In case you’re an outdoorsy one who spends time on-line, likelihood is good that you just’ve laughed at one thing created by author, illustrator, filmmaker, and creator of the Semi-Rad model, Brendan Leonard. You’ve even had the possibility to right here on iRunFar, the place Leonard comically illustrated a sequence on path first assist a number of years in the past.
An illustration by Brendan Leonard of Semi-Rad for iRunFar’s path first assist sequence.
Semi-Rad started as a weblog circa 2011, when Leonard started publishing humorous illustrations poking enjoyable at being a mean outdoorsy go-getter. The digestible, comical nature of the road charts caught digital audiences like wildfire. They’re now usually republished on “Outdoors,” alongside Leonard’s tales, amongst different publications.
“I drew a bunch of jokes inside a move chart of pooping within the woods. That in a short time turned the most important factor I’d performed. It went completely viral, for me,” recalled Leonard.
He continued, “It’s humorous how many individuals gained’t end an 800-word written piece, however for those who draw it, they’ll digest it in 15 seconds,” mentioned Leonard, who drew extra items, printed a number of per week by way of social media, and added the illustrations to collectibles like espresso mugs. His inventive profession gained momentum.
Using the lengthy sport of his inventive imaginative and prescient, Leonard began producing Semi-Rad when he had hassle reaching nationwide publications. “I had all these story concepts that had been by no means going to get printed. I’d been pitching magazines and editors since 2004. ‘Mountain Gazette’ would often run my stuff, however I believed, this’ll by no means work at ‘Backpacker’ or ‘Outdoors.’ I don’t have sufficient expertise writing. They don’t suppose it’s humorous. It was late 2010. I used to be like, ‘These folks don’t need these items.’”
Brendan Leonard showing on the GearJunkie podcast in 2019. Picture: GearJunkie
One thing clearly modified. “I keep in mind the primary time I used to be writing for an editor of a giant journal and so they mentioned, ‘Simply write it such as you write it in your weblog.’
Then in 2017, after I’d performed the weblog for years, “Outdoors” mentioned, ‘We like what you’re doing.’ It was a praise, but additionally fascinating seeing how media was altering,” mentioned Leonard. It was a time when particular person creatives may make the most of a wide range of platforms to achieve broad audiences that, maybe, even legacy publications may not seize.
Leonard possible gained’t be the primary to talk of his success, however when he does, it could solely be with the self-deprecating humor for which he’s identified. However the evolution of each his path operating and inventive endeavors mirror that success is feasible by committing to the method even when validation doesn’t arrive immediately.
Now 44 years previous, Leonard grew up in a handful of small cities surrounding New Hampton, inhabitants 3,000, within the northeast slice of Iowa. Within the state’s furthest, flattest nook, the shared boundaries with Wisconsin and Minnesota are often known as the Driftless Space, the place the glaciers of the Ice Age 10,000 years in the past by no means reached, not like a lot of the remainder of the U.S. Higher Midwest. This distinctive geology and preserved crops just like the northern wild monkshood, and organisms just like the Iowa Pleistocene snail, are sung about by conservationists.
Whereas being a child there, Leonard admittedly didn’t know a lot about that historical past. He did have a job choosing rocks out of the farm soil, which was some 20 miles from the boundary of the Driftless Space and loaded with glacial until. Any rocks larger than a fist needed to be faraway from cornfields, so that they couldn’t break the mix harvester machine.
“The tallest factor on the horizon was a grain silo,” mentioned Leonard, who’s brother is strictly 18 months older than him, lives in Wisconsin, and isn’t a runner. “He likes to fish. Good dude.”
Leonard performed basketball till his junior yr in highschool, when he switched to soccer. He additionally ran observe these 4 years, together with being crew captain as a senior. He ran the 4 x 100-meter and 4 x 200-meter relays, 200-meter sprint, and he dabbled within the 400-meter distance.
“I used to be sluggish getting out of the blocks, obtained pace 10 to fifteen meters into it, after which I used to be quick from 15 to 200 meters. Within the relay, children would depend eight to 10 steps, and I’d depend 22. I used to be like a cartoon character operating in quicksand for the primary two seconds,” mentioned Leonard, who grew up in a goofy household, which he didn’t notice was distinctive till he was out of faculty.
A reducing from an area newspaper displaying Brendan Leonard operating observe in highschool. All images courtesy of Brendan Leonard, except in any other case famous.
Studying the e-book “Humor Critically” after we did this interview, Leonard is now extra conscious of his household dynamic.
“My dad is humorous. My mother grew up with six brothers and sisters, and so they attempt to one-up one another with jokes. It didn’t happen to me folks didn’t attempt to make one another snicker as a household — that it wasn’t frequent. After faculty, I’d go to associates’ or girlfriends’ homes and suppose the mother and father didn’t like me, as a result of they weren’t laughing. They weren’t joking with me, which was unusual for me, I suppose. That was the best factor for me to do — default to humor and put levity into conditions,” mentioned Leonard. With severe subjects, throwing in some humor can enhance the result of the message being acquired, he’s discovered.
Leonard acknowledged that his knack for humor might have been detrimental in grade college.
“I might be a scientist now if I hadn’t been goofing off at school. It appeared like a cool factor to be,” he mentioned. Nonetheless, Leonard graduated from the College of Northern Iowa with a advertising and marketing diploma, and began reporting for the newspaper his senior yr, which he was enthusiastic about.
The next yr, in 2002, he pursued a grasp’s in journalism on the College of Montana. After two years, he graduated, printed one article — a narrative in “Idaho Journal” about climbing the tallest peak in Idaho, for $40, his total freelance revenue for the yr — and moved to Colorado’s Entrance Vary.
There, the then 26-year-old dabbled in path operating however typically “was not into it.” He was psyched on mountaineering and mountaineering for practically a decade, till 2015.
However then pal signed up for a 50-kilometer race within the Denver, Colorado, suburbs. Leonard took him out to dinner after he’d completed a 22-mile coaching run.
“He talked about how badly it went. He’d run out of water and needed to ask folks for assist. I believed that sounded superior. I signed up for the 50k, for enjoyable. I believed I may run half of the 50k and stroll the second half,” he mentioned, crossing the September end line of the Bear Chase Path Race 50k solely 24 days later, at age 36.
Brendan Leonard coaching within the hills. Working is now a giant a part of his life.
“I’d run a marathon as soon as and hated it. However I’d spent numerous lengthy days within the mountains doing 14-hour days mountain climbing in with a backpack, climbing, descending, and mountain climbing out. I knew a 50k would take much less time than that, and that I may preserve transferring. I knew I may do this and never die. I got here from a distinct angle than individuals who run roads and have a time in thoughts. I wished to outlive it and see what it was like,” recalled Leonard, who was additionally trying to substitute his climbing with the same exercise that’s full of gorgeous mountain surroundings, pushing your self mentally and bodily, and ache and struggling — but far much less threat.
Subsequent, he dove right into a 50 miler, the Ice Age Path 50 Mile, in Could 2016. “I believed everybody at the beginning line would appear to be Ironman triathletes, however everybody was regular wanting and really bizarre in the identical method — all of us thought that this is able to be enjoyable or difficult or price it ultimately. Ultrarunners are my sort of weirdo,” he mentioned.
In the end, Leonard sees numerous parallels between being a runner and being a inventive.
“Working is such an excellent metaphor for inventive work. In case you work for your self otherwise you’re a runner, you need to be self-motivated. Nobody is making you get out the door to run when it’s freezing or raining or scorching. You determined you wished to run a race, and now you need to prepare for it,” he mentioned. “I get pleasure from flexing that muscle time and again and staying motivated sufficient to maintain the work coming.”
Leonard navigating the Wind River Excessive Route.
Between 2013 and 2016, Leonard printed his first three books. He’s now authored greater than a dozen, together with “Make It: 50 Myths and Truths About Creating,” which hit cabinets in April 2023.
He saved up with path operating and ultrarunning, and dare we are saying developed this curiosity much more. Regardless of hating his first marathon, Leonard ran 26.2 miles 52 occasions in a single yr. He traversed Colorado’s Sangre de Cristo Vary and Wyoming’s Wind River Vary by foot. He additionally completed the 2017 Run Rabbit Run 100 Mile, 2019 Hellbender 100 Mile, and 2019 Bighorn Path Run 100 Mile.
In case you’re questioning how he obtained by these lengthiest races, one in every of his favourite authored books is, “I Hate Working and You Can Too: How one can Get Began, Hold Going, and Make Sense of an Irrational Ardour.” He mentioned, “It’s a brief e-book about methods to get into operating, or methods to preserve operating for those who don’t prefer it, with 80 illustrations. It’s been translated into three or 4 languages, which is a giant deal for me. That’s been one of the crucial enjoyable ones.”
Additionally in Denver, Leonard met his now spouse, Hilary Oliver, a author and editor, whereas she was working at Watercourse Meals, a vegetarian restaurant, in 2012.
“She was actually into mountain biking and I used to be into climbing. Neither of us do this anymore however we each nonetheless run. Out of the 2 of us, she enjoys operating. I’m extra of a, ‘I’ve to do it, like brushing my tooth,’ runner. For getting outdoors, I would like issues that’ll get me out the door, however I’m slowest to get out.” he mentioned.
He was residing in his 2005 Chevy Astro van on the time, which he lived in for two.5 years. After six months of relationship, Oliver moved into the van with him.
“I keep in mind wanting down on the place our van was parked in Zion Nationwide Park, subsequent to a sprinter van, and was like, ‘That’s enormous. I guess they’ll rise up after they put their pants on.’ It was nice for what it was. It was $6,500, and that was my total life financial savings,” mentioned Leonard.
Brendan Leonard stress-free in his van.
Altogether, Leonard lived within the Denver space, together with a fixer-upper within the Metropolis Park neighborhood with Oliver, for 15 years till relocating to Missoula, Montana, the place the couple may “purchase a home greater than 800 sq. toes” in 2020. That’s the place that they had Jay, now one yr previous.
Oliver nonetheless edits the whole lot Leonard creates. “She edits 100% of the whole lot I do. I’ll present her my silly drawings, and she or he’ll say, ‘Yeah.’ She used to snicker. Now she simply tells me if it’s humorous or not,” he mentioned.
The couple all the time talks about inventive issues — films, movies, books — and passes books backwards and forwards from bedside desk to desk. “There are such a lot of books I might not have learn had I not been along with her. I attempt to learn 50% books by authors that establish as feminine. It’s tough. I gravitate towards male writers, and to consciously select feminine writers is a giant deal. Since she [Oliver] naturally reads extra girls writers, I profit from that, and she or he has nice style in literature,” mentioned Leonard.
They’ve additionally shared many miles by crewing, pacing, and operating occasions facet by facet. In November 2023, the duo ran the Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim within the Grand Canyon, a 48-mile route with 11,700 toes of ascent, as a primary journey after the start of their child. Leonard wrote concerning the expertise in his weekly e-newsletter, “The Grand Canyon Twice, in 11 Pictures,” penning:
“Hilary was amazingly nonetheless crushing with 5 miles to go. All of a sudden, I bonked, and hurriedly ate some meals. Then Hilary hit a wall, her physique immediately realizing it had been going for 14 straight hours. All of the warning lights got here on: cramps, nausea, fatigue. She dry-heaved to the facet of the path, our headlamps the one seen lights. This was our first all-day, child-free date since Jay was born. It felt very on model. As we handed the 1.5-mile relaxation home, I noticed the emergency cellphone, and remembered, oh yeah, you possibly can name for a rescue right here. We had been clocking 38-minute miles, however we weren’t going to die. We simply type of felt like we had been going to die.”
With a child, life steadiness appears extra like a triage of daycare, viruses, and occasional easy days.
Being a dad or mum “might be the toughest factor I’ve ever performed. It’s relentless. You’ll be able to all the time stop a 100-mile race. Even for those who do end it, it’s over. That is relentless, that’s the perfect phrase I’ve heard. But it surely’s micro doses of pleasure on a regular basis. You’ll be able to’t actually complain. Plus, we did it to ourselves. It was our thought! I simply centered on caring for Hilary so she may handle Jay, as a result of I can’t breastfeed,” he mentioned.
Brendan Leonard operating the 2021 New York Metropolis Marathon.
Regardless of shaking up the routine with a 3rd member of the household, Leonard nonetheless will get outdoors to run and nonetheless creates humorous content material. In August 2023, he printed the movie, “The Seven Summits of My Neighborhood,” about biking and operating to the best summits inside a 20-mile radius of his house, an alternative choice to the a lot pricier expeditions to summit the best mountains on the planet. Additionally, in November 2023, he completed the Extremely-Path Cape City 100k, which he wrote about in his weblog.
Over time, Leonard gravitated towards movie creation after attending movie festivals and watching associates transition from podcasting into filmmaking, like Fitz Cahall, founding father of the “Dirtbag Diaries,” adopted by “Duct Tape Then Beer.” “It was cool to look at an viewers absorb what you made, versus writing, the place you often get an electronic mail from somebody who isn’t your mother,” mentioned Leonard.
In September 2023, Leonard hosted a path operating and inventive workshop, in partnership with Freeflow Institute and Alpine Working Guides, which was a brand new spin on a writing workshop he’s usually hosted, by way of a whitewater journey, since 2019. With a first-ever path operating focus, the spots have by no means bought out so quick.
“Individuals are getting e-book contracts for writing captions or for TikTok movies that attain folks. I get pleasure from that. I’m not superb at drawing, and lots of people would say, ‘I’m not good at writing, and positively not cinematographer’ — however are you able to do it nicely sufficient to get your level throughout? We’re in a media setting that’s forgiving for these issues. You don’t watch TikTok for Oscar-winning cinematography,” he defined.
Leonard agreed, being a creator full time displays a stage of success. After I requested what his favourite a part of being a creator is, Leonard mentioned, “I feel simply the liberty to do inventive work day by day. To maneuver issues ahead and make issues. With the ability to come again and do it day by day is wonderful. I take into consideration individuals who do nicely with a model or e-book promotion. I ponder what it’s wish to have one actually good e-book that you just’re cranking out talking engagements on — they’re most likely making a ton of cash, however speaking about the identical factor time and again, that might additionally suck. I get to decide on what I do each day, due to my lack of success, so it’s a present, too, to not achieve success.”
“With the ability to sit down day by day in my workplace and draw or write or create, that’s the true reward. If it permits me to make a residing, superior. That’s the extent of success I’m proud of.”
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