Meet BUTS vice president Andrew Channell: What’s your perfect race food?

Birmingham Ultra Trail Society Vice President Andrew Channell is an HR systems architect for a financial services company. During his tenure as VP, he’s helped build new and maintain relationships with parks and businesses, including securing giveaway gear from REI.

When did you start trail running and why? I started trail running in 2019, and like a lot of people, it was because I was looking for some variety after being a roadie for a while.

What is your favorite distance? 100 miles.

Biggest mistake new trail runners make? I can only speak for myself, but my biggest mistake was just overthinking things. Coming from the road, the idea of running over uneven or technical terrain can be a bit intimidating, and when I first started out, I think I spent too much energy trying to consciously decide where to put my feet, especially on downhills. Once I started to trust my body to know what to do and not overthink every step, trail running became much more enjoyable and natural.

Favorite food on the run? Arby’s Classic Roast Beef sandwiches. They’re the perfect race food.

Best place you’ve been blessed to run? Mount Elbert, the highest point in Colorado. There wasn’t much running on the way up, but my daughter and I ran as much as we could on the way down, and the sections above the treeline are just amazing.

What’s something people don’t know about you? I lived in Colombia for ten years and speak fluent Spanish.

Biggest mistake ever on Ultra Signup? Signing up for three 100s in eight weeks. The first two went great. The third… not so much, probably because the second one was Blood Rock.

Your entire family seems to love our sport, right? Both my children, Mariana (16) and Max (7), love trail running, and I’ve been very fortunate to spend a lot of time with each of them on trail runs and races. My wife, Maryori, isn’t a runner but likes hiking, spending time in nature, and supporting the rest of us in our running adventures. (H/T to Maryori, who major league cleaned up the BUTS kitchen equipment in a beyond the pale pitch-in last March.)