Dr. Todd's Descent Into FINSANITY!

Having finally early retired myself from Federal service, I am now 100% all in on my personal / professional mission of advancing native fish conservation through recreation!

On the professional side, from here forward, I will be working full time at Running Rivers to expand both the programming and projects work that I have developed on late nights and weekends for the last decade.  In my mind, that means taking the Flyathlon to new parts of the country and world, creating new programs, and getting my hands dirty out on many landscapes advancing native fish.

On the personal side, I now have the flexibility in time and space to push myself to try and find my limits.

Which is why I have decided to train for a challenge that I created for someone else, understanding that it would likely never be physically possible for me to complete.  I named the challenge FINSANITY! and it requires a person to trail run more than 100 miles, gain more than 10,000 feet in cumulative elevation, catch 10 different species of fish, and drink a 20+% ABV beer, all in under 48 hours.

Truth be told, I was planning on attempting this in June of 2025, but new Federal workplace requirements had my butt firmly planted in a seat downtown all day every day all spring. Which made it exceedingly difficult to get out to train on trails at elevation...  

But now that barrier is gone, and so June 2026 is officially "go time".  A few key questions / thoughts:

• Can I run 100 miles gaining 10,000 feet over two days?  Who knows.  
• Will 10 different species of fish be fooled to eat when I need them to?  That is completely up to them.  
• Does anyone even make a 20+% ABV beer?  You bet, and I've already got several secured!

As I have preached over and over to Flyathletes for the last decade, the time has come for those of us who relish spending time outdoors to stand firmly in defense of these places and the organisms that are native to them. Sadly, we can no longer assume that our Federal tax dollars will be spent in a way that ensures the long-term sustainability of these wild landscapes.  Instead, we need to become active stewards of these resources instead of simply users.  

And while I don't expect anyone in their right mind to join me on this physical adventure (though I would welcome company for any part of it), I hope that you will consider supporting my even bigger goal of taking my vision to the next level through a FINSANE! donation to Running Rivers.  

If you get behind me on this, there is no way I will be able to tap out on the trail...

My thanks to all of you for helping me along my journey up to now, and though the looming challenges may at times seem insurmountable, we will never succeed if we don't try!

run. fish. beer.

AT