We Are Superman Bill Stahl
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- Sports
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Founded by David Clark, a former 320-pound alcoholic, drug addict, food junkie turned accomplished endurance athlete, bestselling author, plant-based fighter, and happiness warrior. Ultramarathoner and coach Bill Stahl is continuing David's legacy to bring you inspirational stories of ordinary people overcoming alcoholism, addiction, obesity, or catastrophic injuries or illnesses to accomplish epic achievements like running ultramarathons, climbing Everest, etc. We also bring you world-class athletes and others involved in the endurance sports space, medical providers, and others who can help you up your own game in athletics as well as in life so you feel, look, and perform better. As David said, we will help you look into the far side of the universe where anything is possible and all things are eventual.
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#292 - WE ARE KEENAN HAGA, WHEN A FEW HUNDRED MARATHONS AREN'T ENOUGH
Keenan Haga is who you might call a serial marathoner. In fact, he has run 311 of them so far. On every continent, including Antarctica. He has run one in every state – three times. Keenan’s goal for 2024 is to run 100 marathons, including 13 in 15 days, plus a 100-miler. You’ll undoubtedly enjoy hearing about his cool experiences running among polar bears, sea lions, on the race track at Churchill Downs, at Crater Lake, Oregon, and the not-so-great ones like getting a parasite from water at an aid station in Brazil. In the midst of all of this marathoning, Keenan also beat stomach cancer, chemotherapy, the whole works. He credits running with helping him develop the attitude that he could dig in to battle it. But he kept his diagnosis to himself, even to his family, until he met another runner, Karen Kay-Timonier, at the American Heroes Run to whom he opened up and began to share his cancer journey. Keenan had already discovered how much he cherished the running community he’s met throughout the world, but now he has also been absorbed into the cancer survivor community in which he can share his experiences. The first things I noticed in our chat is how down-to-Earth Keenan is about his life’s extraordinary journey, his positivity, humility, warmth, and his gratitude that he gets to do the things he does. For you distance junkies, Keenan also shares a lot of helpful little tips from a guy who covers an awful lot of miles. I think you’ll enjoy this chat a lot.
Keenan Haga
Strava
mycoloradolife.net
Bill Stahl
silly_billy@msn.com
Facebook Bill Stahl
Instagram @stahlor and @coachstahl
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#291 - WE ARE GENE BENNETT, AN IRAQ WAR VETERAN WHO DID NOT DESERVE THE CRAPPER
Helping and honoring our military veterans was deeply meaningful to David, and he helped support them with his American Heroes Run. As you may know, I now direct the event to continue his important legacy. Proceeds support Warriors’ Ascent, an organization that provides holistic programs to veterans and first responders experiencing post-traumatic stress. Treating veterans with this not-as-visible type of battlefield injury has often gotten overlooked by the Veteran’s Administration and organizations that support veterans. I became aware of Iraq War veteran Gene Bennett’s story and received a copy of his chilling book, “We Did Not Deserve the Crapper: The prison we entered but never fully left.” Gene served two tours in Iraq. At first, the Army used him as a truck tire mechanic, but as sometimes happens, they assigned him where needed, and with just a smattering of training, he ended up a prison guard. Gene, whose callsign was Spazmasterflex, termed this job “the worst babysitting job ever.” In 130o heat, often walking on metal grating during all-day or all-night shifts, he was tasked with guarding a violent population where Sunnis and Shia often clashed, and often meted out their own versions of justice, which could be death. Of course, they all wanted to kill the Americans. To make it worse, the prison comprised both adult and juvenile sections. At one point, an eight-year-old was detained and a riot broke out until this child was released. On his watch, an Iraqi teen was murdered, something which continues to haunt Gene. He also witnessed several incidents of horrible atrocities and jaw-dropping leadership ineptitude committed by U.S. military officers. His PTSD and depression no doubt were exacerbated by a difficult childhood in a dysfunctional family. Gene has been fighting back by working to get his fellow veterans improved treatment from the VA, as well as write a cookbook to help them take better care of themselves. He is also creating an innovative line of meat smokers. Gene and I had a very engaging conversation that I think will keep you on the edge of your seat. I’d highly recommend you read his book to get a bird’s eye look at one veteran’s deployment that will leave you shaking your head, but also rooting for this hero to emerge on the other side in a better place.
Gene Bennett
Book on Amazon: "We Did Not Deserve the Crapper: The prison we left but never fully left"
Instagram and X @mickeyseverson
Bill Stahl
silly_billy@msn.com
Facebook Bill Stahl
Instagram @stahlor and @coachstahl
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#290 - WE ARE JOE CORCIONE HELPING EVERY RUNNER HIT THEIR GOALS IN THE EVERYDAY ULTRA PODCAST
In a little bit of a twist, I’m chatting today with another podcaster, Joe Corcione, from the Everyday Ultra Podcast. Joe is a fellow New Yorker who also cheers for, and often suffers with, my same New York teams the Giants, Yankees, Rangers, and Knicks. The Everyday Ultra Podcast is laser-focused on the ultrarunning world with one of the best lineups of guests to keep ultra aficionados informed and entertained. Joe also presents episodes that provide excellent tips and guidance to your everyman and everywoman ultrarunner. What is incredibly impressive, though, is that Joe grew up as a self-described non-athlete who eventually developed a serious drinking problem. When Joe hit his breaking point, he moved west, eventually landing in Arizona, and he began running and jumped in with both feet, pun intended. Like most starting out, his journey began with baby steps, and Joe began to rise rapidly in his challenges to become an ultrarunner and is now training for the Cocodona 250. Not only that, but he has built a successful coaching business and Everyday Ultra is a top-ranked podcast, all of this occurring in a mere five years. As you’ll find out here, although Joe is relatively new to ultrarunning, he can also dispense some amazing insights and wisdom for a young guy. I’d definitely recommend you check out the Everyday Ultra Podcast where you will always feel Joe’s unbridled enthusiasm for the sport, and above all, his desire to make a difference to help every ultrarunner get better.
Joe Corcione
Everyday Ultra Podcast anywhere you find podcasts
everydayultrapodcast@gmail.com
Instagram @joecorcione and @theeverydayultra
Bill Stahl
silly_billy@msn.com
Facebook Bill Stahl
Instagram @stahlor and @coachstahl
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#289 - WE ARE MARSHALL ULRICH, MORE EPIC ADVENTURES FOR THIS EPIC ADVENTURER
If you’ve ever run an ultramarathon, you almost certainly know the name of Marshall Ulrich. His accomplishments are unparalleled, and if I tried to list them, I’d undoubtedly leave out many. I could naturally mention his 29 official Badwater finishes in Death Valley, a race most of us would not want to tackle even once. Or that he dwarfed those finishes by continuing on to the Mt. Whitney summit, or that he once ran around the entire 425-mile perimeter of Death Valley, which we have fun talking about here. He completed the Seven Summits on his first attempt, and he set the speed record for the transcontinental run across the U.S., recounted in his great book, "Running on Empty." I could add his Stray Dogs team completed all of the Eco-Challenges, televised as The World’s Toughest Race. You may have already heard about all of this, so instead let’s focus on his latest endeavors, like the Route 66 Ultrarun, a 140-mile, multi-day event along that historic route in Arizona, and his support for his good friend and fellow Stray Dogs teammate Mark Macy in his inspiring battle against Alzheimer’s. Marshall is one of the nicest people you’ll ever meet in the sport. He was an early mentor to an aspiring ultraendurance athlete named David Clark, and wrote the foreword to David’s first book, "Out There, a Story of Ultrarecovery." Marshall’s latest book, "Both Feet on the Ground," will inspire you to seek out your own adventures. Grab on tight, you’re in for a thrilling ride listening to Marshall!
Marshall Ulrich
marshallulrich.com
route66ultrarun.com
Facebook Marshall Ulrich
Instagram @marshall.ulrich
Bill Stahl
silly_billy@msn.com
Facebook Bill Stahl
Instagram @stahlor and @coachstahl
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#288 - WE ARE DAN HERMAN GIVING YOU THE PLAN WHEN YOUR RESOLUTION HAS BLOWN UP
We are into the dog days of winter, and for a lot of folks the days are gray and cold and New Year’s resolutions are starting to fade into oblivion. That’s why I thought it would be great to bring back Dan Herman, whose upbeat approach to health, fitness, and setting goals would be a refreshing antidote to the winter blahs. Dan owns Dan Herman Performance in New Jersey, and I think he offers some of the most practical advice people can employ to knockout fitness and nutrition goals in sensible ways and not succumb to the hype of online hawkers of canned fitness programs and supplements that have not been scientifically studied. It’s not just that Dan had once been 375 pounds, lost weight, got fit, and now thinks he knows it all. Dan has earned numerous certifications, and knows great ways to help people develop solid plans to overcome obstacles that prevent them from following through on their stated goals. Plus, I always enjoy Dan’s positivity for a guy who lives in Jersey. I hope you take away a few nuggets from this dynamic chat!
Dan Herman
danhermanperformance.com
Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube @danhermanperformance
Bill Stahl
silly_billy@msn.com
Facebook Bill Stahl
Instagram @stahlor and @coachstahl
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#287 - BILL AND JACK'S EXCELLENT ADVENTURE IN ASIA, PART 2
For 24 days beginning in mid-October, Jack Rubalcave and Bill (and Nigel Leonis for part of the trip), had an amazing time traveling through 7 countries in Asia. In part 1 of this trilogy, we described the incredible energy and culture shock we experienced in Japan, and the interesting Communist world of Vietnam. In this episode, we share with you our experiences in South Korea and Taiwan, two countries that have experienced their share of conflict. Seoul is a beautiful city with many cultural surprises, including crazy almond stores, wild street food, and an obsession with K-Pop. We also took a fascinating side trip to the DMZ, where we got to within 70 meters of the North Korean border. Taiwan is fiercely independent despite China wanting to seize it back. We had some unique experiences in Taipei, where we saw some beautiful Buddhist temples, as we did in Seoul. Jack and I hope that you enjoy hearing about these adventures and get inspired to explore new travel destinations yourselves.
Bill Stahl
silly_billy@msn.com
Facebook Bill Stahl
Instagram @stahlor and @coachstahl
YouTube We Are Superman Podcast
Jack Rubalcave
Instagram @jubalcave
Snapchat jackrubalcave