Episodit
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I first met Max Madorsky when the kids on my cross country team at Littleton H.S. invited me to join them at an all-you-can-eat sushi joint in the southern suburbs of Denver. They had invited along this guy who had this amazing capacity to shovel in food. This restaurant couldnât have been too pleased seeing Max down eight plates of sushi all by himself. I happen to have a remarkable ability to consume large amounts of pizza, so right away I knew Max was my guy to win a challenge from a local parlor in which if two people would win $100 if they could eat a 28â, two-topping pie in an hour. Max and I crushed this prize in only 45 minutes. Because 28â is not just double 14â (think pi-r-squared), thatâs something like 14 pounds of pizza. And then Max weaseled a couple of those oversized chocolate-chip cookies out of them, and later went out and ate a handful of doughnuts! What I didnât know at the time is that Max was relatively svelte at the time, having weighed close to 300 pounds a few years prior as an eighth-grader! Max got bullied for his size and resorted to using drugs to mask his feelings. Some great mentors introduced Max to martial arts like jiu-jitsu, Muay Thai, and kickboxing. It was scary for a young Max when one of these mentors got deployed to Iraq, so this soldier promised Max he would return home alive if Max would turn around his life. With that kind of motivation, Max did indeed. He eventually became a professional mixed-martial arts fighter, and has lived in Thailand and Mexico both perfecting his craft and teaching others. During a time in Thailand in which he was injured, Max even opened up a bagel shop/marijuana dispensary! Now Max is additionally pursuing a standup comedy career. Itâs a great comeback story from someone who got bullied when he was as young as 8 for his weight. With these and other twists and turns, Iâm sure youâll enjoy hearing Maxâs compelling story.
Max Madorsky
Instagram @maxmadorsky @muaythaijew @toebra
Bill Stahl
[email protected]
Facebook Bill Stahl
Instagram and Threads @stahlor and @we_are_superman_podcast
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Even though Maddy Reynolds was not a runner, COVID-19 spurred her and her homebound friends to start running around the limited area they were allowed to in their neighborhood in Sydney, Australia. On a lark, they decided to run their own marathon. Once racing resumed, Maddy ran an actual marathon. Then she was encouraged to try trail running and next racing. You can see where this is going. Maddy eventually took the risky leap, quitting her secure job as an investment banker to become a full-time runner. By 2023, successes started to accrue. After a runner-up finish in the Six Foot Track Marathon, one of Australiaâs most prestigious races, Maddy was chosen to represent her country at the World Mountain and Trail Championships in Austria. Her crowning result for the year was winning the UTMB Ultra-Trail Kosciuszko 50K. She followed up that ascendent year with a string of top-10 trail race finishes in 2024, including a win at the Trail de Lac dâOĂŽ in the Pyrenees. Like any upward trajectory, there were bumps in the road. Maddy suffered a stress fracture in her calcaneus, or heel bone, following Kosciuszko. The most serious, though, was after she sustained a serious bacterial eye infection due to a contact lens mistake. Doctors considered removing her eye, but were able to save it, although her vision was severely fogged over. Amazingly, Maddy continued to progress despite very limited depth perception, certainly a huge impediment for a trail runner, leading to numerous falls, including a cracked kneecap. Just last week came a double-dose of positives. First, Maddyâs doctors got her a new kind of contact lens that has restored her sight. A truly âHoly Crap, I can seeâ moment. Ironically, itâs the same kind of lens that has also salvaged my vision. Using her new visual acuity, Maddy finished second in New Zealandâs UTMB Tarawera Ultra-Trail 52K. Although the race buildup did not go without some crazy, maybe even hilarious, hiccups, as youâll hear. None of these incidents can deter Maddy, who explains the big chance she took on herself, and led her to move to France with her boyfriend to advance her career. She is a font of positivity, and feeds upon the community that is running. She has some huge days ahead of her, and we had a very fun and engaging chat, so I hope youâll enjoy this and follow her as she establishes herself as a force in the trail running world.
Maddy Reynolds
Instagram @maddyreynolds98
Bill Stahl
[email protected]
Facebook Bill Stahl
Instagram and Threads @stahlor and @we_are_superman_podcast
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Puuttuva jakso?
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I love when people donât accept the status quo from the medical field. One disease where there is no known cure, and not much is known about its cause or treatments for it, is Parkinsonâs an uncurable neurological disease. So Scott Hanley of Belfast, Northern Ireland chose a different path to dealing with getting diagnosed with it, and as a result believes he has reduced his symptoms by 95%! Repeat, 95%! Thatâs simply unheard of. He didnât do anything magic, take any banned substances, or sell his soul to the Devil. Parkinsonâs patients are usually instructed to engage their minds more. Scott added to this advice with some very commonsense approaches, including tweaking his nutrition and moving his body. But Scott reasoned that just doing cardio would actually be more mind-numbing, so this former Royal Army soldier engaged in short-burst exercises, which he could easily do during the lockdown of the pandemic. This eventually led him to a CrossFit gym in Belfast, where he found a community to engage with and where he has become an inspirational participant. Scott has found the CrossFit workouts have continued to keep his mind and body strong and moving, so much so that for a couple of years, many in the gym werenât even aware of his Parkinsonâs. Scottâs experiences have given him a unique perspective into resilience, and he shares his story, which might motivate anyone to also find their own solutions when facing a tough medical diagnosis.
Scott Hanley
Instagram @thrive_happens
Bill Stahl
[email protected]
Facebook Bill Stahl
Instagram and Threads @stahlor and @coachstahl
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As the worldâs population ages, more and more of us are affected by diseases, truly horrible diseases, like Alzheimerâs. The latest studies show that 1/3 of seniors will have some level of dementia by the time they pass away. Thatâs staggering. Alzheimerâs now afflicts more Americans than breast and prostate cancers combined. Seven million people living in this country have been diagnosed with Alzheimerâs, plus 11 million more are caregivers for these patients. Thereâs not much thatâs tougher than watching a loved oneâs mental faculties decline to the point that they are almost-unrecognizable. In this episode, I chat with Brian Tatum of the Alzheimerâs Association, which is doing amazing things in funding research into Alzheimerâs causes and treatment, as well as providing critical support for caregivers, for whom tending to a loved oneâs decline can be another full-time job. The Association also hosts the Ride 2 End ALZ, an opportunity for anyone to hop on their bike to help raise money to aid them to fund more research and support services like a 24/7 hotline that is staffed by Masterâs-level experts. The ride is a super cool and supportive event, as described in this episode also by Steve Mollen, who I randomly met at a Colfax Marathon committee meeting where weâd initially connected talking about New York sports. Steve enthusiastically describes the community created at this ride, one of six in the country, by the Alzheimerâs Association. He has participated in the ride in Fort Collins, Colo., which has distances ranging from 23 to 75 miles and this year will be on June 8. Itâs a very significant event that is geared for anyone to do, or you can ride virtually and/or support riders like Steve by donating on their fundraising pages. Itâs very likely you and a loved one have been impacted by Alzheimerâs, so please consider getting involved with the Ride 2 End ALZ and fighting this terrible disease. If you choose to support Steve in particular, his fundraising page info is below.
Alzheimer's Association Ride 2 End ALZ
alz.com/ride
Steve's personal ride page: https://act.alz.org/site/TR/Ride2025/Ride?px=22795655&pg=personal&fr_id=18284
Alzheimer's Association
alz.com
24/7 Helpline: 800-272-3900
Facebook, Instagram, and X
Bill Stahl
[email protected]
Facebook Bill Stahl
Instagram and Threads @stahlor and @coachstahl
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Itâs always great to jumpstart a new year talking again with Dan Herman of Dan Herman Performance. We are past the so-called quit day after which many peopleâs resolutions have gone down the drain, so Dan and I talk about both setting goals as well as how to keep them going. The great thing about Dan is he how he can present ideas in relatable ways that are not just pulled out of a textbook, and puts them into actionable steps that you can easily work in your everyday life. For those who havenât heard him on previous WASP episodes, Dan once weighed 375 pounds, then bought his first running shoes and lost one-third of his weight. He embraced movement and strength and began sharing his knowledge with others. He eventually quit his job to train others full-time and now he is fully committed to helping people transform into the strongest and most authentic versions of themselves. You might want to be ready to take some notes because his commonsense approaches born from overcoming his own struggles I think make listening to him as enlightening as anyone you will hear.
Dan Herman
danhermanperformance.com
Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube @danhermanperformance
Bill Stahl
[email protected]
Facebook Bill Stahl
Instagram and Threads @stahlor and @coachstahl
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I have always thought that everyone has a sport or activity in which they could be world-class, but sometimes we havenât tried it and discovered which one it is. Maybe itâs karate or curling or backgammon. Or as Iâve told kids Iâve coached in track that to get ahead, rather than run a common event like the 100 meters, try an event that few others do like the pole vault, triple jump, or 300-meter hurdles. Ultramarathoning is obviously a niche sport, as is an Olympic sport Iâve always liked, fencing. My interest goes back to my days as a sportswriter for the University of Pennsylvania student newspaper. You get assigned to cover so-called minor sports as a freshman, and one team I drew was the Penn fencing team. I learned quickly to admire both the skills and endurance of some of the best fencers in the NCAA. So even after I worked my way up the ladder to reporting on the basketball and football teams, I asked to still cover the fencing team, and even became something of a de facto team manager. Later, when Denver hosted the 1989 World Fencing Championships, I was named press liaison between the organization and journalists who had come from around the globe to cover the event. Today, I do alumni interviews for applicants to Penn, and I had the opportunity to chat with a dynamic local high school senior named Patrick Li, who I found out has fenced since he was in 4th-grade. Patrick has discovered the benefits of pushing himself to excel and realized the benefits of having a supportive community around him. In turn, Patrick has been generously giving back to expose kids and disabled individuals to the sport, so they can enjoy it as much as he has. Iâm impressed with how much this young man, who hopes to major in behavioral economics in college, is willing to put in to help others. Along the way in this chat, youâll also learn a bit about this sport they call âphysical chess,â and hopefully have some appreciation if you see it on TV during the 2028 Olympics in L.A. Maybe go to a local fencing club and find out for yourself if it could be your own gold medal sport!
Patrick Li
[email protected]
720-220-6495
Instagram @patrick__li__
Bill Stahl
[email protected]
Facebook Bill Stahl
Instagram and Threads @stahlor and @coachstahl
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We are heading back Down Under for this episode to speak with a super-inspirational Aussie named Paul Jamieson, who at the age of 32 suffered a severe traumatic brain injury in a freak wakeboarding accident. He spent the following half a year in a hospital before being released to a rehab facility that for years basically had no hope for him and did little more than feed him purĂ©ed foods. Remarkably, these life-altering events transformed him into an extremely positive person. Paul used to be highly critical and negative, but post-accident, he has completely eradicated negativity from his life. We are joined by Dan Dougherty, who Iâve coached both when he was in high school back in the 90s and as an adult, and who has helped guide Paul at Jigsaw Australia, a company that provides training and employment for disabled people. Paulâs ultimate goal is to live independently and secure meaningful work in a mainstream job, with the dream of becoming a motivational speaker. His journey has been arduous â after his accident, he was in a vegetative state and bedridden for years, unable to communicate except by blinking his eyes or to sit up because his legs were totally straight and stiff. However, inspired to make a change, Paul, with the help of his dedicated therapy team, has taken life one step at a time, re-learning how to speak and eat. Initially, he couldn't even bend his knees enough to complete one rotation on a stationary bicycle. Through excruciating hard work, now his goal is to walk 600 meters to the local cafĂ© â he's currently able to cover more than half of that. Paul's sense of humor and ability to inspire others to believe in their dreams, seek help when needed, and maintain a positive outlook are truly remarkable, so I think youâll enjoy hearing from this very inspirational Aussie.
Listen to more on Paul's story on the Spotify podcast series, Beyond the Impact - Paul's Recovery Story
https://open.spotify.com/show/7v5KK6LrU9TBU3cM21lCXM
Bill Stahl
[email protected]
Facebook Bill Stahl
Instagram and Threads @stahlor and @coachstahl
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Letâs start off 2025 with someone who had a breakout 2024, and like the final episode of last year with Mary Denholm, in which there is a lot of great information from which to learn. I met the impressive Kat Edwards while on a mountain-climbing adventure with Tyler Andrewsâ Chaski Endurance Collective in Chileâs Atacama Desert. This was the now-25-year-oldâs first trip outside of the U.S., and in fact, she had barely even left the Eastern time zone before. It was part of a year in which she not only got out of her comfort zone, but she walked right up to the ledge and jumped off. Kat grew up in an athletic family and was always very active herself, and dabbled in high school and college running, but didnât take it seriously until 2021. Kat has always had a lot of drive, both for herself as well as for the athletes she coaches, so down in Chile she set FKTs for the ascent and roundtrip on Nevado San Francisco, the highest peak we climbed, which tops out at more than 6000 meters, or just under 20,000 feet. Without a ton of ultramarathon racing experience under her belt, Kat soon after experienced some hard lessons competing in the Petzl Trail Plus 80k in Ecuador that probably added to her arsenal when she won the Sedona Canyons 125 this past spring in 30:21:16. In October, she took third-place in her first 200-mile effort, the Moab 240, where she battled the heat, sleep deprivation, and very tough foot issues. In between, Kat married her long-time partner and fellow endurance junkie, Jason Anderson, who has now been enlisted as Katâs forever crew leader. As young adventure-seekers without big endorsement dollars at this point, youâll hear about how they engineered the logistics to get to Moab in the first place, which was not always assured, and how their strong faith in God helped them overcome the many obstacles it took for Kat to score such an incredible achievement. Kat also generously shares many of the techniques she has employed to see such amazing early success in her career, including her devotion to strength training. Thereâs lots to gain listening to this Kat chat. I think also that if you are a young, aspiring endurance athlete, you might do very well to connect with Kat as a coach at the Chaski Endurance Collective at chaski.run
Kat Edwards
katedwardspt.com
Instagram @kat.elizabeth_
For coaching inquiries: www.chaski.run
Bill Stahl
[email protected]
Facebook Bill Stahl
Instagram and Threads @stahlor and @coachstahl
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I thought it would be good to end the year with someone who had a mind-blowing 2024. Mary Denholm finished it off at the JFK 50-miler, where she was the second female with a time of 6:04:15, which was faster than the previous course record. Her summer in Leadville really stood out. She won the very difficult marathon under four hours. Due to the schedule shift this year, the Silver Rush 50-Mile was just one week later, but Mary breezed to a 28-minute victory, good for fourth overall. She capped the summer off by winning the Leadville Trail 100 by three hours, which was ninth overall. Her time of 18:23:51 was second-fastest in history, only 16 minutes behind legendary Ann Trason. In this very informative episode, hear the mechanics of how Mary pulled off this impressive year. She also shares very essential keys to her overall success, including how she executes her high-caloric, mostly plant-based diet, has added strength training, and how she has preserved having a menstrual cycle. There is a treasure trove of great knowledge in here. Finally, Mary shares a fantastic account of her JFK 50, which featured an inspiring comeback from a very bad place she was in during the race, stayed calm, turned it around, and closed with a 6:00 mile. A lot to learn there. Mary has some big plans for the upcoming year that will be sure to further fire you up for your own epic goals for 2025.
Mary Denholm
Instagram @eatrunandbemary
Strava
Bill Stahl
[email protected]
Facebook Bill Stahl
Instagram and Threads @stahlor and @coachstahl
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Itâs time for our annual tradition started by David of Sober F*cking Christmas. As you may know, in his book Out There, David describes how on one Christmas Eve, on one of his usual stumbling drunk days before he got sober, he was attempting to wrap his kidsâ Christmas gifts, but was so hammered that all he could do was crumple newspaper around them and bind it up with duct tape before passing out. Christmas morning, the kids opened the embarrassing messes while he nursed his hangover. That would be the proverbial rock-bottom that caused him to finally pull out of the abyss of addiction he had been in to eventually become the motivational wonder that he became. So this episode has become a staple that always rates among the most-downloaded episodes year-in and year-out.
As we wind down 2024, thanks again to all of you for listening to the WASP. Please make sure you subscribe so you can load all new episodes onto your phone. If you enjoyed the podcast, the best thing you can do is share it with your friends or on social media, and please do me a favor and take 60 seconds and give us a five-star rating on whatever platform on which you listen to us. I would also be humbly honored if you would write a review as well. These five-star ratings and reviews really do help! Again, Happy Holidays and Sober F*cking Christmas to you. Until next time, always be positive!
Gary Stotler
garystotler.com
Facebook Gary Stotler
Instagram @_garystotler_
Find his latest book, "Success is Spelled Action" on Amazon
Chad Prichard
Instagram @rn_leadman_chad
Ed Barnette
Facebook Ed Barnette
Instagram @ed.barnette
Bill Stahl
[email protected]
Facebook Bill Stahl
Instagram and Threads @stahlor and @coachstahl
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Meghan Hunter was an eight-time state track champion in Utah at Provo High School, including 2018 when she swept titles in the 100, 200, 400, and 800 meters, an almost-unheard-of spread of talent. Her impressive times included a blazing state record of 52.59 seconds in the 400. She earned herself a berth on the U.S. Youth Olympics team and got to compete in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Her natural progression took her to her dream of competing collegiately at BYU. Then on July 4, 2019, she and her brother Morgan were on the way to volunteer at a race when Morgan swerved to avoid hitting a deer on the road, and rolled their car five times. Meghan broke the C3, C4, and C5 vertebrae in her neck and doctors told her that she would probably never again run at the same level she had. Naturally, Meghan wasnât satisfied with that answer, and began the arduous process to get back to running and competing at a high level. Nineteen months later, Meghan was back with her BYU teammates, but still had to confront another nemesis caused by the crash, PTSD. Itâs something she still continuously has to work through, but by this year, the results have been coming around. She was third in the 800 meters in the NCAA indoor championships, got her time down to 2:00.75 at the Portland Track Festival, and got to compete at the Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon. She was named a finalist for the Honda Inspiration Award, and has just signed an NIL deal with Nike. Quite the whirlwind of a year! What I love about Meghan and her story is her relentless positivity in the face of these struggles. Even in her neck brace in the hospital with her family, she was sporting a huge smile. At the same time, she graduated from BYU with a degree in communications disorders, and is aiming to work in the field of speech, language, and pathology. How cool is that? I hope you enjoy this chat with this delightful young woman with an inspiring story and become a fan of hers like I am as she ascends a very promising ladder in the track world.
Meghan Hunter
Instagram @meghan_annne
Bill Stahl
[email protected]
Facebook Bill Stahl
Instagram and Threads @stahlor and @coachstahl
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I have one more great guest with an awesome story who ran the American Heroes Run this year. James Gaa completed 36 laps, or about 37 miles, of the 9 hour and 11 minute run. Pretty darn good for a guy who only began running a little more than a year prior. James had been primarily spending his time in the weight room before deciding to start to run in 2023, and has done so every day since. Itâs launched him on a journey to help him overcome the traumas of an abusive childhood and the drug-related death of his mother. His first goal was to run a marathon. Check. Then an ultramarathon. Check. Both of which almost didnât happen after a heavy table base fell on his head in a warehouse at his job. James has a very well-developed perspective on how all of these events have shaped his life as well as on his journey to discover how far he can test himself, so I think youâll gain a lot listening to this chat. I really enjoyed learning a bit about his story at the AHR, and a lot of it more here. Iâm excited to see how far James will venture on this personal adventure.
James Gaa
@jamesgaa
MapMyRun James Gaa
Bill Stahl
[email protected]
Facebook Bill Stahl
Instagram and Threads @stahlor and @coachstahl
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Just in time for Thanksgiving and the holidays, I am very excited to bring you this chat with Leah GarcĂ©s, the CEO of Mercy for Animals, which is promoting a campaign to Pardon a Turkey. The idea is to celebrate the holidays in a kinder way by sparing the life of a beautiful, intelligent animal, and instead substituting other delicious and healthy dishes. Tens of millions of turkeys are artificially gorged to an insane weight and then killed each year for Thanksgiving alone. To help the meal preparers in your family, Mercy for Animals has created an impressive downloadable cookbook that has easy-to-follow directions and videos for a dozen very tasty-sounding recipes for vegan apple-cranberry stuffing, vegan mashed potatoes, vegan sweet potato casserole with marshmallows, and a crispy vegan turkey roast. Yum! The cookbook is totally free on their website, mercyforanimals.com Mercy for Animals has been at the forefront of trying to create a more humane world that ensures the health of everyone on the planet by specifically trying to move us away from factory farming, which not only perpetuates shocking, cruel methods, but endangers our health in many ways, whether through the pollution it causes to deadly outbreaks of e.coli, salmonella, etc. It is also an enormously inefficient use of the Earthâs rapidly shrinking arable land that needs to feed an ever-growing population. One particularly innovative program is called Transfarmation, that is helping chicken farmers that are caught up in the grind of subservience to massive conglomerates to convert their farms to growing plants and thus achieving a better balance in their lives, and get this, more profitability. Donât be turned away from this episode if you are a dedicated meat eater, which is fine. Leah does a fantastic job of educating and making it easy to make a small difference in the world. Did you know that Americans on average eat 30 animals a year? Even one meatless day a week can spare several animals from the torture of factory farming, and you know what? You will be healthier, too, which is a nice benefit. So enjoy this lively chat, and Pardon a Turkey this holidays!
Leah Garcés
MercyForAnimals.org
[email protected]
Facebook, Instagram, X, LinkedIn Mercy For Animals
Threads and YouTube @mercyforanimals
TikTok mercyforanimals_usBill Stahl
[email protected]
Facebook Bill Stahl
Instagram and Threads @stahlor and @coachstahl
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Despite the beginning of more focus now on mental health, especially after the well-publicized battles that were brought forward by gymnast Simone Biles and tennis player Naomi Osaka, there is still a stigma for men to seek assistance, unless you count the omnipresent TV commercials by the affable, mustachioed Dr. Rich Mahogany for mantherapy.org Soleiman Bolour has tapped into his own journey to assist men in their personal growth to find greater clarity, confidence, and intention. Whether the individual is in addiction recovery, dealing with unresolved trauma, or just trying to identify a focused sense of purpose, Soleiman mentors men and guides their journeys by tapping into his studies in psychology, tantra, tao, NLP (neuro linguistic programming), and much more. He both does one-on-one coaching as well as leads groups, where they explore, among other things, how to balance productivity vs. mindfulness. The basic elements that they build upon include 1. Building a foundation, 2. Creating a vision, 3. Identifying what needs to change, and 4. Execution. I see some real opportunities here for men if you are dealing with being unable to set boundaries, holding yourself back because you are always trying to please other people, and those who want to improve their relationships to thus unlock the doors to personal growth. Soleiman can explain all of this a lot better than I can, so I think youâll get a lot out of this chat, as well as checking out the blogs and other information on his website, soleimanb.com, and perhaps engaging with him either one-on-one or in his menâs groups. By the way, he limits the size of each one to 12 men, so you develop a more focused relationship with others who have a common purpose.
Soleiman Bolour
www.soleimanb.com
[email protected]
Facebook and LinkedIn Soleiman Bolour
Instagram and YouTube @soleimanbolour
Tik Tok soleimanb
Bill Stahl
[email protected]
Facebook Bill Stahl
Instagram and Threads @stahlor and @coachstahl
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I met Chaiwen Chou on the trip I took in March to the Atacama Desert of Chile that was led by Tyler Andrews of Chaski Endurance Collective. Two things immediately stood out about Chaiwen: one was her gorgeous purple hair, and the second was the boot on her foot. As you know, this was no tourist cruise, we were going to be climbing several very tall summits, the highest at almost 20,000 feet, on steep, loose terrain. You see, Chaiwen had broken her ankle a few weeks before the trip, and her doctor and physical therapist told her that the trip was out of the question. Undeterred, she came on the trip, at first thinking she would just walk around the beautiful landscape while the rest of us took on epic challenges. That thinking didnât last long. Chaiwen not only conquered all of the climbs in her boot, but she crushed them! Despite those achievements, when she got home to NYC, those professionals still told her no running for several more weeks. Which was a problem because this veteran of epic races like the Formosa Trail 104k in Taiwan and the Tahoe 200 was registered for her dream race, the UTMB, in August. Chaiwen talks here about her long injury recovery, her crash training regimen which totally blows me away, and her experience running in the âSuper Bowlâ of 100-mile races. So, so impressive! She is tremendously fun, so I think youâll get a kick out of this chat as much as I did.
Chaiwen Chou
Instagram @aehrwyn
Bill Stahl
[email protected]
Facebook Bill Stahl
Instagram and Threads @stahlor and @coachstahl
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Our guest today is a local running and coaching legend here in Colorado who is also well-known worldwide. Junko Kazukawa came late into the running world, but has been a prolific endurance athlete, while exuding tons of positive energy. This year alone she completed the Leadwoman challenge â all of the Leadville running and biking races â which included her 10th LT100 run finish, then finished the very difficult Tor des GĂ©ants 200-miler in Italy, ran rim-to-rim-to-rim in the Grand Canyon, and currently has the NYC Marathon on-deck. In 2015, she became the first person to complete Leadwoman plus the 100-miler Grand Slam â Western States, Leadville, Vermont, and Wasatch â all in the same year. She did this on the heels of a second breast cancer diagnosis. This has given her the wonderful perspective of if there is something you want to do, donât wait, just do it, you never know what will happen tomorrow. And then her philosophy that cancer takes away a lot, but it gives you so much more. Junko also talks here about the interesting topic of how suffering through a tough ultramarathon makes her feel more alive. Her infectious positive energy has created a huge following for her both at her races and in her coaching, and Junko Mountain Training is not only the training regimen for many of her athletes, but has become an Internet sensation, too. Junko with her running and coaching has also generously supported the Susan B. Komen Foundation, the Leadville Legacy Foundation, and several individuals battling cancer themselves. I know youâll enjoy this chat with this relentlessly energetic and positive dynamo.
Junko Kazukawa
boundless.com
[email protected]
Instagram @runjunkorun
Bill Stahl
[email protected]
Facebook Bill Stahl
Instagram and Threads @stahlor and @coachstahl
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We have had some uplifting performances by young runners in American Heroes Run. Last year, we had the formerly overweight high school freshman who completed the marathon. I mentioned a couple of weeks ago a freshman cross country runner named Bobby, who normally runs 5K, who completed 50K. And then we have 19-year-old Steven Sampson, who completed 35.7 miles in the 9 hour & 11 minute run. One thing that sets Steven apart is that he considers himself a hybrid athlete because he devotes probably more of his time to weightlifting and bodybuilding than he does running. Some of his inspiration comes from the likes of David Goggins and many notable competitive bodybuilders. So like the young marathoner last year, it was cool to see a guy with a jacked body hammering out long distance miles. One of his drivers, too, has been overcoming surgery to remove a brain tumor, which has left him with screws in his skull and he also hopes doesnât prevent him from someday becoming a Navy Seal. Heâs a super nice young man who is passionate about his athletic pursuits, and is just getting started in finding where these will take him, so I think youâll enjoy our chat.
Steven Sampson
Instagram @camopants_steve
Bill Stahl
[email protected]
Facebook Bill Stahl
Instagram and Threads @stahlor and @coachstahl
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Another great American Heroes Run performer was Lindsay Rahill, who attempted to complete her first 100-miler. While she bowed out at mile 72, Lindsay far exceeded her previous limits, and in the process continues to put behind her abuse and an eating disorder. She was supported by her awesome husband Chris, who had a fantastic spread of fueling items out for her the entire race except when he had to run home to pickup the kids from school. Lindsay is a lot of fun and she exudes enthusiasm for running and life in general. I greatly appreciate the help she gave me to help promote the AHR this year, which likely directly contributed to our having the highest numbers ever since I began directing the race.
Lindsay Rahill
Instagram @lindsay.rahill
Bill Stahl
[email protected]
Facebook Bill Stahl
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As I mentioned in my American Heroes Run episode, there were numerous impressive performances and Iâm going to bring you chats with some of these while Iâm traveling. First is Lisa Kabat, who not only improved her distance in the 9 hour & 11 minute race from 48 miles in 2023 to 62 miles this year, but also smashed the race record⊠the menâs record, too. Given the unusual time length, perhaps thatâs a world record? Lisa lives near the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, but she prefers to run loops around her neighborhood, to the tune of 25 miles every day. Yes, thatâs right. Thus, the loop format of the American Heroes Run suits her very well. What was cool was that Lisa generally had a big smile as she completed every lap. This might distract you from gawking at her unusual running form. She runs on her toes with a short, machine-like stride, with arms wildly swinging. I coached high school basketball for many years, and my first instinct would be to fix bad shooting form. But if the player was making his shots, you just shrugged and let it go. The same thing applies to Lisa â it seems to work for her. Itâs funny but just last week some people I was with talked about this woman with the funky form who they would see over and over and over running past their house near where Lisa lives. Iâve got a strong hunch I know who they were talking about! Lisaâs next goal is Tunnel Hill, which, while itâs out-and-back, is relatively flat. As she says, with her style itâs likely she should stay off of rocky trails. But in our fun chat, youâll be impressed hearing how she fits huge miles into her schedule, and her enthusiasm for cranking out repetitive miles.
Lisa Kabat
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Bill Stahl
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In addition to the We Are Superman Podcast, it is my humble privilege to honor David Clark's legacy to direct the American Heroes Run that he began in 2010. This year, we had the largest number of runners since I began hosting it, and quite a few had outstanding performances. We will be highlighting some of these stories in episodes over the new few weeks, but here is a recap of the entire two days of racing from 5K to 100 miles, from 15 to 85 years old, in Longmont, Colorado.
Bill Stahl
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