3 MINS 52 SECONDS RACE REPORTING
See, Dean is not your natural chatty Cathy. In fact, he describes himself as“ painfully introverted”. Starting Trailchasers wasn’ t just about telling stories from the trails. It was about forcing himself to engage with strangers. Like, real live humans. With opinions. And sometimes whistles and hydration packs.
“ I needed to completely get out of my comfort zone; not a small nudge uncomfortable, more like jump off a cliff uncomfortable.”
His initial plan was solid: prepare thoroughly, draft a neat list of questions, and guide his guests gently through a podcast interview. Job done. But very quickly, he realised trail running was messy. Literally and figuratively. To get something real, something with actual heart, you’ ve got to be in the trenches( or mud pits, or goat tracks) with the people living these stories. As Dean puts it,“ You can’ t just ask questions. You’ ve gotta shake the hands and kiss the babies.”
And so Trailchasers evolved.
Each week, Dean packs up his gear and hits the road, determined to run( or at least shuffle) in trail events across every single province in South Africa. His mission? To uncover the gritty, glorious, and sometimes downright ridiculous stories of runners from every walk of life.
From elite runners gliding up mountains like springboks to volunteers dishing out potatoes and encouragement at aid stations, to back-of-thepackers who are just hoping to make it to the finish before the beer runs out: Dean wants to hear it all.
But here’ s where it gets really interesting. Dean also runs a separate passion project:“ 365 Days of Calling Random People”. Yes, that’ s exactly what it sounds like. Every single day, he randomly calls a runner( someone he’ s never spoken to before), asks them why they run, and shares their answer on Instagram. The results? Hilarious, inspiring, awkward... sometimes all three at once.
Some answers are deep and moving—“ I run to feel free, to escape trauma, to find myself.” Others? Not so much.“ It’ s Boxing Day, don’ t call me on a public holiday” was one particularly festive reply. And then there are the ones who offer the emotional equivalent of a dried-out boerie roll:“ I like nature.” Cool. Noted. But Dean pushes on, even if it means editing and posting at 23:59 just to keep the streak alive.
At the heart of it all is Dean’ s burning mission: to get 500 new trail runners into the sport in the next two years. How exactly will he measure that? Well … he hasn’ t quite figured that part out yet. But like any good trail
runner, he’ s taking it one uneven, rock-strewn step at a time.
Trailchasers is not just about races and gear reviews( although, yes, there’ s plenty of chat about shoes, GPS watches, nutrition hacks, and the eternal mystery of chafing prevention). It’ s about community. It’ s about the weird little tribe that forms at the starting line, the high-fives from total strangers, the emotional hug from a volunteer at the summit, and the shared joy of a cold Coke at the finish.
And now, Modern Athlete is teaming up with Dean and Trailchasers to bring these stories to life. We’ ll be helping him share the untold gems from trails across South Africa— the misadventures, the triumphs, and the strange smells from suspicious trail snacks.
Because if there’ s one thing we’ ve learned, it’ s that trail running is not just about fitness. It’ s about freedom. It’ s about friendship. It’ s about finding the absolute worst time to need a toilet in the middle of nowhere.
So, if you’ ve ever thought trail running isn’ t for you— too far, too fast, too fancy— think again. Dean is here to show you that there’ s a place for everyone on the trail. Whether you’ re an elite athlete, a weekend warrior, or a shuffler who considers walking up a hill a personal Everest, your story matters.
Follow Dean’ s journey, tune into Trailchasers, and who knows? Maybe next time, you’ ll be the one sharing your“ why” while elbow-deep in mud, wondering how your life turned into a sports montage narrated by a soft-spoken introvert with a mic.
You can find Trailchasers on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you listen to people breathing heavily into microphones.
And if Dean ever calls you, don’ t worry— it’ s not a scam. It’ s just another day in his mission to get SA moving, one awkward conversation at a time.
Catch you on the trails, folks.
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