BETTER KNOW A STABLEMATE—TAYLOR SCHAEFER

Look & See.

What is your name?

Taylor Schaefer.

What is your favourite colour?

Orange, apparently—ever since I started buying running clothes to be more visible.

What is your favourite word?

“Majestical”: it’s not a real word, but thank you to the Kiwi movie Hunt for the Wilderpeople for introducing me to it!

Who is your favourite musician?

Tom Misch—smoothest (jazz-ish?) guitarist alive today.

What is your most marked characteristic?

Jawline.

What talent would you like to have?

To run a sub-three-hour marathon!

What do you consider your greatest achievement?

Moving to Australia for a year shortly after getting married and finding work right away to support my wife while she was studying. Not just any job either; my dream job at the time of façade engineer!

Who are your heroes in history?

This was a difficult question for me to answer because I do have some very OLD heroes who are still alive. Does this imply they must be dead to qualify? Wendell Berry is a hero of mine. He has lived his life to his convictions, and his poetry continues to inspire me after years of reading his work.

Who are your heroes in real life?

My dad, for being willing to change his mind.

What is your idea of happiness?

Complete freedom with my time. I’d spend it with family, working on projects I’m interested in, and helping others.

Where would you most like to live?

Wellington, New Zealand.

What profession would you like to attempt?

Product manager for a tech company. It’s a major career change, and I’m working towards it now. Construction and engineering just aren’t for me.

What is your greatest extravagance?

Coffee. I start each day (post-run) making coffee for my wife and myself in a Chemex. You should try it. Reach out if you want a recipe!

What is your most treasured possession?

The electric guitar my parents bought for me when I was six. It was much too big for me then, and I had no business playing it, but I still have it today—and I’ll never sell it.

Why did you start running?

My friends were all on the high school XC team, and in grade 12 the team planned a trip to race at the Disney Classic in Orlando. I wanted to go but had to run in order to do it. I ran on and off after that season for the next eight years and slowly got into it again two years ago as a way to stay fit. Now I’m probably the only person from my high school XC team who runs as much as I do.

What does running mean to you now?

It’s a lifeline. With the birth of my daughter two years ago, through COVID, and connecting with other local runners who are now lifelong friends, I’d be quite lonely without running.

What do you like about Stazza’s Stable?

I love the diversity of runners. Us amateurs can feel like we’re rubbing shoulders with the pros (shoutout to Aoife!) Plus, I’ve been known to laugh at The Stablemaster’s posts, a la James Joyce.

What is your motto?

Resist the status quo.