the passion keeps burning
How much longer would you like to
run professionally?
Honestly, I still have a good 8-15 years
in me. I look at Max King or guys like
Jeff Browning that are still running
so well. Max is still improving which
is amazing. What I’m not sure on is
whether I’ll go that long. Mainly because
I don’t really make much from running
and with a baby coming my priority is
to provide for my family. It might be a
situation where I’ll just retire from profes-
sional running and then just run for fun.
We will see. For now I’m going to keep
doing my best.
What do think you will be doing once
your professional running career is
over? Is coaching, mentoring and
“So I guess yeah I see myself as a bridge,
definitely not a wall. A wall won’t fix anything”
normally they assume because I’m from
the U.S. and I compete for the U.S. team
that I must be making good money and
training full time. When they find out the
constant struggle my family and I have
experienced they are able to embrace
me as one of them.
Here is the thing. A lot of people talk
without knowing much of the history
between the two countries. I learned
a lot studying the Mexican/American
War, but even then I don’t understand
all of the emotions and circumstances
that entire family’s went through, that
people experienced on both ends. But
I can tell you that just like there is no
perfect person out there there is no per-
fect country. Being a person from two
countries I could just start listing faults
on both sides, but what is the point?
That wouldn’t move anything forward.
I’d rather lift people up and motivate
them to do better, to be better people. I
love the USA, I love Mexico. Sometimes
I listen to Johnny Cash and then switch
to Juan Gabriel. Sometimes I’m craving
a hamburger and other times I just want
some homemade tortillas with carnitas.
So I guess yeah I see myself as a
bridge, definitely not a wall. A wall won’t
fix anything. Running ultramarathons, as
crazy as it sounds, has a better chance
of fixing issues than a wall. At the Ultra
Running World Championships, for
example, people from all the ends of
the earth come together to suffer on the
same mountains and compete to the
best of their abilities for their Country.
When facing difficulties it seems like
joining forces, rather than dividing, is
more productive.
Do you ever wake up in the morning
and say, “I don’t want to train today”
or is that never an issue?
Definitely! There are days when I ques-
tion why I’m still doing this. But then
there are days where it all makes sense.
I try not to make the decisions on the
days that I’m questioning, (laughs).
Food is fuel. Tell us about your diet,
what do you eat during a ultra race?
How many calories do you eat per
day. How many do you figure you
burn during a long race? What is your
usual pre-race meal night before and
in the morning?
I keep things very simple honestly. I
don’t follow any extreme diets but rather
a balance of all of the foods that are
good for my body. I try to buy clean and
pure meat, fruits, veggies, rice, pasta,
potatoes, eggs, fish, oatmeal, and yo-
gurt. I’ll eat when I’m hungry and always
look at what I’m eating as whether its a
good choice of calories that will actually
provide nutrients and vitamins. During
most ultras I use tailwind, energy gels,
bananas, salty chips, and sometimes
PB & J. The night before and morning
of the race I keep the meals to simple
carbs that are easy to process because
a lot of protein can be too heavy on the
stomach. Healthy fats from nuts, avo-
cados, and fish are really good as well.
I don’t have one routine because I find
it’s hard when you have to go overseas
so I’d rather be flexible and not stress
on that. In a race I can burn anywhere
from 3,500 to 15,000 extra calories.
During a 100K race how important is
eating? Do you have to carry all your
food. There are water stations, but do
you carry water?
Your glycogen stores run out at around
the 2 hour mark and 100k races last
anywhere from 7-10 hours (depend-
ing on terrain) so maintaining a caloric
intake is very important. I shoot for 500
calories an hour between sipping on
tailwind, gels, and bananas that I carry
in my pockets. Each aid station I refuel
and drink extra water as well and pay
attention to what my body is saying.
How do you train during a winter es-
pecially during a heavy snow winter
like (2016-2017)?
That was a rough one for sure. What
I’ll do is keep the hard workouts on the
treadmills to not risk slipping on ice
or pulling a muscle. Then I’ll keep my
easy runs and strength runs outside
while using screws on my shoes for
traction. It’s not easy, I hate cold
weather, but I do it. I find that it makes
you tougher and so I look at it as an
opportunity and stay positive.
When you’re halfway through a 100K
race and you’re hurting what do you
tell yourself?
You have to have something to turn
to before the race starts. I write these
things down because if you expect
to turn to something positive in your
weakest moments it’s very hard. But
if you’ve already been practicing and
mentally preparing yourself to where
you’re going to turn to it’s possible. For
me this is when I turn to running for my
family, my wife, but most importantly
my faith. Scripture tells us that for the
joy set before him Christ endured the
cross. In a much smaller scale I put
something that brings joy at the finish
line and tell myself to endure where I
am at because it will be worth it.
public speaking something in your
future?
Hopefully all of the above. I do love
running a lot and have enjoyed the time
I get to speak and build into people’s
lives. It would be awesome to be able to
build a career out of it and I’ll be faithful
and work hard with the opportunities
that come.
Do you hope, do you plan to make
running a way of life, for as long as
you can?
I believe I’ll always be a runner. Whether
I’ll be running much later or just hiking,
or mountain biking, I don’t know. But
since I was a kid I spend as much time
outside as I possibly could so I know
that is just the way I’m built. It’s my time
to reflect, release stress, and get cen-
tered on what is important.
Not many of us ever get this feeling.
Tell us what it’s like to break that
finnish tape and win a national trail
running title?
I was 2nd place at 6 National Cham-
pionships before I won my first one. I
remember wanting a win so bad. Like
so bad. I was obsessed with getting
a championship win and then when I
finally got it, it was not what I expected.
What I’ve found is that the things that
mean the most in these accomplish-
ments is how you get there. When I won
Moab this past fall I was filled with so
much joy because it was hard to be the
favorite this time. The first time I won
it I was the underdog against one of
the biggest names in the sport and so
dealing with the pressure this time really
showed me I have been growing well
in character. When I won Bandera this
past January I had so much joy be-
cause the year before I had been sent
off course, and the year before that I got
sick, and so to come back and redeem
this race, without fear, was this feeling
of conquering something difficult. It
was a feeling of being proud in knowing
that I have not given up, I have fought
the good fight, I have come back and
finished this dang race to the very best
of my ability. The win was just extra.