Who We Are

Ultranaut Running is a small, grass-roots organization based in Knoxville, Tennessee started by Brian and Shelley Gajus. In 2014 we started Ultranaut Running with the simple mission to just get people active in the outdoors. Since then we have grown, in more ways than one. We now have 5 kids (Adelaide, Eliza, Gwendolyn, Ingrid, and Grant) who keep us constantly busy and on our toes while still working full-time jobs and everyday commitments. We’ve also grown through our events and the impact they have had on us. Though our simple goal to just get people active and outdoors still remains to this day, we’ve come to see it’s even more than that. It’s about bringing friends, families, communities together to share in life changing moments, build new friendships, and leave a positive impact on the land.

Community and People

Over the years we’ve discovered how amazing the trail and ultra community is. For us it’s about bringing people of all walks of life together to make unforgettable memories and friendships that will last a lifetime. Whether it’s challenging you to overcome fear or failure, supporting you as you set out to reach a goal, or just introducing you to this amazing sport of trail and ultra running, we want you to come away from an Ultranaut Running event changed forever.

Love of the Land

We started putting on trail races to introduce people to new and amazing places in the outdoors. Places that our family has come to love so much that we  wanted to introduce to others. One of the greatest things we have heard over the years from participants who have done our events is that they fell in love with the area the events take place in. So much so that they returned to the area bringing with them their family and/or friends to show them all the amazing beauty they experienced while out on the trails. It’s why we believe so strongly that it’s our responsibility to inspire the next generation to help protect and keep these places wild and beautiful for generations to come.