Trail Running Photography as a Sport

When it comes to sports, I’ve always leaned a little more toward chaos.

As a kid, I loved pro wrestling—still do. My brother and I would turn the living room into a wrestling ring.

In grade five, I loved tackle football. No equipment, no real rules—just run with the ball and don’t get tackled. I was fast and not afraid of pain, so I did pretty well.

The summer between grade 8 and 9, I’d go for runs through town after dark on cool nights.

In high school, I got into weightlifting, and there were only two other guys in the whole school who worked out. It was quiet. I got really strong.

The Wake-Up Call: Chasing My Kids

By the time I had toddlers, I was completely out of shape. My lungs burned playing chase with them.

Naomi had become a runner, and I figured I’d give it a try again. But even then, I had to make it different—I started running barefoot just to keep it interesting.

When it comes to photography, I’ve always leaned a little more toward chaos.

When I first started photographing trail runs, I’d find a good spot, plant myself, and shoot runners as they came by. But after a couple of races, that got boring.

So I started scouting more locations. I’d walk the entire circuit, looking for better angles, better light, better moments.

Eventually, I had too many good spots I wanted to hit. Over a 5K or 10K race, there isn’t much time to move from place to place.

So I started sprinting from place to place.

At a certain point, I was covering more distance than some of the runners. And I realized I'd created a new sport.

Turning Photography Into a Biathlon

Biathlon - run and shoot, ski and shoot.

Triathlon - swim, bike, run.

Same idea.

I run to a location and photograph runners as they pass—what we call “shooting.”

Then I run again.

Run. Shoot. Repeat.

Trail running photography became a sport.

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Mat Coker is a trail running photographer based in Ontario, Canada.