The Ongoing Quests of Tyler Green
Osprey Packs invited me to write about how my brother's race at the Western States Endurance Run. I was happy to oblige.
Through the life of this Substack, my two favorite pieces have been about family: a memorial of my Grandpa Lewie, and my essay on Tyler’s incredible second-place finish at the 2021 Western States Endurance Run. The latter article, published last summer, caught the eye of some folks at one of Tyler’s sponsors, Osprey Packs, and they asked if I’d be up for writing about his preparation for the 2022 Western States. The answer was, obviously, yes.
At first, the article was gonna focus on Ty’s planning and hopes, but Osprey’s marketing schedule got bumped until August, which was after Tyler’s race. So I said, “Hey, will you guys cover travel if I go in-person?” Osprey agreed. All Tyler had to do was provide a story-worthy race.
Today, Osprey Packs published the article in two parts, titled The Long Road To 15:57:10: Inside Tyler Green’s 2022 Western States. Part one features Tyler’s preparation, and Part 2 is about the race itself.
I’m super pleased with how this turned out. To get paid for writing about sports and my family is a crazy privilege, Tyler and Rachel are beautiful subjects, and Osprey was a generous joy to work with. As a long-revered purveyor of quality outdoor equipment, they certainly deserve all the dozens and dozens of page impressions The Green Room sends their way.
I won’t leave you empty-handed, however. Here’s an excerpt of one of my favorite parts. (My very favorite part is the last few paragraphs.)
In February, before Tyler set off for Moab, our family gathered for the first time to celebrate his birthday and meet our new niece, Ines. We gathered around the table with warm hearts, all of us together for the first time since Covid-19 broke out, and then just before Dad offered thanks for our meal, Tyler and Rachel announced she was pregnant.
To understand our gratitude at this growth, you’d have to know the losses. How, eight years ago, cancer killed my wife and Tyler moved in for a while to support my daughter and I. Or how last winter, our grandfather passed. Or how, just the other day, our Uncle Mike died. Ty and Rach’s declaration of growth is sweeter in light of all that bitter loss.
Yet Rachel’s pregnancy also presented a new challenge. Tyler and Rachel are fine-tuned twin trail-running machines, and his career has flourished alongside her, their drive and energy lifting up the other. He may not put it this way, but a writer can recognize another artist’s muse. After her first trimester, Rachel couldn’t keep her usual pace. Tyler would do the running for both of them, but he missed her by his side.
As I met with Tyler in the lead-up to Western States, his demeanor was subdued. He hoped to win, yes, and he believed he would run a faster race, but that wry grin of underdog confidence from the year before was gone. He told me about a moment, arriving at the Peachstone aid station in 2021 and hearing Kendrick Lamar’s “HUMBLE.” The theme impressed on Tyler’s heart: Surrender. Anything can happen on race day, especially over a hundred miles.
Against the solitude and grander expectations, Tyler carried a mental edge: his memories of the race. That was where experience factored in. This would be his third time through the trail, start to finish. Planted in his psyche are the places where he and Rachel ran together, the spots where he made key passes, the stretches he ran with friends––Drew, Jordan, Nick, Yassine. There are memories of where he nearly gave up and pushed through. With each pass, this legendary trail becomes a place Tyler more closely knows.
And so, on June 26th, Tyler and his growing family and veteran crew arrived at the line in Olympic Valley. The Western States Endurance Run was set to start.
CLICK HERE to read Part 1 of The Long Road To 15:57:10: Inside Tyler Green’s 2022 Western States
“...but a writer can recognize another artist’s muse.”... <---favorite line/idea from this. I like how you call your runner-brother an artist. Running IS art. I think that’s right. Am not quite yet sure how, but running is art. It’s good to think about. 🤔
Love it, Jordan. Well enough written that it is both compelling in-and-of-itself as well as honoring of your brother's achievements. Thank you for a great contribution.