Like A Bigfoot

This week we are sitting down with writer and runner Dylan Roche to chat about how his journey through running has affected his journey as a writer! Running has given Dylan the confidence to quit his job in pursuit of writing, something he has always been passionate about. This journey has changed his life and has set him on a more passionate life. In this episode we chat all about how he got into this sport, what lessons from writing have filtered into running and vice versa, what his experience was like taking on back to back marathons, what it was like running his very first ultramarathon (the Yeti 24 Hour Virtual Challenge), and how he plans to continue on this path in the future. We also chat a bit about his upcoming book "Runner's Warning" about his experiences, adventures and misadventures. I really enjoyed chatting with Dylan and hope you enjoy his story! MORE FROM DYLAN ROCHE: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dylaniswriting/?hl=en Website: http://www.dylanrochewriter.com Twitter: https:

This week we are bringing back John Petersen, rower, family man, principal, and one of my favorite guests from 2020! At the end of 2019 John had a very unique adventure as he joined a team of five other guys to complete "The Impossible Row". The first completely manpowered row of the treacherous Drake Passage from Chile to Antarctica. In the last episode we talked right after this event and I wanted to bring him back on to hear his reflections a year out. What lessons from the row has he continued to use in everyday life? What was it like to view the documentary of such a wild adventure? ("The Impossible Row" is now on Discovery+ and was excellent!) How has he been changed by his first expedition? We also get a chance to dive deeper into the row itself as we talk the brutality of the storms in the Drake Passage, the formation of a brotherhood with his fellow rowers/adventurers, what it was like endure day after day of intense rowing for nearly 13 straight days. This is a great conversation with an incred

This week we are chatting with someone new into the ultrarunning world Nic Chiri!! Nic is from a small river town in southern Iowa and after years of searching for something to be really passionate about, he put on some running shoes and fell in love with the sport! This episode is all about his journey from deciding to run a 10K, a seemingly impossible distance at the time, in 2018 to running his first 100 miler in 2020. Nic shares about how ultrarunning has changed his perspective on life, what he's gained by stepping outside his comfort zone, and how he has benefitted in all walks of life from taking on big challenges! He also shares the story of his first 100 miler at the Booneville Backroads Ultra in Des Moines, Iowa. It was a race in which he battled the urge to quit during every step of the last 25 miles and where he ultimately realized the power of "we" as his crew helped him push through the suffering. I truly enjoyed this episode as I saw a lot of my own passion for ultrarunning and endurance re

This week Candice Burt, one of my favorite guests ever, returns to the show! In this episode we talk about all of the ups and downs she faced over the last year including pulling the plug on her Arizona Trail FKT attempt due to the COVID shutdowns last March, creating the awesome East Coast vs. West Coast Challenge with Jason Green, and organizing and directing the monumental Moab 240! We also dive into her mindset when going after audacious goals, how she finds contentment through her ambition, the importance of being adaptable, and how expanding your physical abilities expands everything else. Candice is one of the most fascinating ultrarunners out there with some major achievements as both an athlete and a race director. I'm always captivated when chatting her and am ridiculously excited to share this episode with you guys! MORE FROM CANDICE: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runcandicerun/ Website: https://www.candiceburt.com/ Sign up for a 200 miler (or her other races) here: https://www.dest

This week we are bringing back Darius Sam an incredible young ultrarunner who has combined his love of the sport and his passion for serving his community. Last summer 19 year old Darius came on the podcast to talk about his first attempt at a 100 miler in which, by pushing his body to its absolute limits, he was able to raise over $90,000 for his local food bank. During that run he collapsed near the end and was rushed to the hospital. In December he decided to give the same route another shot, this time with the goal of raising money to help establish a Men's Mental Health Program in Nicola Valley. Learning from his first 100 miler he went out and crushed it, setting his sights on some BIG TIME goals for 2021! In this episode we chat all about the lessons he learned from his first 100 and how he applied them to his second. We also discuss the necessity of funding mental health programs especially in the time of COVID, how serving others can help you clarify your purpose, and what big goals are on the

This week we are welcoming ultrarunner, mountain athlete, and coach Kaitlyn Yonke! Kaitlyn recently set the Fastest Known Time on the iconic White Rim Road in Canyonlands National Park near Moab, Utah. She also has raced extremely well a few times at the Leadville 100. In this episode we talk all about her FKT, the power of service and her reasons for raising awareness for Multiple Sclerosis, the poetic beauty of ultrarunning versus the reality, her participation in the Adrenalin Project, and trail running gems near the Denver area! Thanks for tuning in and huge thanks to Kaitlyn for coming on the show!! NOTICE: In the Outro I share a list of "New Year's Decisions" I've made for 2021 and why I made the distinction between "decisions" and "resolutions." I'm a huge believer in the power of words (obviously as a podcast host ha ha). Words have power. The words you say to yourself, to other people and to the people who look up to you for leadership. "Resolutions" seems like a choice to be made whereas "decis

(Photo Credit: Nate Ptacek) Happy 2021!! Here's to a blank slate full of possibilities, happiness, and all the awesome goals we've set! I am very honored to chat with National Geographic's 2014 Adventurer's of the Year, environmentalists, explorers, and educators Dave and Amy Freeman! "Since 2001 they have traveled over 30,000 miles by kayak, canoe, and dogsled through some of the world's wildest places, from the Amazon to the Arctic." In 2015 they spent the entire year living in and exploring the Boundary Waters in Minnesota by canoe and dogsled to help raise awareness of this beautifully pristine and protect it from proposed sulfide-ore copper mining. You can read all about their experience in their book "A Year in the Wilderness". In this episode we chat all about their adventure in the boundary waters along with their North American Odyssey, a 3 year quest that took them from the west coast all the way to Alaska and then across the continent down to Florida. We also chat a bit about canoeing in the Am

As we reflect on this past year we should all be immensely proud at the sheer humanity discovered in digging deep and pushing through. 2020 really tested our fortitude and patience as we, in the wise words of my buddy Paul Scheuring, "perpetually soldiered on despite the unknown." Here's to you for enduring 2020 and all its ups and downs, twists and turns, good times and bad. You were strong, resilient, adaptable, worthwhile, all the while withstanding incredible stress, boredom, anxiety, frustration, and exhaustion of this tumultuous year. I want to express my extreme gratitude for each and every one of you who has supported the show this year. I have truly been honored by each and everyone who has been involved in this show either as a listener or a guest. The kind words, the stories of adventure, the motivation, and the wisdom shared with me through this year are things I will never forget and I hope by listening you have been entertained, enlightened, and motivated to live to an ambitious and contented

Adapt. That's what we as athletes and humans do. When life throws us obstacles we transform to meet them head on. Today's guest exemplifies this. In 2014, Sherown Campbell, a lifelong athlete, father, and all around incredible human being, was paralyzed from the shoulders down. The injury classified him as a quadriplegic. The years following have seen Sherown persistently and patiently taking on his recovery one day at a time. Where he is now is an absolute inspiration- consistently working out to regain as much mobility and movement as possible. His persistence and positive mindset has helped him reach huge goals such as climbing the iconic Manitou Incline in Colorado Springs (2,000 feet of elevation in 1 mile). In this episode we chat about the athletic mindset and how Sherown has applied that throughout his recovery, the power his kids brings to his life, what it was like to take on the Manitou Incline and he teaches us an majorly important lesson about the "gift of presence." I was absolutely blown

This week I am very excited to bring you an episode with Emma Kittle and her dad Bruce Kittle!! In this episode we chat all about athletic performance, the power of using alter egos, why we need to shoot for the sun and melt our wings of wax, how to combat our own limiting beliefs, and we share some stories from hiking the Colorado 14ers! Emma and Bruce are the founders of Thunderbird Performance which is a high level training approach "to mental, physical and spiritual coaching, using yoga, movement, and mindfulness, to help athletes become the very best version of themselves they can be; freeing them to compete at the highest levels." Their approach is focused on helping athletes grow into the best versions of themselves by letting go of their limiting beliefs! As a family they have also started hosting a podcast called "Hidden Pearls Podcast" with George Kittle (who has become one of the most dominating, hardworking and charismatic players in the NFL). This podcast is a wonderful show each week highlig

About a month ago, Kait Boyle and her teammate Kurt Refsnider individually set a women's and men's Fastest Known Time on the iconic 137 mile Kokopelli Trail. Biking faster than anybody they climbed nearly 15,000 feet, traversed the La Sal Mountains and endured the deep canyons of the desert completely self supported. This was another huge accomplishment for Kait in a career of elite ultra mountain biking that includes 24 hour world championships, major bikepacking journeys, Arizona Trail records, amongst many more. Her journey over the last two years to the Kokopelli has been beyond inspiring. After a car crash shattered her pelvis, she persevered, working slowly to build her endurance back to an elite level. The Kokopelli was a culmination of those years of work. Kait is also a huge proponent for preservation of wild places, environmental education, outdoor leadership and was the co-creator with Kurt of bikepackingroots.org, a website dedicated to growing the bikepacking community. I was super excited

Oh boy...this is a good one! Let's be honest, 2020 has been super stressful lately and for my own happiness I needed an hour or two of laughing with two of my best friends about some pointless stuff that we are way too knowledgeable about! So this week we are sitting down with Travis Steffen and Brandon Swett, two bonafide sports movie geniuses to dive deep into all things SPORTS MOVIES!!! Speeches, montages, underdogs, cheesy bad guys, Kevin Costners, sports movies that aren't sports movies, this episode has it all. In this episode Travis Steffen is taken through a gauntlet, sharing his opinions on TEN SPORTS MOVIE CATEGORIES along with a lightning round of ridiculous questions (which if you have heard Travis on the show before you can expect the slowest lightning round ever). Though we neglect to mention a few movies (how in the world did we forget Slapshot!!!) Travis and Brandon lead us through a discussion of a bunch of the movies we love. Hope you guys have a wonderful Thanksgiving and that this ep

Rue Mckenrick is a backpacker with a long list of accomplishments, "Triple Crowner, Long Trailer, JMTer", and thousands upon thousands of miles hiked. Inspired by all of these hikes, he is now stepping up to his biggest challenge, creating and hiking the approximately 12,000 mile American Perimeter Trail, a loop that will circumnavigate the continental United States. In this episode we talk about what is inspiring him to endure the miles and years to achieve such a tremendous goal. He also shares adventures and misadventures from his last 15 months of continuous backpacking and exploring, including how he hiked through the initial COVID lockdown with near complete isolation by combining social isolating skills with traditional backpacking skills. I hope you guys enjoy listening to Rue's tails and help contribute to his creation of the American Perimeter Trail (links on how to help below)!!! Keep exploring! MORE FROM RUE AND THE AMERICAN PERIMETER TRAIL: Website: https://americanperimetertrailproject.wee

The best way to truly embrace and experience a place on earth is to travel it by foot. By slowly wandering through an area rather than speeding by you get to see it and appreciate it for what it is. This week's guest wanted to immerse himself into his home state of Iowa. So he decided to run across it. As someone who grew up in Des Moines who "avoided running a full mile until three years ago" Taylor Ross stepped up to the challenge, ran down country roads, past cornfields and mooing cows from one end of Iowa to the other. Along the way he experienced community, extreme resilience in the face of pain, the natural beauty of the midwest, and the creativity of such a personal accomplishment. In this episode we hear all about his FKT and what it takes to run for 4 days 15 hours and 32 minutes. This story rocks!! Was it Heaven? Maybe...I mean, it was Iowa. Hope you guys enjoy the episode!! Huge congrats to Taylor for an INCREDIBLE accomplishment!! We are so inspired by you! MORE FROM TAYLOR ROSS: Instag

This week we are welcoming Angus Peacock back to the show for a third time! Angus is an executive coach and Director, a creative thought pioneer, and a performance specialist. He's also just a wonderfully introspective dude and one of my favorite people to feature on the podcast! For years, in both the rugby world and the corporate world, Angus has had the opportunity to study notions of leadership (one of the topics I'm truly passionate about) Through his experiences he has seen a variety of viewpoints on leadership and has seen strategies both work and struggle. He has observed the essential qualities of a good leadership and has become passionate about leading people in the most efficient way possible. In this episode we chat about the traits we look for in successful leaders. Angus also catches us up on the final days of his One Million Step Challenge and we chat about how having a major project to work on motivates us and gifts us a purpose in our day to day. This is an awesome episode that I canno

Today I am honored to welcome rower, award winning author, motivational speaker and activist Arshay Cooper to the show!! From his website: "Arshay grew up on the West Side of Chicago, witnessing family and friends become products of their environment. But a chance encounter changed Arshay’s life. In 1997, he joined (and later became captain of) the first African-American high school rowing team at Manley High School, an experience that changed Arshay life." His memoir of this experience, "A Most Beautiful Thing", is an absolute gem of a book- highlighting his experience joining the crew team, discovering a purpose, forming a brotherhood, and finding peace and safety on the water. It really encapsulates the power of sport can have in a young person's life. His story has received major praise and highlights the need for opportunities in impoverished areas. "A Most Beautiful Thing" is now a documentary film from award winning director Mary Mazzio, narrated by Common produced by Dwayne Wade, Grant Hill and 9t

This week we are chatting with ultrarunner, school librarian, and awesome all around person Lindsey Weaver!! Lindsey just completed her quest to set the Fastest Known Time on the C & O canal, a 184.5 mile trail along the Potomac river from Cumberland, Maryland to Washington D.C. With summer races cancelled, she wanted to put all her training to good use and stepped far outside of her comfort zone and took this challenge head on! What she found along the way was an unwillingness to quit, a determination to keep battling, and the beautiful encouragement of her running community. I was absolutely inspired by the story of this FKT and really admire Lindsey's refusal to let negative emotions dictate her resolve when things got difficult (Like....any step over 100 miles kind of difficult). To me, this adventure represents the spirit of ultra running during this wild and exhausting COVID summer we have all been asked to endure- running and pushing limits as a form of stress management, self discovery, and commu

This week's episode is with adventurer, polar explorer, environmentalist, Minnesotan, and wonderfully nice guy Paul Schurke!! Paul is a legend in the adventure world- completing multiple expeditions to the North Pole (including an unsupported trip in the 80s), dogsledding across Siberia (to convince the US and Soviet Union to open the Bering Strait to help out Inuit families), following in the footsteps of Teddy Roosevelt's River of Doubt expedition in the Amazon, crossing South Georgia Island by the same route as Ernest Shackleton, and so much more. He now lives on and is a huge proponent for the protection of the Boundary Waters in northern Minnesota (one of my favorite places on the planet), helped establish the Wilderness Inquiry (a program which has the mission of outdoor adventures from all walks of life) and spends his time running the Wintergreen Dogsled Lodge in Ely, Minnesota. In what became one of my favorite episodes yet, you will hear all about a lifetime of adventure with a wonderful st

Brady Manriquez and Phil Pinti join the show to chat all things 50 milers, Virtual Races and climbing 14ers!!! Phil ran a 50 miler through my favorite area in Virginia and is preparing to tackle the virtual Marine Corps 50k. Brady came out to Colorado and had a great week of trail running, exploring and he was able to summit his very first 14er. In this episode they both share adventures, stories, and laughs from these events. Hope you guys enjoy! Super fun conversations with these two dudes!! MORE LIKE A BIGFOOT: Subscribe and Review on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/like-a-bigfoot/id1160773293?mt=2 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7EhpBoeVG2pcTCGwHG85UG Soundcloud Archives: https://soundcloud.com/chris-ward-126531464 Stitcher Archives: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/like-a-bigfoot Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/likeabigfoot/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/likeabigfoot/

This week I am very excited to welcome the fantastic runner Alyssa Clark to the podcast! Alyssa has one of the most outstanding stories I've heard in a long time. Once Covid locked her down in Italy, she decided that she was going to run a marathon every day for a few weeks. Well.....being an ultrarunner (which gives you that extra dash of lunacy) a few weeks became a month which became two months which became the consistent routine of a marathon every morning before she found herself in the 70s, 80s and 90s. She completely shattered the previous "Consecutive Marathon" World Record and more amazingly, did so while in the middle of a move back to the United States! On top of all that, Alyssa is just a super knowledgeable runner and an awesome person to chat with! Recently she has cohosted a bunch of wonderful episodes for Rob Steger's "Training For Ultra" Podcasts and began a website called Training4Adventure which shares all sorts of inspiring adventure stories. Can't wait for you guys to listen to this