Local Hero: Riley McGurn

Derick: Where are you located?

Riley: I'm in southern New Hampshire, about 45 minutes north of Boston, two hours from anywhere in the White Mountains. 

Derick: Nice. I thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail, and New Hampshire is my favorite section. Share a bit about your job and how you were inspired by a patient to start doing the outdoors. 

Riley: So, growing up I was primarily a soccer player, and then turned into a cheerleader. Cheered competitively, won world championship, 7th place in nationals for college. I went on to study psychology, and my mom was like, “Hey, I work at the hospital, there's a psych ward here. Why don't you get your foot in the door and see what you like about the brain and about psychiatry.” 

That was back in October 2018. I applied to the hospital, I had no idea what I was doing, and it was awesome. 

At dual diagnosis psych inpatient units, we're dealing with drug and alcohol as well as mental health, because they do often go hand in hand. 

A couple months in, we got a 22-year-old patient, who was division 2 track runner. She was there for psychotic breaks: Her reality was not what we see and hear. For her safety and the safety of other patients, we had to put her on a one-to-one, meaning we must be within arm’s length of her.

Well, the girl had no other coping mechanisms other than moving. Because she was so sick she had a ton of energy and wasn't sleeping. All she could do is move, and we're in a locked unit that it takes about 25 laps to do a mile, and I'm moving with her. 

She was a mid-distance runner, so she's got legs and she could move. A lot of my coworkers are older, they couldn't keep up with her. They asked, “Riley, can you stay with her?"

I ended up working back-to-back 16-hour overnights because we were short staffed. Then eventually I was like, OK I'm not doing well. I'm not sleeping, I'm not eating, I'm not taking care of myself. I need to do something after my overnight shifts, to transition from work to home and to my life. 

So, I started running. I was like. you know what, this poor girl can't even go to the grocery store. She's not even safe at home by herself. Not to mention, go plan a five-mile run that she is more than capable of doing. 

I have the access, I had the ability, I have the tools, so I did a lot of research. I bought shoes, I bought this and that, and I just started running mile by mile. It was a long haul you know. I'd start with one or two miles after an overnight shift, and the great thing about it was that it would tire me out and help me sleep. I was needing to eat more. I was taking better care of myself.

Then I was like, OK I'm not just going to run for no reason, so I signed up for a 10K and that was in September of 2018. I tried 1/2 marathon in 2019 and loved it. I puked .7 miles away from the finish because I went out hard. I drank too much fluid, but I loved it, and when I finished, I felt great. 

Then I signed up for a marathon, but COVID hit, and I started running on the trails a bit. I live on a road called Rolling Hill Ave, and it's off the highest point in town, so most of my runs either end or start with a climb. 

Then I started running some tougher trails. There are mountains about 45 minutes away, which used to be ancient volcanoes. They're pretty rugged at the Pawtuckaway State Park in Nottingham NH. I fell in love. There's a 7-mile loop that climbs two of the mountains so it's 1,500 feet of vert. It's nice easy, let me get my legs moving kind of day. Then I learned about the ultra-trail Mont Blanc EU UTMB. Primarily the race because there's the hiking version, and then there's the huge racing festival in Chamonix. That made me think, “Oh my, I want to start climbing like the bigger mountains.” 

So, that's kind of how my job led me to my work and now it's on the reverse end, I now will share my journeys with my patients and be like there is more to life.

Derick: I love that. I was going to mention how you were inspired by your patient, and now you're giving back and inspiring them.

Riley: Yeah, you don't have to go climb mountains. You don't have to go run them. To get deeper on it, I was just diagnosed with bipolar disorder. So now more than ever, I go to them (patients) tell them that you can live a normal life even with taking medication, trust me I know. I take a lot of the same medications that a lot of patients there take. I'm 26 years old, I don't necessarily have my life together, but I live my life so I can look back, and say I enjoyed my 20s. I enjoyed all this running, all this exploration, and you know one day I could just die on top of the mountain and I'd be dying in the place that I love to be all the time. 

Derick: I have the same mindset: live your life to the fullest, with no regrets at the end. So, you mentioned the 100-mile ultra marathon. When is it, and how are you training for it?

Riley: I'm currently on the wait list for the Rim to River 100. I'm #41 on the wait list. The race is down in West Virginia, in the New River Gorge. It's 100 miles with 11,000 feet of elevation gain, which really is not too bad. 

So, what I'm doing (to train) is just running a lot, and a lot of power hiking. Today, I climbed the Tuckerman Ravine trail, which is beautiful. I’m keeping my elevation under my feet but primarily working on the running legs to build up. I'm keeping a low heart rate, getting the body moving and building that further endurance. 

Derick: I'm starting a Long Trail thru-hike in Vermont next month. Have you run or hiked the Long Trail?

Riley: I've only done two sections; Abraham and Ellen, which are two of the 4K over there. Stunning trails. They do a great job at maintaining the Alpine zone and marking the trail. It's beautiful- I've thought about doing the Long Trail.  

There are some great sparse camping sites between Abraham and Allen. There's a ski resort where you can camp out on top, which is awesome, nice prairie like grass.  

Derick: I'm stoked about it. I know it's going to be a blast. So, here are some questions from Obōz:

What is your favorite local Obōz dealer?

Riley:  Local dealer is REI. I gave my dad a pair of Obōz for Father’s Day.

Derick: Can you give pro tip for folks hitting the trail? Anything you can share that might be helpful for people that are either hiking or running a trail. 

Riley: I use a one or two liter dry sack to really stuff everything in. That way, when it’s in my running pack, it's only one big thing moving instead of all these different parts.

Derick: So, it's all compressed. I like that. 

Riley: Yeah, it's all compressed and then there's drawstrings on the outside that could even cinch it down even more.

Derick: You snug it to your body, and it's kind of like a turtle. 

Riley: Yeah, like a second skin, that's what I tell people. It fits that nice.

Derick: That's awesome. who nominated you and what's your relationship with them? 

Riley: So apparently, I got two nominations; one was my best friend Mel, who is Adventures with Floki, she’s an Oboz ambassador. My mother also nominated me, so that was very special.

Derick: Your mom loves what you're doing.

Riley: Yeah, she worries, but that's why I have a Garmin inReach. I love that little device.

Derick: I’m sure she does too. Ok, we're done with the official questions, but I'm curious, do you ever think you'll do a thru-hike? I feel like you're the perfect candidate to do one. 

Riley: I'd probably do the Long Trail and or the John Muir trail. Those are more of my distance. I'm happy taking a few weeks off to do a trail, but not five months. 

Derick: Cool. Like I said earlier, I’m hiking the Long Trail soon, and I’ll be out there for at least three weeks; I’m so looking forward to it.

Well, you're an inspiration. You have a great story and I love hearing how people discovered the outdoors. Any final words?

Riley: The mountains are pretty special place. They teach us, humble us, show us, the ups and downs, physically, emotionally, spiritually, but also the beauty within.

After doing a big race last year, there was a quote that popped up on my Instagram feed, and it was, “Gratitude is a soil on which joy thrives.” I have changed my gears in life around that. A big thing that I talk to my patients about is enriching that soil, but also taking a step back and looking at what that soil produces. We may have some parts of our life garden that we need to add more water to or where that's over blooming and beautiful, but it needs a little bit more shade or whatever it may be. We build this garden in our life and underneath is that soil of gratitude. 

Derick: I love that. You seem genuine and like a nice guy. In fact, you reminded me of something someone wrote about you that I thought was amazing. I'm not sure if it was your mom or your best friend who nominated you, but she said, “He's the friend on the trail who makes sure everyone is safe, takes care of others, often lends his gear, and shares his trail snacks.” I love that.

Riley: Yeah, that sounds like Mel. 

Derick: Keep doing what you're doing, because it's bringing joy to both you and others. Continue sharing it, and you'll have a beautiful life.

Riley: Thank you.

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