? Well, yeah guys, I am. Think about the following platforms for one second in relation to trail and ultrarunning: podcasts, YouTube creators, Race Directors, Board of Directors, Elite Ultrarunners with lots of sponsorships and lots of media attention. How many of the people who popped into your head are white dudes? Probably quite a few. Obviously there are a few women we can all think of, but were they truly, honestly, the first ones in your mind? And now take a second and try to name more. Go ahead: name five trail running podcasts fronted by women.
Point being: there is room for more voices. Voices of women, people of color, people in the LGBTQ+ community, and so on. The sport has a diversity problem, and the best way to address it is (wait for it) to add some diversity. And since representation matters, we’re going to try to do our part here at The Chafe to bring that to our community, in whatever small way we can.
That said, let’s be honest. I can’t cover only controversial subjects or only talk about diversity, nor would I want to. I want to get different perspectives on animal encounters, epic mountain adventures, and – that’s right – chafing so bad you cried for your mother. In the end, this is a place by an ultrarunner, for ultrarunners. Any and all topics are at my mercy, and I’d love to hear from all of you if you have topics, controversies, or people you’d like to hear about. I’m not always someone who is willing to confront controversy head-on, but seems like a public forum is a good place to start, am i right?
The goal is to have a podcast per week, along with a relevant blog post, so keep an eye out for that.
Thanks so much for joining, and again, let me know in the comments if there’s anything you want me to cover. Stay safe out there, and enjoy your next run.
Cheers,
Jessie
The Chafe 