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I met Chaiwen Chou on the trip I took in March to the Atacama Desert of Chile that was led by Tyler Andrews of Chaski Endurance Collective. Two things immediately stood out about Chaiwen: one was her gorgeous purple hair, and the second was the boot on her foot. As you know, this was no tourist cruise, we were going to be climbing several very tall summits, the highest at almost 20,000 feet, on steep, loose terrain. You see, Chaiwen had broken her ankle a few weeks before the trip, and her doctor and physical therapist told her that the trip was out of the question. Undeterred, she came on the trip, at first thinking she would just walk around the beautiful landscape while the rest of us took on epic challenges. That thinking didn’t last long. Chaiwen not only conquered all of the climbs in her boot, but she crushed them! Despite those achievements, when she got home to NYC, those professionals still told her no running for several more weeks. Which was a problem because this veteran of epic races like the Formosa Trail 104k in Taiwan and the Tahoe 200 was registered for her dream race, the UTMB, in August. Chaiwen talks here about her long injury recovery, her crash training regimen which totally blows me away, and her experience running in the “Super Bowl” of 100-mile races. So, so impressive! She is tremendously fun, so I think you’ll get a kick out of this chat as much as I did.

Chaiwen Chou
Instagram @aehrwyn

Bill Stahl
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Our guest today is a local running and coaching legend here in Colorado who is also well-known worldwide. Junko Kazukawa came late into the running world, but has been a prolific endurance athlete, while exuding tons of positive energy. This year alone she completed the Leadwoman challenge – all of the Leadville running and biking races – which included her 10th LT100 run finish, then finished the very difficult Tor des Géants 200-miler in Italy, ran rim-to-rim-to-rim in the Grand Canyon, and currently has the NYC Marathon on-deck. In 2015, she became the first person to complete Leadwoman plus the 100-miler Grand Slam – Western States, Leadville, Vermont, and Wasatch – all in the same year. She did this on the heels of a second breast cancer diagnosis. This has given her the wonderful perspective of if there is something you want to do, don’t wait, just do it, you never know what will happen tomorrow. And then her philosophy that cancer takes away a lot, but it gives you so much more. Junko also talks here about the interesting topic of how suffering through a tough ultramarathon makes her feel more alive. Her infectious positive energy has created a huge following for her both at her races and in her coaching, and Junko Mountain Training is not only the training regimen for many of her athletes, but has become an Internet sensation, too. Junko with her running and coaching has also generously supported the Susan B. Komen Foundation, the Leadville Legacy Foundation, and several individuals battling cancer themselves. I know you’ll enjoy this chat with this relentlessly energetic and positive dynamo.

Junko Kazukawa
boundless.com
[email protected]
Instagram @runjunkorun

Bill Stahl
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We have had some uplifting performances by young runners in American Heroes Run. Last year, we had the formerly overweight high school freshman who completed the marathon. I mentioned a couple of weeks ago a freshman cross country runner named Bobby, who normally runs 5K, who completed 50K. And then we have 19-year-old Steven Sampson, who completed 35.7 miles in the 9 hour & 11 minute run. One thing that sets Steven apart is that he considers himself a hybrid athlete because he devotes probably more of his time to weightlifting and bodybuilding than he does running. Some of his inspiration comes from the likes of David Goggins and many notable competitive bodybuilders. So like the young marathoner last year, it was cool to see a guy with a jacked body hammering out long distance miles. One of his drivers, too, has been overcoming surgery to remove a brain tumor, which has left him with screws in his skull and he also hopes doesn’t prevent him from someday becoming a Navy Seal. He’s a super nice young man who is passionate about his athletic pursuits, and is just getting started in finding where these will take him, so I think you’ll enjoy our chat.

Steven Sampson
Instagram @camopants_steve

Bill Stahl
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Another great American Heroes Run performer was Lindsay Rahill, who attempted to complete her first 100-miler. While she bowed out at mile 72, Lindsay far exceeded her previous limits, and in the process continues to put behind her abuse and an eating disorder. She was supported by her awesome husband Chris, who had a fantastic spread of fueling items out for her the entire race except when he had to run home to pickup the kids from school. Lindsay is a lot of fun and she exudes enthusiasm for running and life in general. I greatly appreciate the help she gave me to help promote the AHR this year, which likely directly contributed to our having the highest numbers ever since I began directing the race.

Lindsay Rahill
Instagram @lindsay.rahill

Bill Stahl
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As I mentioned in my American Heroes Run episode, there were numerous impressive performances and I’m going to bring you chats with some of these while I’m traveling. First is Lisa Kabat, who not only improved her distance in the 9 hour & 11 minute race from 48 miles in 2023 to 62 miles this year, but also smashed the race record… the men’s record, too. Given the unusual time length, perhaps that’s a world record? Lisa lives near the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, but she prefers to run loops around her neighborhood, to the tune of 25 miles every day. Yes, that’s right. Thus, the loop format of the American Heroes Run suits her very well. What was cool was that Lisa generally had a big smile as she completed every lap. This might distract you from gawking at her unusual running form. She runs on her toes with a short, machine-like stride, with arms wildly swinging. I coached high school basketball for many years, and my first instinct would be to fix bad shooting form. But if the player was making his shots, you just shrugged and let it go. The same thing applies to Lisa – it seems to work for her. It’s funny but just last week some people I was with talked about this woman with the funky form who they would see over and over and over running past their house near where Lisa lives. I’ve got a strong hunch I know who they were talking about! Lisa’s next goal is Tunnel Hill, which, while it’s out-and-back, is relatively flat. As she says, with her style it’s likely she should stay off of rocky trails. But in our fun chat, you’ll be impressed hearing how she fits huge miles into her schedule, and her enthusiasm for cranking out repetitive miles.

Lisa Kabat
Facebook Lisa Kabat

Bill Stahl
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In addition to the We Are Superman Podcast, it is my humble privilege to honor David Clark's legacy to direct the American Heroes Run that he began in 2010.  This year, we had the largest number of runners since I began hosting it, and quite a few had outstanding performances.  We will be highlighting some of these stories in episodes over the new few weeks, but here is a recap of the entire two days of racing from 5K to 100 miles, from 15 to 85 years old, in Longmont, Colorado.

Bill Stahl
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Adam Popp was one of the most impressive previous WASP guests, appearing on episode #209 in May, 2022. Adam, a 12-year combat veteran, had his right leg blown off by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan in December, 2007 while serving in the Air Force as an Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team leader. After a long, arduous rehabilitation process, Adam found his purpose again in advocacy work and sports, where he has always gone big and crammed a lot into a short amount of time. He won the 2021 and 2022 Americas Triathlon Championships, and completed a full Ironman in 11:03:06 in 2023. He became the first above-the-knee amputee to complete a 100-mile running race in less than 30 hours, and this year set the 100-mile world record of 16:13:43. He won the 2024 Boston Marathon Para Elite division (T61/63) and set a T63 world best of 3:08:52 at the London Marathon just six days later. For good measure, he ran another marathon in New Zealand a couple of weeks after that. Adam, who already holds seven Guinness World Records, is on a current quest to set 17 records this year to mark 17 years since losing his leg. His next major attempt will be to run 24 hours straight on a treadmill, which he’ll do on Oct. 15 inside the Hoka flagship store in NYC. He aims to support the many organizations that aided him and other wounded soldiers. He is also doing a trial run on Wednesday morning, Sept. 25 in Arvada, Colo., so please reach out to him if you are a local listener who’d like to help witness it for him. His Instagram to contact him is @eodpopp He’s a super humble guy who valiantly served his country on the battlefield, so please support him if you can either in Arvada or in New York.

Adam Popp
adampopp.com
Instagram @eodpopp

Bill Stahl
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Some wise person said that necessity is the mother of invention. It’s also sometimes the mother of entrepreneurship. Meet Rice University runner Tyler Strothman. When he experienced years of frustrating foot pain, he tried many different brands of shoes, but nothing seemed to help solve his issues. So boldly, Tyler decided to start his own shoe brand, Veloci. The first models should arrive in January, but many runners who have tried his demo models have raved about them. The differentiators include a toebox that conforms to the natural shape of the foot AND they have a typical running shoe heel drop. Unlike some other brands on the market that have wider toeboxes, Velocis truly match the foot’s shape and they are not zero-drop shoes. In a crowded field, Tyler has been using his youthful enthusiasm and energy to crack into running shoe stores with his innovative brand. In this chat, it is interesting to hear the approach used by a 21-year-old to introduce Velocis to the running community, as well as learning how he has taken his shoes and the company from the drawing board, through financing and relationship-building, to actual production. After my bunion surgery last year, my foot still feels pretty beat up after runs, so I’m looking forward to receiving the pair of Velocis I’ve ordered myself.

Tyler Strothman
 velocirunning.com
Instagram @velocirunning and @tylerstrothman
LinkedIn and TikTok Veloci Running

Bill Stahl
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As I mentioned in my American Heroes Run episode, there were numerous impressive performances and I’m going to bring you chats with some of these while I’m traveling. First is Lisa Kabat, who not only improved her distance in the 9 hour & 11 minute race from 48 miles in 2023 to 62 miles this year, but also smashed the race record… the men’s record, too. Given the unusual time length, perhaps that’s a world record? Lisa lives near the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, but she prefers to run loops around her neighborhood, to the tune of 25 miles every day. Yes, that’s right. Thus, the loop format of the American Heroes Run suits her very well. What was cool was that Lisa generally had a big smile as she completed every lap. This might distract you from gawking at her unusual running form. She runs on her toes with a short, machine-like stride, with arms wildly swinging. I coached high school basketball for many years, and my first instinct would be to fix bad shooting form. But if the player was making his shots, you just shrugged and let it go. The same thing applies to Lisa – it seems to work for her. It’s funny but just last week some people I was with talked about this woman with the funky form who they would see over and over and over running past their house near where Lisa lives. I’ve got a strong hunch I know who they were talking about! Lisa’s next goal is Tunnel Hill, which, while it’s out-and-back, is relatively flat. As she says, with her style it’s likely she should stay off of rocky trails. But in our fun chat, you’ll be impressed hearing how she fits huge miles into her schedule, and her enthusiasm for cranking out repetitive miles.

Lisa Kabat
Facebook Lisa Kabat

Bill Stahl
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It’s a shame that two of the nicest people you can meet at the Leadville Trail 100 also happen to be the ones you want the least to meet. You see, Sandy and Mike Monahan are the race’s cutoff queen and king. If you are pushing the time cutoffs at each aid station, they will do their best to move you through and on to the next one. But if you are too late getting there, they will kindly and gently deliver the news that your raceday has ended. You couldn’t ask for better people to handle this difficult job, and that is what makes them an integral part of the Leadville Family. I’ve been there several times on both sides of the cutoff ledger, which may be why in the years I have volunteered, Sandy has sometimes recruited me to assist her. I got to know them particularly well in 2015, when I was the so-called Last Ass Up the Pass, the DFL, or dead f*@king last finisher. Due to coming back from surgery for a ruptured quad that prior fall and some other unique circumstances, from the time I arrived at Twin Lakes inbound, I was within four minutes of the cutoff at every aid station the rest of the way. A very stressful position to be in, but the Monahans kept me moving along so that I did make it to the finish with only two minutes to spare, in 29:58! Once again this year, at Outward Bound and Half Pipe, there were Mike and Sandy pushing me along as I teetered ahead of those cutoffs. But the couple has meant a lot more to the race, going all the way back to the early days when Mike was a racer, and Sandy helped race co-founder Merilee computerize the records from the old handwritten ones prior to then. Cole Chlouber devoted an entire chapter to them in his new book, Grit, Guts, and Determination. Mike and Sandy share some great stories that I am sure you will enjoy in this episode, recorded on the eve of this year’s race, which they generously agreed to do, get this, on their 50th wedding anniversary!

Bill Stahl
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