Just Show Up

Hey Team!

Since last week’s newsletter, have any of you caught the running bug yet... or caught it again? This past Saturday, I found myself back in Vancouver for BMO Marathon weekend, and the city had that special buzz in the streets. Runners everywhere. Friends crossing paths. People showing up for each other. It was amazing to be part of it, and it made me think this running scene must be becoming more and more obvious to everyone now... not just my algorithm.

Another iconic ultra kicked off this week as well: the 2026 Cocodona 250. One of the most notable multi-day races in the sport, and one that feels like it keeps growing every year. The field is packed with pros, the demand is real, and next year’s 250-mile race has officially moved to a lottery system. You may assume what that means... I’ve submitted my name for 2027. As I’ve shared before, the universe didn’t deliver the ultra this year. Next year feels like a good year for something bold like Cocodona. Time will tell.

A Mental Edge

Just show up.

I know it can sound like a mantra. A slogan. A twist on Nike’s “Just Do It.” Or something you’d see tattooed on someone’s arm. But for me, it’s become much more than that. It’s a way of being. A core practice. A default decision-maker that continues to prove itself over and over again.

Because the truth is, most of the best things in my life have happened because I made the choice to show up. Not because I had the perfect plan. Not because I knew exactly what would happen. Not because it was convenient. But because I put myself in the room, on the start line, at the run club, inside the hard conversation, or in proximity to the people and places that mattered.

This past weekend was a perfect reminder. I made the choice to spend most of my Saturday getting to and from Vancouver to support friends, take in the BMO energy, and be around the running community. On paper, it was a lot for one day. In real life, it was worth every minute.

I saw people I hadn’t seen in months. I crossed paths with friends I didn’t expect to run into. I watched people light up around race weekend. I felt the energy of a city that seemed to be moving together. And it reminded me again that strong relationships don’t just happen. Opportunity doesn’t just appear out of thin air. Luck, friendship, momentum, and community are created when you keep putting yourself in the right places with the right intention.

That’s the edge.

Not waiting until it’s easy. Not waiting until you feel fully ready. Not waiting until the schedule is perfect, the weather is ideal, or the outcome is guaranteed.

Just show up.

From The Field

I don’t know if society is more drawn to these inspiring stories of humanity and the underdog right now, if it’s just me, or if we’ve somehow had a collision of heart-warming, hair-standing, tear-jerking moments over this past month. But this past weekend, it happened again. Goosebumps. This time in the world of horse racing... at the Kentucky Derby.

Golden Tempo and jockey Jose Ortiz were at the very back of the race. Dead last. Not a hope in hell. Or at least that’s what the entire world probably thought... except maybe trainer Cherie DeVaux.

Slowly, one horse at a time, Jose started to push. Golden Tempo began passing the field one by one. Cherie was captured yelling, “Come on Jose. Come on Jose. Come on Jose.” And from the very back, Golden Tempo gained ground, kept closing, and did the impossible.

Golden Tempo won the Kentucky Derby.

Absolute storytelling magic.

But it wasn’t just the comeback. It wasn’t just the long odds. It wasn’t just the drama of coming from last to first on one of the biggest stages in sport. After 152 years, Cherie DeVaux became the first female trainer to win the Kentucky Derby.

History was made.

And that’s why I love moments like this. They remind us that ceilings are meant to be broken. That the field can change in an instant. That being counted out doesn’t mean you’re done. And that sometimes the thing that looks impossible from the outside is only impossible until someone goes and does it.

So whether it’s a marathon weekend, a run club, a hard conversation, a start line, or a dream that feels just a little too big...

Put yourself in the field.

Catch you on the Start Line,
—Matty