Athlete On Fire

The Appalachian Trail.  The Pacific Coast Trail. The Tahoe Rim through hike.  These are challenges worthy of any athlete, any hiker.  Today's Athlete On Fire just happens to be blind.  Yes, blind.  He has hiked many of our classic routes without the ability to see.  He wasn't born blind either.  He lived with his sight until a fateful and life changing blindness happened when he was 36 years old.  His amazing endurance and story is sure to inspire you to get out there and do some amazing things yourself.  As a matter of fact, his challenge is so unique you will have to try it just to relate to what he goes through as a blind hiker.  Learn how he locates himself in dangerous situations and why being in touch with all of your other senses is more rewarding at the top of peaks where views are usually the focus.  Come share in the awe and the amazing story of today's Athlete On Fire.

Our guest today thrives on being surrounded by natural beauty.  He has made his career dependant on it as a photographer who has captured the heart of adventure.  He shares why he has to train or work out for two hours a day.  Who are three photographers he looks up to?  He shares that as well. He shares his journey from a typical young man playing typical sports to life as an adventurer. Listen to his Fitness On Fire recommendation and what he is training for these. We love adventurous guests and you are going to love popping those ear plugs in today and going on a journey.  Thanks for joining us in this newest installment of Athlete On Fire.

You have to be pretty darn tough to earn the nickname "The Queen Of Pain."  If today's guest is anything, it is tough. We try to take you on a journey with her through her life and career as an inspiring athlete who has been a world class adventure racer, paddler, and more recently, mountain biker. Learn how she is able to mentally and physically perform at the highest level.  Find out why she had to write her book, where she grew up, about her family and more.  Our friends at SOLE were gracious enough to introduce us to our guest and she delivered with a show that you will learn from and take to do some amazing things yourself.  Enjoy this installment of the Athlete On Fire show.

Is running a skill? Our guest says it is and he has over 35 years of research to prove it.  We go back in time to when and where the Pose Method originated.  You'll hear how our guest spent Saturdays on top of a train headed for the beach.  He shares inspiring stories of how he got his start as an athlete as a high jumper.  He still holds records to this day.  We talk about his inspiration for his newest book, The Running Revolution, and he even tries to teach us how to say some running related phrases in Russian.  Hang out with us, get inspired, and learn more about something we all can do, run better.  Listen through the end to find out how to win a free book or apparel!  Enjoy this inspiring Athlete On Fire!

"At the end of the day, you have to be a fighter." If any quote summed up an athlete more than this we haven't seen it.  Inspired as a young athlete on a ranch in Texas by none other than the Karate Kid movie, today's Athlete On Fire has gone on to do some amazing things in the sport of MMA.  Cast on the first season of the Ultimate Fighter show and having early succes in UFC launched our guest to athletic heights but there was adversity. A health scare led to a comeback.  His comeback led to starting a MMA gym in the homeland of Muay Thai, Thailand.  He shares his vision for his gym and what has inspired him along the way.  Why he does what he does and how anyone is welcome to come train with him in Thailand.  Enjoy this episode of Athlete On Fire.

Chances are, you have probably participated in an obstacle race.  After all, millions and millions of people have last year alone.  Well, in today's episode we are inspired by one of the best obstacle course racers in the world.  She has a regular job and works her butt off every day just like you and I and that's where the inspiration starts.  She is totally relatable.  She only runs 15-20 miles a week for training but you have to listen to understand why.  She has competed in 24 hour races and the sprints and everything in between and she always gets it done.  She shares an inspring story of competitors stopping to carry an athlete in a wheelchair over an obstacle.  Listen to her workout challenge in the Fitness On Fire segment and why she doesn't "ramp up" or taper for her events.  There is so much here for you to take away so stop reading and go listen to today's Athlete On Fire.

In this episode of the CoolDown Scott and Lauren Jones talk about the adventure gene. Are you more curious than your peers?  Do you always wonder what is around the corner?  Are you restless?  Find out what some of the most common traits of the adventure gene are and the type of people that are believed to carry it. After having so many elite endurance athletes and adventurers on the Athlete On Fire show we wanted to dive a bit more into what drives them, and others that just seem to be a little more willing to take risks for amazing experiences.  Enjoy today's CoolDown and find out if you are more like Teddy Roosevelt than you thought.

What happens when you have spents days out on the desert, running, nonstop?  Well, sometimes you see things that aren't there.  Sometimes you find your passion out there as well.  Today's guest has done both. She was the youngest and the first female to complete the 4 deserts challenge.  Conquering 100's of unsupported miles in the world's most extreme deserts.  She works a full time job and shares how you can reach your athletic goals as a working athlete.  This is powerful as we are all mostly working in some way. She is doing some amazing things in the near future for women and girls in South Africa that is mid boggling.  She shares how she uses visualization to prepare for her events and did we mention she has a Bear Grylls story. If you love a passionate athlete doing amazing things you are going to love today's episode of Athlete On Fire.

Our guest is nothing if not passionate about the sport he has made his career.  As the only Irish born NBA ever he shares the story of how he came to play basketball after an initial love of hockey.  A 7 inch growth spurt somewhat ruined that dream as did the powerful, and negative, words of his first high school coach.  Things would change as his family would move to a new state, playing for a new coach.  Hard work and a journeyman's attitude would pay off in college and playing overseas and he shares an unlikely story of running in to some ex teammates who didn't believe he was a starting center in the NBA.  A great storyteller, our guest shares some amazing stories from his career as well as what his legacy might be leading young athletes today.  Plug those earphones in and go for a shoot around for today's first NBA athlete on the Athlete On Fire show!

This episode of Athlete On Fire brings a National Champion and world class athlete in the sport of cyclocross in to the mix.  He shares what his family did every summer and how it formed his idea of what work is.  He got into his sport at 15 and pretty much never looked back. He shares how his optimism allows him to compete at a high level and what a day in the life is like.  He breaks down the sport of cyclocross for anyone who may not know what it is and his passion is contagious.  After today's show you are going to go out and find the next cyclocross event near you and enter because today's athlete is absolutely on FIRE!

Our guest today is a a self proclaimed lifetime athlete. From excelling in football at a young age to playing division I at Colorado State University, sprinting at the highest level and playing professionally, he takes us through it all.  A broken family at an early age had him living out of a car with his sister.  This led to stops at foster homes and inconsistency as a growing young man.  His story is great for anyone who thinks you can't make it from a bad start.  He is a cerebral athlete and shares habits and training advice for any level. He goes into why he will always be an athlete and you are sure to appreciate to takeaways in this episode of Athlete On Fire.

Our guest was one of the catalysts for Athlete On Fire as a Colorado buddy of Scott's and he just happens to be an amazing athlete himself.  Learn how he manages a crazy work/life balance with training for endurance mountain biking, raising two little ones, and running his own successful online brand and podcast, Mountain Bike Radio.  We talk about how being authentic is a byproduct of tough endurance racing and how to break down long events. He gives some great actionable advice and we go off topic a bit with our history.  Hope you enjoy this 52nd installment of the Athlete On Fire podcast!

Our guest is first and foremost an adventurer.  He started in the world of motor sports and eventually came upon penny farthings.  Yes, those crazy old school bikes with the giant front tire.  He began building these after taking some notes at a museum.  His talent and passion allowed him to build the very bikes he would ride all over the world.  Join us to learn how he prepares mentally and physically for these amazing journeys.  He is truly an Athlete On Fire!

Our guest is a runner.  He runs ultra's and marathons at a very high level.  His consistency and ability to run so many distances at a high level is his hallmark.  Here is the kicker. He works a regular 9 to 5 and has a great family life.  The show was even recorded in his office to fit us in and I love the authenticity here.  He has raced in the last 6 weeks in New Zealand, the North Pole, Boston , and Big Sur.  He has done some really cool things in the sport and you are going to enjoy how he takes us on the ride with him.  Enjoy this episode with family man, working man, and amazing runner who is obviously an Athlete On Fire!

Our guest is a runner.  He has mastered so many distances and styles of race that we could never cover it all in just one show but he does take us on the journey.  From a childhood spent in the woods to the aventurous life in the Pacific NW we cover everything from the transition to Ultra distances to the Cascade Trifecta, an amazing attempt at an amazing feat.  Stay with us as he gives a great running challenge for you to try out and if you have kids you are going to love what he is trying out for a better running experience with them.  Another humble, interesting, and accomplished athlete on this episode will inspire you to go out to do amazing things yourself!

Our guest wanted a change from his life in his early thirties so he join a running club, ran his first marathon, and was hooked with the "running bug".  Fast forward to being named the Ultra Runner of year in Australia in 2013.  We find out what a day in the life for him is like, and it is filled to the brim.  As a sponsored athlete, special education teacher, and coach he shares stories from all three that are interesting and inspiring.  We hope you all draw from the strength and integrity of this amazing Athlete On Fire!

Our guest is wildly entertaining.  Almost as wild as the events she competes in all over the world as the first female obstacle course racer.  She tells stories of failure and why you shouldn't take yourself so seriously. She shares a story of a man who was once 700 pounds and how it inspired her.  Her story about a crazy event in Nicaragua has everything from carrying live chickens to climbing bamboos poles and almost losing it.  She is also a writer on obstacle racing and has her very own book with her expertise in the sport to showcase for all.  This is one of those shows you hope will never end which means we will just have to do it all again!

Our guest is an adventurer first and foremost.  His attraction to wild and beautiful places has led him to where he is today as an inspiring ultra runner, coach, and photographer. His website alone will leave you awestruck and ready to hit the road, trail, rail, or air!  He shares what works for him on the trail and some amazing insights from his crazy adventures including a crazy incidence at the Hardrock 100.  His early days were spent in Europe with teacher parents and he shares some of those experiences.

Our guest is a former Olympian and current running liason to the masses. He shares how making the 1972 Olympic team changed his life in how he wanted to share the sport he loved with the world.  He founded the first specialty running store in the US.  He tells stories of his upbringing including a great one about his dad, Elliott Galloway, who ran his first marathon in under 3 hours around 60 years old.  It's an inspiring story for sure. He goes on to share the importance of mantra's and how they force us back into our conscious mind, allowing us to keep the negative thoughts that always creep in during competition at bay.  His humble, unique approach to teaching and coaching is going to inspire YOU to do amazing things yourself.

Our guest is a writer and runner.  Amongst other things she shares her process and how she was able to write her very powerful memoir, "So Far." She has great insights to the running world as long time contributor to "Runner's World". She used running as medication and therapy as well as her natural love of the act.  Learn about why running and being active in general was important coming from such a difficult situation at home.  We touch on some new topics to Athlete On Fire including mental health and how our guest has dealt with her own.  She happens to also be married to former Boston Marathon champion Amby Burfoot and has some fun stories of how her life of running with him has taken her on some great adventures.  We talk about the parallels between writing and running and there is no doubt everyone will learn something from this episode!