Like a Bigfoot

Motivation, Mindset, Positivity, Endurance, Adventure, Perseverance, and Possibility

Month: October 2020

Like a Bigfoot Podcast #224: Arshay Cooper — “A Most Beautiful Thing”, The Power of Opportunity

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 9th Wonder. The film tells the story of the team’s intro to rowing and then reunites them as grown men to compete again. It is ABSOLUTELY fantastic and will bring you to tears.

I was completely honored and inspired by Arshay (especially because he’s been doing nonstop interviews for the past five months) and cannot wait for you to listen to our conversation.  I highly recommend both his book and his movie and respect Arshay spreading his positive message of love, inclusion, community and the power of opportunities!

Along with watching the film, please support and donate to the George Pocock Rowing Foundation to promote opportunities in the sport of rowing to more diverse and underserved communities – https://www.pocockfoundation.org/copy-of-a-most-beautiful-thing

MORE FROM ARSHAY COOPER AND “A MOST BEAUTIFUL THING”

Website: https://www.arshaycooper.com

Movie: https://www.amostbeautifulthing.com

Book: https://www.amazon.com/Most-Beautiful-Thing-Americas-All-Black/dp/1250754763

Donate to George Pocock Rowing Foundation: https://www.pocockfoundation.org/copy-of-a-most-beautiful-thing

MORE LIKE A BIGFOOT:

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Like a Bigfoot Podcast #223: Lindsey Weaver — C and O Canal FKT, Withstanding 184.5 Miles to D.C.

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 community building amongst a time where individuals have been forced into relative isolation.  At the end of the day it really is our contribution to our community and our community’s contribution to use, in the form of positive uplift, that will really help us through the bumpy parts of life and out the other side.

Hope you all enjoy the episode!! Huge thanks to Lindsey and best of luck in whatever she sets her mind to next!!

MORE FROM LINDSEY WEAVER:

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

Frederick Article: https://www.fredericknewspost.com/news/education/schools/public_k-12/high_school/middletown/middletown-high-librarian-becomes-first-woman-to-run-length-of-c-o-canal/article_0b26909d-f3a6-5da8-84a9-d1f213387fd4.html

Canada Trail Running Magazine: https://runningmagazine.ca/trail-running/american-ultrarunner-sets-300k-fkt-from-northwestern-maryland-to-d-c/

NBC Sports: https://www.nbcsports.com/washington/maryland-ultrarunner-completes-record-breaking-189-mile-trek-down-co-canal-towpath

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

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Like a Bigfoot Podcast #222: Paul Schurke — Retracing the Expeditions of Peary, Shackleton and Roosevelt

https://soundcloud.com/chris-ward-126531464/222-paul-schurke/s-tNFm5JWVWOc
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 storyteller!! Can’t wait to share this one with you all!!
Big thanks to my dad for telling me that I have to reach out to Paul after reading “Northland” by Porter Fox.  The lesson is…always listen to your dad!
More from Paul Schurke:
Wintergreen Northern Wear: https://www.wintergreennorthernwear.com

Like a Bigfoot Podcast #221: Phil Pinti & Brady Manriquez — “Making the Most of it!!”

“For so long…you’re not at the top…”- Brady Manriquez after climbing his first 14er (Please someone make this a 14er shirt!!)

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 FROM PHIL PINTI:

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

MORE LIKE A BIGFOOT:

Subscribe and Review on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/like-a-bigfoot/id1160773293?mt=2

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Like a Bigfoot Podcast #220: Alyssa Clark — Running 95 Marathons in 95 Days

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 episode!

Also Rob is acting as our special cohost to intro Alyssa at the beginning of the show and chat filmmaking and his “Triple Crown of 200s” doc in the outro so I hope you all enjoy those segments as well!

MORE FROM ALYSSA CLARK:

Training4Adventure: https://www.training4adventure.com/home-1

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

Training for Ultra Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-training-for-ultra-podcast/id1265633252

Trail Runner Magazine Article: https://trailrunnermag.com/people/for-95-straight-days-alyssa-clark-ran-a-marathon-setting-a-new-record.html

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

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

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