If you happen to don’t but know of ultrarunners Scott Traer and Callie Vinson, you’ll quickly. The duo debuted as emcees for the dwell stream of the Black Canyon 100k in February 2024 and can deliver their artistic spark to the Western States 100’s dwell stream on June 29, 2024. They’ll be commentating on the frontrunners on the Foresthill assist station at mile 62, after which they’ll head to the studio close to the end line at 10 p.m. to share the tales and welcome residence the vast majority of the racers.
“We’re excited to be part of it,” mentioned Vinson. The couple will deliver the playful, entertaining vibe they’ve grow to be recognized for on their social media channels — right here’s Vinson’s Instagram feed and that is Traer’s — like donning fake fur coats, sun shades, and neon accents. Similar to they did for his or her Black Canyon 100k dwell stream call-outs, they’ll put out a request to listen to the non-public tales of racers forward of time.
Scott Traer and Callie Vinson. Photograph: Matt Shapiro
Vinson mentioned, “We need to deliver a unique perspective whereas broadcasting the center to the again of the packers, the final people who find themselves ending the race. We are going to deliver within the final place particular person. So, inform us your working story. Why are you working the Western States 100? We will share these tales on the dwell stream and convey extra visibility to these runners who don’t really feel seen or don’t really feel particular, and to only have a good time them.”
The gig is correct up the alley of Vinson and Traer’s longstanding skills, profession paths, and their roles within the path working world. At this time, the 2 name Prescott, Arizona, residence for many of the yr, till excessive summer season temperatures encourage a stint elsewhere for a couple of months, normally Colorado or California.
Residence Roots
Traer grew up a couple of miles north of Boston, Massachusetts, the place he performed group sports activities and golf — he hated working on the time. “I didn’t actually get into it till my late twenties after I began working to remain reasonably in form after faculty,” he mentioned. He nonetheless goes again to go to household a few occasions a yr or to assist co-organize occasions with buddies who’re race administrators. He has two brothers in Boston and a sister in Alaska.
Born and raised in Orlando, Florida, Vinson’s dad labored for The Walt Disney Firm for 20 years as a panorama architect, placing her in shut proximity to Disney World. Rising up, she performed goalie on the soccer group and rowed on a crew group. As quickly as she graduated highschool, she submitted a pictures portfolio to an artwork faculty in Savannah, Georgia, and was accepted. Afterward, she landed an internship in Chicago, Illinois, the place she took two suitcases and entered a profession in promoting for a decade earlier than venturing west.
In his early working days, Scott Traer principally ran to remain in form. Photograph courtesy of Scott Traer.
Getting Hooked on Operating and Sharing Physique Positivity
Traer lived out of a backpack everywhere in the world for a decade after faculty, working a couple of hours every week to remain in form. After rising up enjoying sports activities, he knew he needed to ultimately work within the enviornment {of professional} sports activities. In 2009, he was in South America climbing and biking, doing 4,000-mile excursions. As he received extra into working, he’d create “overly bold” working routes with few particulars concerning the space, go discover, and notice after 5 hours that he was out of meals and gas however would want to get again to the place he’d began. After seven months of high-volume working, he returned to Boston, the place he continued to log 150-mile weeks on foot. He had prompt success at his first race, and 15 years later continues to be competitively racing as we speak.
Vinson moved to Chicago with a dream of being a metropolis woman working at an advert company, which she did. However she additionally found path working and ultrarunning and fell in love with it. “I received into path working, as a result of I knew I cherished working. As a child, I used to be all the time within the filth. All of my prolonged household lives within the U.S. Southeast, in rural wooded areas, so I used to be all the time exterior enjoying. We had a horse rising up in my grandparents’ home. In Chicago, after I realized about path working and ultramarathons, I used to be like, oh my God, I really feel like I can proceed to discover by myself,” mentioned Vinson, who additionally picked up working as a method to drop some weight and get wholesome.
After beginning to run in 2013, she misplaced 200 kilos over the course of two years. In 2016, she registered for her first race, the Chicago Marathon. Along with her run routine, she had phased out consuming quick meals and take-out and stopped relying on the catered meals that her workplace offered. As a substitute, she packed a wholesome lunch every day. She added cooking wholesome breakfasts at residence, adopted by cooking well-rounded dinners. Ultimately, she added a health club routine.
Callie Vinson and her mother on the point of run collectively. Photograph courtesy of Callie Vinson.
Whereas her preliminary imaginative and prescient wasn’t to grow to be an advocate for physique positivity and inclusivity, the extra she shared her journey, the extra folks would attain out, saying how seen and validated they felt. “It’s one thing that occurred organically that I wasn’t anticipating, however I believe it’s so necessary to not simply the game however society generally, and for ladies and men. I’m pleased to be on this area, and be a voice in it, and to hopefully make a change,” she mentioned.
It wasn’t lengthy earlier than Vinson needed to go deeper down the rabbit gap of path working. With a watch on the U.S. Southwest and the metropolitan coexistence with trails that Phoenix, Arizona, gives, she knew she needed to go.
In 2021, post-COVID-19 pandemic, her work group was all working remotely, so she requested her artistic director if she may relocate. After doing a digital tour of an condo and signing a lease, she made the leap. She not too long ago celebrated 5 years on the identical advert company, the place she works full time as a artistic copywriter. She additionally trains 15 hours every week as knowledgeable athlete. “After I was very new to the Southwest, I had this insatiable curiosity to maintain exploring and seeing issues that not lots of people may see. That’s been my motivation to maintain path working,” she defined.
Favourite Race Occasions
Wanting again on races, one in all Vinson’s highlights is California’s Catalina Island Avalon Profit 50 Mile/50k. After taking a 45-minute ferry, you’re on the island for the small race, which follows the shoreline with ocean views and roaming buffalo. “Everybody stays on the island and goes to breakfast at one in all two breakfast spots, plus the island has zero vehicles. Everybody will get round on golf carts,” she says.
For Traer, fat-ass races stand out in reminiscence, with a couple of that rise to the highest. He likes occasions the place 15 to twenty buddies camp beforehand, then get up at 6 a.m. to run 50 miles with no assist stations.
“It goes again to that neighborhood. Racing [something like] the Western States 100 has a enterprise goal and I’m going there to carry out, interval. My favourite a part of the game that I actually take pleasure in is getting that small group of buddies collectively to go for a really non-competitive race. Then we’ve an excuse to hang around for twenty-four hours at this campsite. I might select these over a high-profile occasion,” mentioned Traer.
Profession Progress
Whereas working to grow to be a extra aggressive runner, Traer dove into analysis, articles, conferences, and podcasts about all the most recent info for coaching. “I began doing that earlier than opening my very own teaching observe in 2016, primarily as a result of I needed to get higher. At that time, in 2010, exterior of CTS, there actually was no distant and working teaching occurring. The market was very small, whereas now it’s very saturated,” mentioned Traer. “I really feel so pleased and grateful to be working within the sports activities enviornment, being profitable, and in a position to carve out a residing. It’s actually a dream come true,” he added.
Some of the rewarding items of teaching for Traer is long-term athlete growth, seeing somebody enhance over the course of eight to 10 years. “You overestimate what you are able to do in a yr and underestimate what you are able to do in three or 5 years. To see the progress on a few of the athletes is completely superb,” mentioned Traer.
He’d invested in a home in Lyons, Colorado, the place he stayed for a couple of years after which offered the home initially of the pandemic. At this time, his teaching enterprise is sort of a decade previous, and his roster stays full with 45 athletes. He devotes 40 to 50 hours every week to teaching and, as knowledgeable athlete, trains as much as 20 hours per week.
Scott Traer. Photograph courtesy of Scott Traer.
How The Duo Met
Gold pants might have been the silver bullet when Vinson first noticed Traer on the December 2021 Desert Solstice Observe Invitational in Phoenix. Vinson was crewing Pete Kostelnick throughout her first yr residing in Arizona. It was 6 a.m.
“I’m getting the whole lot able to crew Pete for the day, and I see this man stroll onto the observe in these gold chain sweatpants. He doesn’t have a crew. He simply has a grocery bag with all his stuff in it. I’m similar to, ‘Who on earth is that this particular person, and who has the audacity to put on these gold chain sweatpants?’”
For Traer, this was the norm. He didn’t sometimes go to races with a crew and didn’t have an enormous aim on the time. He was simply touring and floating round and thought he may as nicely race and attempt to qualify for the USATF nationwide group, and as a stepping stone earlier than racing the Black Canyon 100k to attempt to get a Golden Ticket to the Western States 100.
Traer was buddies with Kostelnick, and the trio made plans to do a restoration hike after the race, however Kostelnick needed to bail, leaving Traer and Vinson to hike collectively. “We went on a pair extra hikes collectively and ultimately realized that we each appreciated one another after we went to a music pageant collectively,” mentioned Vinson.
It began with working. Of the assembly, Traer mentioned, “All the time have some sparkle or taste at races. You by no means know who’s watching.”
Operating Actually Far
Forward of working the 2024 Cocodona 250 Mile, Vinson set a quickest recognized time (FKT) on the Maricopa Loop in November 2023. The Maricopa Path circumnavigates Phoenix in about 240 miles. Whereas it was Vinson’s first-ever FKT try, she shaved six hours off the earlier file.
She was supported by a 26-person group that crewed and accompanied her all through the 4 or so days of the trouble. About 40 miles from the end, she reached a closed path as a result of development — and even the safety guard made an exception to let her by means of to finish the circuit. “It was the essence of the path neighborhood, all coming collectively for this one aim,” she mentioned.
After setting an FKT on Phoenix, Arizona’s Maricopa Path, Callie Vinson was prepared for the Cocodona 250 Mile. Photograph courtesy of Callie Vinson.
Vinson additionally says that effort helped to organize her for achievement on the Cocodona 250 Mile. She completed the 2024 version in 4 days, 17 hours, 51 minutes, and 11 seconds.
Along with being Vinson’s associate, Traer is her coach and crew chief. Earlier than the beginning of Cocodona, he mentioned, “It’ll be a enjoyable week exterior. I really feel like every time you spend every week exterior, it’s a win.” He additionally had a few different athletes working the 200 miler.
Artistic and Restoration Time
When the 2 aren’t coaching, which they do every morning, they dwell with Cloudy, their very-white-faced, principally brown senior canine that they tackle lengthy night walks. He additionally has a white-dusted stomach and paws. Vinson received the lab-boxer-pit combine, who’s now 15 years previous, in her twenties. She picked him up from a canine rescue in Savannah, Georgia. Traer not too long ago picked again up swinging a golf membership, which has been therapeutic as a substitute of getting a performance-based focus.
Additionally they each love dwell digital music, festivals, and standup comedy exhibits. It exhibits of their collaboration on social media, which has grow to be a artistic outlet for natural jokes that pop up throughout a run and once they’re spending time collectively.
“It’s enjoyable to movie and edit clips, as a result of it’s very a lot stuff that we relate to as runners who undergo the runner journey and have these runner struggles. I’m a artistic in my profession, so it’s additionally one thing that I do on a day-to-day foundation,” mentioned Vinson.
Traer mentioned, “I typically chime in with enjoyable concepts, however Callie is certainly the driving drive on why the movies look good. I get classes on filming, pictures, social media — the whole lot. It’s nice to be taught from her.”
In her day by day life, Vinson is surrounded by artwork administrators, photographers, and videographers. “I hear their ideas and inventive processes, and I attempt to adapt that into no matter I do at work or in my free time with social media content material. With all the brand new instruments popping out, it’s enjoyable for me to be taught them and try to put them into observe, or see what everyone else is doing, or making an attempt to give you one thing new that hasn’t been executed earlier than. All that artistic stuff is one thing I’ve all the time cherished to do,” she defined.
Scott Traer and Callie Vinson prepare collectively and have bold future targets. Photograph: Matt Shapiro
After they see cool movie and enhancing strategies, Traer mentioned, “She’ll attempt to determine, how did they get this shot? How can we get a digicam angle like this? How may we do that? Or, how will we edit like this? It’d take her down a rabbit gap for 2 to a few hours making an attempt to determine it out.”
He added, “She works onerous, spending plenty of time to be taught and refine new abilities. That’s the reason she’s distinctive at what she does, and it’s the identical within the teaching business.” For Traer, that continued training appears to be like like studying analysis and articles, going to conferences, speaking with different coaches, staying updated on expertise and instruments and diet, and experimenting with the wearables market.
Objectives Up Forward
Except for being emcees for the 2024 Western States 100 dwell stream, the 2 have a couple of different targets within the pipeline.
Traer goals to set the 24-hour American file, presently held by Nick Coury, on the 2024 Desert Solstice Observe Invitational in December. Meaning working greater than 173 miles.
The couple not too long ago launched a month-to-month Mug Membership group run in Arizona, which is gaining plenty of traction. Throughout their meet-ups, they run on a brand new path each time. The mileage of the run is on the decrease aspect, round 4 miles, and Vinson is all the time the final runner, so there’s nobody left behind. On the trailhead, they submit up in chairs, serve scorching espresso, chilly brew, and doughnuts. Additionally they host raffles.
“It’s superb as a result of we get people who find themselves very new to working, or they’re older and may really feel intimidated, however they get to expertise this. Or, Abby Corridor, who’s knowledgeable runner, and her husband, Cordis [Hall], who can be skilled, come out and be a part of,” mentioned Vinson.
In July, the duo will crew a buddy on the 2024 Badwater 135 Mile. Vinson is signed up for the 2024 Javelina 100 Mile this fall, which she goals to complete in below 24 hours, a brand new aim. “I volunteered the previous couple of years at that race, and it’ll be my first time working the race,” she mentioned.
In 2016, Traer had a thoughts shift relating to racing the place he needed it to be extra enjoyable than pressure-inducing. At this time, he nonetheless maintains that mindset, enjoys his artistic expression with Vinson, and actually appreciates how tight-knit and inclusive the neighborhood is. For Vinson, she loves that the path working neighborhood can expertise such a variety of feelings collectively — the very best highs and the bottom lows — whereas additionally sharing tales.
Alongside their race targets, you’ll want to catch the duo through the 2024 Western States 100 dwell stream this month. You’re assured to have a couple of laughs.
Name for Feedback
- Have you ever skilled the digital and in-person communities that Callie Vinson and Scott Traer are facilitating?
- Depart your tales within the feedback part.
