OCR / Ultra Running - Hammering Since: 2013
Growing up I didn't have a running background, in fact I hated running, however I was always active, participating in team sports as a young kid (baseball, football, basketball) and then transitioning to more extreme sports as I got older (Motocross, Snowboarding, Off-road Racing). I joined the Marine Corp right out of high school at 17 and maintained a decent level of fitness, however, after a bad injury and transitioning out of the military my fitness level drastically decreased. Coming to the realization that I was becoming out of shape, I wanted to turn my life around and get healthy. I began to workout moderately and eat a bit cleaner and then I stumbled upon a new sport called Obstacle Course Racing. After trying my first OCR (Spartan Super Race in February 2012) I found the challenges of that to be rewarding and a great motivator to better my fitness. I've never been the "running type" although finding events that test me not only physically but mentally was the challenge I was needing.
Never one to sit idle and always looking to improve, I progressively ramped it up over the next few years and found a great love in the freedom of running. I particularly liked to seek out the longer more grueling events that go way past the physical portion and get into the mental aspect. I've since finished numerous OCRs ranging from 5K to Ultra distances, 24+ hours of World's Toughest Mudder, adventure races and numerous trail races. During this I really found a love for Ultra running, I started running the 50+ mile distances which then turned to 100 milers and now recently a 250 miler.
Once I started taking on those longer events, I realized that proper nutrition and hydration where key to having a successful day. While researching this I found Hammer Nutrition's 5 Secrets of Success for Endurance Fueling, which was the holy grail for the road I was heading down. In 2013, I started using Hammer's products and guidelines, this was a huge turning point in my performance and crucial in helping me tackle these longer grueling events. Hammer has been my go-to ever since, definitely the key to my success!
