Mountain Trail Chasers

Learn all about the Mountain Trail Chasers team in depth below.

Lenka Wiedenova

Ski Instructing, Rock Climbing, Vertical Chill Icewall Instructor, Accomplished Rock Climber and Vertical Kilometre Specialist

Lenka took up trail running to cross train between ski instructing and rock climbing, and because she enjoys it. Somewhere along the way she discovered she was very proficient at running up hills and there has been no turning back.

Mirjam Kallis

Thru-hiking, trail running, skiing, climbing and cycle touring

I fell in love with mountains thanks to downhill skiing, which I have done from the age of three. It’s a sport that I can never give up completely.

Since my teens I’ve been hiking, and this way I’ve ventured up mountains, waded through rivers and bogs, crossed forests and beaches. Some of the most memorable moments have been scrambling up the In Pinn on the Isle of Skye (Scotland), hiking in Jasper (Canada) and fighting the altitude in El Cocuy (Colombia). However, the crowning glory goes to thru-hiking the 3000km Te Araroa in New Zealand, frozen socks and all. Hiking for me is about the journey and seeing nature change as I make my way through the landscape. The love for the journey has in more recent years got me into cycle touring as well. If I’m on asphalt, I hope it’s on two wheels with a nice tailwind.

Trail Running is also a more recent obsession of mine. I enjoyed my first road marathon but since I tried trail and skyrunning there was no going back. In a few years I’ve gone from short trail run races to a VK, K3, Ring of Steall and a mountain marathon in Australia and one in Austria. So far I only have one ultra under the belt, but I sure hope there will be more!

Long run, short run, I do not discriminate as long as it’s off-road. I also like other forms of enjoying the outdoors. Anything from multi-day kayaking and canoe trips to swimming 7km around an island in the Finnish sea (because the water wasn’t freezing that day). Forever the adventurer looking for a personal challenge to exercise my Finnish “sisu”.

Des Rhule

Ultra trail runner, mountaineer and rock climber

Des Rhule has been running in the snow, rain and hot sun on trails and off- road, since he was 9 years old. Starting off in x-country and orienteering events at school, he went on to race in regional and national championships. It was in the snow at Oxleas Wood in 1977 that he won his first x-country race, despite falling over!

Regardless of what form he's in, Des enjoys running for the pleasure of it. Preferring to run in the mountains or on the coast, he discovered mountaineering during the 80s, and found running to be perfect cross-training.

Besides his ultra distance running, Des has summited several 4000 metre peaks. He still races for Kent AC and Kings College London.

Caro Kyllmann

Ultra running, climbing, cycling, skiing

Sport has always been part of my life and pushing my body to its limits has been something I've loved to explore since I can remember; it started with fencing at a national level for almost a decade and has gotten to the point where, once an idea is in my head, I have to see it through.

My outdoors adventure only began after moving to Sheffield in 2014 to study Journalism and living close to the Peak District. Since then, I've thoroughly enjoyed the pleasures of ultra running, cycle touring, mountain biking, climbing, skiing, and multi-day trekking.

I love coming back home covered in mud and the people I've met along the way are also one of the best parts about outdoor adventure for me.

My professional portfolio includes publications in Like the Wind, Adventure Travel, Passion Passport, Trail Running UK, APL Media's publications and My Life Magazine Nepal.