Kyle Giest looks like your typical trail geek with his mud-splatter print hoodie draped over a long and lean physique gliding along the trails of Harrison Hills Park.

He’s the kind of guy who offers you a handful of shelled pistachio nuts from the trunk of his car, pre-trek.

Quick with a smile and a laid-back surfer-dude demeanor, Giest, 31, doesn’t lose his breath while ascending a hill – common topography for this small but hilly park in Harrison Township.

He just keeps talking and before you know it, you’ve traversed several hills and walked a mile without thinking about it.

That is the charm and gift of Giest.

The Florida native has been fighting Ewing sarcoma, a rare pediatric cancer diagnosed nationally in only 200-250 children and young adults a year, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

Enduring cancer treatments and their accompanying life changes, Giest found he gained strength and a bunch of new friends while training for and completing in the 37-mile Rachel Carson Trail Challenge, from Harrison Hills to North Park, in the summer of 2023.

“I spent seven months just focusing on that one thing. I put all that training in and did the challenge. So many times I thought I couldn’t do it,” he said.

Training for the challenge hits three birds with one stone by providing social opportunities, physical workouts and mental health benefits, he said.

For the 2024 challenge, Giest still needs cancer treatments, but his plans are unchanged: He plans to supersize his efforts not to walk but run the trail like an ultra marathon.

“I’ll deal with what happens rather than just sit there and not do anything.”

He’s bringing as many people as he can along for the ride.

Giest offers a “Frickin’ Friday Trail Run” – an afternoon trail run for the public in Frick Park. And on Saturdays, he leads a 4-mile hike on the Rachel Carson Trail and other local paths. Beginning in March, he’ll participate in official Rachel Carson training hikes.

Stronger than yoga

Before he moved to Pittsburgh to be with family, Giest self-isolated.

It was hard to talk to friends who had no understanding of his medical diagnosis, he said. Isolation and ruminating about his cancer and other struggles without a goal ate away at him.

“Your mind becomes a living hell,” he said.

Counseling helped, but he needed more. He tried yoga and it wasn’t enough.

“It’s tough to stay motivated through treatment because every couple of weeks you feel like crap,” he said. “I was exercising to exercise and it felt kind of pointless.”

But all of that changed when he found out about “The Rachel” through family friends. Many who have completed the marathon hike call it by its first name.

Giest was also involved with Young Adult Survivors United, which provided support and helped with his medical bills.

“Once I found YASU and different folks dealing with the cancer process, it was an instant connection and I felt so comfortable,” he said.

After these new friendships developed, he started talking more and strengthened other relationships.

Meanwhile, the challenge gave Giest an exercise goal outside of his daily life struggles.

“Every time you go through treatment you feel kind of sick and don’t want to be around people and go to the gym,” he said.

Walking through a noisy city isn’t always fun, either. But away from the gym and the urban bustle, the woods are a retreat.

Doctor’s prescription

Cancer treatments and training to hike dozens of miles in one day might not seem to jibe.

But there are thousands of randomized, controlled trials on the value of exercise during cancer treatment and to survivorship, said Kathryn Schmitz, a professor in the University of Pittsburgh Department of Medicine, division of hematology/oncology.

However, infrastructure and trained staff for exercise programs for cancer patients is lacking, she said.

And as director of UPMC’s Moving Through Cancer Program, an oncology exercise initiative at Hillman Cancer Center, Schmitz is troubled by the lack of participation from young cancer patients.

In the Hillman program, only one out of 500 patients were young adults. That’s why she’s partnering with Giest and others to attract younger patients.

Issues cancer patients face include grappling with their diagnosis and not prioritizing exercise at a time when they feel tired.

“The depression and loss you have when you face a serious illness is real – truly a lot has been taken away from you,” Giest said. “The Rachel challenge allowed me to move past that.”

People are overwhelmed by the diagnosis and all of the things they have to do, Schmitz said.

Another issue is that when people hear “exercise,” they think about intense activities like running and lifting heavy weights.

The truth is 10 minutes of walking, elevating your heartbeat, will make you feel better going through cancer treatment, she said.

“The 10-minute walk changes your circulation and reduces inflammation, plus it's outstanding for anxiety and depression,” Schmitz said.

For people in cancer treatment, she recommends exercising three times a week for 30 minutes. If you feel too bad, wait until the next day when you feel well, she said.

Patients should also consider resistance exercises twice a week.

After cancer treatment, patients are advised to step up their game to 150-300 minutes of aerobic exercise a week. That increased movement reduces the chances of the cancer’s recurrence, she said.

Long-term goals

Giest knew he needed a plan and to be accountable to reach his fitness goals. Most people can’t just decide to do the Rachel without a training regimen,

Giest consulted a trainer who devised a plan for him to increase his endurance on the trail that involves running and strength training.

His philosophy after conquering the challenge: “Just show up, no matter how you feel, and do whatever you can.”

He eschews the work ethic of putting in 110%.

“Trying your best is problematic if you’re a perfectionist,” Giest said.

Trying your best with too many full-tilt workouts can burn you out.

“I’ve revised my expectation to do 70%, maybe 60% of my best, put a decent effort in.”

Helping others train for the challenge is helping Giest, too.

“Kyle is super inspiring because he is kind of relentless about moving forward and not getting bogged down by the setbacks,” said Kenyon Watkins, 35, of Flagler Beach, Florida, who was roommates with Giest and participated in the 2023 challenge with him.

The pair are training together again, this time to ultrarun the 37-mile course in 2024.

For details on Giest’s public walks and runs, contact him via email at kylegiest@gmail.com.

Mary Ann Thomas: mthomas@post-gazette.com

First Published: January 9, 2024, 10:30 a.m.
Updated: January 10, 2024, 1:29 a.m.