My son-in-law Jarod Gatley has developed a passion for trail running. There’s quite an online community of folks in that sphere, as you’d expect, and Jarod has introduced me to one of them — a feller named James Norbury, whose Instagram videos are a hoot. The guy is a Tier One enthusiast — one of the ardent-hearted whose spirit we admire around here. He cops to being a “massive nerd,” which inevitably leads to theming soundtracks for his running adventures.
https://www.tiktok.com/@james.norbury/video/7281376801555746080?lang=en
Last of the Mohicans is, of course, a perfect running soundtrack, given Nathaniel, Uncas and Chingachgook’s proclivity for galavanting through the forest in pursuit of elk or captured women . There is another epic movie run that touches similar themes: Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas’ pursuit of the Uruk-Hai who have taken the hobbits, Pippin and Merry.
The Howard Shore Lord of the Rings Soundtrack seems to be a primary go-to for Norbury. He started off 2025 with an epic dive into LOTR nerdery. I mean, he really laid it out:
James is setting out on a quest of a lifetime; combining his passion for hiking and trail running with a love for the Lord Of The Rings trilogy. He’ll be setting off to set a new route: running the length of New Zealand and visiting every Lord Of The Rings film set location along the way.
This is a sublime adventure. Salute!
Matthew says
It is interesting that nerd has gone from a term of derision to almost a compliment. I was very much a nerd in my youth and really still am and I can remember the shift. Probably the Lord of the Rings movies were a catalyst. Of course, LotR’s seems to transcend narrow categories.
A lot of “nerds” aren’t so much unathletic as much as in too different forms of athleticism rather than the popular team sports. There are exceptions. As I said I was a major nerd, but I was also on the basketball team.
JimC says
It is one of the better cultural shifts in the past 40 years. People should unabashedly embrace their enthusiasms, and it’s great that there is much more room for that than there was when I was younger. Although I’d say that shift was actually already underway in the ’80s.
Quixotic Mainer says
He who travels well afoot keeps always a fine horse, according to Ben Franklin. I look forward to the snow being shallow enough to trail run again, the treadmill is a good stand in, but not the same.
The Sackett boys and the Cimmerion were famous runners too! Lots of good frontier pedigree to going on shank’s mares, fictional and factual.
JimC says
Aye!
Ugly Hombre says
Old Otaku here AKA “Henna Gaijin”.
So Nerd has changed from a negative to a positive??
Never heard of a running Nerd, a weightlifting Nerd, a MMA Nerd, or a Karate Nerd. Tai Chi and Kung Fu Nerds abound. Book Nerds, Computer Nerds are every where..
Seems times have changed…
lol
Matthew says
You know despite my nerdery I don’t consider the change a completely positive one. Being athletic, for example, is a good thing. In junior high, I was a nerd in a jock school and I think that may have become a more rounded person because of that. I was not really bullied either. (Grade school on the other hand was not fun.) There is a real danger in being over-intellectualized.
Also not all my nerd interests aligned with other nerd interests. I read a lot of fantasy, but never really was into Harry Potter. I’m not saying they are bad books since I never read them, but they never really interested me. As a nerd, I did not particularly want to go to magic school, but I would’ve loved to be Conan or Aragorn.
lane batot says
I resisted reading the enormously popular Harry Potter books, thinking I’d not be interested in them either–but one of my best ever human friends, who was a reading teacher, and who knew me better than most humans, INSISTED I start reading them, and stuck a copy of the first of the series in my hand! I was very quickly HOOKED! They are all incredibly imaginative, and magic school aside, ANYONE who has been through any kind of school can relate– dealing with both difficult, tyrannical teachers, as well as beloved ones, bullies, chums, pranks and mischief, difficulties with relatives, and the basic conflict between good and evil, are things we all experience to some degree! Throw in fantastical creatures and magical skills, and I can’t see how anyone cannot enjoy reading those stories! A perfect blend of fantasy and reality–that’s a difficult combination to achieve….My favorite character, hands down, was Hagrid, the half-giant estate gamekeeper–I totally related to his constantly defending various critters with bad reputations! Seems like everyone who reads the books finds one of the many, many characters relatable. And I think they did a stellar job casting and filming the movie versions, too!
JimC says
Of course he was!