Who is Shep?

I’m Matt “Shep” Shepard: ultrarunner, trail master, and entrepreneur based in the Canadian Rockies. I make a living (and a life) out of dreaming big. Building world-class trail races, running non-stop for days at a time, and helping communities and businesses tell stronger stories about who they are and what they stand for. (Instagram)

Over the past decade I’ve become one of Canada’s most experienced backyard and multi-day ultrarunners. I’ve represented Team Canada at Big’s Backyard Ultra, where I ran 281 km and finished as the second Canadian in the 2020 world championships. (Canadian Running Magazine) I’ve completed three six-day races, including Across The Years in Arizona, where I covered 701 km, placed second overall, and set a course record for the “around-the-clock” challenge. (YouTube) I’ve claimed the inaugural Outrun Backyard Ultra title, and I’m the first person to complete the full 205 km Columbia Plateau Trail in Washington State, setting a supported FKT during a winter storm. (Canadian Running Magazine)

Some people know me as the #shepspresso or “coffee shop guy” from the original Quarantine Backyard Ultra, where a late-season blizzard forced me indoors and I logged more than 160 km on a 27-metre loop inside Tall Timber Coffee in Valleyview, Alberta. (CBC News) Others know me as “Mr. Backyards” and “Mr. Smiles” from podcasts and media; the guy who somehow keeps joking, singing, and encouraging others deep into the night when everyone is tired, cold, and questioning their life choices. (Amazon Music) This is who I am at my best: calm in the chaos, relentlessly positive, and always looking for one more lap for the team.

Off the race course, I’m the Director of MileADs Media Solutions, a digital billboard company on Alberta’s Highway 43, where I work with local businesses to share their message with thousands of travellers every day. (Mileads Media Solutions) I also serve as Manager of Field Operations and Trail Master with Sinister Sports, the team behind some of Canada’s toughest trail and ultra events. There, I design and maintain courses, create training plans for events like Sinister 7, and help bring new 200-mile races in the Canadian Rockies to life. (YouTube) My former experiences as an Army medic, firefighter, and safety professional means I’m always thinking about risk, logistics, and how to keep people moving safely through big, wild terrain. (Canadian Running Magazine)

Everything I do is rooted in community. Whether I’m flagging singletrack at sunrise, mentoring a new ultrarunner, collaborating with local businesses, or speaking to corporate teams about “The Mountain Method” my framework for turning long-distance endurance lessons into practical tools for work and life. My goal is always the same: help people realize they’re capable of far more than they think, then give them the skills, structure, and encouragement to prove it to themselves.

If you’re looking for someone who can bridge the gap between extreme endurance and everyday performance. I am someone who has slept in the dirt, rebuilt trails after rockslides, run for six days straight, and still shows up smiling and ready to serve. This is who I am, and this is the energy I bring to every project, race, and room I’m invited into.