This week we are chatting with Juddson Vance fresh off of finishing the Centennials, Colorado’s 100 tallest mountains!!

Juddson has spent many weekends over the last few years chipping away at his big adventure, driving and camping all around the state and climbing not only the 14ers but also some of the most rugged and remote 13ers.  This is a quest that many strive for and few complete, so it’s a major accomplishment for him and one that I’m very excited to hear about.

In this episode we hear various tales from the Centennials along with digging into Juddson’s “why” and discover how mountains and wilderness have shaped his life.  For those mountain lovers out there, you will hear about a variety of 14ers including some of the more sketchy traverses, along with some of the lesser hiked mountains like Thunder Pyramid, Vestal, and Jagged.  Juddson also shares some of the more bizarre experiences he has had out in the Colorado Wilderness.

Hope you guys enjoy the episode! I really loved hearing Juddson’s stories and wish him nothing but the best for everything he pursues in the future!

MORE FROM JUDDSON AND THE CENTENNIALS:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/juddson/

Centennials: https://www.peakbagger.com/list.aspx?lid=21363

More Centennial Information: https://www.summitpost.org/colorado-centennials/699526

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

Stitcher Archives: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/like-a-bigfoot

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/likeabigfoot/

This week I’m very excited to sit down and chat with former Iowa Hawkeye and Philadelphia Eagle offensive Lineman Julian Vandervelde!

Julian has had quite the athletic journey.  Finding success at a young age in the little league world series through becoming a four year football starter at the University of Iowa to becoming a 5th round draft pick in the NFL to throwing heavy stuff while wearing a kilt at the Highland Games.

Jumping head first into each sport with a “Blank Slate” mindset, he has discovered lessons he’s carried over into all aspects of his life.

In this episode, Julian shares tales from his journey.  What the offensive line mentality is and what it takes to play at such a high level and how he’s transitioned that mindset into his post-NFL life.

One of my favorite stories in the show was when he describes football from the perspective of a lineman- how he used visualization and preparation to be successful throughout his career.   This viewpoint is such an awesome part of football most people do not recognize or consider so it was really fun, as an ex-lineman myself, to shine a light on tales from the linemen trenches!  We also chat about what led him to the Highland Games, an event that can only be described as people throwing super heavy things like telephone poles, weights on chains and hammers all while rocking kilts at various Scottish festivals.

Julian is an awesome person who is incredibly smart and kind.  I want to thank him for sharing his time with us for the show!

Hope you guys enjoy the interview as much as I did!!

MORE FROM JULIAN VANDERVELDE:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BatMandervelde

NFL Films Segment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ndo_dwQZ2Dw

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

Stitcher Archives: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/like-a-bigfoot

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/likeabigfoot/

This week we welcome Danny “Oreo” a world traveler from Germany fresh of of completing her hike of the Pacific Crest Trail!

Over the 2,653 miles from Mexico to Canada Danny experienced all the ups and downs that the trail brings.  Forming beautiful friendships and pushing her own boundaries, she battled everything from the dry heat (and hills!) of the desert to postholing through insanely deep snow in the high country.  This being her first trip to America, she also formed a unique perspective on the beauty and culture of our country (and the weirdness of Poptarts).

Her last seven years have been absorbed with travel.  She left school, flew to Australia where she spent a year before deciding to check out New Zealand and, before she knew it, she was a full time traveler.

Danny is quite a fun, adventurous spirit and I was curious if lessons she learned from traveling came into play through her 5 months trekking through the woods.

I have so much respect and envy for the folks who take on thru-hiking and absolutely love sharing their stories on the podcast.  To me, the Appalachian Trail or the Pacific Crest Trail feels like the epitome of epic advneture and I really think anyone who is seeking a change in life, searching for a community of awesome people, or even pursuing self realization should take thru-hiking one of these epic trails into consideration.

Thank you so much for sharing Danny!! I look forward to chatting with you again in the future!

Enjoy the show!

MORE FROM DANNY:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oreo_on_the_road/?hl=en

The Trek Articles: https://thetrek.co/author/daniela-drees/

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

Stitcher Archives: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/like-a-bigfoot

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/likeabigfoot/

On this week’s episode we are chatting all about the epic Tahoe 200 mile endurance race with my friend Thomas Mullins!

I was recently asked to think about a person I look up to and have great respect for.  Instantly my answer was Thomas.  This is a guy who shows up, gets the work done, is incredibly driven to accomplish great things all while never forgetting the real important part of life, how we give to others and help them along the way.

Thomas and I met at Desert RATS 2018 and ran quite a bit of the course together.  As an ultra runner he has the most incredible focus and stoic nature.  He sticks to his plan throughout these long events while also displaying the adaptability needed to survive weather changes, severe heat and other things that could possibly go wrong.  I’ve learned more from him than anyone else in endurance sports and really look up to the guy!

Having recently finished the Tahoe 200, a Destination Trails race that circumnavigates Lake Tahoe, Thomas joins us to chat all about this incredible event!  Over the course of 205 miles, he persevered through a snowstorm, was attacked by bees, and experienced beautiful sunrises and sunsets over this beautiful wilderness.  In this episode we get to hear how he prepared for this race with no long runs over 4.5 hours, how he focused on showing up to the start line healthy, and what his strategy was for the race days.

My favorite part of the show was chatting about what he discovers about himself and what he is ultimately chasing by testing his limits.

I’m very impressed with him as a person and as an ultra runner and am so very excited to share this with you today!

MORE FROM THOMAS MULLINS:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tab_mullins/?hl=en

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

Stitcher Archives: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/like-a-bigfoot

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/likeabigfoot/

In this episode we are reconnecting with our friend Phil Pinti as he prepares for two big races- the Yeti 100 (his first 100 miler) and the inaugural Marine Corps Marathon 50k (which I’m flying out to run with him).

Phil is a few weeks ago from the Yeti 100, a hugely popular race in Virginia.  We chat about how he’s preparing, his expectations going into the race, and what strategies he is going to use in order to survive and endure all those miles.

As always when talking with Phil, our conversation meanders in and out of all sorts of topics.  Through this winding road, we stumbled upon the issue of our own cell phone use.  In short, we are exposing ourselves to way too much screen time.  Ultimately, this distraction is keeping us from connecting to the present moment, to being truly focused on what’s most important, acting in a conscious way versus a “zombie mode”.  Steering the ship rather than letting the winds blow us wherever.

We dubbed this challenge the “Right Fielder” challenge.  (Listen to the show to find out why!)  We are going to make an attempt at keeping our cell phone screen time to less than one hour a day, with an emphasis on limiting our social media time.

Feel free to join us!! We’re basically just texting each other screenshots of our “screen time” app.  I’m not really sure how we could turn this into a thing multiple people engage in so if you have any ideas email them to likeabigfoot@gmail.com!  We’ll get this thing rolling!!

Thanks for chatting Phil! Always a great time!

Hope you guys enjoy the show!!

MORE FROM PHIL PINTI:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/macho_man_runneth/

Like a Bigfoot #136: https://soundcloud.com/chris-ward-126531464/136-phil-pinti

Like a Bigfoot #150: https://soundcloud.com/chris-ward-126531464/150-phil-pinti-2

Like a Bigfoot #153: https://soundcloud.com/chris-ward-126531464/153-return-to-desert-rats

East Coast Trail and Ultra Episode: https://eastcoastultrapodcast.com/2018/06/07/episode-89-macho-madness-yeah/

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

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 we are celebrating three years of the Like a Bigfoot Podcast!!

In September 2016 I was a stay at home dad with two of my kiddos, a 2 year old and a newborn.  I knew I needed some sort of creative outlet to work on each and every week (and an excuse to chat with grownups!), I had a handful of friends who had some incredible stories, and as a huge podcast fan I had always wanted to start one myself.

It was nerve wracking, there was a lot of self doubt, but I pulled the trigger and committed to posting one a week for a year and just see where it went from there.

Through consistent action and not striving for perfection but instead looking for improvement, the show has grew and all of a sudden I was not only interviewing my friends but I was talking with some incredible athletes and super awesome people.  People who I didn’t know were sending me messages about how much they enjoyed the show, I was going for runs with some of the folks I had previously interviewed, and the podcast was helping me grow as a person through these weekly conversations.

All of a sudden this fun passion project was engrained in my life.  And I am so thankful it is.

And I am so grateful for you guys for dropping in and listening or choosing a show of ours once in a while or tuning in to a friend who I’ve interviewed or binging every single one.  However you stumbled across this little passion project, I just wanted to say “thank you”, I hope you’ve received as much inspiration from our incredible Like a Bigfoot tribe as I have and I sincerely hope it’s added some sort of goodness to your life.

After all, shouldn’t spreading goodness be something we all strive for?

Much love

Chris

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 chatting with the awesome North Carolina Ultrarunner Jacky Hunt-Broersma after her recent adventure taking on the TransRockies Stage Race.

In 2001 a cancerous tumor was discovered on a nerve in Jacky’s foot.  One week later she had her leg amputated.  A decade and a half later she decided to become a trail runner.  Now she’s paving the way for other amputees to get out onto the trails and enjoy this great sport!

She’s gone from non-runner to ultra-runner all while workshopping how to make blade work best on the trails.  As she’s increased in miles and difficult terrain (I’ve ran in North Carolina…that’s some rocky and rooty country!), she’s proven the people who have told her that she “shouldn’t trail run” wrong.  Now Jacky’s fresh off a 6 day stage race where she ran over mountain passes and competed at some serious altitude.

On this episode we chat about how ultra-running has shifted her mindset, what she finds by challenging herself over difficult terrain, and how she has combated her own self doubt along with the people who have told her “she shouldn’t”, “she can’t” or “she won’t be able to”, whom she has proven that she “should”, “can”, and “will.”

Jacky is awesome and super inspirational!! You will find a bunch of excellent takeaways in this episode!

Thanks for listening!!

MORE FROM JACKY:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/NCRunnerJacky/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NCrunnerjacky

Women’s Running Article: https://www.womensrunning.com/2019/06/get-inspired/shes-blazing-a-trail-for-other-amputees_102592

Ultrarunning Magazine Article:  https://ultrarunning.com/featured/blue-collar-runners-jacky-hunt-broersma/

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 on the show we are bringing you two, count them, TWO guests!!

We’re back with our 4th edition of “Bigfoot Sightings”, the episodes where we catch up briefly with a few of our favorite people from previous shows.

First, we have the awesome Calvin Johannsen fresh off of his 2nd successful summit of the iconic Mt. Rainier.  In this episode he shares the story of his new adventure.  The importance of good people while experiencing a sufferfest, why he was so dang sleep deprived over the course of his adventure, and why working as a team got him to the top!

Then we are reconnecting with Jason Sudduth and his wife Joy as they share adventures in running and ultra running in the Southeast.  Jason recently signed up for his first 50 miler and catch back up with his trail running adventures at Grayson Highlands and Quest for the Crest before tackling the topic of injury prevention.  Joy started working at the Brick, the local running store, and has been battling through some injuries as well.  We chat about why we need to slowly ramp up the miles to prevent future pain and misery in our running careers!

Hope you all enjoy!!

THE REST OF JASON’S STORY:

Getting healthy and hiking the Linville Gorge: https://soundcloud.com/chris-ward-126531464/39-jason-sudduth

Training Chat: https://soundcloud.com/chris-ward-126531464/52-bigfoot-sightings

Race Day Expectations: https://soundcloud.com/chris-ward-126531464/61-bigfoot-sightings-2

MORE FROM CALVIN:

Join 100 CLUB: http://join100club.com

The 100 CLUB Facebook Group:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/832978636814272/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/calvin.johannsen/

Calvin Johannsen 1st appearance on the Podcast: https://soundcloud.com/chris-ward-126531464/like-a-bigfoot-episode-2-calvin-johannsen-9516-1023-am

Calvin Johannsen 2nd appearance on the Podcast: https://soundcloud.com/chris-ward-126531464/like-a-bigfoot-calvin-18-johannsen-2

“Bigfoot Sightings”: https://soundcloud.com/chris-ward-126531464/52-bigfoot-sightings

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/

(Cover Photo by Randy Ericksen)

This week on the show we are reconnecting with public speaker, coach, ultra runner, and creator of Right to Shine Jayson Sime.

We last spoke with Jayson on Episode #85 about Brendan Leonard’s fantastic short film “How to Run 100 Miles”, one of the best ultra running films out there and the story of Jayson and Brendan’s very first 100 miler.

This time we are chatting about his second 100 mile attempt at the Black Hills 100.  I think you can discern from this episode’s title that the race didn’t quite go as planned, resulting in a DNF after 82.5 tough miles.

In this episode, Jayson shares the lessons he learned from that experience as it applies to both ultra running and everyday life.  We also chat about how to rebound from, process, and grow from a DNF.

As a public speaker, author and coach Jayson uses his optimism and his energy to help people reach for their full potential.  Please check out his website www.righttoshine.com for more info and some awesome personal growth articles!

Hope you all enjoy the show!!

MORE FROM JAYSON SIME:

Right to Shine Website: http://righttoshine.com

“Self-Care Hacks” Book: http://righttoshine.com/book/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/righttoshine/?hl=en

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Righttoshinetoday/

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 chatting with ultra runner Erica Rackley fresh off of running 100 miles through the mountains!

For the past few months Erica has put in hours and hours of work training for her first 100 miler and a few weeks ago she crossed the finish line of the High Lonesome 100 out here in Colorado.  In this episode, we chat all about what led her to toeing the start line of such an epic event, the adventures (and misadventures) she had throughout the race, and her thoughts and reflections throughout the days following.

Erica chats openly about how she felt about her performance in the race.  It’s an interesting dynamic- how do you navigate feeling like you accomplished something huge while also feeling like you didn’t perform as well as you expected. Erica does a great job explaining her perspective and I really found it interesting to discuss.

If you are ever. visiting Summit County, Colorado, Erica is in charge of organizing the trail running trips for the Colorado Adventure Guides.  Be sure to check them out!! She’ll take you on some incredibly beautiful trails away from the crowds as she designs routes custom made for you and your trip!  Find more info here: https://www.coloradoadventureguides.com.

Thanks for listening!!! I really learned a lot from this episode and hope you find some great takeaways from Erica’s story!

(Cover photo by: Mile 90 Photography)

MORE FROM ERICA:

Colorado Adventure Guides Website: https://www.coloradoadventureguides.com

High Lonesome 100: https://www.highlonesome100.com

Photos from High Lonesome: https://www.mile90.com/Race-Photos/2019/High-Lonesome-100-2019

Grand Traverse: https://thegrandtraverse.org

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/