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

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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

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“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/

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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

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