'We're strong enough to withstand the storm': Trail race series raises money for youth mental health

Abby Sharpe, Post-Bulletin, Rochester, Minn.
Updated ·3 min read

Apr. 22—ALTURA, Minn. — The Storm Trail Race Series got its name from a well known quote: "Fate whispers to the warrior, 'You cannot withstand the storm.' The warrior whispers back, 'I am the storm.'"

Mandy Hansel — who, along with her husband, Bill, directs the trail series races — has "I am the storm" tattooed on the base of her neck. Her daughter has the tattoo on her back.

"It's a reminder of all the trials and tribulations that we've come through and come out stronger on the other end," Hansel said, "and we're strong enough to withstand the storm."

On Saturday morning, April 22, there was a literal storm the 193 runners had to trek through — the clusters of snow flurries that fell over Whitewater State Park during the Storm the Park 5k, 15k, 30k and 50k races.

On the surface, the trail race series was a fun event to put together for a couple that has run trails for over a decade. But, after deciding to form the organization as a nonprofit, Hansel thought of the perfect place to donate money raised: to youth mental health programs.

"Both Bill and I have had mental health struggles with our kids, and finding help for them was really a struggle, like where do you start? Where do you go?" Hansel said. "We decided we would donate our money to youth mental health programs. Since 2019, we've donated over $25,000 to organizations."

The program receiving the donations is different every year, "but it's usually geared towards suicide prevention," Hansel said. Last year, the money was donated to the Mini Donut Foundation, which operates a trail race in Onalaska, Wis. Organizations receiving previous donations include Hiawatha Valley Mental Health Center, which serves Fillmore, Houston, Wabasha, Goodhue and Winona counties, and Family and Children's Center in Rochester.

The race series started in 2019 with Storm the Farm, a trail race run on the farm of a friend. The series has now grown to four annual events: Storm the Park at Whitewater, which is the first race of the year; Storm the Farm in July; Storm the Day, which features a two mile loop that's run as many times as possible from sunrise to sunset, in October; and Storm the Bluffs in December. It's a trail run and a duathlon: trail running, mountain biking, then trail running.

The Storm Trail Race Series has also expanded into non-trail race events. Every Thursday in September, during Suicide Prevention Month, the group gathers at different stairs in the Winona County area. And in March, they participated in the Trail Running Film Festival at the Winona County History Center.

"That was short films all about trail running," Hansel said. "We had over 100 people there, and that was a fundraiser for our organization."

At the end of the day, it comes back to trail running for Hansel. The trail series wouldn't have expanded to four events without the support of other trail runners and bikers.

"The community is super fun," Hansel said. "Everybody's super supportive. It's really a party. We call it trail-gating. It's kind of an all-day party. We eat candy and potato chips, and drink pop and beer. People hang out and talk about their experiences. It's really a social thing."