Like A Bigfoot

Miriam Gilbert is an ultra runner, writer, and adjunct professor from New Jersey. She describes herself as an "ordinary runner" but, in my opinion, is anything but. Having ran eight 50 milers, three 100 milers, and a handful of 24 hour timed events, Miriam is an experienced ultra runner who has a lot of insights and wisdom to share. On top of all that, ultra running quite literally saved her life. After a botched surgery and a major infection, her body's extreme resilience built up by these brutal endurance events was key in recovering from this life-threatening condition. This story is the main thread of the show this week. Miriam shares her many stories and insights into ultra running while highlighting how beating her body down actually made her much stronger. I really enjoyed chatting with Miriam for this episode and learned so much about running timed events (which is the next big challenge in my own running journey). Enjoy the show!! MORE FROM ULTRA MIRIAM: Website: https://www.miriamdiazgilb

George Black is an entrepreneur, a father, a traveler, and a business strategist. He's the author of "The Next Level Entrepreneur" which is focused on finding that passion in life and using it to sustain a business. George is also a guy who loves a good adventure- whether that is backpacking through some of the more remote wilderness in the U.S., traveling the world, or constructing his own business. This episode is essentially about what we do with those lessons we learn in an adventure AFTER we return to life. How do we apply all these ideas we've discovered to our various roles- fathers, husbands, business owners, etc. Hope you guys enjoy the show! Links to all of George's work can be found in the show notes below! (NOTE: His book was previously titled "Dear Mr. A: Letters Revealing the Secrets of an Entrepreneur") MORE FROM GEORGE BLACK: Website: https://livetrulyfree.com Check out his Book: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0999574604/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=intigro-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&l

This week we are reconnecting with our friend and one of my absolute favorite people in the whole entire world, Calvin Johannsen. Calvin always brings his A game for the podcast and this week is no different. He is a lifelong learner seeking to discover the most about himself, the world, and his many passions. Recently, he completed a 200 hour yoga teacher training and now instructs his own yoga classes. In this episode we explore the power of Focus and Intentionality and how we can use it to better ourselves and make the most out of this life! Calvin also explores the concepts of community, dedication, and mentorship. Hope you guys enjoy the show. Huge thanks to Calvin for sharing his passion and "Calspirations" with the people around him! And for being one of the most inspiring people to me personally!! (P.S.- If you haven't checked out Calvin's previous episodes about his 100 mountains in 100 days, 100 day challenge, or his philosophies in goal setting, you really need to! The mountain ones by t

Endure. Sometimes that's all you can do. Keep putting one foot in front of the other as you battle your way through. No matter how hard, how terrible you feel. Just keep moving. Our ability to endure at times is a means to make it through an ultra run, bike ride, test of will. While other times this is what we fall back on when life sends us down unexpected devastating paths. That's the most important thing I've learned from today's guest Phil Pinti. When I met him a year ago I sensed the amazingness of Phil! He's energetic, friendly, quick to laugh and smile, always wanting to spread positivity amongst his fellow endurance racers who very quickly become his fellow friends. Those are incredible qualities knowing now the heartbreak and sorrow he has had to face over the last few years. Two years ago, Phil lost his beautiful wife Jen to cancer, leaving him to raise their two wonderful kiddos. In this episode we explore how ultra running has allowed us to process life, family, loss and grief. It's a

This week we welcome back ultra runner and author of "Bigfoot 200: Because, You Know, Why the #@&% Not?" Ryan Chukuske. Two years ago Ryan trained incredibly hard for the Bigfoot 200- sleep deprivation training, exhaustion training, spending hours and hours on his feet- only to be forced to DNF due to his foot being absolutely demolished by gangrene. Instead of giving up on his dream, Ryan has become 200 obsessed. Now not only is he training for revenge on the Bigfoot but he's going after the coveted "Triple Crown of 200s"- all of Destination Trails' events in one calendar year- starting with Bigfoot, then Tahoe, and finishing with the Moab 240. He's about to have a racing season to remember!! In this episode we talk about how he's training differently than before, why building leg strength is so important for the Bigfoot 200, how he balances dad-mode with athlete-mode, and what he is anticipating from Tahoe and Moab. Ryan also shares what he's learned from the 200 community- from people he's interviewe

Josh Milich and Brian Tjersland are ultrarunners who want to run for more than a belt buckle, a medal, or an ice cold finish line beer. Next November they are planning on running the 500 miles from Massachusetts National Cemetery to Arlington National Cemetery to bring awareness to Mission 22, a foundation established in support of all veterans after their service to our country. 500 miles is a lofty goal. But it's a lofty goal with PURPOSE, and having a higher purpose can help us accomplish anything we set out to do. These two guys are normal every day ultrarunners. They aren't professional athletes, just two dudes who love ultra running and pushing their limits, who are setting out to do something incredibly difficult. This purpose WILL push them through the difficult moments of this challenge, including training for something this intense. That's why I love this story and their mission. In this episode, you will hear how and why they came up with this goal. We also hear stories from Brian's experi

A few weeks ago, during the Polar Vortex, Ryan Wanless was the baddest man in North America. Or, at least he was the coldest. Ryan endured what most people would deem impossible, surviving 56 hours in brutally cold -30 degree temperatures while running 135 miles from the border of Canada deep into the Northern Minnesotan woods. In ultra running, last place is its own special honor. DFL is not considered the "slowest", rather he or she is the person who withstood the elements and battled the course longer than any other racer. Ryan got 13 out of 13 finishers in a race where 80% of participants called it quits. A race where newbies generally do not make it. He battled the odds, the extreme cold, frozen water, hallucinations in the deep, dark woods and , yes, he even conquered his candy packages (which he had to figure out how to open with only his mouth). All to call himself a finisher of the Arrowhead 135- "the Coldest Gosh Darn Race Anyplace". A race that was intentionally scheduled to traverse the

Over the last few years Courtney Dauwalter has exploded onto the ultrarunning scene with legendary performance after legendary performance. She won the Moab 240 outright by over 10 hours, she set the second fastest time in women's history while winning Western States 100, she endured a 4 mile loop over and over again for 67 hours chalking up 279.2 miles in the insanity that is Big's Backyard Ultra, she even got first in a 100 mile race after losing her eyesight for the last ten miles. And those are only a few adventures from her life of racing! In this episode, we focus on Courtney's mindset. How does she endure the massive amount of pain and struggle that comes along with ultrarunning? How does she stay positive and silence self doubts? How does her positive outlook and relaxed demeanor bring about her success? (I was also super psyched to chat with her because up until a few years ago Courtney was a middle school science teacher, and, as a middle school science teacher, ....respect!) I really enjoye

Can you imagine what it would be like to ride a bike to the South Pole? Traversing one of the harshest landscapes on the planet, battling wind, cold, altitude, snowdrifts, isolation, and crevasses for over 50 straight days? That's exactly the adventure this week's guest took on. Back in December 2013 Daniel Burton set out to become the first person to bike to the southernmost point on the Earth. And on January 21, 2014, after trudging his way across miles and miles of ice, his dream became a reality. On this episode you will hear all about his journey. How he went from regular computer programmer with high blood pressure to bike shop owner to grinding his way through his ultimate adventure. Dan shares some incredible stories from his time in Antarctica. Everything from what it is like to handle extreme isolation, his harrowing experience battling crevasses, and what he felt in that special moment civilization was finally glimmering in the distance. He truly is proof that "Every day ordinary people do

This week we welcome back professor Jake Reed to chat all things Sports Science, Endurance Racing, and Optimum Performance! Jake has a Ph D. in Sport Performance and is a professor of Kinesiology and Physical Education at the University of Northern Iowa. He just recently finished training for and running his very first 50k ultra marathon and is also one of my absolute favorite people on the planet! In this episode we cover a variety of topics. Jake shares what drove him to take on a 50k, why data shows a decrease in major athletic categories after men hit age 25, how to ramp up your training in a safe and efficient way, and he even analyzes Ric Flair's deadlift form. We also discuss the main areas of growth someone should focus on when training for an ultra endurance event- slow, steady, aerobic most of the time with a bit of pushing your lactate threshold here and there. How to keep your joints healthy when adding extra miles and whether or not a foam roller is worth your time. Hope you guys enjoy the

This week we are chatting with Rebecca Walker all about her recent adventure in Antarctica! Rebecca guided blind runner Vladmi Virgilio Dos Santos through the last of his 4 Deserts stage race series which also consisted of the Sahara, Atacama, and Gobi deserts. She first started working for the Racing the Planet company as their expedition emergency physician where she assisted runners by using her extensive knowledge and focus on international emergency care systems to keep them safe. In this episode Rebecca shares what it is like being an expedition physician in such extreme, isolated parts of the world. She also gives us an idea of what the stage race in Antarctica is all about! How getting there is an adventure in of itself, how she approached her goal of helping Vlad be successful, her strategies to survive the extreme conditions and the boat ride across the Drake passage, and what she learned through her experience. Rebecca exemplifies the Live to Give mindset and this episode is a fantastic expl

This week’s show is with the awesome Greg McHale! Greg is an adventure athlete, endurance racer and hosts a phenomenal hunting show on Sportsman Channel called “Greg McHale’s Wild Yukon. His goal is that by being a conduit between outdoor adventure athletes and the hunting world, he can inspire the love of the outdoors and conservation. In this episode we talk about numerous adventures he has had in one of the wildest places on Earth, the Yukon! We also discuss how his show is a culmination of all of his various outdoor passions throughout the years, what it’s like to fly prop planes, his experiences as a high level adventure racer, how to survive a 300+ mile run through the Yukon in winter, and much more! I really enjoyed chatting with Greg for this week’s show and really hope you check out “Greg McHale’s Wild Yukon”. This show is an excellent display of the vast wilderness of Northwestern Canada and really will inspire you to get outside and start exploring. This week’s conversation inspired me to s

I am so honored to bring you this week's episode with USA Gold Medal Olympic Hockey player Amanda Pelkey. Amanda shares all sorts of incredible stories from the USA's journey to gold medal glory. In this episode we talk about the hard work, sacrifice and dedication that is involved in making the team, moments from the Olympic experience that she will always remember, and how her team's attitude, toughness and mental fortitude led to their success. We also talk about the gold medal game against Canada which was one of the absolute most intense games I've ever seen in all my time watching sports. Amanda discusses her mentality going into the game, how the team handled the emotions of playing for a gold medal, and what the locker room was like going into overtime. (I literally just rewatched the highlights and the moment they win the game always gives me chills and chokes me up. To work your whole life towards something that momentous is absolutely incredible!) This was one of my favorite episodes of

This week features some of my favorite moments from episodes #40-80 of the Like a Bigfoot Podcast. Hope you guys enjoy!! Featuring adventure stories, life lessons and plenty of inspiration from: Josh Lajaunie, Miguel Medina, "Antarctic Gurka" Scott Sears, "Iowans for Everest" Andy Anderson, Kuntal Joisher, Candice Burt, Natalie Larson, Scott Morris, "Running the Parks" Bill Sycalik, "Feral Mountain Co." Jimmy Funkhouser, "Blackalachian" Daniel White, Shane Dowty, and Lindsey Ward. Thanks to everyone who has contributed to this show and thanks for you guys for checking it out! I really appreciate it and hope you had an amazing 2018!! We have some big plans for 2019 and I sincerely hope you do too!

This week Travis Steffen is back on the show for a unprecedented 5th time! As always our conversation hits on a variety of topics; serious, goofy, bizarre and everything in between. On this week's show we explore our relationship with self doubt, imposter syndrome and the power of authenticity. We also discuss Travis's current athletic goals and some of his plans for 2019. Hope you guys enjoy the show! Just a heads up- next week we will be putting out a Clipshow episode as we revisit episodes 40-80. Then we will be back in 2019 with some AWESOME guests (recorded a few episodes today and I'm so incredibly stoked to share them with you). Have a great holiday season!! MORE LIKE A BIGFOOT: Subscribe and Review on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/like-a-bigfoot/id1160773293?mt=2 Soundcloud Archives: https://soundcloud.com/chris-ward-126531464 Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/likeabigfoot/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/likeabigfoot/

This week we are welcoming my amazing coworker, lifelong runner, and all around awesome dude Chris Cornejo! Chris chats all about his life as an athlete, from high school cross country runner to someone who became a road marathoner, Running has always been a part of his life and recently he stepped up to his very first trail ultra marathon when he took on the Bear Chase 50k in Lakewood, Colorado. In this episode Chris shares stories from his cross country days, talks about the Boston Marathon, and gets into how to train for your first ultra when you're a busy dad, teacher, and husband. Hope you guys enjoy! You know how much I want to spread the awesomeness of adventure and I truly believe one of the best ways to challenge yourself is to run a trail 50k. Just planting the seed of an idea for your 2019 goals!!! (Peer pressure!) MORE LIKE A BIGFOOT: Subscribe and Review on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/like-a-bigfoot/id1160773293?mt=2 Soundcloud Archives: https://soundcloud.com/chris-ward-1

This week I'm very excited to bring Paul Scheuring back on the show! Paul was originally on episode 101 sharing some awesome stories from our time at the Desert RATS Stage Race this summer. This time he's talking about his recent adventure running the Quad Dipsea, a race that has 9,200 feet of climbing in 28 miles....which sounds like a BEAST! Then we chat a bit about 10 day meditation retreats, the similarities between running and writing (he's a professional writer who has written a bunch of awesome stuff), and we wrap up by talking about his time taking on the Marathon des Sables through the Sahara. Incredibly fun episode and, honestly, I just enjoyed catching up with an awesome dude! ( "He's a writer, so I have to make this post sound good...and stuff." - Me to my wife "What's the 'Awesome Count'?" - Lindsey *quietly re-reading and counting under my breath "Three.....shit...." - Me ) MORE LIKE A BIGFOOT: Subscribe and Review on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/like-a-bigfoot/

This week we are welcoming ultra runner and podcast host Rob Steger to the show! Rob recently completed the EPIC Moab 240 which is a two hundred and forty mile race traversing all around Moab, UT. The race is put on by Candice Burt, race director of Destination Trails, and from all reports is an extremely high quality and AWESOME event! Over his 4 days of running Moab, Rob had an adventure of a lifetime! In this episode, we chat about how one goes about training for a 240 mile race, his lowest point and how he overcame it, weird hallucinations, and what it felt like to finally be running the last mile. Hope you guys enjoy the show!! MORE FROM ROB STEGER: Training for Ultra Podcast: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-training-for-ultra-podcast/id1265633252?mt=2 Website: https://trainingforultra.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/trainingforultra/?hl=en Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/trainingforultra/ "Running 4 Days" Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yE4HRyaahM8 MORE LIKE A BIGF

This week we are welcoming the super energetic and awesome Tony Nguyen to the show! Tony has an incredible story of transforming himself from a non-athlete, self professed "last in gym class" to a man who has gone all in on the running community. After a heart attack scare, he started walking. Walking turned into running. Running turned into becoming a Marathon Maniac. That became transforming into an ultra runner. Tony's story is one of re-invigoration and becoming energized through activity. It's also one of extreme perseverance, how to use failure to achieve success, and the power of positivity! You can find all of his stuff by looking up Endorphin online. Enjoy! MORE FROM "ENDORPHIN DUDE" TONY NGUYEN: Website: http://www.endorphindude.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/endorphindude/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EndorphinDude/ Marathon Maniacs: http://www.marathonmaniacs.com MORE LIKE A BIGFOOT: Subscribe and Review on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/like-a-bigfoot/

This week we are chatting with Katie and Jason Parker about what it takes to remodel a van, quit your jobs, and hit the road in search of adventure! Three years ago they bought an old Ford van, gutted it, and spent their time together remodeling it into a living space. Currently, they are about four months into a year long road trip that will take them completely around the country. In those short four months they have faced down bison and bears, survived brake failures at in-opportune moments (i.e.- going down the steepest hill they've driven on), learned what it takes to keep a healthy relationship while living in a tight space, and have seen some of the most stunning places in the west. Hope you guys enjoy this episode! The lessons I took away are how simplifying our lives brings about freedom and a reminder to place importance on travel and seeking adventure. MORE FROM JASON AND KATIE: Website: https://michelvangelo.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kitty.parker/?hl=en MORE LIKE A BIGFOOT: