Life in itself is an adventure. It has highs and lows. We go through it with family, friends, and the strangers we meet- never knowing what’s around the next bend or over the next hillside. I’ve been fortunate to have an amazing journey so far. Whether by chance (or subconscious choice somewhere along the way) I have terrific, supportive, and amazing family members. I’ve made wonderful, caring friend’s on this journey and have shared many great memories with those individuals. One thing that I definitely have are friends with a zest for adventure and life.

For 3+ years, starting soon after Jeff and I made our move to New London, I shared many of those adventures with Chad Denning. I had heard his name before, as the New London Recreation Director; people that knew him said that we should meet. Being new to the area, I needed people who could show me the local running & riding trails. Chad was the guy! He loved running. He knew the trail systems in the valley and had connections with everyone in the area. People were right… he was the guy to meet for local adventures!

I can’t quite remember how we met up after our first hello at the VT50, but we started running, skiing, and riding together after that day in  September. We skate skied that winter as Jeff and I begin our training for TransRockies. His fun adventures were a perfect break from riding the indoor trainer. Chad’s positive attitude and outgoing personality made him fun to hang out with. He was one of my instant friends. He didn’t judge my minimal addition to our conversations and I didn’t mind his continued push of our pacing. He was the perfect training partner- for me, and for everyone else that was fortunate enough to adventure with him.

Just after TransRockies, in August of 2012 Chad approached me about racing with him and the Untamed New England team. “Stay fit” he said, “because we want you to race with us at Nationals in Kertonkson, NY.” I quietly decided to myself in that moment that I would definitely be racing with them. Adventure racing was awesome (I had done it once before). Why would I pass up that opportunity? (I wouldn’t.) I made the commitment and started running. Because of TransRockies, and because my partner is a bike-a-holic, my default workouts were primarily on two wheels- road riding and mountain biking. But with 30 hours of racing in the weeks to come, I was nervous about about the running sections. Chad helped me prepare with many miles of trail running. He built up my confidence and took away any hesitation that I may not be able to pull off this big race. Chad approached everything with a go-to attitude and a casual assurance that everything would work out.

Chad and I ran together a lot. Sometimes we’d run with Brandon, another New London friend, and other times we’d get out on an adventure alone around New London or in Hanover. Chad’s personality was contagious. He’d lift people up so that no matter what you were doing, how challenged you felt, you could do anything. (From a 2.5 mile uphill Winter Wild Race, to a muddy 50k trail run.)

He pumped me full of positivity and enthusiam as we’d trod along the trails. Never would he let me doubt myself or my abilities. He’d push my pace and help me to progress as a more confident runner. There were tips and advice- things like shoe recommendations and ways to prevent my camelback bladder from sloshing around. He gave me advice on how to lube my feet with A&D ointment (so they wouldn’t turn to raisins on long runs), and how to take salt tabs to prevent cramping. He gave me water purification ideas, handheld water bottles, Endurox recovery mix… he was one of the most generous people I know. His personal goal seemed to be making adventures fun for the people around him. He also let me borrow gear as I slowly discovered what I needed to become a successful adventure partner. So many of the things I do and use today in my own races are because of Chad’s guidance and expertise.

On Monday morning after North Country Endurance Challenge, Dave Lamb (our fellow friend and teammate) phoned me with news that Chad had passed away Sunday evening on a trail run. Chad was out the door early Sunday morning with a couple of his other running friends.

According to NH Fish & Game Dept., “it was about 8:30am when they set off on Beaver Brook Trail, one of the most difficult in the state. They were running sections of the AT when they stopped along Mt. Moosilauke to take in a view and grab something to eat. Chad fainted and never regained consciousness. His friends, Jeremy Merritt and Lars Blackmore administered CPR for several hours, but were unsuccessful in their attempts to revive him. Chad was pronounced dead soon after rescuers arrived to the scene around 3:30pm.” According to the write up in Valley News, “because of the remote location and the rough terrain, it took the rescue team more than four hours to get Denning down the mountain, sometimes by using ropes to lower him from one section to another. It wasn’t until nearly an hour past sunset, at 8 p.m., that the party reached the trail head in Woodstock, N.H., on Route 112.”

The news was devastating.

How could this be? How? Why? What?! No.

So many people had the same response: a still silence full of unspoken questions and total denial.

Chad has a wife, two young children, he’s 39 years young. He’s positive, active, fit, fun, enthusiastic, sincere, outgoing, selfless… how is it possible? It just isn’t fair.

Immediately I flashed back to our brief phone conversation only 3 days earlier and our last goodbye the day before that. I had driven to his house to pick up his kayak for the North Country race. A borrowed boat and paddle- nothing out of the ordinary. As I got out of my car he was there to greet me with a big smile and his usual uplifting, “Hey, hey!” I gave him a hug and we started chatting casually as we shifted the kayak from his car to mine.

We chatted for a little while; I was probably only in his driveway for 20 minutes or so… but I am SO grateful for those 20 minutes. Had I not been running late in VT, we would have met an hour earlier for a run around the Eastman community… but  fate stepped in; I know it did. He had more time with his family that night and a few extra moments with his kids.

I’m so glad to have spent the weekend of the Emerald Necklace race with my dear friend. We did our last training run the Thursday before the race. Those conversations, and the others we had shared together during our time in the woods, are some of my best Chad memories. It’s there in the woods, on the mountains, and on the water that we grew a forever friendship.

The stories of Chad’s life that have been shared in the few days following his death are amazing. He was such a humble, kind, and generous soul who touched hundreds of people with his personality and enthusiam for doing what he loved. For the running community, his friends, his family… especially for his family… there is a void.

We move forward with love in our hearts, memories in our minds, and a remembrance of how he lived his life. We have to move forward. He lived life to the fullest- finding balance in adventure, family, and work. It’s a delicate symmetry that we all strive to have. Chad Denning seemed to manage that balance well.

At the racer meeting for Emerald Necklace, just two weeks before he passed, Chad stood up in front of the crowd and emphasized the importance of racers checking in with volunteers or race crew if they planned to leave the course.

“We will search for you. We will continue searching for you. We will find you.” He must have said it 3 times to highlight the importance of not heading off to a local bar rather then to the finishline. That message registered for me, and it stuck. I felt more relaxed and confident about the 80 mile course. Chad would find me if I was lost.
He would. He would continue searching.

As I begin to unravel the crazy reality that Chad is no longer a phone call away, it helps to know that he is still with us. On every adventure I have, that we all have, he will find us. He will be there- guiding us along, encouraging us to keep going, and giving us strength in moments where a smile and a “Hey, hey!” would make everything better.

Chad Denning will never be forgotten. His life is a legacy. He lives on in his beautiful children and in the community. He lives on in memories and in future adventures that we will share with him there, in spirit.

I owe him thanks and gratitude for changing my life- for making this life more pleasant and for being an amazing friend. One day we will meet again… one day. For now he runs ahead- going fast and far- but I know he will find me in the mountains, on the trails, and on the water.

Rest in peace, my friend.
♡