Google Rebecca Rusch. Go ahead. You won't be disappointed in the athlete with a heart as big as the world she has traveled on foot, bike, and water. Rebecca shares some of her best and most inspiring stories, why she finally wrote a book(and how difficult is was), and what she is working on next. Learn how the "Queen Of Pain" got to where she is today and why there is a good chance you have a place to stay next time to visit Idaho!
Why would you continue to ski after your younger brother was lost due to a skiing accident? To honor him of course. No one could honor him more than today's guest who ski's with as much skill and passion as anyone who has put on two planks. The first Olympic skiier to really make the transition to big mountain skiing shares her amazing story that got her where she is today. A case for why more woman should ski and some of the adventures along the way can be heard on the show. We know you will en...
This has got to be the most selfish show in the history of podcasting. We bring back the amazing Jess McMillan, one of the most accomplished and skilled big mountain skiers to live and we make her teach us how to work our way up to epic cliff jumps. WE agree it is 90% mental but for the physical prep and how to build up to 30 foot drops, this is the show for you. She has dropped a 60 footer so she is the authority! The interview is fun and we go into other mental toughness skills that will help ...
"It doesn't get much closer than this," the doctor told Jered in a MASH unit in a war zone as he showed him the bullet laying directly on his younger brother's femoral artery. This was in 2004 and maybe as unlikely as any war time event. Listen today as Jered tells the story. He takes us on his military career in the jungles of Panama where he was stalked by a panther for a full night. His unlikely 2 week career and what it led to present day bringing jobs and industry to his small home town on ...
Adventure. Where does it start? How does someone know this is the path they want to take? Athlete On Fire has had some amazing adventurers on the show. This episode showcases an athlete that is an elite kayaker and big mountain free skier. Featured regularly on Warren Miller and Matchstick Productions films she has made it to the top of the sport. Traveling the world and overcoming fear are themes we cover. Hear her story about why losing multiple friends in the kayaking world in one year pushed...
In her newest book, our guest takes over the world of obstacle racing from it inception to the big players today and some of the craziness and scandal that surrounds it all. As an athlete herself, she shares her story of endurance, how she got into the sport and some great stories along the way. Dealing with injury and mental toughness are a constant theme for any athlete and she shares her take on both. If you weren't hooked on obstacle racing or endurance sports, you are going to want to give ...
If you ever had that itch to do something big. Something bigger than yourself but you just never acted on it, then this guest is here to inspire you. Besides a career and life spent pushing the boundaries in the mountains he continues to challenge himself. One day, he was riding his bike and an idea popped into his head. Why don't I ski all of the Colorado 14ers in one year. That was it. He was obsessed and had to make it happen. This story and so many others from an adventurous elite athlete wi...
The Appalachian Trail. The Pacific Coast Trail. The Tahoe Rim through hike. These are challenges worthy of any athlete, any hiker. Today's Athlete On Fire just happens to be blind. Yes, blind. He has hiked many of our classic routes without the ability to see. He wasn't born blind either. He lived with his sight until a fateful and life changing blindness happened when he was 36 years old. His amazing endurance and story is sure to inspire you to get out there and do some amazing things yourself...
Our guest today thrives on being surrounded by natural beauty. He has made his career dependant on it as a photographer who has captured the heart of adventure. He shares why he has to train or work out for two hours a day. Who are three photographers he looks up to? He shares that as well. He shares his journey from a typical young man playing typical sports to life as an adventurer. Listen to his Fitness On Fire recommendation and what he is training for these. We love adventurous guests and y...
You have to be pretty darn tough to earn the nickname "The Queen Of Pain." If today's guest is anything, it is tough. We try to take you on a journey with her through her life and career as an inspiring athlete who has been a world class adventure racer, paddler, and more recently, mountain biker. Learn how she is able to mentally and physically perform at the highest level. Find out why she had to write her book, where she grew up, about her family and more. Our friends at SOLE were gracious en...
Is running a skill? Our guest says it is and he has over 35 years of research to prove it. We go back in time to when and where the Pose Method originated. You'll hear how our guest spent Saturdays on top of a train headed for the beach. He shares inspiring stories of how he got his start as an athlete as a high jumper. He still holds records to this day. We talk about his inspiration for his newest book, The Running Revolution, and he even tries to teach us how to say some running related phras...
"At the end of the day, you have to be a fighter." If any quote summed up an athlete more than this we haven't seen it. Inspired as a young athlete on a ranch in Texas by none other than the Karate Kid movie, today's Athlete On Fire has gone on to do some amazing things in the sport of MMA. Cast on the first season of the Ultimate Fighter show and having early succes in UFC launched our guest to athletic heights but there was adversity. A health scare led to a comeback. His comeback led to start...
Chances are, you have probably participated in an obstacle race. After all, millions and millions of people have last year alone. Well, in today's episode we are inspired by one of the best obstacle course racers in the world. She has a regular job and works her butt off every day just like you and I and that's where the inspiration starts. She is totally relatable. She only runs 15-20 miles a week for training but you have to listen to understand why. She has competed in 24 hour races and the s...
In this episode of the CoolDown Scott and Lauren Jones talk about the adventure gene. Are you more curious than your peers? Do you always wonder what is around the corner? Are you restless? Find out what some of the most common traits of the adventure gene are and the type of people that are believed to carry it. After having so many elite endurance athletes and adventurers on the Athlete On Fire show we wanted to dive a bit more into what drives them, and others that just seem to be a little mo...
What happens when you have spents days out on the desert, running, nonstop? Well, sometimes you see things that aren't there. Sometimes you find your passion out there as well. Today's guest has done both. She was the youngest and the first female to complete the 4 deserts challenge. Conquering 100's of unsupported miles in the world's most extreme deserts. She works a full time job and shares how you can reach your athletic goals as a working athlete. This is powerful as we are all mostly worki...
Our guest is nothing if not passionate about the sport he has made his career. As the only Irish born NBA ever he shares the story of how he came to play basketball after an initial love of hockey. A 7 inch growth spurt somewhat ruined that dream as did the powerful, and negative, words of his first high school coach. Things would change as his family would move to a new state, playing for a new coach. Hard work and a journeyman's attitude would pay off in college and playing overseas and he sha...
This episode of Athlete On Fire brings a National Champion and world class athlete in the sport of cyclocross in to the mix. He shares what his family did every summer and how it formed his idea of what work is. He got into his sport at 15 and pretty much never looked back. He shares how his optimism allows him to compete at a high level and what a day in the life is like. He breaks down the sport of cyclocross for anyone who may not know what it is and his passion is contagious. After today's s...
Our guest today is a a self proclaimed lifetime athlete. From excelling in football at a young age to playing division I at Colorado State University, sprinting at the highest level and playing professionally, he takes us through it all. A broken family at an early age had him living out of a car with his sister. This led to stops at foster homes and inconsistency as a growing young man. His story is great for anyone who thinks you can't make it from a bad start. He is a cerebral athlete and sha...
Our guest was one of the catalysts for Athlete On Fire as a Colorado buddy of Scott's and he just happens to be an amazing athlete himself. Learn how he manages a crazy work/life balance with training for endurance mountain biking, raising two little ones, and running his own successful online brand and podcast, Mountain Bike Radio. We talk about how being authentic is a byproduct of tough endurance racing and how to break down long events. He gives some great actionable advice and we go off top...
Our guest is first and foremost an adventurer. He started in the world of motor sports and eventually came upon penny farthings. Yes, those crazy old school bikes with the giant front tire. He began building these after taking some notes at a museum. His talent and passion allowed him to build the very bikes he would ride all over the world. Join us to learn how he prepares mentally and physically for these amazing journeys. He is truly an Athlete On Fire!
Our guest is a runner. He runs ultra's and marathons at a very high level. His consistency and ability to run so many distances at a high level is his hallmark. Here is the kicker. He works a regular 9 to 5 and has a great family life. The show was even recorded in his office to fit us in and I love the authenticity here. He has raced in the last 6 weeks in New Zealand, the North Pole, Boston , and Big Sur. He has done some really cool things in the sport and you are going to enjoy how he takes ...
Our guest is a runner. He has mastered so many distances and styles of race that we could never cover it all in just one show but he does take us on the journey. From a childhood spent in the woods to the aventurous life in the Pacific NW we cover everything from the transition to Ultra distances to the Cascade Trifecta, an amazing attempt at an amazing feat. Stay with us as he gives a great running challenge for you to try out and if you have kids you are going to love what he is trying out for...
Our guest wanted a change from his life in his early thirties so he join a running club, ran his first marathon, and was hooked with the "running bug". Fast forward to being named the Ultra Runner of year in Australia in 2013. We find out what a day in the life for him is like, and it is filled to the brim. As a sponsored athlete, special education teacher, and coach he shares stories from all three that are interesting and inspiring. We hope you all draw from the strength and integrity of this ...
Our guest is wildly entertaining. Almost as wild as the events she competes in all over the world as the first female obstacle course racer. She tells stories of failure and why you shouldn't take yourself so seriously. She shares a story of a man who was once 700 pounds and how it inspired her. Her story about a crazy event in Nicaragua has everything from carrying live chickens to climbing bamboos poles and almost losing it. She is also a writer on obstacle racing and has her very own book wit...
Our guest is an adventurer first and foremost. His attraction to wild and beautiful places has led him to where he is today as an inspiring ultra runner, coach, and photographer. His website alone will leave you awestruck and ready to hit the road, trail, rail, or air! He shares what works for him on the trail and some amazing insights from his crazy adventures including a crazy incidence at the Hardrock 100. His early days were spent in Europe with teacher parents and he shares some of those ex...
Our guest is a former Olympian and current running liason to the masses. He shares how making the 1972 Olympic team changed his life in how he wanted to share the sport he loved with the world. He founded the first specialty running store in the US. He tells stories of his upbringing including a great one about his dad, Elliott Galloway, who ran his first marathon in under 3 hours around 60 years old. It's an inspiring story for sure. He goes on to share the importance of mantra's and how they f...
Our guest is a writer and runner. Amongst other things she shares her process and how she was able to write her very powerful memoir, "So Far." She has great insights to the running world as long time contributor to "Runner's World". She used running as medication and therapy as well as her natural love of the act. Learn about why running and being active in general was important coming from such a difficult situation at home. We touch on some new topics to Athlete On Fire including mental healt...
Our guest takes us to Boston with amazing perspective in his newest book "4:09:43." This is just his newest project. Learn how one of the true legends in the running world got started running and writing and how he has been able to be successful in both endeavors. Hal takes us through his life decade by decade and shares some great stories, including the one regarding his 1964 Boston Marathon where he finished as the first American. I learned so much and you will too. You are going to feel like ...
Our guest started from humbling roots in unicycling. You heard that right! From a champion unicycler to world class endurance athlete, he take us on a pretty sweet journey that includes some ridiculous feats. He also shares some of the ways he prepared for the World's Toughest Mudder and why it's so important to be strong for endurance!
Our guest bagged every one of New Hampshires 48 4,000 foot peaks multiple times and even in the winter. He is an avid ultra runner and as passionate about his athletic pursuits as any guest we've had on the show. He shares some great inspiring stories and even one about a blind man doing amazing things in the mountains. You are going on an adventure today!
