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There’s an old saying that if you want something done well, give that job to a climber. Actually, I don’t know if that’s really a thing people say—but it certainly could be. When I go the crags, I’m often surrounded by really smart, talented, successful people. That’s no accident. Climbing undergirds so many values around perseverance, fear, risk, and respect for the environment and each other. Perhaps the reason climbers are often so good at what they do, beyond the climbing part, is that climbing informs an ethical approach to living—the way we act, the good work we do, the lives we choose to lead beyond the rocks.

For example, just imagine if our government was filled, not with craven magical-thinking sycophants and bad-faith toads, but with with people who were more like Tommy Caldwell. Clearly, that would be better. Climate Change, the battle for public lands, a clean environment, the basic right to health care and education, the fights for justice for all and democracy itself—these issues are the Dawn Walls of our time, not only in the sense that they’re formidable challenges, but that they’re challenges that we can overcome. It might take years, and by the time it actually happens, we’re so bored to shit that we call it the Yawn Wall.

Nevermind. The point is, it can be done.

This is Andrew Bisharat, and I’m here with Chris Kalous, and you’re listening to The RunOut podcast. Today, we’re speaking with Trish Zornio, a scientist and rock climber who is running for the U.S. Senate. Trish is trying to become Colorado’s first woman elected to the Senate, and to do that, she’s hoping to unseat Cory Gardner, who has been living under a rock for the past four years.

It’s certainly my opinion that we need someone who is better equipped to fight these Dawn Wall-sized issues, who is not going to hide under rocks, but who will climb them. All the better if she brings a smart, scientific approach and shows how a younger, female perspective can lead.

Trigger warning. This episode acknowledges the existence of politics and its crossover into our otherwise blissfully apolitical climbing space. But Chris and I are both progressive people who like talking about this stuff. And to be honest, at this point to not discuss some of these important issues is, in itself, a political decision. These are things that we not only should be talking about, but it would be irresponsible not to. And full disclosure, as you’ll likely discern from our friendly fire, Chris and I are also supporters of Trish’s campaign.

I hope you enjoy our conversation today. The big call to action for our Colorado listeners is to know that there’s a caucus on March 7, a Saturday. Let’s hope it’s a stormy Saturday, so you don’t feel bad about hitting the gym in the morning and making it out to your local caucus location to get involved in our democracy in the afternoon.

Figuring out exactly where your caucus is being held, however, is a complete nightmare. Trust me when I say that you’d have an easier time finding that super secret local’s crag than you will in figuring out where your caucus is. Part of the confusion is that we in Colorado voted to get rid of caucuses, but apparently we only did that for presidential primaries. In other words, candidates for every office except president are still being relegated to abiding by the old caucus system. Coloradodems.org is a good place to start, but you can also email Trish’s campaign at caucus@zornio2020.com and they will help you find your location.

Since you guys are all climbers, I know you’ll be able to do a good job in figuring it out. OK, without any more ado, here’s our conversation with Trish Zornio.