Cyndi Wyatt

Cyndi has completed 60+/- Ultra Marathons, including (7) 100 milers, finishing top ten female in the majority of races she completed along with completing the John Muir Trail fast packing, Hut to Hut adventures in the Swiss and French Alps, and guiding Grand Canyon R2R2R adventures annually. While these accomplishments may have been what got her noticed by LOWA Boots to bring her on as their Athlete/Ambassador, but she’ll say, the most rewarding gift has been the opportunity to guide and inspire women to accomplish more than what they thought imagined in the outdoors. “Changing lives and empowering women is the most rewarding accomplishment.” Cyndi said. “Every gift given is an opportunity to introduce and change a life with the outdoors as its playground.” She joined REI in late 2011 and when asked why she wants to work here? Cyndi replied, “I want to make a difference in people’s lives.” Splitting her time between retail, outfitting outdoor enthusiast, and outdoor school creating programs such as REI Run Club and Outessa trail run programs. She held true to her words, as doors began to open, summiting Rainier tethered to then CEO Jerry Stritzke was just the start, It wasn’t the summit that was the pinnacle, it was the multi-page initiative I introduced to Stritzke, including a Run Club, endurance hiking, women’s multi-sport overnight adventures and an educational component for employees to understand the trail runner and their gear. I became the first face of what and who a 100 miler might look like. An average woman, that can endure 30 hours shuffling, and power hiking over mountains. “At first they looked at me like I had three heads.” Cyndi recalls. “I laid out a business plan, incorporating all departments to bring Trail running to REI. “What did I have to lose? I was just a retail employee that took a gift (summiting Rainier w/ Stritzke, PR team, leadership and other lucky employees) as an opportunity to “make a difference”. In the months and years to follow Cyndi went on to create trail running programs for women at Outsessa, be a part of “Force of Nature” campaign, create one of the largest and fastest growing run clubs in the country REI Run Club, train employees on trail running gear, develop REI brand running vests, and build a community that became a family. We changed so many lives at Run Club and Outsessas over three years and (4) locations in the nation. One being, Kirkwood, CA. “We got back 10-fold what we put out there,” Cyndi recalls. Across all disciplines. I was only one component. Not only did their lives change for the better, but mine did also. The women’s stories, the wants, desires and fears are what drive my purpose every day. This is who you answer to, not corporate or people who say you can’t. Because there’s always a way. Today, she lives in North Carolina, where she continues her work to introduce more people to trail running as a LOWA ambassador with experiential shoe demo events and sponsoring trail races. One being Hellbender 100, a 20k+ elevation gain monster of a race, which has earned a Hard Rock qualifying race. She continues to seek peaks and challenges that inspire and delight the soul.