
COPY | CONTENT | STRATEGY
SCOTT KENEALLY
a bit about me...
According to my Pulitzer Prize-winning local paper, I'm one of Sonoma County’s “Most Colorful Characters, Past and Present.” Yes, it's true! It’s a shortlist that includes Jack London, Wavy Gravy, the 19th century nude model who coined the term “Sugar Daddy,” and, somewhat less excitingly, Guy Fieri. 🤷🏻♂️
My modicum of fame came with the release of Rise of the Sufferfests, a feature documentary I wrote, directed, and produced about Tough Mudder, Spartan Race and the obstacle course race phenomenon.
The film was a hit within the cultish OCR community, but reached wider audiences when it was featured on Delta, United, and airlines around the world.


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Sports Illustrated described the doc as “Keneally’s mud-spattered pièce de résistance,” and though the French part flew straight over this monolinguist’s head, after Googling it I was quite tickled.
My writings have appeared in The New York Times, Rolling Stone, Men’s Journal, and Outside.
I work in marketing within Microsoft's Mixed Reality division, and am a volunteer firefighter for the Northern Sonoma County Fire Protection District. I live in Healdsburg, CA, and am the father of two extraordinarily edible children, Raleigh and Birdie. And in my free time, I'm quietly developing a groundbreaking immersive endurance experience.
the documentary
"Talk about a guy who owns his beat. Scott Keneally wrote the 2012 Outside magazine story exploring the feud between Tough Guy and Tough Mudder. That article, one of the best ever executed on this rising sport, is now bookended by Keneally’s mud-spattered pièce de résistance. His 2016 documentary, Rise of the Sufferfests, poses questions about obstacle racing which its rowdy, whooping participants may or may not ask themselves as they are shocked, frozen, exposed to tear gas and otherwise abused: Why am I paying to do this? What is the appeal of risking broken bones and hypothermia?"
Austin Murphy, Sports Illustrated
"A fascinating look at a fascinating world."
JEREMY SCHAAP, EspN
selected WRITINGS
Sweat & Tears
Confessional essay about my struggles with sweaty pits and search for a cure.
Meet Mr. Mouse
A portrait of the eccentric genius and unsung hero of the obstacle course industry.
Pee Man
Cathartic confessional essay about a guy coming to grips with his darkest secret.
Born to Race
Cover profile of "The Sheriff" Hunter McIntyre, mud run champ and funny mofo.
Master Cleanse
A shameless story about the lengths one man went to get skinny before his wedding.
Queen of Pain
Rising Star profile of Amelia Boone, a corporate lawyer and obstacle race champ.
Stud in the Mud
Humor essay about a "beta male" training up and tackling a Tough Mudder.
F#ck Burpees
A cringeworthy essay about quitting a 3-mile race and my catastrophic Kickstarter.
Chasing Tail
One man's pursuit of the ultimate Great White Shark Adventure.