Colorado has always been known as a distance running hotbed, and some amazing runners have come out of our high school ranks. This episode’s guests are no exception – with an added twist. Bobby Kiesewetter, a top runner from Golden View Academy, a Class 2A school in Golden understandably was very concerned when his airway would shut down while he was running, making it impossible to breathe. Perplexed doctors suspected asthma and prescribed inhalers, but to no avail. Bobby happened to see a social media post from another local runner, Benji Anderson, who had experienced the same thing and had been diagnosed with Exercise-Induced Laryngeal Obstruction, also commonly called vocal cord dysfunction. Benji connected Bobby with the doctor right here in Denver who had treated him at National Jewish Hospital, which specializes in lung and breathing research. Through extensive treatment and exercises, both young men have learned to control their breathing issue and achieved great results in their high school careers. Bobby swept the Colorado Class 2A 800, 1600, and 3200 meter titles, each by wide margins, including setting a state meet record in the 1600 of 4:17.84. He will continue his running career at Division 2 Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado. Benji, who ran for Mountain Vista High School in Highlands Ranch, has a long list of accolades, including winning the 2024 Class 5A cross country title, is a two-time champion of the prestigious Liberty Bell Invitational, both times running the 5K course in a blazing 14:48, and has been top five in the state multiple times in the 800, 1600, and 3200. His best times include an 8:46.15 in the 3200 at Arcadia, and a 4:08.03 1600 at the New Balance indoors in Boston. He has a couple of big upcoming races before he heads off to Notre Dame this fall. Among these is the Festival of Miles this week in which a star-studded high school field will be going after sub-4:00 times. This is a great chat with a couple of very nice young men who have overcome some concerning challenges, have learned about the considerable power of the running community, and who will have many more successes in the future.

Benji Anderson

Instagram @benji.andersonn

Bobby Kiesewetter

Instagram @bobby_kiess

Bill Stahl
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David always had a deep appreciation for alternative and regenerative medicine. He and I have both had guests here who understand how broken our “sick care” system is and have created new pathways for those who want to take control of their health in ways the American system won’t allow. One such pioneer is Jay Campbell, co-founder of BioLongevity Labs. Jay’s lifelong mission is to inspire and empower others to optimize their health, reverse aging, and unlock their true human potential – physically, mentally, and emotionally. In this dynamic chat, he and I talk about what’s going on in the U.S. state of health, and Jay gives great insights into the benefits of balancing hormones, most notably testosterone, for both men, and in underrated ways, for women, too. Once that balance is achieved, then one can potentially take the next steps into administering therapeutic peptides that can transform health, from cellular regeneration, to anti-aging, losing fat, hormonal balance, and beyond. Really intriguing topics on which Jay certainly raised my understanding. You’ll gain a lot in this episode from Jay’s immense store of knowledge.

Jay Campbell

www.jaycampbell.com

Instagram, X, and YouTube @jaycampbell333

Bill Stahl
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I have been amused that 200-mile races have become a thing, and some now even call 100-milers a “speed event.” But now Destination Races, which hosts a series of 200-mile races has created the Arizona Monster 300 with a cutoff of 170 hours, or just more than 7 days. Good friend of the WASP Kelly Thrush ran its inaugural edition a few weeks ago. You might remember Kelly from WASP episodes #231 and 232 in November, 2022 after he completed 85 miles at the AHR following receiving a liver transplant. That two-part episode is definitely worth a re-listen as he described years of alcohol abuse that led to not only the deterioration of his liver, but alienating most of his family and friends, and put him on the doorstep of death. He awoke from surgery feeling immense gratitude, which has driven his life since then, including the founding of the Gratitude and Grace Foundation, which helps other transplant candidates and recipients navigate the financial hurdles they face. Kelly has created events to support this important mission, including an event that involves climbing laps up and down Mount Tumamoc in Tucson. In this fascinating chat, Kelly describes all aspects of taking on the enormous challenge of the Arizona Monster 300 and what it’s like to be out there on the trail day and night for 7 days, how his wife and crew contributed to his finish, his fueling, sleeping, mental approach, hallucinating, and what it did to his feet. Get ready for a fun adventure!

Kelly Thrush

Gratitude and Grace Foundation

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Instagram and Threads @just__keep__going_

Bill Stahl
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We haven’t chatted with anyone in Nepal for a couple of weeks, so we thought we’d go back there with Len Forkas, who is heading to Mt. Everest to cap bagging all of the Seven Summits – the tallest peaks on all seven continents. This achievement also brings him a step closer to completing the coveted Explorers’ Grand Slam, which includes the Seven Summits and trekking the last degree of latitude to the North and South Poles. He began his quest in 2013 summitting Kilimanjaro after accomplishing endurance feats like biking the Race Across America. Len does all of this to support a charity he founded called Hopecam, which does amazing work connecting cancer-afflicted kids to their schools and classmates. It was spurred after his own son Matt was diagnosed with leukemia when he was 9, and aside from the daunting treatments, Matt endured the challenge of isolation from his friends. Back in 2002, there was no Facetime or Skype, so Len arranged for a video connection between Matt and his class, and Len noticed what a sea change that was for Matt’s overall outlook, as well as how much it benefitted his classmates to interact with him and help demystify cancer to them. This led to the birth of Hopecam, which began connecting 50 hospitalized kids and led to partnering with St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital and eventually affiliating with 180 hospitals and helping 1000 inspiring kids at a time. A majority of these kids come from Title 1 schools and whose families often can’t afford Internet service. Len has a personal connection with many of these kids, and for this Everest project, he is paired up with a fifth-grader in Louisiana. In this chat, Len talks about how teamwork plays roles in accomplishing both his projects as well as in Hopecam’s important mission for which he is aiming to raise $1,000,000. You’ll also hear about his many other extreme adventures and the preparations for them and about a couple of harrowing episodes he had where divine intervention may have saved his life so he could continue his mission. Len is one of the nicest people with whom I’ve had the pleasure to chat, and this riveting episode is filled with so many great life lessons about humility, teamwork, finding purpose, and listening to and learning from others. He also shares great lessons he’s learned about uniting people to work toward common goals in his book, What Spins the Wheel.

Len Forkas

lenforkas.com

Support Hopecam today at hopecam.org

Instagram @lenforkasjr

LinkedIn and X Len Forkas

His books What Spins the Wheel and Cold Hard Truth are available on Amazon

Bill Stahl
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Travis Robinson was an active 35-year-old IT project manager, spending much of his leisure time in the outdoors rockclimbing, when he began noticing weakness in his hands, which is not good news for this pursuit. This led to a diagnosis of early-onset Parkinson’s Disease that changed his life. Travis’ response was not one of resignation to a restricted lifestyle, but more of a “Screw you, Parkinson’s” attitude. That is evidenced in the theme of a podcast called I’m Not Dead Yet he co-hosts with Judy Yaros, whose husband died of the disease in 2020. Together, they talk about life adjustments caused by Parkinson’s and how they are helping those afflicted and their families. But more so, it’s about living their best life. To help others do the same, Travis is very involved with Parkinson’s Community L.A. and the Faces of Parkinson’s Project. One way he keeps physically active is with something called neuroboxing. He’s also deeply engaged in photography, but using old-time cameras with the long, bellows-like lenses and where the photographer stands under a hood. The image is projected onto large-format film and Travis creates finished works on metal and other unique media that have had gallery showings across the country. His work in California’s scenic landscapes evokes Ansel Adams’ dramatic photography from last century. Travis has recently had to use his power of resilience once again as his and his partner’s home burned down in the Eaton fire in January, and they lost everything, including all of his photographic equipment. They saved their pets and vehicles, and not much more. They expect to begin re-building in May, and undaunted, Travis is planning a photographic project in Iceland this summer. You can't help but be inspired by Travis' story!

Travis Robinson

Instagram @mighty_travis

Listen to the I'm Not Dead Yet Podcast:

https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-im-not-dead-yet-81736783/

Instagram @imnotdeadyetpd

Bill Stahl
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Chris Fisher and Erin Ton are very down-to-Earth people, but they are also way-up-in-the-air. As in, they are almost constantly on a mountain, very high mountains. And when I say constantly, I mean they are pretty much always climbing, running on, and exploring mountains, as well as challenging themselves in the wildest wildernesses. Erin is known for setting hordes of FKTs, speeding through the gauntlet of Colorado 14ers in record time, as well as climbing 14ers in high heels. Yep, you heard that right. She and Chris, who owns the current record for the least time to climb all of the 14ers in winter, spent all of last summer bagging Colorado 13ers – of which there are 100s – several of them each day. They explored Patagonia for several weeks earlier this year, taking like they always do, heaps of absolutely jaw-dropping photos of their climbs and the scenery. Chris then took on the now-infamous Barkley Marathons, so definitely listen closely to learn more about this insane, unique race. Erin and Chris describe his battle against the course, that was made even tougher this year because of the unprecedented number of finishers last year – five – the heat the runners faced, the camaraderie with some legendary Barkley participants, and of course, enigmatic race director Laz. Later on, Erin also nailed a couple of FKTs on the gnarly course herself. They are now headed to the Himalayas, where in addition to their own projects and FKT attempts that you’ll hear about here, they will be supporting our mutual friend Tyler Andrews in his unfathomable attempt to set the record for running up and down Mt. Everest without supplemental oxygen. There really isn’t a dull moment in this very fun chat with this power duo of the mountains, who will absolutely inspire you to find adventure in the outdoors yourself, so I’m sure you’ll enjoy this chat.

Chris Fisher

Instagram @chrisjfish

Strava Christopher Fisher

Check out Chris' film Nine Hours on Manaslu on LaSportiva's YouTube channel

Erin Ton

Instagram @erin_ton7

Strava Erin Ton

Tyler Andrews' podcast: Ty's Training: Talking with my Dad

Bill Stahl
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Melissa Davey took the adage about it’s never too late to try something new quite seriously. This wasn’t about jumping out of an airplane kind of stuff. In her sixties, she retired from a lengthy corporate career to pursue her second act and dream of becoming a filmmaker. I always tell teens I coach or meet who are stressed about picking a college major and choosing a career path, that the average American changes careers, not just jobs, seven times in their lifetimes. You never know when circumstances allow you to drop the grind and forge a new direction, like you heard Australian Maddy Reynolds do in a WASP episode a few weeks ago when she dumped the corporate world to become a pro trail runner. Melissa was the Vice President of Social Security and Managed Disability at GENEX for 22 years, sat on the company’s executive team, and worked throughout the United States to create and deliver services to the disability insurance marketplace. But after a day on the set with famed screenwriter and filmmaker M Night Shyamalan, she decided to take a risk and left her career to jump into the unknown. Pursuing her dream of becoming a filmmaker became a reality in late 2018 when Melissa completed her first feature film, Beyond Sixty, which highlights stories of women making similar jumps, including the woman behind the original voice of Siri, the Madam CJ Walker biographer, and the sculptor of Lady Gaga’s Fame perfume carriage. During 2019, Melissa’s film was accepted by and screened at eight film festivals throughout the United States and Canada, winning awards and confirming that it is never too late to learn something new. Picked up by a distributor and released in 2021, the film is currently available on most streaming platforms. Melissa’s second film, Climbing into Life, details the inspiring life story of Dierdre Wolownick, the oldest woman to ascend El Capitan, who also happens to be the mother of famed free solo climber Alex Honnold. The film is currently making the film festival rounds. Melissa is a champion to show that it isn’t too late for people over 60, particularly women to explore new pathways and make a profound impact on the world. It’s such a great message to share, and she does it with an infectious energy as you’ll find out in this episode.

Melissa Davey

melissadavey.com

beyondsixty.com

melissa@melissadavey.com

Facebook Beyond Sixty Documentary

Instagram @beyond60project and @climbing_into_life

Bill Stahl
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The WASP has had a long history of inspiring stories about people overcoming alcoholism and addictions, but I really like the story and approach presented here by Tom Barnum. He is a former college and NFL player, who was on two teams that won the Super Bowl, including the 1972 Dolphins who is still the only team to complete an undefeated season – although in each case he only made it to the taxi squad. It was a culture that encouraged drinking, steroid use, and gambling. After engaging in these destructive behaviors for many years, as well as going through recovery, AA meetings, and learning about Buddhist principles, Tom developed a deep understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of many of these paths that can take one from ruin to sobriety. He sees even more perils in today’s society where younger and younger kids have access to drugs and to phone app gambling, and where the justice system is an ineffective deterrent. Tom shares his insights in his book Sobriety Is A Team Sport, where he emphasizes the power of enlisting support networks—family, friends, healthcare professionals, and spiritual guidance—in overcoming addiction. He writes candidly about the evolving landscape of addiction, the necessity of surrender, and the limitations of punitive legal approaches in addressing substance use disorders. His teachings integrate elements of mindfulness and Buddhism, offering a holistic perspective on sustainable sobriety. The culture of discipline, resilience, and mental toughness—while important for success—can also create a dangerous stigma around seeking help, making it difficult for individuals to admit they are struggling. As a former athlete, Tom shares his personal experience with addiction and how the fear of appearing weak kept him from seeking support for years. He challenges the misconception that surrender is failure, explaining instead how true strength lies in acknowledging the need for help and embracing recovery as a team effort. Tom also explores how shifting from a hyper-competitive mindset to one of community and support can make all the difference in sustaining long-term sobriety, helping high performers reframe their approach to both success and healing. Of the many WASP guests discussing their sobriety, I find Tom’s down-to-Earth approach makes an awful amount of sense.

Tom Barnum

www.stilltom.com

Facebook Sobriety Is A Team Sport

Instagram @stilltom462206

Bill Stahl
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