Thursday, October 14, 2010 at 6:00AM | Amy C inspiring interviews: a compilation
The Expanding Outdoors interview series here at Expand Outdoors features stories of people I call “late blooming athletes.” They’re folks who didn’t identify as athletic growing up, and only began experiencing the outdoors and a passion for fitness and health as adults. They have all experienced profound transformation through fitness and have each expanded outdoors—physically, mentally and spiritually.
My intent in featuring these amazing athletes is to showcase their stories and remind you that:
it’s never too late.
I hope you enjoy reading these posts as much as I enjoyed the interviews themselves. And if you, or anyone you know is a late-blooming athlete with a desire to share your story, please contact me. I’d love to set up an interview.
cameron
Meet Cameron (CJ), a man. A husband. A father. An employee. A runner. A runner who didn’t run until he was 36. A runner who lost 55 pounds during an office competition and has since witnessed his life change. His story unfolds with openness and honesty, and I found myself inspired by his passion and enthusiasm for the sport and the changes it’s created in his life.
Read Expanding Outdoors: An Interview with CJ
tori
Meet Tori Klassen. A single mother. A runner. A climber. A woman. An athlete. Her story is about perseverance. It’s about failing and finding motivation within that failure. It’s about learning who you are, how to take care of yourself, searching for—and finding—reservoirs of strength and endurance within ourselves. Tori calls it intrinsic motivation
Read Expanding Outdoors: An Interview with Tori
anne
Meet Anne Hughes, who, at the age of 42, was introduced to the sport of rock climbing and at the time of the interview, at age 56, met her long-held goal of sending a 5.12a. Her story is about making choices, finding passions and living with grace and power. It’s about looking at fitness in three dimensions.
Read Expanding Outdoors: Climbing in Three Dimensions with Anne Hughes
jared
Meet Jared Kohlmann. His story is one a lot of us are familiar with. He doesn’t love running. He’s got unpleasant and awkward memories of running as a child. He never thought of himself as “a runner." Yet when he turned 33 this past spring, with two small children at home, looking to make a lifestyle change, he signed up for The Bolder Boulder, a local 10K race.
Read Expanding Outdoors: An Interview with Jared
suzan
Meet Suzan Bond. An entrepreneur living in Boulder, CO who has struggled with serious health issues since she was six months old. She talks about how her definition of athlete—and her belief that it was inaccessible to her—shifted and expanded as she trained for a hike to reach the summit of one two of Colorado peaks over 14,000 feet above sea level.
Read Expanding Outdoors: Climbing 14,000 feet with Suzan Bond
jen
Meet Jen Floyd. She's a mom, wife, employee and community organizer who suddenly realized, after a rude awakening following a fun family outing, that her weight had crept up over the years without notice. She vowed then and there to make a change and for her 35th birthday, ran her first 5k. Jen talks with us about that defining moment, about building a strong community of support and how she keeps running despite a strong love for the sport.
Read Expanding Outdoors: Running a first 5k with Jen Floyd
how it began
And if you’re looking for more details on how I got started on this series, you can read my post on inspiration and motivation. I'll be updating this page as I publish more interviews so feel free to bookmark it and keep checking back.
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Reader Comments (2)
What an inspiring list of athletes. I love the idea of "late bloomers", of deciding to change--even in midstride--and choose a healthier perspective and self-image. Thanks.
Glad you enjoyed the interveiws, Kim... these guys are amazing and I'm so honored they shared their stories with me.