Kyle Curtin

What is your first memory of nature?
As a child, we'd go on family camping trips to the Hocking Hills area in SE Ohio. One hike took us past a series of beautiful cascading pools called the Devil's Bathtub. The part that sticks with me to this day is the amazement that such a wild part of nature was so close to where I lived, but I had no idea until I saw it myself.

How old were you when you became passionate about this activity?
When I was 24, my uncle gave me the book 'Born to Run', which inspired me to sign up for a nearby 100-mile race. I finished the 2012 Ozarks 100 miler in the middle of the pack, but I was motivated by the community of runners I met in the race, so I ran it again the next year, and then a third time- each time vastly improving my performance. Finding both success racing and a community of long-distance runners fueled my passion for ultra-running that lives to this day.

How would you describe Norrøna in your own words?
Norrøna makes high-quality outdoor clothing. It's the kind of company where you can be confident if you get a rain jacket, it will be the best out there and possibly the last rain jacket you'll ever have.

How can you help take Norrøna another step forward in innovation and product development?
I'm excited to see where we can go with the senja/trail running lineup- storage in the shorts and packs is something I've tinkered with my whole career, but I'd also be excited to see an ultra-light wind shell added to the Norrøna lineup.

What tips and advice do you have for minimizing our footprint on the planet?
When hiking the Appalachian Trail with my dad, he adopted a habit of picking up one piece of trash every day. I don't think many people mean to litter the trail, but it happens. So by helping each other out and embracing a communal attitude of trail stewardship, we can all enjoy a more pristine world.