POST AND PHOTOGRAPHS BY ROBERT BRODEY It’s spring 2024, and though the pandemic is largely over and most of us have “gotten on with our lives,” a long shadow still lingers.…

ARTICLE AND PHOTOGRAPHS BY ROBERT BRODEY I begin with a confession. The Spanish island of Mallorca (Majorca) in the western Mediterranean has never been on my must-travel…

After nearly two and a half years grounded from travel by the pandemic, Robert Brodey boards a plane to an outdoor paradise on Canada’s west coast The first time I saw it, I…

An interview with Toronto’s Cash Lim By Robert Brodey Nostalgia is a funny thing, particularly as we get older. Growing up in Toronto in the 1980s, I wasn’t particularly fond…

In late 2019, I had this nagging feeling that my sense of wellness could use an upgrade. And the subsequent Covid-19 pandemic that swept over the globe really didn’t help. The…

It was dark when we schlepped into a quaint seaside town on the southern coast of the Italian island of Elba. Saddled with our backpacks, we had hiked for hours from the ferry…

2020 is shaping up to be the year of the perfect storm. As a global community, we are facing political and social upheaval, an environmental crisis that threatens the stability of…

Just over a month ago, I was flipping through Netflix trying to figure out what to watch. Then the documentary The Game Changers zipped by. For reasons unknown to me, I decided to…

Let me begin with a story: Back in 2018, I met two Australians in their late 60s in the Italian Dolomites. These two grey-bearded fellows had just completed a long technical via…

It has been a year and a half since I took the two-hour bus ride from the oppressive heat of the Venice airport up to cool mountain climes of Cortina d’Ampezzo in the Italian…

The health benefits of regularly elevating your legs In the world of fitness and health, it seems there is a perpetual search for the silver bullet that’ll make us faster,…

I’ve always loved new experiences. They serve as a counter-weight to a life of routine, which can dull the senses and make life feel a little, well, meh. That’s part of…

Are you a trail shoe? Designed for distance? If so, I have some more questions for you! I’m looking for a shoe with a heel height between 18-22mm and a drop between 4-6mm (heel…

As a kid, I loved winter. Now I think winter in the city sucks. And I’m not going to apologize for saying that. I need Vitamin D. And a lot of it to stay sane and happy through…

If you live most of your life without chronic pain then a stint at the pain-factory tends to not only be a humbling experience but also a master-class in not being flippant with…

It has been fourteen months since my father passed away. I no longer cry uncontrollably like I did for the first 9 months, when a song, a picture, a memory would trigger an…

Linguistic diversity finds a family home in Toronto By Robert Brodey When I first met my Lebanese-born Armenian wife, Lara, I’m ashamed to admit that I couldn’t have picked…

It has been almost 6 months since my trip with Outpost Magazine to Switzerland. Not a day goes by that I don’t think about the staggering beauty, the remarkable people, or the…

Since completing my first novel, Josef’s Lair, I’ve been working on several other projects – some just dabbling, others with more commitment. Not knowing what the next big…

I don’t like puking. Period. It’s for this reason I rarely push myself to the point of nausea while racing. On top of that, I’m an average athlete, with a woefully low V02…

In 2003-2004, I lived in the highlands of Costa Rica. I would often hop on my bicycle and head up into the outlying mountains. It was a big effort, especially in the beginning.…

After self-publishing my first novel, Josef’s Lair, this past spring, I hummed and hawed about spending more money for a book launch. My wife and I both agreed, though, that it…

I got 99 problems, and sleep is one… On the surface, everything seems fine. Take a closer look, and my puffy eyes and sagging face tell the story of a guy with sleep…

What’s 20 years? Longer than the life of an old dog, a good lifespan for a cat, and basically takes a cute little dribbling baby all the way to adulthood. 20 years is also the…

In some running circles, the road marathon is considered the ultimate test of one’s fitness, but I’m honestly not a big fan of pavement. My ultimate fitness goal is to stay…

Writing is a funny thing. For some of my writer friends, they feel like they have to force themselves to sit and write. And they can’t wait to escape when it’s done. Actually,…

It has been a busy few months, juggling projects, including big edits on my book project, Josef’s Lair, working the bread-and-butter job, cross-country training, and, of…

“It’s time you stay home and grow up,” said an acquaintance, when I told him I was heading out of town to run a 50km trail race. I was surprised to find that his…

For me, the easiest part about becoming a dad has been tapping into my 8 year old self so that I can work magic with Lego, train track building, and even help my son ward off…

I don’t think it comes as much of a surprise to learn that our generation, on average, will have less material wealth than our parents’ generation (apparently, we may not live…

“Who needs to read about imaginary vampires and werewolves when we’ve got real monsters running around killing innocent people.” Colonel Erich Hauptmann, Germany, 1943. In…

For the last two years, I’ve felt a strong instinct not to have a go at another child. It has been difficult, with some friends having their second and many others asking,…

I’m not sure if it’s just a product of my age (45 and counting), but I’m definitely not convinced we, as a society, are heading in the right direction. Now I know every…

OK, th winter of 2013/14 has been shaping up to be the most challenging one yet for outdoor training with temperatures dipping into the -20s and -30s, deep snow, and luge-quality…

The moment you become a parent, people will tell you, your life will change – forever. No argument here. I will never watch another news broadcast about a missing child or a…

I truly thought after completing my first ultramarathon this past September that a switch would turn off, and I would never have the urge to train let alone run an ultra distance…

It’s one of the great challenges to pursue our dreams but also take personal responsibility for the choices we’ve made in life. It can be a tense game of tug-of-war,…

Several recent studies about happiness are quite joy-affirming… A few highlights: 1. Exercise more – 7 minutes might be enough (to increase happiness and reduce depression).…

I’ll admit, I recently broke rule #1 of long distance running, which goes something like, “Slowly build your mileage (10% per week with an easy week every 3rd week).  Ramping…

I was originally going to update my previous running shoe post with some new dirt, but I thought it best to write something from scratch. So much has changed in such a short…

First off, wow. I loved this race, and I loved having the ultra-off-road experience in such a spectacularly beautiful corner of the world. In fact, the reason I chose to run an…

From what I understand, the DNA of a flower contains a blueprint for the potential of that plant. Whether the conditions are right for that flower to bloom as tall or brightly as…

I don’t hate cars. I really don’t. Some of my best friends have cars. I even borrow my dad’s car from time to time, when I need to get somewhere that I can’t get to by…

I can hear the low warm chime of cow bells before I see them. Then, as I round the corner in view of a gushing river, the stout beasts are revealed, grazing on the lush Pyrenees…

For better or worse, masculinity has often been defined by a sense of control over things (and, sadly, people). Depending on the circumstances, it can be one of our shining…

In preparing for Whistler’s Meet Your Maker 80 kilometre cross-country run this September, I’ve thought a lot about approaches to training. Not being 25 anymore means I…

A marathon is a particular beast. It’s a stressful endeavour that sits outside our regular physiological capacity, requiring plenty of training for all but the most gifted…

The dream was cloudy. I can’t say where I was precisely, but I clearly remember wandering among crowds of people. I was despondent and weeping, mourning life. I kept crying,…

A while back, our little family took a trip to a resort in the Dominican Republic (read post). There was some beach time, a few cocktails, tons of wet poopy diapers, and a splash…

About a month ago, I had my first run over an hour after taking two weeks off with a bacterial infection in my leg, which required antibiotics and lots of rest. Taking two weeks…

For months, I had to drag my son, Sevan, from the bathtub kicking and screaming. That is until I got him to say goodnight to each of his tub toys, as I put them away. Suddenly he…

So the Whistler Meet Your Maker ultra cross-country run has been on my mind a lot lately. Looking into my future and seeing 12,000 feet of climbs over 85 kilometers of single…

I consider myself a late bloomer. I seem to take my own time arriving at where I need to be – whether it was learning to read, staying upright on a bicycle , or getting married…

I spend an unnatural amount of time watching how people run. Some tip forward from the hips, as if diving toward the concrete, while others move with their shoulders tensed up by…

When my son, Sevan, was old enough to play with blocks, the routine would go something like this: daddy would sit on the floor beside him and relive his childhood of meticulously…

I’ve been known to lay my head down on the desk mid-day after a meal. I can also be quite moody, which became more acute after my son was born. Life stressors include, “I’m…

Just a few months ago my son, Sevan, started walking. Out of the blue, with no warning, he just let go of my leg and walked across the room. Then he fell on his ass. He pulled…

It’s no secret (at least to me) that I have obsessive tendencies. Once I get something in my head, I think about it, research it, meditate on it until everyone around me rolls…

By Robert J. Brodey MONTREAL, QUEBEC — Below the traffic humming along highway 720, in the shadow of famous neighbourhoods like Westmount and Plateau-Mont-Royal, the worn…

Robert J. Brodey In the shadow of Damascus Gate, a group of Israeli soldiers stop a Palestinian man for questioning. The Arab Quarter of old Jerusalem, for the time, seems…

By Robert J. Brodey It’s 6:30 in the morning, when my sister, Michelle, and I walk into the diner. The sign above the cash register reads, “Our Lady of the Lakes Church…

By Robert Brodey “There’s an orgy on the island,” my auntie Pat says. My uncle excitedly agrees. What’s not to like about this adventure? It’s a perfect day. Only a few…

. Finding a peaceful retreat in Israel isn’t always easy. It’s difficult to forget you are living in a virtual war zone, with the roaming soldiers and the siege mentality that…

Story and Photos By Robert J. Brodey Along the isolated southern coast of New Zealand, the wind sweeps up off Antarctica, bringing with it the kind of cold that cuts through…

Going Off-Road in Rustic Style By Robert J. Brodey High above the broad banks of the Whanganui River on New Zealand’s North Island, rests a bohemian hide away, like an…

A Family Trip Tackles the Medieval Fortresses of Southern France By Robert Brodey Peyrepertuse, France — Beneath the dome of the deep blue sky, the fortress of Puilauren…

By Robert Brodey Cadaqués, Spain – It’s as if this dry twisted landscape was a product of Salvador Dalí’s imagination. But perhaps it was the landscape itself that gave…

By Robert J. Brodey In search of some of the oldest bones in the world, I head north on highway 40, moving from Mendoza’s famed vineyards into the parched deserts of San Juan…

By Robert J. Brodey I first meet Wayland DeLong’s fist in a small courtyard behind a toy store in Toronto’s Annex neighbourhood. He parks his giant knuckles just off…

By Robert J. Brodey He’s tall, lean, and barefoot, and he’s coming at me with a quiet but determined vengeance. The soccer ball at his toe appears to be attached by a rubber…

By Robert J. Brodey For two years now, I’ve been following Chef Teo’s feasts across continents. And for good reason. He’s like an alchemist in the kitchen, transforming farm…

By Robert Brodey A warm spring day in downtown Toronto — seven years ago. Riding my bicycle along an open stretch of road, I was blissfully unaware of my surroundings.…

By Robert Brodey Uyuni, Bolivia — They are laughing at me. Or should I say, at my feet. The women look down, elbow each other, and snicker as they walk along Uyuni’s…

By Robert J. Brodey I know it’s not nice, but I sometimes make fun of vegetarians. In fact, in meat-crazed Buenos Aires, I make jokes at the expense of one vegetarian every day…

By Robert J. Brodey Under a bridge in Buenos Aires’ oldest barrio, San Telmo, the memorial is fenced off like an invitation to forget. The constant rumble of cars overhead…

By Robert Brodey La Paz, Bolivia — After the Spanish “discovered” a mountain of silver in Potosí, Bolivia, in 1545, the precious metal was mined by slaves, melted down,…