ROCKSYLVANIA DISPATCH

Fifteen years in, Dirty Kiln still isn’t trying to be the hardest race—it’s just quietly becoming one of the most meaningful. Let me tell you something about Dirty Kiln. It’s hitting 15 years now—which, depending on how you measure time, either feels like a long run or like it all happened in one blur of mud, sweat, and “we’ll figure it out as we go.” I’ve directed a lot of races over the years. Short ones, long ones, and the kind that make you question your life choices some

A photo from 15 years ago stopped me long enough to realize just how much has changed—and what’s stayed the same. Someone sent me a photo recently. It was from 15 years ago at a pre-race meeting for the very first Dirty Kiln Trail Race. Clipboard in hand, probably saying something I thought sounded official. And wow… I look young. Black hair. Less wear and tear. A little more certainty than I probably deserved. I remember that version of me pretty clearly. I was frustrated mo