Paddy O’Leary on Racing Horses, Fell Running, Lacrosse, & Community Building

Paddy O’Leary’s path from the farm he grew up on in Wexford, Ireland to becoming an elite runner for The North Face is by no means a linear one. Long before he started running, Paddy spent much of his early 20s growing the sport of lacrosse in Ireland. It was only after an opportunity to pursue cancer research led him to San Francisco that he found his knack for racing on trails. So, we sat down with Paddy (and his charming Irish brogue) to talk about all of that and more — including, how he ended up racing on the trails (with and without a horse); the Wicklow Round; community building; and toeing the line at the oldest trail race in North America.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• What is “ride & tie” racing? (1:33)
• Growing up on a dairy farm (6:31)
• Lacrosse abroad (9:36) 
• Fell running & jailbreaks (13:37)
• A brief history of Irish mountain running (22:48)
• How Paddy ended up in San Francisco (33:15)
• Building community (35:54)
• Western States 100 & the Dipsea Race (40:45) 
• What’s next? (50:36)

RELATED LINKS:

• Ride & Tie Association
• Coming Home film

OUR OTHER BLISTER PODCASTS

• Blister Podcast
• GEAR:30 podcast
• Bikes & Big Ideas podcast

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