About

(needs to be edited so it includes both of us)

I’m Sarah, a writer, long-distance runner, and environmental anthropologist. I write adventure books with an underpinning of philosophy as well as gentle how-tos for beginners getting into adventures. Read more about my books here.

On a day trip run in Takayama, Japan
Hooray.
Reading outdoors is best

You’ll find me eating delicious food in dense cities and goofing around in remote wildernesses. I’ve climbed volcanoes, summited mountains, dived deep into the oceans, and traversed jungles.

I’m currently training for some big running adventures: Marathon des Sables (250km across the Sahara); three marathons in three days around Singapore, the first quarter of the Shikoku 88-Temple Pilgrimage route in Japan (220km along village roads); and the Everest Trail Race (170km in the Himalayas). More details can be found on the 2027 Adventure Runs page.

These will all feature in future books (subscribe below to be notified when they come out!). And the nitty-gritty of the training details will live here on this blog, alongside my out-loud, in-process thinking as I train and get after these adventures.

CV Things

  • Grinnell College (BA Anthropology)
  • Yale University School of the Environment (MESc)
  • Associate Member of the Society of Environmental Journalists
  • Fellow of the International League of Conservation Writers
  • IUCN Member of the World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA)
  • Lead Editor of the IUCN Wilderness (Category 1b) Protected Areas Management Guidelines (Guidelines here; Wikipedia explaining IUCN Protected Area Categories here)

Numerous grants and awards have funded my work. These include the Yale Law School’s Global Justice Fellowship, Tropical Resources Institute Endowment Fellowship, Council on Southeast Asia Studies Research Grant, Carpenter-Sperry Research Fund, Charles Kao Research Fund, and many others.  

Life

I’m interested in how we interact with one another and the natural environment, how we conceptualize our worlds, and what it means to exist in the nuances our world demands. 

I live in Copenhagen with my husband (Sam!) and toddler.

I enjoy scuba diving and freediving. (I can happily freedive to 100 feet, but my preference is either type of diving that lets me hang out with fish, whales and sharks.) A daily-ish yoga practice heavily supports my running. I like learning languages and am currently focused on Danish. Currently, to improve my cooking and Danish skills, I’m taking a five-month intensive gastronomy course (in Danish).

Diving with whales (and humans) in remote French Polynesia
Sea foraging in Japan
Borneo
Thumbs up to some good flowers in Singapore
Nepal
Toddler is sound asleep in not a very ergonomic nap.

Women floating in water; Woman giving a thumbs up in front of a purple flower; group of people on boat; two hikers in jungle; two hikers in front of Himalaya mountains; woman with toddler in hiking backpack
Sea foraging in Japan; Thumbs up for some good flowers in Singapore; Diving with whales (and humans) in French Polynesia; Borneo hiking; Nepal hiking; Toddler is sound asleep in not a vey ergonomic nap.