I was sitting at my desk, staring out of the window.I had just come off another call with a lead. On paper, it was a good conversation. They were interested, engaged, and asking sensible questions.And yet the same thought hit me again... Why is this so hard?Not the work itself. It was the explaining that drained me.Every call felt like starting from zero. I had to reframe what I did, restate the outcomes, and fill in gaps that should not have existed in the first place.I had traffic. I had plenty of it. But sales still dragged.Everything relied on follow-up, memory, and me being fully “on” every single time. That kind of friction is expensive.It costs sanity.It costs time.It costs money.Once I noticed it, I could not ignore it.The problem was not leads or effort. It was friction between what I understood and what the business was actually communicating to prospects.So I stopped trying to sell harder and instead, I started fixing the gaps.I fixed the language. I fixed the moments where people hesitated, got confused, or needed reassurance before moving forward.The thinking went into the copy first. Then it went into the systems. Then it went into automation and AI so that the business did not rely on me holding everything together.There were fewer explanations and movement from interest to action became cleaner and more predictable.I had finally made it easy for people to say yes.If this feels familiar, and sales feel heavier than they should despite decent traffic, do not add more noise.Start by finding the friction.If you want a second pair of eyes on where things are sticking, send me a message and I will ask a few questions that usually surface it quickly.

Aaron Caister

I accomplish good in Tanzania // Race Creation, Community Development, Youth Sport, Agriculture // Social Entrepreneur

Do hard things. In community. For community. 
→ https://www.brett-harrison.com

I build adventures on Mount Kilimanjaro to change lives and communities. 

Adventure. Community. Impact.

I’ve spent most of my adult life in Tanzania, intentionally blurring the lines between work and calling. I build spaces where challenge becomes connection and adventure leads to transformation. 

In endurance races, a finish line must necessarily justify the effort required to reach it. 

Life is no different. Purpose and meaning extend from living a life worthy of the suffering we’ll inevitably face. I do this by sacrificing myself to bear others’ burdens, and my work is shaped by this conviction. 

Each project I undertake is an expression of this belief — an opportunity to give more of myself in order to redeem the world around me.

More About Me:

1//  
Experienced endurance athlete, coach, and event creator. I have multiple IronMan finishes, scores of 8+ hour days on bikes, and even a 100-mile ultramarathon win. The athletic achievements I'm most proud of are a 10:37 2-mile (a very long time ago) and (in my 40s) an 8:55 finish at Comrades (89km/55mi). All three of my kids (11, 13, 15) are better swimmers than I am, and that keeps me humble. 

I've coached numerous runners to marathon PRs, a US cross country team to the state championships, and scores of athletes from couch to 5K and even ultramarathon. I created and direct Kilimanjaro Trails Festival, TRAVERSE Tanzania, and Kilimanjaro Trail Run, and handle various aspects of logistics, permits, and timing on a number of other East African events. 

2//  
Agriculture development professional with 16 years of experience in sub-Saharan Africa and measurable on-farm results. I specialize in permaculture, conservation agriculture (CA), nitrogen-fixing legumes and climate smart technologies. 

3//  
Trained in theology, worldview and culture. My wife and I moved to Tanzania as missionaries in 2009 to work in areas of church maturation, leadership training and community development. Through 2020 I worked full-time in Christian community development while building Red Knot on the side to fund the scaling of our successes. 

4//  
Accomplished in grassroots sustainable development practices, cross-cultural communication and group facilitation. 

5//  
Long-term resident of Tanzania, travel professional, experienced in logistics for safaris, climbs, and unique adventures, with emphasis on active holidays and cultural learning. 

6//  
Fluent in English and Swahili.

Brett Harrison

I'm going to write something today I'm not sure I believe. 

The fitness industry has spent decades selling ego. 
Faster. 
Stronger. 
Harder. 
Six-pack abs and... roaring? 

Nothing wrong with this stuff. 

But it's not the story I buy. Not the whole story, anyway. 

What people need is endurance. 
The kind of endurance that helps us keep showing up when life gets difficult, uncertain, and messy. 

That’s why the most meaningful moments in our races aren’t usually when winners cross the finish line. 

They're the quiet ones: 
→ A new runner finishing a distance they never thought possible. 
→ A cyclist helping a stranger with a mechanical instead of chasing a faster finish. 
→ A group finishing together after five long days in the bush. 

No ego in these moments. 
Just persistence (and community).

Endurance sports, at their best, aren’t about punishment or proving toughness, but persevering through hard times... together. 

And that's a skill that transfers to all of life. 
Careers. 
Families. 
Communities. 

I hope the future of fitness isn't mirrors and selfies. 

I want to it to be shared challenge, long efforts, and the quiet satisfaction of finishing something that mattered.

Building adventures in Tanzania that change lives and communities // Endurance Races, Community Development, Youth Sport, Agriculture // Executive Director at Red Knot Development

This was his third attempt at completing Ultra X Tanzania. 

Steven J Thompson is the ultimate ultra runner in my book. 

▪️Most of us run long in a single day. 
▪️Few of us run long for multiple days in a row. 
▪️But it's a rare individual who will run long for years to complete an event. 

Steven had finished all five stages of Ultra X Tanzania, but never all in the same edition. 

(In fact, Steven might be the only person who's completed all six stages that have ever existed at Ultra X Tanzania.)

The highlight of my week was seeing Steven finish stage four (a 50K up Marangu route of Mount Kilimanjaro to Maundi Crater and return) well under the time cutoff. 

That was Thursday. 

But I knew Friday would be a (short) 38K parade to the finish line for this runner I've grown to admire over the last several years. 

Steven (first image) finished the 220-kilometer Ultra X Tanzania in 46:39, and I think the world of him. 

***

It was a pleasure spending another week with Sam Heward and the Ultra X crew he and his team put together. 

These guys are really onto something with their five-day events. 

Here are (appropriately) five reasons five-day events are terrific:

1️⃣ A five-day event is long enough to experience true and lasting transformation, but short enough that people will still say yes to the adventure. 

2️⃣ Five-day events strip life down to a simple rhythm: run, eat, rest, repeat. This feels deeply human to me. (Notice I said "rest" and not "sleep."😉)

3️⃣ Five-day events blur the lines between competition and community. That's how lasting friendships are born.

4️⃣ By the end of five days the landscape, the runners, and the crew have all become part of the same story. This doesn’t happen in shorter races. 

5️⃣ You're far more likely to meet a hero like Steven Thompson at a five-day stage race than in a LinkedIn comments section. 

Have you considered a five-day event? Would you?



*Images by Kit O'Callaghan

February's a busy month for me. 

Kilimanjaro Trails Festival was February 6-8th. 

(We haven't counted the leftover armbands to know exact numbers, but I'm estimating...) We had about 1200 people through the gate. 

- 5 trail run events
- 5 MTB events
- 2-day volleyball tournament
- multiple live bands
- delicious food (nearly 10 vendors)
- cold beer and craft cocktails 

The event went as smoothly as it ever has, thanks to years of experience and a small army of volunteers. 

Everyone had a terrific time, and the reviews from attendees have been great. 

But we're not where we need to be just yet. Here's what needs to change:

1️⃣  We need to increase international attendance. Our foreign demographic  shrunk this year, due (I think) to October election riots and so reduced participation from Kenya. 

2️⃣ We need to increase the average participant's spend at the event. That number currently sits at about $40 per person. This is festival entry, races, and merch -- but doesn't include food or drink (as we don't see that money). This number doesn't reflect the cost of the village build, and neither do I feel it represents the quality of the experience. 

3️⃣  There's a particular MTB event I need to end; it brings more problems than it's worth. Sadly, the biggest of these problems is the misbehavior of local children on course -- despite our investments into their community and working with local schools to educate youth and encourage them to behave more appropriately. Rarely is this misbehavior experienced by more than a single cyclist or two, but it's consistent year to year. I have other trails I can use for a similar distance and difficulty race. 

4️⃣  We really need to bring a few cash sponsors on board. All cash sponsorships combined at this year's event totaled USD $800. There's no reason East Africa's largest outdoor trails festival shouldn't bring in more investment than this; we're assembling too valuable of a community for this to be the case. 

5️⃣  As we grow we'll need to increase the number of permanent toilets and showers and also improve our systems for parking and delineating campsites.

I've got a big surprise regarding the festival in 2027, but I'm not quite to the point I can share it yet. Stay tuned for that.

Deep down travelers want more than to observe.

We want to experience.

That's the magic of running or cycling through Tanzania. 

→ We chat with the locals sharing the same trails.
→ We feel the terrain in our tired legs.
→ We stop for chai and maandazi at Mama J’s.

Mama J has been serving drinks and smiles in Gelai Bomba since (at least) the first time I visited in 2017.

She now hosts a checkpoint and feed zone each week of TRAVERSE Tanzania.

It’s a small partnership -- but a beautiful one -- helping turn a race route into a more authentic Tanzanian experience.

After years of running accounts for races, projects, and companies...

I've started a personal page on Instagram!

@j_brettharrison will offer a little bit of everything I'm involved in -- family, cycling, running, agriculture, wildlife, tourism, and community development -- usually paired with thoughts about what it means to live a life worthy of the suffering we endure. 

I suspect I'll be a little less wordy over there and focus more on images and video. 

Four reasons I'm starting an Instagram profile:

1️⃣ To share the full picture. I have more beautiful moments in life than places to share them (and many aren't a good fit for LinkedIn). Also, my mom will love when I post family content from a personal account.

2️⃣ The algorithm here is currently giving me almost exclusively running and cycling content, and that's not what (or at least all) I'm here to see and read. I want a much wider experience of what's going in the lives of people I know and have connected with, regardless of whether they share an industry with me.

3️⃣ People follow (and trust) other people more than they do companies. Red Knot Racing Co.'s events are on Instagram, but I suspect in the long run (pun intended) my personal profile may help the events. 

4️⃣ As I'm available to hire privately for consulting, guiding, and race directing, an Instagram account probably makes sense for me. 

Are you on Instagram? 

If so I'd love to connect!

Sam Heward  is one of the best race directors (and managers of people) I know. 

He puts together great events over at Ultra X, building teams for each event that make it possible for athletes to accomplish more than they previously believed they could.   

I’m lucky to work with him. 

And even luckier to call him a friend. 

(Can you find me in the photo?)

Co-Founder at Ultra X, The Ultramarathon World Series | Making Endurance Adventures Accessible | Creating Life-Changing Experiences

Yesterday I got back from our second event of the year. Ultra X Tanzania.

Post event I always feel a buzz. Not because I am tired. Not because it is done. But because of the messages.

Messages from competitors.
Messages from crew.

And there is always a common theme.
“You have the best team.”

What fascinates me is this.

A large proportion of that team are volunteers.

Forty eight hours before the event, many of them did not know each other.

Some did not fully know what Ultra X stood for.

Yet five days later, competitors describe the team as world class. Supportive. Professional. Special.

How does that consistently happen?

On reflection, it comes down to three things.

First, set a clear vision.
People need to know what they are part of. Not just what they are doing.

Second, create the right environment.
The course. The camp. The vehicles. The systems. The culture. The expectation. Give people the structure to succeed.

Third, and most importantly, give them freedom.
Do not micromanage. Do not script every interaction. Trust them to bring themselves to it.

When you give good people a clear mission, the right environment and autonomy, they raise the standard beyond what you imagined. And when you get that right, the results are mega.

taplio

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Aaron Caister

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