Following graduation from high school, my personal health and fitness took a steady slide as my "freshmen 15" turned into more of plummet into 80+ pounds of weight gain. Around 2014 I reached my peak weight somewhere around 240 pounds (you never have to worry about your weight if you rarely weigh yourself, right?). At that time I know I was "overweight" but I didn't realize how unhealthy and out of shape I truly was. In 2014 I started my journey to fitness by identifying a challenge for myself. I decided I would ride Pelotonia to support a great cause, raising money for cancer research. Riding 40 miles seemed like a very achievable goal even in my poor fitness. I quickly learned that it was a far bigger challenge then I knew, rocking my Wal-Mart bike, as I slugged my way to the finish HOURS later. Despite this difficult and challenging feat (for my level of fitness) I realized that I loved riding a bike, and that I had to keep on my fitness journey.
Following my experience riding Pelotonia, I decided to upgrade my bike and ride more often on the bike trails around my house. During this time I also started doing kick boxing with some friends and family. This period of time allowed me to begin building more foundation of fitness and I began losing some of my weight, dropping down closer to 200 pounds. I was still a very "fat" 200, but I was beginning to make some progress.
In 2016, I discovered that there was a bike race near my house. This was a 4 race bike series called Races at the Lake hosted by the Summit Freewheelers. This seemed like the perfect opportunity to give myself a new challenge, as the final race of the series that year was on my birthday. I saw this as an opportunity to use that birthday as a mile marker to kick off a new chapter of health and fitness in my life. So, I signed up for that race and got to training... not having a clue what that meant or how to accomplish that feat. I just knew I needed to ride my bike and ride it as often and as fast as I could. I got to work and also joined Summit Freewheelers in the process. On race day I showed up not knowing what to expect, other than pain and cardio hell. In that race I got lapped by the field multiple times (2 or 3) in a 30 minute race. However, I refused to give up and finished. Better yet, my refusal to give up meant that those who did finished behind me (so I wasn't in last place!!). Following the race, my new found teammates invited me to join them at rides with Hudson Velo. This single event is truly the turning point from "trying to be more active" to sending me down a path of achieving fitness.
Following this race in 2016 I began joining rides with Hudson Velo every Wednesday and Sunday. I began to plan my weeks around these rides, and worked to minimize any conflicts with these rides. At that time I knew that riding more was good for my health and I was definitely on a mission to improve my health. However, the real driver for me was the social interaction and nature of these rides. I built friendships with many of the cyclists within the group and just enjoyed spending time with the group. A consequence of my new found dedication to riding at least twice a week made the weight start truly falling away. I greatly increased my speed and my performance racing a bike improved exponentially. In 2017 I raced the full 4 race RATL series and only got lapped once the first race that year and by the fourth race I was finishing on the lead lap. In 2018 I finished races in the top 5 and earned a spot on the podium. For the first time in my adult life I had achieved a level of fitness that was allowing me to live a happier and healthier lifestyle. Around this time I discovered a new level of drive and interest in striving for new challenges.
In mid to late 2018, sitting around a table at the bar one of my cycling buddies said "we should do Dirty Kanza next year." Not knowing any better, and just knowing this group had continued to push me I agreed that we should. In the next hour or so I discovered what the event actually was (probably should have asked before I said yes). Turns out this is one one of the largest gravel races in the world (since renamed to Unbound Gravel). At this point I had never ridden a bike (as an adult) on any non-paved surface. I didn't even know that I would need a different bike to ride this race. I decided I should probably complete a gravel race before taking on one of the toughest in the world. So, in the late fall of 2018 I bought a used gravel-ready bike from a teammate and registered for a 100 mile team gravel race in Wooster, OH. No problem, right? Turns out riding on gravel is a whole new kind of challenge, but I loved it. Our team finished in the top 5, thanks to the team helping and encouraging me along the way. It was a brutal race, and pushed me to my limits physically and mentally. So, we registered for the 2019 Dirty Kanza lottery...
In early 2019 we learned that our team was selected in the lottery for the 2019 edition of Dirty Kanza (yes, there is a lottery for people to take on this punishing race). Realizing I had to get serious I ordered a dedicated gravel bike and got to work training. Our team sought out gravel anywhere we could and put in training rides, in addition to our typical group rides, each week. There are a number of distances available to race, but we decided to take on the 100 mile route. Our race field included pro cyclists and freak athletes. The race kicked off, following a short neutral rollout, with a blistering pace where I just held on for dear life at speeds around 30 MPH (on gravel!!!) as we sped through the Flint Hills of Kansas. Around mile 25 I watched the field ride away from me as I realized I wouldn't be able to hold their pace for 75 more grueling miles. There were some dark moments in that race, and many times I asked "why am I doing this to myself?" However, I kept pushing and attacking the challenge. After 6 hours and 55 minutes I rolled through the finish line. To this day, completing this event and the atmosphere surrounding the event is one of the proudest moments of my life. Just a few short years prior I struggled mightily to complete 40 flat paved miles in Columbus, OH. With this event I managed to finish in the top 10 in my age group for one of the most challenging races in the world.
Following my experience at Dirty Kanza I realized that finding challenges that really push your comfort level and physical fitness was extremely fulfilling and essential to personal growth. Therefore, I set out on a mission to take on yearly challenges. The follow up to my 2019 challenge of Dirty Kanza I added running a half marathon and riding a mountain to my list. I completed my first half marathon in October 2019, at the Akron Marathon in Akron, OH. Our group decided to travel to Tuscon, AZ to take on Mount Lemmon in February 2020. Once again, this was definitely a challenge for me, but another truly rewarding experience. In 2021 I decided I would shake things up and take on a new type of challenge, a Spartan race. Up to this point all my physical challenges had been endurance events, and didn't require any significant upper body strength. I registered for my first Spartan race for mid 2021, and completed a Spartan Sprint. While it was a significant challenge, I enjoyed myself and decided to do a second race in the fall. As usual, my suffering on the 5k length Sprint wasn't enough, so for 2022 I have committed myself to completing a Trifecta, which requires the completion of 3 Spartan races of varying length from a half marathon length race which includes 30 obstacles to the Sprint I completed in 2021.
Through this journey I have learned that in the moments of greatest challenge and adversity is when you learn the most about yourself. Looking back, I wouldn't have imagined the journey I had taken. I was fat, unhealthy, lazy, and out of shape. From my peak in 2014, I have lost around 70 pounds, and built muscle as I have achieved a far greater level of physical fitness and health. As I took on greater challenges and built healthier habits I also achieved greater success in my personal and professional life. This isn't a mistake. I have realized that to achieve success and fulfillment in life, having balance and physical health is imperative. The challenges I set for myself drive my daily activities and interactions. They have lead to greater self discipline and allowed me to learn what matters most to me.
Therefore, I ask you: what is your challenge?