The Active Joe celebrates 12 years of Sponsoring the Western States Endurance Run

Frisco, Texas – Race production and running outreach company The Active Joe moves into its twelfth year as a sponsor of the Western States Endurance Run and is excited to announce Stuart Chutter of Osage, Saskatchewan, Canada as its 2026 sponsored athlete.

The Western States Endurance Run is the oldest and most well-known 100 mile race in the United States, running along the Western States Trail from Olympic Valley, California, to end in Auburn, California. The Active Joe owner Libby Jones attended and volunteered at the 2012 race and fell in love with the event. A race producer herself, Jones was also impressed with the mission of the non-profit Western States Endurance Run Foundation. In addition to helping set standards in the organization of 100-mile endurance events, they promote trail stewardship and emphasize their role through maintenance and support of the Western States trail. The WSER Foundation also supports medical research into ultrarunning that helps the sport and the community.

As part of the sponsorship, The Active Joe gets to choose an athlete each year from the qualified runners who apply to the lottery, and the chosen individual receives an automatic entry. For 2026, Stuart Chutter of Osage, Saskatchewan, Canada, will be representing The Active Joe.

Stuart started running during COVID when he intended to complete his first marathon virtually. He collapsed in a ditch 22 miles in and called a friend to pick him up. Now, he runs 26 miles routinely as a long run. Stuart learned that consistency is rewarded in running. In the last 3 years he has turned that consistency into multiple 100 mile and 200 mile finishes, including finishing Crazy Mountain 100 three times, FatDog 120, Divide 200 twice, Southern States 200, and even completed Arizona Monster 300 mile this year!

Stuart has been a farmer for 15 years and is passionate about soil health, regenerative agriculture and making a contribution to environmental solutions. His career in farming taught him discipline and sacrifice, as well as how to focus on endurance with committing to a long-term focus. 7 years ago, Stuart found running at the same time he also found regenerative agriculture. While farming can result in carbon emissions, Stuart learned techniques that led him to actually putting Carbon back IN to the ground. His farm has now seen over a 5-year span gains where he now sequesters a NET carbon amount of 1865 mt per year, which is a lot! Lab-based soil analysis has confirmed that, through work like his, beef and prairie grasslands can be a valuable environmental solution!

Stuart ran Dino Valley 100 in 2024 and is an active supporter of the brand on social media for two years now since seeing our focus on inclusivity online from ultramarathon friends who had attended our events. He also volunteers for local races and provides trail maintenance in Saskatchewan throughout the year. Interestingly enough, Stuart is also the jam supplier for the PB&J sandwiches made throughout the Crazy Mountain 100 race in Montana! He makes homemade jam from the berries from his farm, grown in the soil he works to enrich to help the environment, and incorporates honey from a neighbor's farm to generate 10 liters of jam to donate to the race!

While he has completed some long distance races, Stuart is still a great representative of what The Active Joe is all about - an average joe out there getting active! Stuart has been to races where he has not finished, he does work with a strength and mindset coach, he is a mid-pack runner, and he is very clear that he is not out there trying to set any records! Western States is his “A-goal” race for 2026 and is committed to doing all he can to get there healthy and trained.

Stuart Chutter was chosen from a large pool of qualified runners who all wrote essays for consideration for the spot. "I am so thrilled and grateful to run Western States with The Active Joe. The values they champion, the energy they share and the community they have built are absolutely what I will run my heart out for! To run Western States is a dream and to do it with a community that believes in me - I’ll be using that as extra fire and gratitude for those hard miles. I am such a believer in the “Joe mentality” - that everyday people can do wild, amazing things and make massive change when they just keep going. Thank you Libby and the entire The Active Joe community … I will do my absolute best to run with your values, spread your energy forward and do our community proud!"

"One of the hardest things I have to do each year, and one of the most rewarding, is to choose someone to receive this coveted entry for such a phenomenal race,” The Active Joe owner Libby Jones said. “Stuart is not only an accomplished runner, but he lives his life focused on the same values that The Active Joe has in its 8 driving principles of the company, including community, inclusivity, and the environment. I know Stuart has a lot of training ahead to get to the Western States starting line, but I know that he will have a positive impact to his community and the Earth beyond those 100.2 miles."

Info on Past Sponsored Athletes:

• June 2025 event: Danna Baxley of Frankfurt, KY

• June 2024 event: Karen Ellis of Cypress, TX 

• June 2023 event: Phyllis Stanley of Montesano, WA

• June 2022 event: John Farris of Fort Worth, TX

• June 2021 event: Luke Bateman of Dallas, TX

• June 2020 event: Canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic

• June 2019 event: Kelli Coleman of Dallas, TX

• June 2018 event: Pam Smith of Salem, OR

• June 2017 event: Jess Mullen of Seattle, WA

• June 2016 event: Michael Wagner of Albuquerque, NM

• June 2015 event: Robert Lopez of Seattle, WA

• June 2014 event: Jennifer Kimble of Dallas, TX

The Active Joe was founded in 2008 with the mission of providing running outreach to the local community. The organization produces 3 trail events, including a 100 mile running event, the Dinosaur Valley Endurance Run 100 Mile, 100K, 50K, 25K, and 5 Mile each fall. Dinosaur Valley Endurance Run is a Western States qualifier in both the 100K and 100 mile distances. The Active Joe produced the first organized 100-mile trail race in North Texas. The company also has 2 road events and between road and trail, the company helps thousands of participants achieve their goals each year. All events are located in the Dallas-Fort Worth area of Texas. Owner Libby Jones has been an active member of the leadership of the Dallas-Fort Worth running community for many years and has many ultramarathon finishes herself. For more information go to www.TheActiveJoe.com.

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