Trail Running Adventures: My Job
January 1, 2018 by Pablo Rodriguez
How Trail Running Became My Job
I’m a lucky man, my hobby is my job. Back in , during the economic crisis, I was forced to leave my IT job. I had to figure out a way to support my family – Cristina and our four boys. But at this point in my life, making my dreams come true is how I make a living. It’s about more than just moving; it’s about connecting. We’ve built NomaTrails on a simple idea: we run places where we have a deep, genuine relationship. It’s not just about hitting miles. It’s about being able to say, “This is my grandma’s village,” or “My kids went to that school.” If we don’t have that connection, it feels fake, you know? Running is just our way of exploring, like our ancestors did. It’s how we traverse territories, discovering new places every single day.
Dreaming Up Our Trail Running Adventures
What if I could…? This simple question sparks every route, every journey we embark on. It’s about pushing boundaries and seeing what’s truly possible on foot.Answering a question: Can I run to the other side? Costa Rica
I remember driving by the Cerro de la Muerte in Costa Rica, the “Mountain of Death,” standing at 3400m elevation. I thought, “What if I could run from here to the Pacific, 100 km through those dense jungle trails?” And then, to turn South, all the way to Corcovado National Park, another 130 km away? The idea just grabbed me, the sheer wildness of it.The Pyrenees, Africa, The Mediterranean, Costa Rica: Our Trail Running Adventures Across Continents
I was in Prades, France, not long ago. The Canigó mountain, a majestic peak of the Pyrenees, stood proudly to the south, almost beckoning me. I wondered, what if my legs could carry me from there, through the high mountains, all the way to my friend Quico’s little hut in Cala S’Alguer on the Catalan Mediterranean coast? That’s 210 km! Should I make a detour to the spiritual valley of Nuria, or just push straight south towards the ancient village of Beget? Who would I meet along the way? What stories would the trails tell? This kind of questioning, this pursuit of the unknown, that’s what fuels me.Morocco: From the Atlas Mountains to the Sahara
I remember being in Ait Ben Haddou, Morocco. My kids were crossing a bridge, and I was taking pictures, but my eyes kept drifting to the Atlas Mountains behind the kasbah. The dreaming started again: crossing those mountains from the North, running all the way to the Sahara Desert. Who would we meet? What would that vast, silent landscape feel like underfoot? Was it even possible?One of the most extraordinary days of my life happened in Morocco.
We were running in the middle of nowhere, towards a place I didn’t even know. This was a place five and a half hours in the opposite direction from where any tourist bus would go from Marrakech. We were truly off the map, heading into the unknown. After hours of running, we stumbled upon this incredibly beautiful valley, a hidden oasis. The people living there, they live much like people did 500 years ago. Their way of life, their connection to the land, it’s something truly special. I’ve been trying to learn Berber, their language, for nine years, and I still struggle! It’s one of the most challenging languages I’ve encountered, but every attempt brings me closer to understanding their world.- Berber Language Challenge
- I’ve been trying to learn Berber for nine years, a language spoken by the indigenous people of North Africa. It’s a complex, ancient tongue, and every word I learn feels like a step back in time, connecting me to a rich, enduring culture.
