AARON STREDNY

MPF RNR Athlete

I am pretty much perpetually stoked and game for anything. I like to smile. I am thankful. I have developed a passion for running across mountainous terrain. I do not use the oxford comma. I habitually pick up human litter.

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My childhood was rooted in woodsy, imaginative, fort-building adventures with my bothersome younger brother. We both quickly and luckily joined a local, hyperactive Boy Scout Troop which introduced us to rock climbing, rappelling, rafting, long distance backpacking on the AT and the leave no trace ethic. We camped out with other troops and I learned to win flint and steel fire building contests with a clandestine gas-filled visine container. I summited Mount Washington via Tucks and Katahdin via the Cathedral trail in my early teens. These hiking memories are highlighted by the heart beating excitement of racing after each other, as we always did, down the last 2 (reckless) miles back to the trailhead.

Later in High School a few friends and I became passionately obsessed with rock climbing which was amazingly supported by our parents who gave us rides to the Gunks, where we were route-finding before we could legally operate a motor vehicle. Early on, my friend Karl and I lead my mother up the multi-pitch ‘3 Pines’ (5.3) on only a handful of passive protection. She later commented over a burger, “I can’t believe I just let two children take me up a 3 pitch climb!” Thanks mom!

For a runner, I arrived late to the party. My wife, Heidi, has been running since 7th grade and is solely responsible for my running spark and motivation. In 2012, I began showing up for a bi-weekly summer race series (Pocono X-Terra Trail Races) at local state parks in a pair of ragged OR climbing shorts, wearing a belt. Ripping the technical rocky singletrack through my beloved Pennsylvania forests and streams fed my excitable spirit. I was immediately hooked and on a new bandwagon.

I have since had numerous wild, unforgettable adventures and met some sure-to-be lifelong friends through the trail running community. I love running, training for it and am always searching for the next challenge to push my boundaries. I am humbled and so pumped to be part of the energy rich MPF/RNR fam! Their community and events are second to none and the adventures that await are seemingly endless. If anyone wants to get out for an adventure in the tri-state area or go climbing sometime hit me up, I’m always game!

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