Anne Barnwell

Bio

Anne Barnwell is the co-founder and operations manager of Blaze Trails Running, one of Texas's premier trail racing organizations. Together with her husband Chris, she oversees 12 trail races across the state, from accessible 5Ks to challenging 100-mile ultra-marathons. Anne discovered running in her early thirties as a practical solution for staying active while raising young children—simply throwing them in a jogging stroller and hitting the pavement. What began as a convenient workout evolved into a passion that sustained her through life's challenges, including a divorce in her early forties when running became her mental health lifeline. A dedicated half-marathoner with a personal best of 1:54:22 at Grandma's Marathon in Duluth, Minnesota, Anne proudly advocates that "you can live a happy, fulfilled life and not run a marathon." Her only venture beyond the half-marathon distance was a 30K at Big Horn in the mountains, and she's perfectly content with that choice. Anne met Chris at the Raw Running Club in the Dallas area, where their relationship began during a group run that included the now-legendary "Fireman Ken." Their first official outing was to a Cake concert—with Anne insisting on paying her own way to make clear it wasn't a date. While Chris handles the technical aspects of race directing, Anne manages communications and operations for Blaze Trails Running, all while maintaining her full-time career in communications for a financial services company. She's passionate about making trail running accessible to all distances and abilities, believing that every runner—from first-time 5K participants to seasoned ultra-marathoners—deserves support and encouragement on the trails. Anne is also a mother who successfully balanced raising four children (two of her own, including a son with autism, and two stepchildren) with building a trail racing business, proving that passion projects and family life can coexist with the right priorities and timing.