Stacey Shaver, Race Director of the Ouachita Trail 50 and Arkansas Traveller 100 trail runs, describes her role as “a labor of love.” Her deep-rooted passion for her community and the natural spaces she helps steward fuels her dedication to organizing some of Arkansas’ most iconic trail races.
From Basketball to the Trails
Shaver’s journey began on the basketball court, not the trails, in Mount Vernon, Arkansas. “I started in 3rd grade, and I played basketball all the way through junior high and high school,” she recalled. Her dedication was unwavering, even if it meant finding her way home from games. “I was a latchkey kid. My parents worked late, so I often had to find my way home from games. I was willing to do whatever it took,” she said.
At the University of Central Arkansas in Conway, Shaver continued her athletic pursuits by playing intramural sports, which is where she met her husband, Nick. Their relationship was built around their mutual love of competition. “Our dates were never dinner and a movie,” she said. “It was always going around, driving around Conway to look for pickup games and playing basketball.”
It was during one of these games that their future was decided. “I had fallen down and had asphalt all in my knee, blood dripping down my shins. I just got up, looked at him and said, ‘Let’s finish this.’ After that game, he said, ‘I knew you were the girl for me.'”
Their adventurous spirit extended beyond the basketball court. “We would do stupid stuff like say, ‘How about we just take our bikes and ride to Bigelow,’” Shaver recalled. Their relationship was filled with biking, basketball, and anything “sporty.” However, after graduation, they took a break from sports for about two years.
Discovering Running
After starting a family, Shaver found herself inspired to stay active. “I was staring my genetics in the face,” she said. Determined to change her future, she joined a gym and fell in love with step aerobics. Eventually, she transitioned to running. “There was this 80-year-old woman in the class that I aspired to keep up with,” Shaver said. “I just had all this energy that I needed to do something with. Thankfully, that gym had a women’s-only room. I think I probably would have been intimidated to go jump on the treadmill otherwise, but you could even shut the blinds if you wanted to. There were weights and treadmills. I would go up there after the step aerobics class and jump on the treadmill. I didn’t know I was doing speed work—I’d just run as hard and fast as I could until I couldn’t run anymore. Slowly, I was able to run a little farther and a little farther.”
Her transition to outdoor running was an epiphany. “A neighbor said, ‘Why don’t you come run with me in the neighborhood?’ That was my first ‘aha’ moment—realizing I could run outside. We ran around the neighborhood, and that was really it. I just fell in love with running from then on.” By 2001, Shaver was hooked.
The Path to Ultrarunning
Shaver’s progression from recreational running to ultramarathons happened quickly. After running her first marathon, she became engrossed in the sport. “Somebody told me I was only eight minutes from a Boston qualifying time,” she said, admitting she had no idea what that meant at the time. She soon became a regular with the Little Rock Roadrunners Club, where her enthusiasm led her to sign up for races on a whim. “It’s easy to go down that dark hole,” she joked. “I was just willing to put my name on anything.”
Shaver’s first encounter with trail running was a baptism by fire at the Lake Ouachita Vista Trail (LOViT) Marathon. “I showed up wearing road shoes and my little GU belt,” she said. “That’s the first time I met Chrissy Ferguson. She comes up to me and asks, ‘Where’s your hydration?’ I said, ‘My what? What do you mean, my hydration?’ I thought there was an aid station every couple of miles.” Ferguson quickly corrected her, saying, “Oh, no. Follow me,” and walked her to the trunk of her car, popped it open, and handed her two handheld bottles. “Here, you take these and use these today. I’ll get them back from you at the end of the race. But don’t you show up to another one of these races without some kind of hydration system.” Shaver laughed, “I said, ‘Yes, ma’am.'”
Despite getting lost a couple of times during the race, Shaver fell in love with the trail running community. “Nobody cared how long it took me to finish. All they cared about was, ‘Did you have fun?’” she said.
Stepping Into Race Directing
Shaver’s foray into race directing began with the Athens-Big Fork (ABF) Trail Marathon. She quickly became involved in the Arkansas Ultra Running Association (AURA) community and served on the board as treasurer. George Peterka, a distance runner and event organizer, recognized her passion and involvement in the trail running community and approached her about taking over the event after the previous race director stepped down. “I was always at the race, always advocating for our club,” Shaver said. Despite initial doubts, she embraced the challenge. “I spent several months writing the plans of operations, the safety management plan, and the runner’s manual,” she said, ultimately finding joy in giving back to the running community.
Her desire to make running accessible extended to her role as race director. The Athens-Big Fork Trail Marathon was a donation-based event, and Shaver was moved by the gratitude of participants. “It was the first time I realized just what it meant for our club to host these free events,” she said. “Not everybody can afford the expensive entry fees.”
Leading the Arkansas Traveller 100
Shaver’s leadership extended to the Arkansas Traveller 100, a Western States 100 qualifier, where she now oversees about 160 volunteers over a long fall weekend. Her passion for inclusivity led her to introduce the Ultra Trail Series Light version, designed to make the sport more accessible. “We had runners who were struggling to feel connected because they weren’t doing the longer distance stuff,” she said. “The Ultra Trail Light Series was created so that those people could feel like they were part of the club.”
After eight years at the helm of the Athens-Big Fork race, Shaver turned it over to Brad Taylor and Mandy Ferguson, local runners who know the trail and the community well.
Though Shaver loves her work, she’s preparing to pass the baton. “I told the board I’m doing five years at the Traveller,” she said, noting her intention to step down after 2026. She hopes to hand the role over to a two-person team. “A two-person team in that role would be ideal, much like the days of Chrissy and Stan Ferguson managing the race,” she said.
“I think we’re very lucky that there’s still a lot of people who have such great passion for the races. I can’t take credit for any of it. Honestly, I’m doing my little part. My predecessors are the ones that paved such a golden trail for us to follow. I’m just following, trying to put my little stamp here and there, like adding the Ultra Trail Series Light version,” Shaver said.
Pushing Personal Limits
Shaver’s competitive drive has led her to test her own limits. Her longest race to date was the Tahoe 200, where she became the first Arkansas female to complete a 200-mile race. “I think that’s just the way my brain is wired,” she said. “What’s another big challenge I can bite off?”
Her toughest race, however, was the Bighorn 100 in Wyoming. “Seventy miles of shoe-sucking mud mixed with horse and cow manure,” she recalled. Despite the grueling conditions, she pushed through to the finish.
We had to delay our interview with Stacey this month as she and Debbie Rigsby were setting the Unsupported Fastest Known Time for a Female on the Ouachita Trail in 7 Days, 11 Hours and 1 Minute , finishing on March 14th.
A Legacy of Service
Even after stepping away from race directing, Shaver plans to remain active in the trail running community. “I’ll step up and help where I can,” she said. Her commitment to giving back is unwavering. “I love seeing the joy on people’s faces when they finish,” she said. “It’s a privilege to serve this community.”
With her sights set on empowering the next generation of runners and race directors, Shaver’s influence on Arkansas’ trail running scene will undoubtedly endure for years to come.
This article was originally published on ArkansasOutside.com, your trusted source for outdoor news and updates in The Natural State. Unless otherwise credited, all photos included in this piece are the property of Arkansas Outside, LLC. We take pride in sharing the beauty and adventures of Arkansas through our lens—thank you for supporting our work!
