Why This Site Exists

How a race review site grew into a broader archive.

This Site Evolved

Shank Gym didn’t start as a project. It started as a place to post race reviews so I wouldn’t forget what actually happened.

Over time, that wasn’t enough.

Training cycles blurred together. Race days collapsed into vague memory. Recovery, terrain, and context — the things that shaped the experience — disappeared first. Writing the reviews made that obvious. Ignoring it felt wrong.

So the site grew.

What started as documenting races gradually evolved into a method for recording the entire experience: training, racing, the location, the terrain and its history, the geology of the area, and the broader patterns that become evident only when you delve a little deeper.

This is still a field-based archive rooted in Spartan racing and trail running. You can read it as a race review site and leave everything else untouched.

But the work expanded because the work demanded it — not because there was a plan.

What Governs the Site Now?

A few simple rules emerged along the way:

• Nothing is sold here. No coaching. No plans. No funnels.

• The work is the point. Output exists because the practice exists.

• Documentation beats performance. Clarity over hype.

• Systems beat mood. The site is built the same way training is built: repeatable, grounded, and honest.

About links and coaching

Shank Gym does not offer coaching, training plans, or structured guidance.

Some sites linked through the Web Ring do. Those links exist because I respect the seriousness of their work and the way they approach long-term practice — not because of compensation, referral agreements, or promotion.

I don’t receive payment, discounts, or incentives of any kind for linking to them.

They’re included as adjacent perspectives, not endorsements or funnels. If they’re useful to you, take what helps. If not, ignore them without guilt.

If you’re looking for hacks or a brand persona, this probably won’t land.

If you care about keeping track of something you take seriously — discipline, process, terrain, and long horizons — welcome.