Athlete Spotlight – Who is Matt “Shep” Shepard?

Creativity is not an attribute typically associated with athletes, but he is not your typical athlete. When it comes to Matt Shepard, one thing is clear, it is not his physical endeavours that define him but his ability to artfully transform the impossible, into the opportunity of a lifetime.

To understand his story, it is easiest to imagine Matt as if he were two men. The man he has been, and the man he is becoming. The man who experiences hardship and the man that creates his way out of it. When Matt Shepard finds himself in trouble, it is Shep who finds the way. Where Matt Shepard is a mere mortal; human in his predicament. Shep is endlessly optimistic, entrepreneurial, and determined. If Matt Shepard gets into trouble, Shep steps in and creates a way out of the chaos.

Today, Matt is an athlete, but he hasn’t always been. His life is filled with stories of setback and heartbreak, difficulty and devastation, however Shep takes on each problem with the eye of an artist and beautifully paints a new life out of whatever lay before him. He never sees what is lost, for he is always looking at what could be. His attitude defies rationality in its disregard for things like ‘scarcity’ or ‘disaster’. He fails to believe there are limits on what a human can do, on how much one person can influence his own life. Instead, he simply uses what is at hand to create something beautiful.

The following recounts the tale of how Matt broke away from the ordinary to become Shep. The man that is rewriting Matt’s story and taking control of his destiny.

Matt joined the US Forces straight out of highschool. He dreamt of moving his way through the ranks, and one day making the special forces. When he arrived for his first day of basic training, there was only one problem. He was overweight, and exceptionally unfit. The new recruits were immediately sorted into fitness groups. Ranging from A (Alpha), the superiorly fit, to F (Fox Trot) – those recruits that were simply clinging on and may not make it through the 10 weeks of basic training. Matt was in Fox Trot. He was far from his goal of being the best of the best, he was barely hanging on.

In that moment, Matt had his first shocking glimpse into a future he dreaded. To live the life he wanted, things had to change. He got creative. In the evenings, when the rest of the recruits were resting or writing letters, he was doing extra pushups and lunges, even using his bunk bed to pump out some reverse rows. He was in the driver’s seat now and it paid off. In ten short weeks, he moved from Fox Trot to Alpha group.

Shep was born.

As a medic, Matt would continue toward his dream for the next four years, until an unfortunate vehicle accident took it all away. In the aftermath, Matt was given the news. He could remain in the Forces, but he would no longer be eligible for Special Forces. Staying would mean being stuck in a dead end position forever. That future was clear. Shep knew he had to leave.

Possessed once more by the creative spirit, Shep packed his bags and moved to Alaska. He would start a new life. A life of adventure where he could put his medic training to good use. He worked in emergency services and learned about ultra running.

Confined to a small island off the west coast, there were few opportunities for Matt to test his mettle in an ultra. So in November 2010, Shep organized the first (and only) Baranoff 24 hour Endurance Run. He was the only participant.

He made it 12 hours before he succumbed to the frigid Alaskan temperatures. Ending his first ultra attempt.

Not long after, on vacation in Puerto Rico, Matt met the woman of his dreams. A Canadian just finishing university. The two made it work between Alaska and Alberta for 2 years before they married and settled into a new life in Valley View, AB.

Matt was happy. He had secured a job in the oil patch and quickly moved up the ranks. Over the next three years, the couple lived the perfect life. Both working and progressing in their careers, and doing all the ‘right’ things. Until Matt was offered the opportunity he had been waiting for. “The” job. The retirement job. The six figure, work vehicle, company man job. The job he should covet.

Once again, he was offered a glimpse into the future. What he should do was obvious – take the job, complete the picture, and settle into the good life. A life that began feeling tight in his chest. A life of comfort. A life without challenge.

But was comfort what he wanted?

Comfort is how he got here. He was happy. He was comfortable. He had everything but struggle and this new job would ensure he would never struggle again.

But what if struggle is what he needed? What if struggle is what was missing?

Shep began to stir again. Shep had to save Matt from comfort. A comfort he was sure would slowly kill him.

Shep quit drinking. No more after work beers, or glass of whisky to take the edge off.

He began running again and signed up for the Canadian Death Race. Without any training, he figured he could muscle through it on pure strength of will.

He couldn’t.

Matt “Shep” Shepard at the Canadian Death Race 2017

He left the oil patch, bought a trailer park, and began working at the new Multiplex fitness facility in town.

With Shep at the helm again, Matt was creating a new future for himself. He was taking control of his destiny and painting a new life he could be proud of.

One year later, Shep toed the line at the 2018 Sinister 7 100-mile race. It would be his redemption. On leg 6, at the top of Seven Sisters Mountain, he could feel it was true. This past year had been a self imposed ultimatum on his future. Would he just take the life he was given, or could he take the reigns for good? Could he control his own destiny?

Standing up there looking out at the valley below, he knew this was the new beginning he needed. He knew his life would never be the same. He could never go back to being Matt Shepard, company man. He was Shep – the man that didn’t know what the future would bring, but knew that he was going to be in control of it. Wherever it took him.

Full of promise, he began his descent off the mountain. Slipped on a piece of shale, and heard a deafening “pop.”

His race was over.

In the following weeks, Shep got creative. He doubled down on his strength training. Sought out the support of professionals, and began rebuilding his body and setting new goals. Now as a Personal Trainer and spin instructor, he spent more time at the Multiplex. He worked harder than ever before until one day that Fall when Matt came home to devastating news.

Matt’s wife was leaving him. Moving to Albania. Why? Matt still doesn’t know. He would never be given answers. The simple fact it was over was all the closure he would be offered.

The last piece of Matt’s old life, the perfect life, the life he was supposed to have, was officially leaving. Like it or not, this was his moment. His fresh start. For all the pain it caused, this was what Shep was built for. He could wallow in his misfortune, or he could create his new destiny. The choice was easy. He’d come too far to let heartache derail him. Shep got to work.

He hired a running coach, Travis Schiller-Brown, and signed up for the Outrun Backyard Ultra. He won.

Matt “Shep” Shepard winning the Outrun Backyard Ultra 2019

Over the next few months, he started a new company, went on a massive North American road trip, competed at Big Dog’s Backyard Ultra, ran his first 6-day race, and started Coaching for Personal Peak. And when Covid hit, Shep was the first person to sign up for the Quarantine Backyard Ultra. The rest is history.

Matt “Shep” Shepard at Across the Years 6 day race 2019

Shepspresso, aka. Coffee Shop Guy, would go on to run 41 hours in stocking feet, around a tiny Northern Canadian coffee shop, winning the hearts of people across the globe. He wouldn’t win, something he knew early on after moving indoors to escape the sub 30 temperatures, but throughout it all, he never lost his signature smile, and positive demeanor. He was Shep after all and this would be but a flesh wound in his meteoric rise to ultrarunning fame. (Or at least, that’s what it looks like to me.)

Matt “Shep” Shepard running around the Tall Timber Coffee shop during the Personal Peak Quarantine Backyard Ultra, April 5, 2020

Of course, only time will tell. But Shep is in the habit of creating exactly what he’s aiming at. For he is the driver of his own destiny, the one that can make it happen. And making it happen he is.

So what’s next? He dreams of setting the Canadian 6-day running record. A pinnacle of human performance that has stood untouched for nearly 130 years. And he plans to do it in the time of Covid, social distancing, and travel restrictions.

But what do you do when all the races are cancelled?

If you’re Shep, you organize and sanction your own race – timing matts, ACU and IAU approval, track distance certifications, competitors – the whole deal. He’s organized it all, in the most uncertain times of our age. Because he is Shep. And Shep doesn’t wait for the world to hand him what he’s after, he goes out and makes it happen.

#GoShep