Keynote Speaker · Ultrarunner · Crowsnest Pass, Alberta
Your capacity to handle
hard things is not fixed.
It is trainable.
There is real biology behind that, and I have spent twenty years testing it: first as an Army medic, a firefighter, and an oilfield safety lead, then on 200-mile mountain courses and five Team Canada starts. The Mountain Method is the keynote I built out of it, for teams who want something they can use on the next hard week.
Direct reply within 48 hours · 20 to 60 minute formats
701 km
Across the Years
2nd overall, 6 days · Arizona · 2019
21h 23m
Crowsnest High Five FKT
Standard Route · 101.07 km, five summits · 2026
5×
Team Canada
Big Dog's Backyard Ultra
40h 52m
Bob Marshall Traverse FKT
Unsupported out & back · 108.8 km, 9,377 m · Adirondacks · 2026
Keynote Speaking & Leadership
The Mountain Method
A resilience keynote for teams, built on hormesis and tested in the mountains.
Hormesis is the biological principle that describes how the body and nervous system rebuild stronger after the right dose of stress. We see it most obviously in fitness training: load a muscle, it breaks down, and it comes back with more capacity. The same thing happens to a person’s range for difficulty, and to a team’s.
The Mountain Method is 20 to 60 minutes for corporate events, team retreats, and conferences that want more than a motivational speaker. It is built on three pillars, told through efforts I have actually run, and it leaves people with one first step small enough that they can take it that week.
- What the right amount of hard does for a team, and what the wrong amount breaks
- How to stay useful when the plan falls apart in the middle of the night
- How to change the route without losing the objective
- How to spot the person on your team who is standing at the edge of their range
Who is this guy, anyway?
I am Matt Shepard.
Most people just call me Shep.
I am an ultrarunner, keynote speaker, and entrepreneur living in the Crowsnest Pass, and I have built a life around chasing big things on foot.
I wanted structure early, so I enlisted as a U.S. Army combat medic out of high school. After that came structural fire and emergency medical work in Sitka, Alaska, and then years of health and safety in the Alberta oilfield. Every one of those jobs put real consequences on the other side of a bad decision, and I learned more about people under pressure there than I could have anywhere else.
From 2022 until this spring I ran field operations for Sinister Sports, moving thousands of athletes through some of the hardest terrain in Canada. Now I run long in the mountains I live in, and I help teams work out how much more they can handle than they think. That is what The Mountain Method is for.
What I Do
Three ways we can work together
Run
Coaching & Mentorship
Mentorship for runners chasing serious mountain objectives: first 200s, multi-day efforts, FKT attempts, and the seasons that build them. One-on-one Summit Sessions, big project advisory, crew plan reviews, and The Work Party, an eight-week group interval block. I do not write daily training plans, and I will tell you honestly if that is what you need.
Lead
The Mountain Method Keynote
A story-driven resilience keynote for teams, leaders, and conference audiences across Canada. Three pillars, real routes, and one first step your people can take the same week. I also bring a practical trail planning talk for run clubs, race expos, and outdoor brands.
Partner
Brand Partnerships
Gear testing and honest feedback from someone who runs 200-mile mountain courses and spent four seasons watching what happens to kit when a few thousand people use it hard. Social and video content for brands that belong outdoors. If your product can hold up in the Kananaskis, I want to talk about it.
Race History
Selected trail record
Book a Keynote
Bring The Mountain Method to your next event
Tell me about your event and your audience and I will reply myself, inside 48 hours. Corporate conference, leadership retreat, or community event, anywhere in Canada or beyond. If it is not the right fit I will say so and point you at somebody better suited to it.
- 20, 45, or 60 minute formats, shaped around your audience
- Workshops, facilitated Q&A, and guided movement available as add-ons
- Based in Alberta, travelling across Canada and internationally
- You deal with me directly. No booking agent, and a reply inside 48 hours
Rooms I have spoken in: Lululemon · Rotary International · Sinister Sports · Buffalo Runners Society · Great Minds
Race briefings, community keynotes, workshops, and the trail planning talk. The Mountain Method is a new keynote and I am booking it now.
“His sense of humour and approachability made Matt a fan fav, with many people asking if he’d come back next year. I’d highly recommend Shep if you’re looking for an engaging and knowledgeable speaker!”
Partnerships & Sponsorships
Work with someone who actually goes out and does it
I test gear on 200-mile mountain courses and I report honestly on what works and what does not. Running field operations for Sinister Sports also meant seeing what kit looks like after a few thousand people have used it hard, in weather nobody ordered. If you want story-driven content that reaches an engaged endurance community, I would like to hear about it.
- Gear testing and honest field reporting from 200-mile races and multi-day mountain projects
- Social and video content for outdoor and active lifestyle brands
- Event presence and athlete representation across Alberta and Canada
- Ambassador programs that reach a community I actually run with every week
Book Shep
Bring The Mountain Method
to your next event.
Tell me about your event and your audience. I read every request myself and reply within 48 hours.