If you happen to’re an outdoorsy one who spends time on-line, chances are high good that you simply’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 frequently 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 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 should you draw it, they’ll digest it in 15 seconds,” stated 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 artistic profession gained momentum.

Driving the lengthy sport of his artistic imaginative and prescient, Leonard began producing Semi-Rad when he had hassle reaching nationwide publications. “I had all these story concepts that have 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 assumed, this’ll by no means work at ‘Backpacker’ or ‘Outdoors.’ I don’t have sufficient expertise writing. They don’t assume 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. Photograph: GearJunkie

One thing clearly modified. “I bear in mind the primary time I used to be writing for an editor of an enormous journal and so they stated, ‘Simply write it such as you write it to your weblog.’

Then in 2017, after I’d completed the weblog for years, “Outdoors” stated, ‘We like what you’re doing.’ It was a praise, but additionally attention-grabbing seeing how media was altering,” stated Leonard. It was a time when particular person creatives may make the most of a wide range of platforms to succeed in broad audiences that, maybe, even legacy publications won’t seize.

Leonard doubtless 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 recognized. However the evolution of each his path operating and inventive endeavors replicate that success is feasible by means of committing to the method even when validation doesn’t arrive straight away.

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, in contrast to 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 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 greater 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,” 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 workforce 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, bought pace 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 operating in quicksand for the primary two seconds,” stated 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 exhibiting Brendan Leonard operating observe in highschool. All images courtesy of Brendan Leonard, except in any other case famous.

Studying the e book “Humor Significantly” once 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 chuckle as a household — that it wasn’t widespread. After school, I’d go to mates’ or girlfriends’ homes and assume 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 assume. That was the best 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 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 at school. It appeared like a cool factor to be,” he stated. Nonetheless, Leonard graduated from the College of Northern Iowa with a advertising 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 usually “was not into it.” He was psyched on mountaineering and mountaineering for practically a decade, till 2015.

However then a great good friend 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 assumed that sounded superior. I signed up for the 50k, for enjoyable. I assumed I may 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 an enormous a part of his life.

“I’d run a marathon as soon as and hated it. However I’d spent quite a lot of 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 may maintain shifting. I knew I may do this and never die. I got here from a special 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 analogous exercise that’s full of lovely 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 assumed everybody in the beginning line would seem like Ironman triathletes, however everybody was regular trying and really bizarre in the identical manner — all of us thought that this is able to be enjoyable or difficult or price it indirectly. Ultrarunners are my kind of weirdo,” he stated.

In the end, Leonard sees numerous parallels between being a runner and being a artistic.

“Working is such an ideal metaphor for artistic work. If you happen to 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 stated. “I take pleasure in flexing that muscle again 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 stored 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 bought by means of these lengthiest races, one among his favourite authored books is, “I Hate Working and You Can Too: Tips on how to Get Began, Maintain Going, and Make Sense of an Irrational Ardour.” He stated, “It’s a brief e book about the way to get into operating, or the way to maintain operating should you don’t prefer it, with 80 illustrations. It’s been translated into three or 4 languages, which is an enormous 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 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 enamel,’ runner. For getting exterior, 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 large. I guess they’ll rise up once they put their pants on.’ It was nice for what it was. It was $6,500, and that was my total 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 may “purchase a home greater than 800 sq. ft” 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 he or she’ll say, ‘Yeah.’ She used to chuckle. Now she simply tells me if it’s humorous or not,” he stated.

The couple all the time talks about artistic issues — motion pictures, movies, books — and passes books forwards and backwards from bedside desk to desk. “There are such a lot of books I’d not have learn had I not been along 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 an enormous deal. Since she [Oliver] naturally reads extra girls writers, I profit from that, and he or she has nice style in literature,” stated Leonard.

They’ve additionally shared many miles by means of 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 ft of ascent, as a primary journey after the delivery of their child. Leonard wrote concerning the expertise in his weekly e-newsletter, “The Grand Canyon Twice, in 11 Photographs,” penning:

“Hilary was amazingly nonetheless crushing with 5 miles to go. Out of the blue, 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 telephone, and remembered, oh yeah, you can name for a rescue right here. We have been clocking 38-minute miles, however we weren’t going to die. We simply type of felt like we have been going to die.”

With a child, life steadiness appears extra like a triage of daycare, viruses, and occasional clean days.

Being a mother or father “might be the toughest factor I’ve ever completed. It’s relentless. You may all the time give up a 100-mile race. Even should you do end it, it’s over. That is relentless, that’s one of the best phrase I’ve heard. However it’s micro doses of pleasure on a regular basis. You may’t actually complain. Plus, we did it to ourselves. It was our concept! I simply centered on caring for Hilary so she may maintain Jay, as a result of I can’t breastfeed,” he stated.

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 exterior 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 residence, a substitute for 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 mates 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 shouldn’t be your mother,” stated 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 sometimes 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 take pleasure in that. I’m not superb at drawing, and lots of people would say, ‘I’m not good at writing, and positively not a great cinematographer’ — however are you able to do it effectively sufficient to get your level throughout? We’re in a media atmosphere 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 degree of success. Once I requested what his favourite a part of being a creator is, Leonard stated, “I feel simply the liberty to do artistic work each day. To maneuver issues ahead and make issues. With the ability to come again and do it each day is superb. I take into consideration individuals who do effectively with a model or e book promotion. I’m wondering what it’s prefer to have one actually good e book that you simply’re cranking out talking engagements on — they’re most likely making a ton of cash, however speaking about the identical factor again and again, that will 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 each day in my workplace and draw or write or create, that’s the actual present. If it permits me to make a residing, superior. That’s the extent of success I’m proud of.”

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