Meet Sherpa John, Human Potential Running Series race director
By Henry Howard
John Lacroix, better known as Sherpa John, is a race director who focuses on races in Colorado. Perhaps most notably, he says he directed the first 200-mile race in Vermont in 2008.
In 2024, he celebrated his 10th anniversary as a full-time race director. In that time, there has been a surge in interest in the sport, which of course means more runners, races and RDs. Lacroix dispatches his knowledge, advice for wannabe RDs and more in this month’s race director feature.
One year ago, I kicked off this monthly feature to pay tribute to the trail and ultra race directors who make the sport great. Given the popularity of the series, I have decided to continue it in 2025. To see previous RDs featured, they are all available here. If you have any nominations, feel free to email me here.
Meet Sherpa John, Human Potential Running Series race director
Question: Why did you get into race directing?
Answer: The first time I ever directed a race, I got into the role because I felt I could offer something that wasn't being offered yet. That was the first 200-mile ultramarathon in the world in November 2008.
While the event was held successfully, the production of the event was not up to the standards I hold myself to. I became a full-time race director in 2014, and it wasn't something I was looking for or wanted to do. At the time, I organized a massive Fat Ass Series in Colorado's Front Range that had become so popular it was teetering on going off the rails. A group of runners who participated in that series sat me down in a room, like an intervention, and told me why I needed to be a full-time race director. They wouldn't take no for an answer. It truly is a job that fell back into my lap.
Question: How did you get your start as an RD?
Answer: Prior to the first race I directed, I served as a “race director” apprentice and a kind of
“Johnny on the spot” for Peak Races in Vermont. I did whatever was asked of me, from providing input on course design to course marking, marketing, and various aspects of race logistics.
Before creating the series I own and manage today, I started a Fat Ass series of group runs here in Colorado. That series ultimately grew to 12 different Fat Ass runs held between October and April each winter season. They were wildly popular, with over 100 runners attending those group runs each time by the second and third year of the series. With the series' popularity growing as fast and as much as it did, the local land managers were taking notice. Something needed to be done to decrease the number of runners joining us and try to slip back under the radar.
Nothing worked, so we created an official race series instead. I have a pretty extensive background in many things that have allowed me to do this job. I earned my bachelor's from the University of New Hampshire in Outdoor Education with focus areas in Recreation Management, Hospitality Management and Ski Resort Management. I also have an associate degree in Radio/TV Production and Broadcasting, which has served me well in marketing and podcasting.
When I first moved to Colorado, I worked as a professional guide, taking folks on a myriad of outdoor-focused adventures in Colorado's Front Range. I eventually became the operations director for the guide company and the lead of Corporate Adventure Training Experiences. This knowledge has afforded me the skills needed to work with land managers and build the community that supports our events. It also helped that I had vast experience running on trails and doing ultras before becoming a full-time race director.
I don't think anyone should host a distance they've never run themselves unless they have in-depth experience as an assistant RD or RD apprentice hosting the distance previously. I had run in a few dozen official ultras over the course of nine years before I became a full-time RD.
Question: What's the most interesting thing you've learned about yourself since you became an RD?
Answer: Race directing has helped validate many of the things I already knew about myself, just in ways and with an intensity that I never expected. That said, I always thought that I had a certain level of self-awareness, but race directing has certainly shown me an incredible amount of blind spots I never knew I had along the way.
I've learned that I am definitely not cut out for corporate America, I struggle with customer service while incredibly sleep deprived, and while I cannot control the behaviors of others, I can take on the leadership needed to ensure that the right people are here and the wrong people are not. Not everything and every place is for everyone.
Question: What's your best piece of advice for someone who wants to become an RD?
Answer: When you become a race director, you're not just getting into business for yourself; you're also becoming a part of the bigger picture in our sport. The roots of trail and ultra have always been anchored in the community. We seem to have forgotten that along the way as "business" becomes our guiding light over "community."
New race directors should take the time to answer some really difficult questions before getting into the job, and the answers matter:
• Why do you want to be a race director? If it's to make money, don't become a race director. This is not a get-rich-quick scheme. It is a long and slow grind with a lot of sleep deprivation, scary situations and broken hearts.
• How can you positively impact the great trail and ultra community in your area without disrupting the efforts of others already there? Do your market research to determine if you're adding to or disrupting the community. We don't need more market disruptors. We need more villagers who want to uplift the community.
• Do you think race directing is hosting a party where you hand out ribbons and say "Go!"? I assure you it is not. Really take the time to explore the concepts of risk management as that is the number one aspect of the job. I highly recommend that anyone who wants to be a race director take the RRCA Professional Race Director Certification, obtain their Wilderness First Responder Certification, and complete a course on Risk Management for Outdoor Programming.
Question: What's your favorite race to direct?
Answer: The Silverheels Trail Runs in Como, Colo.
Question: What's your favorite race to run?
Answer: The Vermont 100-Mile Endurance Run is one of my all-time favorite races to run, followed by the Miwok 100K. I believe that Miwok is hands down the single greatest ultra ever produced (top to bottom) in our nation.
Question: Tell me about a funny experience as an RD and what you learned from it.
Answer: Colorado is an incredibly windy place; it can be really tough to direct a race here, given the elements. We're constantly bombarded with the extremes. One year, I showed up at the start/finish line parking lot of our December event. The porta-potties had been delivered the day before, and they were not only delivered to the wrong spot in the parking lot but also weren't staked down.
We had winds in excess of 60 mph in the area overnight, and when I arrived on race morning, the porta-potties had been blown over onto their sides. It was as you'd expect. All of the "blue juice" from inside the porta-potties spilled out all over the inside of the units.
Temperatures also dropped down into the teens overnight, which means the "blue stuff" froze in place wherever it landed. It was a horrible mess.
The lesson I learned was never to trust the company knows what they're doing or that they know the weather and what to do to keep your porta-potties upright. I now show up to races with all kinds of tools to assist us if needed. I've staked down a few porta-potties over the years to ensure they are upright. I've also had to use tools to move them to the right locations.
Question: If a runner can only do one of your races ever, it would be ...
Answer: The Indian Creek Trail Runs. It's close to the Denver metro area so it’s really easy to find a place to stay and get to. It's also not too high up in the mountains so anyone coming from lower elevations can handle it. It's in the middle of fall foliage, which means cooler temps. The community vibe at that event is unlike any other within our series. It's a great race with amazing views and trails.
Question: Where can runners find out more about your races?
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