#134 - Alive Day: Resilience, Racing, and the Fight to Keep Going with Dave Randall

Dave Randall is a world champion hand cyclist , a former member of Team USA and the founder of Alive Day Apparel , a brand born out of pain , perseverance and purpose . After surviving a life-altering event that should have sidelined him forever , dave chose something different . He chose to rebuild , to fight to find a new lane and to dominate it .

He's taken gold at the world championships , competed on the biggest stages and , through it all , lived out a faith that just refuses to quit . If you're an athlete , coach or just someone trying to keep going when the road gets steep , this episode is for you , because what Dave has to say just might change the way you see pressure , pain and performance .

Let's dive in , dave . So excited to have you on here , man , appreciate you joining us today .

I was in the military , the US Navy Started having a few issues we were in the Persian Gulf at the time Started having a couple medical issues , kind of blew them off . You know , I was only 20 years old , started having some other major issues . So they flew me to Germany . They did an MRI on my spine and brain .

The lady , the nurse , come in and said that I had tumors all over my brain , spinal cord . So yeah , I had my first surgery right before Christmas in 95 , had learned to walk again , everything . So you know , at that age it was very tough .

Uh , but since then , so over the last 30 years , I've had five brain surgeries , four back surgeries , lost the vision in my left eye , had a kidney surgery in uh 2023 . And uh , here I am still racing and riding in uh Wisconsin . What can be better ?

So you know , I was probably depressed for about six months , you know , uh , didn't know really where life was gonna go , um , and then I don't know what happened , I just think for some reason I snapped out of it and then I was on the computer one day and I learned about hand cycling , you know , because I couldn't ride a regular bike anymore .

So I was like what , there's like a bike I could ride . So then found that , and then I started just riding that right , like I'd go out and ride 26 miles , you know , and I was happy about that . But then I found out you could race these things . So I entered the Detroit marathon . This was like I think it was like 2004 .

I entered that because I've always been a competitive guy . So when I got on that bike and I think there was only like 10 of us , you know , guys that maybe have been racing for a little while , I think I finished fourth and I was hooked . I was like this is it ? So then kind of did some research and I found there was like a series that we could do .

And uh , yeah , I drove all the way out to Colorado to do a race and I remember being so excited because I had seen these guys online . I'm like I'm going to race these guys , you know . But I think in the beginning it was very hard .

You know you go through that , you know , stage of just a maybe and then depression and some people don't come out of that . Especially with disability is very hard . If you have like that alive day , day right that something happens major , you could get stuck in that right .

So that's why it's so important for you to surround yourself with good family or friends and then even role models that you know can kind of support you to get you out of that you to get you out of that for sure .

, like I don't know it's there's , there's something about your personality that I think just draws people toward you because you see the glass half full or you see maybe , some possibility . I want to maybe rewind just a little bit and go back just for a moment . Just one more question . Most people would have stopped .

Most people would have at least camped out there for a while , would have at least camped out there for a while , felt sorry for themselves . Why didn't you like ? What internal decision do you feel like you made that maybe set you on this path toward high performance again ?

Like I said , I have my days because my father was 43 when he died of this . He died my senior year of high school , so that's all I knew of the disease was that . Hey , you know , you only lived to about 40 . So I'm 51 , outlived him , but yeah , I don't really have the answer . I mean , I've just always been that way .

You know , looking at the positive right , like you can always find that , and it's true , like mindset really is very important , because if you have that mindset of positivity , you know , look at what's good . You know I still find things that are wrong .

You know I still get down , but for the most part , 80% of the time , I'm focused on what I can do , not what I can't do . And that's the thing with the disability community is like we find ways . You know , when you have something happen , you got to figure out ways to be independent , right , or make things happen . So that's kind of what I've done .

I don't know if it's necessarily like I don't look at it as me being special and like you know , or I just believe God's kind of equipped me with the right tools to be able to do this , where maybe somebody else doesn't have that , but yet I can inspire them to hey , if he can do it , you know , they can do it as well , right ?

But I also know that some people don't come out of it and I can't explain why .

Because if we can get you to see that life is about way more than how well did I do in this one particular game , how well did I do in this one particular race , you're even now getting bigger into real life . This doesn't just impact you .

Competing Like this impacts your ability to go to the kitchen and make a sandwich , Like things are different now , but being able to know , hey , I'm here for some reason and I can go accomplish this purpose , and I can go accomplish this purpose . Talk , talk to me maybe a little bit about now as we , as we shift into you know the , the hand cycling .

You've won gold on the on the world stage . Like , in your mind , what , what do you think maybe separates the best from the rest when it comes to your sport ?

So , you know , with regards to racing , hand cycling , but any sport you know , I'll meet people in the beginning that you know maybe I meet somebody new , that's , you know , riding or whatever , and they have they're like , oh , I want to , you know , be a Paralympian or I want to get to that level .

I usually know within a couple rides whether they have the ability , right . So I think it definitely takes the mental side is very important , right , you have to have that mentality of with hand cycle racing . But I'm sure any sport , like I always say , like you , you , when I race , like a time trial . So time trials , an individual effort , right ?

So maybe I'm riding a 10-mile time , it's all about time , you go as hard as you can . So they call it the truth , the race of truth . So you're right at that red line , right ? So my thought process during that ride is I'm trying to kill myself , I'm trying to literally bury myself , right .

So the mind eventually will tell you , you know , it'll say stop , because you're going to die right , but you're not going to die Now . Maybe you could push it to that point that you really could , but that's .

So when everybody has it at some point in their race or game or something they're going to want to quit , they are . That's just the way human nature is . So it's that guy that can kind of delay that three or four times , right , that's ultimately who's going to get there and I think , to get to the top level .

I think , you know , I think some of it is genetic , you know , I think you have to have a little bit of genetics , because you could take two guys and say one guy's a really hard worker but he just doesn't have the genetics . Well , he could still get up . You know , he could still do very well .

But if you have that combination of you know , uh , you see a guy that's just gifted , right , and then it also , he has a good work ethic . When I was young , you know you're , you're a high school coach and stuff I didn't have that work ethic .

I was not , as , uh , you know you say you wish you could go back now with the mind I have now and go back , man , I would have been a really good athlete but didn't quite work out that way .

football you probably have a better understanding of and I would be like want to understand that why do you like some quarterbacks ? You know , is it really work ethic or is it ? You know , the genetic thing ? I mean you got to have genetics and gifts , right ?

Heading into a big race like what , what's the , what's your , maybe mental routine or what's the preparation look like for you , when you know , hey , there's going to be a lot on the line here and I'm going to push my I know I'm going to push myself to that super uncomfortable place where my mind is going to want to shut down to preserve my life , my mind

is going to want to shut down to preserve my life .

So if your practices or your training is not mimicking your actual events , then you're not going to be prepared . So when I train , right , there's days where I'll have like an easy recovery ride right , like maybe I go out just recover because you have to have that .

But then there's days where I'm going to do some intervals and I'm talking like physical intervals , so you push your limit right , as if you're racing . But then also you have the the mental side of where , say , we're leading up

like this race , we're going to race next weekend , next , next Thursday is our first race .

So right now , you know , maybe every once in a while , once a day , I'll just kind of prepare and I'll visually see myself right Like , hey , I'm feeling good , I see myself on the bike , I'm feeling strong , fresh , ready to go , and then ultimately you get to the start line and I've won I don't know how many races , but I've won a few just by guys , because

sometimes they put you know , they see me right and I've won a lot . So I've already beat them at the start line because they're already saying to themselves well , I can't beat him , he's the national champ , right . But that's where I think that belief has come in , because I've looked at .

When I first started out , I looked at those guys and I was like man , I'm excited to race these guys and then , of course , you want to beat them . So then you try your hardest .

So , yeah , I think the physical pushing yourself in training , uh get you prepared for the race , cause if I don't push myself , I'm not when I get into the race and I'm not going to be prepared . Um same way for the mental . So just kind of you know , visualization , uh . And then I do a lot of meditation , like I'll take an hour out of my day .

I have like a little massage table , I'll just lay on that and just lay there . You know , I really don't think about much . Whatever comes into the mind , comes in and it goes , and I feel like it's a way to relax my mind but also my body .

Game four of the NBA finals is tonight and you know , on the other side of that you've got a TJ McConnell . You know the opposite maybe of that Allen Iverson example , where practice isn't important . And I mean you've got a guy like him who is only playing in the NBA because of how hard he practices .

He was in an interview you know interview talking about how he's undersized , he's under this , that and the other .

He's not Allen Iverson for sure , but because he worked so hard and trained so hard and just made a living and made an entire career out of , I'm going to pick you up full court , the entire game , the whole time I'm on the floor and I'm going to pick you up full court , the entire game , the whole time I'm on the floor and I'm going to play to a point

of exhaustion and , like you said , the practice is so important . In order to be able to do that , he has to practice at that level . He has to push himself at that elite level all the time . Talk us through your side of preparation Like what ? What does the practice look like for you ? What's the practice look like ? You know what ?

Knowing I need to push myself to a point where I'm going to be able to do this longer , harder , faster than anyone else I compete against .

So if I have to do intervals and when I say an interval so we would do so 30 seconds starts off right . We do 30 seconds and you're , you're putting in the power and then you back off a little bit . Now you're at threshold and you do like a two minute effort and you do two and a half minutes total .

Then you get like a three , three minute rest , then you do that same thing and then you do like four or five of those , but over the whole ride . We're talking it's like two and a half hours , but there's days where I do like I'm on the bike four to five hours . So I'll do the . Uh , my longest ride has been 81 miles and that's a long ride .

That's a long time to be on a bike , but that's more like now . That's a hard ride , that's endurance pace . So meaning you know you're building your base cardio , you're just getting that aerobic , you're not going anaerobic , but about two hours in you start to feel it . But you're just building your body .

You know that stamina to be able to be like all right , I've been on the cyclist that has the best aerobic base usually will win . But you also have to have the anaerobic you know , being able to go above your threshold for those few seconds or whatever , for sure .

Italy was literally the team that had won most of those races . So when we did beat them and it was an , uh , awesome accomplishment , um , but individually . So , you know , being national champ and the way people will look at you , that's pressure , that's coming from them , but ultimately , it's about us , how we perceive ourselves .

So there have been times that I felt pressure , especially when you're on top right . You , you want to stay there . Um , it's very hard to stay there . Now I'm older , um , but what I would do is like when I'm racing , I would think about my family . So my dad that passed away doing it for him .

You know if he still sees me and stuff like that uncle , family , pride for myself and , like I said , when those moments come that you're , you're wanting to give up and I don't really know if , like I said , I don't know if that's me I believe God has equipped me with this , like ability to be able to do that Right , um , and , and I'm thankful for it .

I mean there's , there's nothing like . There's not a day that goes by that I'm not thankful for , for what I can do . You know , even though I've been through a ton of stuff , I'm still here . And if I live to be 80 and I'm getting off topic but if I live to be 80 , I'd love to be 80 , 90 years old , old man in a wheelchair .

But if I die tomorrow , I'm a happy man . You know that's a really high field . I'm a happy man .

This competitive mindset that Jesus is , this 1970s painting holding a lamb with feathered hair and wearing flip-flops , and that that's , you know , a little bit , if I'm being honest , like the painting that I think of that's hanging in my gram grandmother's church , the dude looks soft . So how , how does your faith , you know , tie in with this competitive mindset ?

You know what's , uh , what , what's that look like in preparation

and in performance ?

His dad was a Sunday school teacher . So when I used to go stay the night Saturdays with him , I'd have to go to church Sunday and I'm like a kid , you know , like eight , nine years old , and he'd make us read out of the Bible and I didn't know how to pronounce half of those words . So I was often embarrassed .

But I had heard about Jesus and you know he'd always talk to me about it . I'm like , oh , you know , I don't want nothing to do with it . And then , and then in 2000 , I started having some things . There was just something , something on my heart . I felt like I was missing something .

And , yeah , one night it wasn't even church I went out one night to a club with some friends and I came home that night and I just came home and I started crying and I don't even think I prayed to Jesus , I just prayed , I guess , to God , and I was like there's got to be something more to life .

I woke up the next day and I'm telling you I had like clear eyes . It was bizarre man , I mean . It was like stuff that had been on me had been gone . My vision was and I'm talking about spiritual right just new life . And then I , you know , fell into some stuff again , but he's always been there .

And then , ultimately it's a journey , right , like you know , 2000, . April of 2000, . Now we're 25 years later . It's been a long journey , but he's been there and he's close to us all . He's not far , like you said , that painting is a painting and our Jesus , our God , is a warrior . He's tough , you know . He can be soft , but that's what a man can do .

He can be soft , but he can also be firm when he needs to . And I feel like that's who he is and he's always been there . Every surgery I've had , you know , if I've had a worry or whatever , he's been there . And I always hear that voice of saying it's going to be okay , no matter , and I'll get emotional now , but it's just going to be okay .

That's the thing we know . Whatever you go through , he's there , regardless of who you are . He's very close . You can feel him .

Why is that mission so personal to you and what impact are you hoping this brand makes ?

So some people don't celebrate , and that's okay , you know , we stand with them regardless , but a lot of people do figure out a way to move forward , right , and that's what we're about . We just felt like you know this brand , the designs that we have , the statements that we have .

One of my favorites is adversity introduces a man to himself , and it's 100% true , because when adversity hits , you find out very quickly who you are , you know . So those are statements that I live by . The comeback is always stronger than the setback . Very true , you know , we all have something right . You don't necessarily have to have a live day .

We all have something that's happened in our life that we had to come back from . That's just life , you know . So I feel like you know , this is just the start . I just launched this and I'm on the road . We've met a lot of people taking pictures .

I was actually in Planet Fitness two days ago , and I rolled in with not this one , but I had another shirt on and the girl that was working the front desk said I love that shirt . So we got talking .

So then two of the girls ended up buying shirts and we got pictures of us together and uh , you know , that's where I , you know , just out racing hoping to promote , uh , and build a , build a community . You know that , uh , that we can stick together and support one another , you know ?

Maybe something you would say to them , or what advice would you give to that person facing this life-altering setback or event or diagnosis ?

How am I going to find somebody to love me ? Am I going to have kids ? All those thoughts are going through your mind and that's normal , it's OK . You know that's the way it's going to be . But know that there is hope , because that's the thing .

Like the wheelchair people think and not everybody's in a wheelchair , but the wheelchair , you know everybody wheelchair or something happens like that . You're not going to be no , like we're in 2025 , technology's out there , so it's getting better . Accessibility's better , you know . So things like that definitely help .

I think the biggest thing I'd say is just talk to somebody you know and understand that it's okay . If you're feeling down , don't judge yourself , because you can do that . You can , you know . Like say we're feeling down or I'm feeling down , then you beat yourself up for feeling down .

So you're now you're just doing another double you know thing and it's like no , stop doing that , you know , just let it be . And then too , I think the spirit like for me . If so , say somebody that I met is not living their life and they're just depressed and they're in the house , I'm living for them .

So say , I met them right and they're just not getting out , well , I'll live for them . That's the best thing I can do is live the life , because they're , for some reason , they're not getting out and doing it . So I will live for them . Same way with , like my you know , my family has passed away .

You know , I think they'd want me to live life right , like , continue to live . And then I have the thought of , like no , they're not here anymore . My best friend just passed away last October from prostate cancer and he was part of this alive day thing .

Um , and it was sad , cause we thought , you know we'd be around together doing this , but he's not here . So , like , the best thing I can do is just keep moving forward and keep him in spirit and live for him Right . So I think , uh , if somebody is in that spot , you know we're here for him .

That's what we're trying to do is build a community , reach out . I mean uh , you know , go to the Instagram or Facebook and uh , you know , reach out .

I kind of in the most positive place I could have been , whereas other surgeries I was a little more confident .

If there are people listening to this that are saying you know what I want to be part of that community , to this that are saying you know what I want to be part of that community , what's the , what's the best way for them to either reach out to you or find you on social media website , what's that look like ?