Post by Ari Redbord

🌲Yesterday Kelley and I ran the Waugoshance Trail Marathon in Northern Michigan, our first trail marathon. The course followed a winding single track through the forest along Lake Michigan. We started as an orange sun rose over the water before disappearing beneath towering pines. At times the trail was cool, shaded, and almost dark. Then it would suddenly break into open fields where sunlight exploded across wildflowers before carrying us back into the woods. It was beautiful. It also demanded intense focus. Every step mattered. Roots hidden beneath fallen leaves. Rocks waiting just outside your line of sight. Low branches overhead. Mud changing your footing without warning. Around mile 19, I caught a root and hit the ground hard. I scraped up my hands, smiled, stood up, and kept running. I’ve thought about that trail ever since. Every day we walk through a world competing for our attention. Headlines. Notifications. Meetings. Opinions. Endless voices telling us where to look. Focus is becoming a superpower. The people who build great companies, solve hard problems, raise great families, and make a difference in the world aren’t the ones who chase every distraction. They’re the ones who know where they’re going and keep placing one deliberate step in front of the next. That’s what the forest taught me. Keep your eyes on the trail beneath your feet. Trust the direction you’re headed. When you stumble, get back up. And don’t let the noise around you distract you from the path that matters most.

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