“That day, for no particular reason, I decided to go for a little run.” – Forrest Gump

I’m extremely excited to welcome Rob Pope, the real life Forrest Gump, to this week’s show!

Over the last few years, Rob has taken on the EPIC challenge of recreating Forrest Gump’s famous run.  Over 15,000 miles across the United States 5 times, he tested the limits of his own endurance and experienced the U.S. to the absolute fullest.  Over his year and a half adventure he experienced highs and lows, received major support from strangers along the way, and ran through some of the most iconic places in the country.  The human connections he made, along with the places he explored were life changing.  Completing the challenge was absolutely unprecedented.

Today’s episode is all about this INCREDIBLE ADVENTURE.

Rob shares how one of his last conversations with his mother about “Doing one thing that makes a difference in this world” inspired this challenge.  He also chats about the adventures he had along the way, along with the obstacles he had to overcome (including a torn quadricep..yikes!).  We also talk a lot about one of my favorite subjects….Tom Hanks!

Please check out Rob’s website.  He would love your help supporting two excellent charities- Peace Direct and World Wildlife Fund.

Enjoy!!

MORE FROM ROB POPE:

Website: http://www.goingthedistancerun.com/

Support WWF and Peace Direct: https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-display/showROFundraiserPage?userUrl=goingthedistancerun&pageUrl=2

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

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

BBC Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-merseyside-43517715

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This week I’m honored to share a conversation with Josh Sprague, adventure racer, ultra endurance athlete, and founder of adventure gear company Orange Mud.

We chat all about his recent attempt at Leadman, the series where competitors take on every single Leadville, CO endurance event over the summer.  Josh also shares stories from his time as an adventure racer and discusses what led him down the path of creating adventure gear.

I really enjoyed talking with Josh and I hope you guys take as much away from this episode as I did!

MORE FROM JOSH SPRAGUE AND ORANGE MUD:

Orange Mud website: https://www.orangemud.com

Orange Mud Adventure Channel Podcast: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/orange-mud-adventure-channel/id1206428899?mt=2

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

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

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

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This week we are talking with Jay Lund, an athlete who has taken on many impressive adventures and has stepped up to some intense challenges in his life.  In this episode we talk about a bunch of different topics; everything from his recent race at the Yeti 100 in Virginia to the joys of east coast trail running to dodging alligators in Florida trail races.

We also spend a bit of time talking about underwater cave diving which is an incredibly dangerous sport that Jay explored for quite a few years.  The general idea is that you scuba dive into various cave systems.  It sounds like the definition of extreme and requires some intense focus and preparation.  Jay is really knowledgeable and his stories about cave diving will have you on the edge of your seat!

Thanks for coming on the show Jay, I really appreciated hanging and am grateful that you shared your stories with the podcast.

Hope you guys enjoy! We’ll catch you next week.

MORE FROM JAY LUND:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/voodoo36?lang=en

Desert RATS bio: https://geminiadventures.com/desert-rats-bio-2018-lay-lund/

How Cave Diving Works: https://adventure.howstuffworks.com/outdoor-activities/water-sports/cave-diving.htm

Yeti 100: https://www.yetitrailrunners.com/races/2017/9/29/l15tjltymtozh89rqy4ntmapfc6nlb

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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This week we are talking with Alfredo Garcia Huerta, an incredible athlete from Virginia, about the ups and downs he experienced taking on his very first Ironman triathlon.

An Ironman is something most endurance athletes have on their bucket list with a training that seems incredibly time consuming and intense.  It’s something I’ve always wanted to dig deeper into for this podcast!

In this episode Alfredo shares how he juggled real life with long training sessions, how being 100% committed to the plan leads to no excuses or regrets on race day, the ways in which an Ironman is different than a regular marathon or ultra, and his experience swimming, biking and running his way on the big day.

Enjoy the episode!

MORE FROM ALFREDO:

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

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alfredo.h.garcia

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

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

This week we are reconnecting with Thad Burkamper to talk about his recent Spartan Race Trifecta, what it was like training and running a race with his wife Rachel, his concept of FOCUS- the things that stop us from reaching our goals, and the lessons he learned from his longest run to date!

Hope you guys enjoy this one!! I absolutely loved chatting with Thad and hearing about his adventures!

MORE FROM THAD:

TB Mentalism: https://www.facebook.com/tbmentalism/

Previous LABF episode: https://soundcloud.com/chris-ward-126531464/59-thad-burkamper

MORE LIKE A BIGFOOT:

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This week we welcome back Ryan Esdohr to the show to talk about his recent 48 hour GoRuck Challenge….we end up mostly talking about why we take on these extreme ultra endurance events- all the positives and all the negatives.

What follows is one of my absolute favorite conversations I’ve had in my two years of doing this podcast.  Check it out!

MORE FROM RYAN:

Superhuman Lab: https://www.mysuperhumanlab.com

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

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

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

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On this week’s Like a Bigfoot Podcast, former Indianapolis Colts Linebacker Pat Angerer shares lessons he learned from his journey to the NFL.

Pat talks about the unexpected path his football career took him down, the moment he went “all in” to become the middle linebacker for the Iowa Hawkeyes, his experiences as a rookie in the big league, and how his mindset evolved through each phase of his career.

This is a really enjoyable episode and I hope you guys take as much away from the lessons Pat shares as I did!  Thanks Pat for coming on the show!  I wish you the absolute best on everything you take on in the future!

Also….football season is about to start!!! I’M SO EXCITED!!!!!

MORE FROM PAT ANGERER:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/PAngererUSA

QC Times Article: https://qctimes.com/sports/college/big-10/iowa/former-hawkeyes-angerer-and-greenwood-still-fighting-together-as-a/article_226b71f0-d2de-5c9b-80d6-9e5338b3e9a2.html

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On this week’s episode of the show, I sat down and had a wonderful talking to one of the most influential people in my life, my dad Randy Ward.

We chat about a wide variety of topics but mostly focus on how his experiences growing up in a small southern Iowan town influenced his love for nature and the outdoors.  We also share stories from our father/son trip to Vanuatu, a small chain of islands in the South Pacific where my grandpa served during World War II.  This includes our leaky kayak ocean adventures and when we canyoneered, climbed, and swam our way back into a cave deep in the jungle. (Spoiler ALERT: It was the time I most felt like Indiana Jones!)  Lastly, he tells stories from rafting the Bob Marshall Wilderness Area- one of the wildest places in the U.S.

Hope you guys enjoy this episode!  It was really important for me to understand how and why I developed a love for adventure and exploring the outdoors.  I’ve realized it’s all about the opportunities my parents gave me when I was younger.  I had plenty of moments when they would send me out of the house for time spent aimlessly wondering the woods.  I didn’t always love it in the moment, but that opportunity is what engrained my core values.

So go out and help give other people opportunities for experiences they might absolutely fall in love with!

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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This week’s Like a Bigfoot Podcast features our last Desert RATS episode.  These folks are absolutely amazing athletes and incredible human beings with stories that are intense, motivating, and will hopefully inspire you to step up to your own challenges.

In this episode we start by focusing on some veteran Desert RATS Sue Heineman and Jeff Knackal who were returning for more punishment after a brutally hot 2017 race.  Sue, after winning the whole thing last year and Jeff who, along with his wonderful wife Theresa, was back for his 3rd time!  Then we feature, Jay Lee, a newbie (but legend at crewing ultra endurance athletes) who managed the challenges like a pro in his first big time ultra event.  And finally, we chat with John Graham, the most positive, awesome volunteer who spent his time providing the runners with aid, water, food, and lots of laughs.

This will wrap up the Desert RATS experience for this year!  Thank you guys for listening!  I hope you enjoyed my attempt at telling the story of one incredible event from multiple perspectives, but in all honesty the only way to TRULY capture the magic of this event is to experience it yourself.  Check out the links below if you wanna join me for the 2019 version of this truly unique and awesome stage race.

I’m sure there will be plenty more adventures to share next year!

See you guys next week!!

MORE FROM DESERT RATS:

Gemini Adventures: http://www.geminiadventures.com

Desert RATS registration: https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=51488

Previous race reports: https://ultrarunning.com/featured/desert-rats-kokopelli-150-stage-race-2016/

MORE LIKE A BIGFOOT:

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