Best Mike Ahr Podcasts (2024)

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#320 - WE ARE CHAIWEN CHOU, NEVER LETTING OBSTACLES BLOCK HER DREAMS 1:38:39

38m ago1:38:39

1:38:39

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…

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#319 - WE ARE JUNKO KAZUKAWA, THE GODZILLA OF DISTANCE RUNNING 1:19:52

2h ago1:19:52

1:19:52

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 – all of the Leadville running and biking races – which inc…

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#318 - WE ARE STEVEN SAMPSON BEATING A TUMOR AND SETTING THE BAR HIGH ON HIS YOUNG LIFE 1:28:35

16d ago1:28:35

1:28:35

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…

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#317 - WE ARE LINDSAY RAHILL BATTLING BACK TO ACHIEVE HER EPIC DREAMS 1:20:55

21d ago1:20:55

1:20:55

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 it…

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#316 - WE ARE LISA KABAT SMASHING AN AHR RECORD VIA UNCONVENTIONAL WAYS 1:28:29

1M ago1:28:29

1:28:29

As I mentioned in my American Heroes Run episode, there were numerous impressive performances and I’m going to bring you chats with some of these while I’m 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 men’s record,…

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#315 - IMPRESSIVE PERFORMANCES AT THE AMERICAN HEROES RUN 26:07

1M ago26:07

26:07

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 fe…

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#314 - WE ARE ADAM POPP, ON A ONE-LEGGED QUEST TO OWN 17 GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS 1:05:15

1M ago1:05:15

1:05:15

Adam Popp was one of the most impressive previous WASP guests, appearing on episode #209 in May, 2022. Adam, a 12-year combat veteran, had his right leg blown off by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan in December, 2007 while serving in the Air Force as an Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team leader. After a long, arduous rehabilitation process, Adam …

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#313 - WE ARE TYLER STROTHMAN AND THE BIRTH OF A BREAKTHROUGH SHOE BRAND 58:31

2M ago58:31

58:31

Some wise person said that necessity is the mother of invention. It’s also sometimes the mother of entrepreneurship. Meet Rice University runner Tyler Strothman. When he experienced years of frustrating foot pain, he tried many different brands of shoes, but nothing seemed to help solve his issues. So boldly, Tyler decided to start his own shoe bra…

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#312 - WE ARE SANDY AND MIKE MONAHAN: YOU RAN THE LEADVILLE TRAIL 100 WELL IF YOU DIDN'T MEET THEM! 1:06:59

2M ago1:06:59

1:06:59

It’s a shame that two of the nicest people you can meet at the Leadville Trail 100 also happen to be the ones you want the least to meet. You see, Sandy and Mike Monahan are the race’s cutoff queen and king. If you are pushing the time cutoffs at each aid station, they will do their best to move you through and on to the next one. But if you are to…

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#311 - COMING HOME TO THE LEADVILLE TRAIL 100 1:12:07

2M ago1:12:07

1:12:07

I recap the Leadville Trail 100, including my experiences, training, fueling, the race itself, the Leadville people and the race's highly-charged atmosphere, and what my takeaways from it are. The chief one of those is to continue to think big and take chances on epic challenges. In fact, I'm asking all of you listeners to suggest other ones I can …

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#310 - WE ARE PARKER WOLFE KICKING DOWN THE DOOR TO GREATNESS 1:02:48

2M ago1:02:48

1:02:48

With the Olympics having just ended, I’m presenting a chat I had with someone who might be a good bet to run in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Parker Wolfe had a terrific high school career at Cherry Creek H.S. in suburban Denver, where in his senior year he was the Gatorade Player of the Year after having an undefeated cross country season, and ra…

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#309 - LEADVILLE PREVIEW: A COMEBACK FOR THE AGED 1:17:32

3M ago1:17:32

1:17:32

We often feature comebacks on the WASP. This is a comeback by one old guy, me. I'll be toeing the starting line at the Leadville Trail 100 this weekend for the 10th time, hoping to become the first runner to finish the race in four different 10-year age groups. Leadville has been a special place to me since I first ran there in 1992. I have had man…

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#308 - WE ARE ANTHONY LEE, FROM HOMELESS TO FINDING A HOME ON THE TRAILS 2:01:15

3M ago2:01:15

2:01:15

Anthony Lee is a young, rising star in the ultrarunning world who has a backstory that is as atypical you will hear for someone who has won very challenging major races like the Ouray 100 and Wyoming’s Bighorn Mountain Wild and Scenic 100. If you see him at a starting line, you’ll notice his long, brightly-dyed hair, tattoos, painted fingernails, a…

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#307 - WE ARE RAY ZAHAB EXPLORING EXTREME LIMITS 59:25

3M ago59:25

59:25

We’ve featured a lot of people who have taken on epic challenges, but this guest, Ray Zahab of Quebec, Canada, has done dozens and dozens of them. When we recorded this, Ray had just completed a couple of weeks before a crossing of Death Valley from north to south. I’m very familiar with the Badwater 135, which just completed, but that is run on ro…

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#306 - WE ARE BRIAN PASSENTI BUCKLING UP TO A WORLD OF NEW ADVENTURES 1:27:51

3M ago1:27:51

1:27:51

During my recent long hours on trails training for the Leadville Trail 100, as well as in the Chase the Moon ultramarathon I just ran, I have been listening to several podcasts, and one I recently discovered and really enjoy is Buckle Up with Brian Passenti and Simon Guérard. Fellow New York area guy and Yankees fan Brian grew up running but had so…

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#305 - WE ARE LILLIAN BERLINER AND THE ULTIMATE COMEBACK FROM THE HOLOCAUST 1:32:42

4M ago1:32:42

1:32:42

In January, 2022, episode #187, we brought to you the story of Holocaust survivor Lili Berliner. It is to this day, our episode with the highest number of downloads. We recently lost Lili at the age of 97, and I thought, in a first for the WASP, that we should replay this episode both for those of you who heard it earlier, as well as for those who …

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#304 - WE ARE TREVOR FARNES AND THE UNIQUE MTN OPS STORY 1:08:09

4M ago1:08:09

1:08:09

Trevor Farnes founded MTN OPS, a self-described outdoor performance supplements company. You may ask why you would listen to a chat about another company in this crowded space, but you will quickly find out that MTN OPS is a very different kind of company. For one, their customers are not anonymous buyers but part of a community that shares experie…

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#303 - GETTING BACK TO DOING BIG THINGS 19:23

4M ago19:23

19:23

What a difference a year makes. After a bunion that broke through the skin and eventually resulted in surgery wiped out pretty much all of my running and other activities in 2023, this year has seen me excitedly get back into doing big things - whether it was an amazing mountaineering trip in Chile, tearing out the turf in part of my yard and repla…

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#302 - WE ARE NICK JONSSON AND THE FIVE PATHWAYS OF SUPPORT FOR LONELY LEADERS 1:11:49

4M ago1:11:49

1:11:49

After Nick Jonsson, a Swedish-born, Southeast Asian businessman, found the mounting stresses of his job and climbing the corporate ladder untenable, he began drinking heavily, abandoned his fitness regimen, and put on a ton of weight, leading to him losing his job, as well as his wife and son. After getting help to control his alcoholism, Nick, who…

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#301 - WE ARE RON GOLD, TURNING TRAGEDY INTO PURPOSE AND ACTION 1:32:26

5M ago1:32:26

1:32:26

On a bike ride on an open road in New Jersey in 2011, Ron Gold was struck head-on by an SUV whose driver had fallen asleep behind the wheel even though it was the middle of the day. He barely survived, suffering critical injuries, and was left a paraplegic. It was bad enough the driver was totally unapologetic about causing this tragic event. Ron s…

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#300 - BILL'S EXCELLENT ADVENTURE WAY UP HIGH IN CHILE 1:14:42

5M ago1:14:42

1:14:42

The We Are Superman Podcast has hit 300 episodes... we think. But thanks to David's impetus, inspirational WASP guests have touched millions of listeners around the world. Or at least thousands. After a quick historical recap, I'm honored to bring you my recounting of my truly amazing trip to Chile and climbing peaks in the Andes as high as almost …

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#299 - WE ARE DAVID CARLE, WITH THE HEART OF A CHAMPIONSHIP COACH 45:50

6M ago45:50

45:50

Imagine you are an 18-year-old and you have worked your entire life and gotten to the cusp of achieving your dream of playing hockey on the Division 1 collegiate level and then the NHL, and suddenly you are told that your dream is now kaput due to a health issue. That was the reality faced by David Carle, a star defenseman from Anchorage, Alaska fo…

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#298 - WE ARE KAT EDWARDS, THE SKY IS NOT THE LIMIT 1:40:29

6M ago1:40:29

1:40:29

This past late winter I met a truly impressive group of athletes on a trip to the rugged and beautiful, high-elevation Atacama Desert of Chile. One of these is Kat Edwards of Richmond, Va. A relative newcomer to ultrarunning at 24 years old, and having never experienced performing at altitude, Kat crushed climbing peaks of 16,000 and 18,000 feet be…

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#297 - WE ARE NATE ZAYONC, THE MAKING OF A YOUNG ARMY MAN 1:57:03

6M ago1:57:03

1:57:03

This is a very special and personal episode for me. I want to introduce you to Nate Zayonc, a young man whom I am very proud of. His life was not in the most positive place a bit more than a year ago, but now he is thriving as a private in the U.S. Army. Nate was a top distance runner on the cross country and track teams at Bear Creek H.S. where I …

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#296 - BILL AND JACK'S EXCELLENT ASIAN ADVENTURE, PART 4 - SINGAPORE AND OUR TIPS TO LAUNCH YOUR OWN ADVENTURE 1:27:21

7M ago1:27:21

1:27:21

Jack Rubalcave and I are at the end of our now-four-part summation of our amazing trip to Asia this past fall. I hope you’ve gotten a lot out of hearing about our adventures and that we have helped inspire you to go explore the world yourself. As you have been hearing, we encountered so many unexpected experiences, but they were almost all positive…

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#295 - WE ARE TIM KAUFMAN BREAKING FREE FROM A SELF-MADE PRISON 1:51:45

7M ago1:51:45

1:51:45

Tim Kaufman fell victim to all of the classic American poor lifestyle choices. He ate primarily processed food – and large quantities of it. After surgery related to a crippling disease called Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, doctors prescribed painkillers and soon he was hooked on them. Like most addicts, he connived ways to get more of them and even more …

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#294 - BILL AND JACK'S EXCELLENT ADVENTURE IN ASIA, PART 3 - THAILAND AND BALI 1:37:38

8M ago1:37:38

1:37:38

Jack Rubalcave, my 24-year old traveling companion, with whom I’ve previously traveled to Portugal, the Azores, and Ecuador, took an amazing 3½-week long trip to Asia this fall, and we want to share with you some of our adventures and inspire you to seek your own. We carried nothing but a backpack, took 13 flights, visited seven incredibly interest…

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#293 - WE ARE DIARRA CROPPER BLAZING THE WAY FOR BLACK MEN RUNNING ULTRAS 1:33:24

8M ago1:33:24

1:33:24

If you think you can’t accomplish a lot of change and challenge yourself to achieve new goals in a short amount of time, then you’ll benefit from listening to this chat with Diarra Cropper. I’ve gotten to know the ever-enthusiastic Diarra through the Black Men Run community. Black Men Run is a dynamic nationwide organization that is a movement that…

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#292 - WE ARE KEENAN HAGA, WHEN A FEW HUNDRED MARATHONS AREN'T ENOUGH 1:48:40

8M ago1:48:40

1:48:40

Keenan Haga is who you might call a serial marathoner. In fact, he has run 311 of them so far. On every continent, including Antarctica. He has run one in every state – three times. Keenan’s goal for 2024 is to run 100 marathons, including 13 in 15 days, plus a 100-miler. You’ll undoubtedly enjoy hearing about his cool experiences running among pol…

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#291 - WE ARE GENE BENNETT, AN IRAQ WAR VETERAN WHO DID NOT DESERVE THE CRAPPER 1:30:42

9M ago1:30:42

1:30:42

Helping and honoring our military veterans was deeply meaningful to David, and he helped support them with his American Heroes Run. As you may know, I now direct the event to continue his important legacy. Proceeds support Warriors’ Ascent, an organization that provides holistic programs to veterans and first responders experiencing post-traumatic …

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#290 - WE ARE JOE CORCIONE HELPING EVERY RUNNER HIT THEIR GOALS IN THE EVERYDAY ULTRA PODCAST 1:44:01

9M ago1:44:01

1:44:01

In a little bit of a twist, I’m chatting today with another podcaster, Joe Corcione, from the Everyday Ultra Podcast. Joe is a fellow New Yorker who also cheers for, and often suffers with, my same New York teams the Giants, Yankees, Rangers, and Knicks. The Everyday Ultra Podcast is laser-focused on the ultrarunning world with one of the best line…

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#289 - WE ARE MARSHALL ULRICH, MORE EPIC ADVENTURES FOR THIS EPIC ADVENTURER 1:33:24

9M ago1:33:24

1:33:24

If you’ve ever run an ultramarathon, you almost certainly know the name of Marshall Ulrich. His accomplishments are unparalleled, and if I tried to list them, I’d undoubtedly leave out many. I could naturally mention his 29 official Badwater finishes in Death Valley, a race most of us would not want to tackle even once. Or that he dwarfed those fin…

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#288 - WE ARE DAN HERMAN GIVING YOU THE PLAN WHEN YOUR RESOLUTION HAS BLOWN UP 1:16:20

9M ago1:16:20

1:16:20

We are into the dog days of winter, and for a lot of folks the days are gray and cold and New Year’s resolutions are starting to fade into oblivion. That’s why I thought it would be great to bring back Dan Herman, whose upbeat approach to health, fitness, and setting goals would be a refreshing antidote to the winter blahs. Dan owns Dan Herman Perf…

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#287 - BILL AND JACK'S EXCELLENT ADVENTURE IN ASIA, PART 2 1:44:43

10M ago1:44:43

1:44:43

For 24 days beginning in mid-October, Jack Rubalcave and Bill (and Nigel Leonis for part of the trip), had an amazing time traveling through 7 countries in Asia. In part 1 of this trilogy, we described the incredible energy and culture shock we experienced in Japan, and the interesting Communist world of Vietnam. In this episode, we share with you …

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#286 - BILL AND JACK'S EXCELLENT ADVENTURE IN ASIA, PART 1 1:49:53

10M ago1:49:53

1:49:53

For 24 days beginning in mid-October, Jack Rubalcave and Bill (and Nigel Leonis for part of the trip), traveled through 7 countries in Asia. It was truly an amazing trip and we crammed an incredible amount of activities and saw so many sights in such a short span of time in each place. We each brought only a backpack. We took 13 flights in the 24 d…

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#285 - A NEW YEAR'S POWER PLAY - HOW TO RESET FROM A BAD YEAR 21:10

10M ago21:10

21:10

It's that time of year for resolutions and goal-setting. But how do you do this after last year was derailed and you're still struggling to take the first steps to even set goals for the new year? Using my own current experience battling back from August bunion surgery that still hasn't yielded good results, I discuss strategies to set your sights …

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#284 - WHICH RUNNERS NEED A COACH AND WHAT ONE CAN DO FOR YOU WITH MIKI McCONAHA 1:06:39

11M ago1:06:39

1:06:39

It’s the New Year, and we all know what that means. Perhaps you are already on your way to working toward your 2024 goals. Others might be planning to start on Jan. 1. Or maybe later when the snow begins to melt. Some will go it alone, so to speak. But for a great many, coaching will improve the chances you can have success. After all, I have yet t…

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#283 - SOBER F*CKING CHRISTMAS 2023 WITH GARY STOTLER 1:17:07

11M ago1:17:07

1:17:07

Our annual tradition is back! We began this with David Clark and have continued it since. Gary, a former obese alcoholic who became an ultramarathoner and all-around extremely insightful human, and I share a chat which goes in any and all directions. Always one of our most downloaded episodes, you're sure to gain some gold nuggets when listening to…

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#282 - WE ARE CHARLIE LAWRENCE, BOLDLY TARGETING THE 50-MILE WORLD RECORD AND NAILING IT 1:45:57

11M ago1:45:57

1:45:57

This year we have highlighted several runners who have logged incredible achievements in longer distance events at a young age. Remember Lauryn Wojcik, who had never raced longer than 6K and yet crushed the Leadville Trail 100? This next performance caught my eye, and the guy is right in my backyard. Boulder-based Charlie Lawrence last month broke …

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#281 - WE ARE NICK MOORE OVERCOMING SORROW TO BECOME THE POET LAUREATE OF HEALING AND GROWTH 1:59:00

11M ago1:59:00

1:59:00

As many of you know, David, the founder of this podcast, was an incredibly insightful man. A lot of that was gleaned from the hardships that he endured, many that were self-inflicted. He also studied Eastern religions like Buddhism which helped him acquire a better understanding of the human psyche, and pointed him toward directing his energies inw…

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#280 POWER PLAY - TAPERING FOR PEAK RACING PERFORMANCE 13:15

1y ago13:15

13:15

Bill Stahl silly_billy@msn.com Facebook Bill Stahl Instagram @stahlor and @coachstahl YouTube We Are Superman Podcast

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#279 POWER PLAY - WHY, WHEN, AND HOW TO USE SURGING TO RACE FASTER 17:09

1y ago17:09

17:09

A quick guide to how to use this very effectively tactic in your races to beat your competition and run faster. Please feel free to contact me if you have specific questions on implementing surges into your tool kit. Bill Stahl silly_billy@msn.com Facebook Bill Stahl Instagram @stahlor and @coachstahl YouTube We Are Superman Podcast…

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#278 - WE ARE JULIA BECKLEY WHEELING FOR 96 HOURS TO SUPPORT ADAPTIVE ATHLETES 1:06:59

1y ago1:06:59

1:06:59

You might remember early last spring, an athlete who I coach, Julia Beckley, had her racing wheelchair stolen from her garage. We put out the word to every local media outlet we could, yet unfortunately it never turned up. However, the good news is that a GoFundMe that was setup raised enough funds for Julia to order a new chair and fly to Atlanta …

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#277 - WE ARE NATHAN MAZE, AN UNLIKELY 15-YEAR OLD FINISHES HIS FIRST MARATHON 1:11:17

1y ago1:11:17

1:11:17

Do you know how we look at young kids running and marvel at how free and easy they seem to run because no adult has yet tried to correct their form, so to speak? As you may have heard in the two episodes I presented with the two 18-year olds who finished the Leadville Trail 100, that pair took their own unique and surprising paths to completing the…

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#276 - WE ARE ANDREA OGG LEADING AN EXTRAORDINARY LIFE WITH A TRANSPLANTED HEART 1:56:27

1y ago1:56:27

1:56:27

Imagine trying as hard as you can to run, bike, dance, or hike and yet always struggling to keep up with everyone else. Worse yet, getting told by coaches, PE teachers, even friends that you were just lazy, or worse yet, that you plain sucked? Andrea Ogg experienced that her whole life until she was 35 years old. Then she got the diagnosis that it …

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#275 - WE ARE DREXWELL SEYMOUR CREATING HIS OWN OPPORTUNITIES TO OVERCOME SELF-DOUBT AND ACHIEVE SUCCESS 49:17

1y ago49:17

49:17

We are going to drop into a whole new kind of location on the WASP, the Turks and Caicos Islands, near the Bahamas. Drexwell Seymour was raised in this British possession into a family with very modest means but not knowing any different, he was a happy child. However, he endured quite a bit of racism while in school, which greatly affected his sel…

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#274 - WE ARE LAURYN WOJCIK, AN 18-YEAR OLD LEADVILLE FINISHER WITH A UNIQUE APPROACH, AND AHR HIGHLIGHTS 1:32:26

1y ago1:32:26

1:32:26

We have spoken on the WASP with a few of among the hundreds of amazing personal stories of how they got to the starting line of the Leadville Trail 100, and more so, to the finish line. I was rather impressed with the 18-year old guy we spoke with, Alden Iselin, completing the race as such a green runner, but the 18-year old division female winner,…

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WASP #273 - WE ARE JP GIBLIN, TWO YEARS FROM THE NAVY TO LEADVILLE CHAMPION 1:28:34

1y ago1:28:34

1:28:34

This year’s Leadville Trail 100’s winners both hail from Boulder, CO, so I got to venture a tad north and west to visit at the house of the men’s winner, JP Giblin. JP seized control of the race just beyond Winfield, the mid-point of the race, and he kept adding onto his lead, finishing in 17:07:25, 40 minutes ahead of runner-up Luke Paulson on one…

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#272- WE ARE ALDEN ISELIN, 18-YEAR OLD LEADVILLE TRAIL 100 FINISHER 1:54:47

1y ago1:54:47

1:54:47

When I first ran the Leadville Trail 100 in the early 90s, and for many years afterward, there had never been a finisher younger than 23 years old. A few had unsuccessfully tried, but it was considered too much of an endeavor for a younger person to do the necessary training for an ultramarathon. But then along came Clare Gallagher and Annie Hughes…

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