For those who’re an outdoorsy one that 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 prospect to right here on iRunFar, the place Leonard comically illustrated a sequence on path first support a number of years in the past.
An illustration by Brendan Leonard of Semi-Rad for iRunFar’s path first support 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 frequently republished on “Exterior,” alongside Leonard’s tales, amongst different publications.
“I drew a bunch of jokes inside a circulate chart of pooping within the woods. That in a short time grew to become the largest factor I’d completed. It went completely viral, for me,” recalled Leonard.
He continued, “It’s humorous how many individuals received’t end an 800-word written piece, however in case you draw it, they’ll digest it in 15 seconds,” stated Leonard, who drew extra items, printed a number of per week through social media, and added the illustrations to collectibles like espresso mugs. His inventive profession gained momentum.
Using the lengthy recreation of his inventive imaginative and prescient, Leonard began producing Semi-Rad when he had bother 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 ‘Exterior.’ 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 things.’”
Brendan Leonard showing on the GearJunkie podcast in 2019. Picture: GearJunkie
One thing clearly modified. “I bear in mind the primary time I used to be writing for an editor of a giant journal they usually stated, ‘Simply write it such as you write it in your weblog.’ Then in 2017, after I’d completed the weblog for years, “Exterior” stated, ‘We like what you’re doing.’ It was a praise, but in addition attention-grabbing seeing how media was altering,” stated Leonard.
It was a time when particular person creatives might make the most of a wide range of platforms to achieve broad audiences that, maybe, even legacy publications won’t seize.
Leonard possible received’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 working and artistic endeavors replicate that success is feasible by way of committing to the method even when validation doesn’t arrive immediately.
Now 45 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 generally 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 vegetation 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 selecting 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, in order that they couldn’t break the mix harvester machine.
“The tallest factor on the horizon was a grain silo,” stated 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 velocity 10 to fifteen meters into it, after which I used to be quick from 15 to 200 meters. Within the relay, children would rely eight to 10 steps, and I’d rely 22. I used to be like a cartoon character working in quicksand for the primary two seconds,” stated Leonard, who grew up in a goofy household, which he didn’t understand was distinctive till he was out of faculty.
A reducing from a neighborhood newspaper exhibiting Brendan Leonard working observe in highschool. All images courtesy of Brendan Leonard, except in any other case famous.
Studying the guide “Humor Severely” 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, they usually attempt to one-up one another with jokes. It didn’t happen to me folks didn’t attempt to make one another giggle as a household — that it wasn’t frequent. After faculty, I’d go to buddies’ or girlfriends’ homes and suppose the dad and mom didn’t like me, as a result of they weren’t laughing. They weren’t joking with me, which was unusual for me, I assume. That was the simplest factor for me to do — default to humor and put levity into conditions,” stated Leonard. With critical subjects, throwing in some humor can enhance the end result of the message being acquired, he’s discovered.
Leonard acknowledged that his knack for humor could have been detrimental in grade faculty.
“I could possibly be a scientist now if I hadn’t been goofing off in school. It appeared like a cool factor to be,” he stated. 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 whole freelance earnings for the yr — and moved to Colorado’s Entrance Vary.
There, the then 26-year-old dabbled in path working however typically “was not into it.” He was psyched on mountaineering and mountaineering for almost a decade, till 2015.
However then a great 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 might run half of the 50k and stroll the second half,” he stated, 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 mountaineering in with a backpack, climbing, descending, and mountaineering out. I knew a 50k would take much less time than that, and that I might hold transferring. I knew I might try this and never die. I got here from a unique 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 change his climbing with an identical exercise that’s full of gorgeous mountain surroundings, pushing your self mentally and bodily, and ache and struggling — but far much less danger.
Subsequent, he dove right into a 50 miler, the Ice Age Path 50 Mile, in Could 2016. “I believed everybody firstly line would appear to be Ironman triathletes, however everybody was regular trying and really bizarre in the identical means — all of us thought that this is able to be enjoyable or difficult or price it ultimately. Ultrarunners are my kind of weirdo,” he stated.
Finally, Leonard sees numerous parallels between being a runner and being a inventive.
“Working is such an incredible metaphor for inventive work. For those who 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 sizzling. You determined you wished to run a race, and now you need to practice for it,” he stated. “I take pleasure in flexing that muscle over and over 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 stored up with path working 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 way of these lengthiest races, one in every of his favourite authored books is, “I Hate Working and You Can Too: How you can Get Began, Maintain Going, and Make Sense of an Irrational Ardour.” He stated, “It’s a brief guide about get into working, or hold working in case you 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 vital 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 try this anymore however we each nonetheless run. Out of the 2 of us, she enjoys working. I’m extra of a, ‘I’ve to do it, like brushing my enamel,’ runner. For getting outdoors, I would like issues that’ll get me out the door, however I’m slowest to get out.” he stated.
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 bear in mind trying down on the place our van was parked in Zion Nationwide Park, subsequent to a sprinter van, and was like, ‘That’s big. I guess they’ll get up after they put their pants on.’ It was nice for what it was. It was $6,500, and that was my whole life financial savings,” stated Leonard.
Brendan Leonard enjoyable 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 might “purchase a home greater than 800 sq. toes” in 2020. That’s the place they’d Jay, now one yr previous.
Oliver nonetheless edits all the things Leonard creates. “She edits 100% of all the things I do. I’ll present her my silly drawings, and she or he’ll say, ‘Yeah.’ She used to giggle. Now she simply tells me if it’s humorous or not,” he stated.
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’d not have learn had I not been together with her. I attempt to learn 50% books by authors that determine 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,” stated Leonard.
They’ve additionally shared many miles by way of crewing, pacing, and working 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 delivery of their child. Leonard wrote in regards to the expertise in his weekly publication, “The Grand Canyon Twice, in 11 Pictures,” penning:
“Hilary was amazingly nonetheless crushing with 5 miles to go. All of the 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 would name for a rescue right here. We had been clocking 38-minute miles, however we weren’t going to die. We simply sort of felt like we had been going to die.”
With a child, life stability seems extra like a triage of daycare, viruses, and occasional clean days.
Being a father or mother “might be the toughest factor I’ve ever completed. It’s relentless. You possibly can all the time stop a 100-mile race. Even in case you do end it, it’s over. That is relentless, that’s one of the best phrase I’ve heard. But it surely’s micro doses of pleasure on a regular basis. You possibly can’t actually complain. Plus, we did it to ourselves. It was our thought! I simply targeted on caring for Hilary so she might deal with Jay, as a result of I can’t breastfeed,” he stated.
Brendan Leonard working 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 working to the best summits inside a 20-mile radius of his dwelling, an alternative choice to the a lot pricier expeditions to summit the best mountains on this planet.
Through the years, Leonard gravitated towards movie creation after attending movie festivals and watching buddies 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 soak up what you made, versus writing, the place you often get an e-mail from somebody who is just not your mother,” stated Leonard.
In September 2023, Leonard hosted a path working and artistic workshop, in partnership with Freeflow Institute and Alpine Working Guides, which was a brand new spin on a writing workshop he’s sometimes hosted, through a whitewater journey, since 2019. With a first-ever path working focus, the spots have by no means offered out so quick.
“Persons are getting guide contracts for writing captions or for TikTok movies that attain folks. I take pleasure in that. I’m not excellent at drawing, and lots of people would say, ‘I’m not good at writing, and undoubtedly not a great cinematographer’ — however are you able to do it properly 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. Once I requested what his favourite a part of being a creator is, Leonard stated, “I believe 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 superb. I take into consideration individuals who do properly with a model or guide promotion. I’m wondering what it’s wish to have one actually good guide that you just’re cranking out talking engagements on — they’re in all probability making a ton of cash, however speaking about the identical factor over and over, that will additionally suck. I get to decide on what I do every 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 present. If it permits me to make a residing, superior. That’s the extent of success I’m proud of.”
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