When we were kids, we dreamed without barriers. Despite the challenges some of us faced in our childhood years, visions were created from childlike wonder. As a child, I wanted to be an adventurer. I was born in the concrete jungle, but my heart wanted to see the big wide world and all its cultures. As an adult, my dream manifested as an ultrarunner. Though I’ve done over 30 ultra races of varying distances around the world, it hasn’t changed who I think I am. Without a doubt, I don’t consider myself a superhuman. You don’t need to be a superhuman to be an ultrarunner. In fact, I was far from it.
Like many others, my background doesn’t scream “athletic prodigy”. During school, I actively either failed or tried to get myself out of fitness tests. In elementary school, I was put into remedial physical education because I couldn’t keep up with the average student. When I was 11, I weighed 170 lbs. By the time I was 18, my struggles with my body and mind brought my weight up to 250 lbs. One day, the doctor told me I had pre-diabetes. For me, this was a true wake up call because diabetes ran in my family. This started a weight loss journey with soaring highs and valley lows.
In reality, I still battle every day to achieve my childhood dream. Whether that is running across the deserts of Iceland, marching across the Arctic circle, or racing in the Himalayas, I do what I can to keep moving. As a full-time office engineer, I have to make my dreams work with my schedule. Often, that means an early wake up call or an after-work evening workout. Getting out of bed at 5 AM in the cold and dark isn’t easy. Doing a 7 PM workout after a long workday of using your brain also isn’t easy. One thing keeps me moving: my dream.
The things that I do may seem superhuman. Many times, I’ve heard the same things about my extreme endurance events. Most of the comments revolve around “gift” and “talent” and “incredible strength”. Truthfully, I’m just me. Ultrarunning isn’t a magic exilir that makes you fearless. For me, it’s a new way to see the world and take on its challenges despite your fear. It’s not just about doing it, it’s about doing it through the gauntlet of emotions that make us human.
“Ultrarunning isn’t a magic elixir that makes you fearless. For me, it’s a new way to see the world and take on its challenges despite your fear.”
My journey started in 2018 with a quarter mile. It was a dark night after another stressful day at work. My weight loss journey wasn’t a linear success, it was and still is a roller coaster. My run journey came as a desire to create a space for myself in this chaotic world. Along the way, that journey for my mental health became a vehicle for my dream of becoming an adventurer. My dream evolved around my life and its challenges instead of being enclosed by them. Above all, every step came as a human, not a superhuman.
In the future, there’s still many things I want to do. Every training day is far from perfect and there are setbacks. Instead of seeing the setbacks and challenges of life as a step back in your training, see it as a supplement. The truth is challenges don’t always look that way to me. Bad days will happen and that’s ok. Just remember, everything is one bucket. Every single life challenge is what creates our strength, not every workout. You don’t need to be a superhuman, because the super thing about all of us is the life challenges we build our visions around. Now, time to go chase your vision.
