Hello, and welcome back to the Shadows Run Podcast!

This episode is part 2 of a conversation with Kelly Halpin. Kelly is a professional mountain ultra runner and adventure athlete. She spent her earlier years climbing, hiking, and snowboarding in the Tetons and surrounding wilderness. For the past decade Kelly has merged her passions for running, climbing and exploring remote and wild places by setting fastest known times around the world and establishing long technical routes in her home mountain ranges. She enjoys the challenge of pushing herself mentally through difficult endurance feats, typically solo and unsupported. Kelly works hard through adventure and art to inspire people to get outside and connect with the natural world.

In the second half of our conversation, we talk about...

• Kelly's experience with the Wasatch Ultimate Ridge Linkup, a technical mountain running route spanning 36 miles and 18,000 ft of total gain circumnavigating Little Cottonwood Canyon in Utah
• her participation in the Bhutan Snowman Race in 2024
• Kelly's experience with the infamous, invitation-only, incredibly arduous, and bizarre Barkley Marathons!
• her relationship to fear, risk, and challenge
• the role illustrating and art plays in Kelly's life
• the many threats to public lands in the United States right now, and the importance of advocating for and protecting them
• ...and a whole lot more

Thank you for joining us!

***Podcast Patreon Page!***: https://patreon.com/shadowsrun?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink

Kelly's Website: https://www.kellyhalpin.com/athlete/

The Wasatch Ultimate Ridge Linkup (WURL): https://fastestknowntime.com/route/wasatch-ultimate-ridge-linkup-ut ; https://runuphill.wordpress.com/2015/08/23/wasatch-ultimate-ridge-linkup-wurl/

Bhutan Snowman Race: https://snowmanrace.org/

The Barkley Marathons - Jasmin Paris "The Finisher": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgTEsybXw-4

PUBLIC LANDS RESOURCES:

Patagonia Action Works: https://www.patagonia.com/actionworks/about/

Outdoor Alliance Activism 101: https://www.outdooralliance.org/advocacy-101

Greater Yellowstone Coaliton: https://greateryellowstone.org/take-action/public-lands#/10/

Stop the Big Bend border wall: https://5calls.org/state/texas/texas-border-wall-big-bend/

Stop data center development near Mt Hood: https://5calls.org/issue/mt-hood-public-lands-hr655/

Stop mining in the Boundary Waters: https://5calls.org/issue/boundary-waters-mining-cra/

Proposed budget cuts to the National Park Service: https://www.npca.org/articles/11371-president-s-budget-proposal-slashes-national-park-service-funding-amid

I love to hear from you! Get in touch with me via:

• Email: shadowsrunpodcast@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shadowsrunpodcast/
• Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/shadowsrunpodcast.bsky.social

Hello, and welcome back to the Shadows Run Podcast!

Today's episode is part 1 of a conversation with Kelly Halpin. Kelly is a professional mountain ultra runner and adventure athlete. She spent her earlier years climbing, hiking, and snowboarding in the Tetons and surrounding wilderness. For the past decade Kelly has merged her passions for running, climbing and exploring remote and wild places by setting fastest known times around the world and establishing long technical routes in her home mountain ranges. She enjoys the challenge of pushing herself mentally through difficult endurance feats, typically solo and unsupported. Kelly works hard through adventure and art to inspire people to get outside and connect with the natural world.

In this first half of our conversation, we talk about Kelly's early mountain running career, specifically focusing on stories and accomplishments in the Teton Range. Kelly was the first woman to do both the classic Grand Teton "Picnic" pioneered by David Gonzales (episode 39!), as well as the first woman to complete the Moranic back in 2015. I ask Kelly what it was like psychologically tackling these crazy endurance feats, without many examples to look to as inspiration, and without any female examples prior. She tells the insane story of her Moranic, involving storms and a rescue and severe dehydration. We go on to talk about other Picnic variations she went on to pioneer in the Tetons, and about what motivates Kelly to keep going when things feel impossibly hard.

This is a fun one, y'all. Enjoy!

***Podcast Patreon Page!***: https://patreon.com/shadowsrun?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink

Kelly's Website: https://www.kellyhalpin.com/athlete/

Teewinot Picnic - REI "A Walk In The Park" film: https://www.rei.com/blog/climb/rei-presents-a-walk-in-the-park

The story of Kelly's Moranic: https://avalon7.com/avalon7-adventure-the-moranic-triathalon-picnic/?srsltid=AfmBOoqAZZ-xLrXk2bi-mIWV8ZjVeVkbESwWvFx1XCrJL9P10Y520p9M

YouTube - The Triple Teton Triathlon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAqH5wXrCSw

Various free downloaded maps of the Tetons: https://npmaps.com/grand-teton/

Major peaks of the Tetons named and labeled: https://peakvisor.com/range/teton-range.html

I love to hear from you! Get in touch with me via:

• Email: shadowsrunpodcast@gmail.com

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shadowsrunpodcast/

• Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/shadowsrunpodcast.bsky.social

Hello, and welcome back to the Shadows Run Podcast!

Today's episode features Dennis Jørgensen. Dennis is the Bison Program Manager with the World Wildlife Fund here in Montana and has worked for them since 2007. In his current role, Dennis manages WWF's bison restoration program in the Great Plains to support Tribes in achieving their vision for the return of bison to their lands and lives while also contributing to the long-term health of the species.

We cover a lot of ground in this episode. Dennis is originally from Canada, and we talk a bit about his life before moving to the States. Dennis worked with rattlesnakes and mountain lions before shifting his focus to bison restoration, and he tells a couple of wild stories about his experiences with those animals!

We go on to talk in depth about bison restoration. Dennis covers the history of near extermination of bison in the Americas in the late 1880s through to the present day, when efforts at bison restoration are going stronger than ever. Dennis and the World Wildlife Fund partner with a number of tribes and tribal organizations in the Great Plains region, and we talk a lot in this conversation about the significance of bringing bison back to their ancestral homelands. This work encompasses more than just biology and ecosystem health; bison restoration is integral to revitalization of culture, traditional food ways, and connection to place.

It was an honor to share in this conversation with Dennis, and I hope you enjoy!

World Wildlife Fund Bison Program: https://www.worldwildlife.org/our-work/wildlife/bringing-bison-home/

Blackfeet Nation - Iinii Initiative: https://blackfeetnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Iinnii_CaseStatement_single-page.pdf

Native Americans In Philanthropy: https://nativephilanthropy.org/

Intertribal Buffalo Council: https://www.itbcbuffalonation.org/

Nature Conservancy: https://www.nature.org/en-us/get-involved/how-to-help/animals-we-protect/american-bison/

Montana Free Press - Fort Peck Bison Program: https://montanafreepress.org/2026/03/09/how-the-fort-peck-tribes-build-a-bison-blueprint/

***Podcast Patreon Page!***: https://patreon.com/shadowsrun?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink

I love to hear from you! Get in touch with me via:

• Email: shadowsrunpodcast@gmail.com

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shadowsrunpodcast/

• Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/shadowsrunpodcast.bsky.social