Brady Wix

350 pounds to Ultrarunner

  1. What does your life consist of outside of running? 

  2. What made you decide to pursue ultra running?

  3. What drives you to keep doing ultras?

  4. What has been the biggest challenge you have faced in ultra running?

  5. What is the most important lesson you have learned from ultra running?

  6. What is something you wish you had known when you first started ultra running?

  7. What is your top piece of advice for someone who wants to run their first ultra?

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  1. Im currently an Active Duty Sergeant in the U.S Army. Im stationed in North Carolina. Outside of running I remain very busy in my job, but also spend a lot of my time writing / journaling, lifting and traveling looking for the best cities / downtowns to explore and always on the hunt for the best coffee shops. 
 
  1. When I was on my weight loss journey of 175 lbs, I started running to lose weight to join the Army and then become somewhat addicted to it. Eventually ran my first half marathon in Oct of 2021 and after that I wanted to go further and I did a marathon in March of 2022, and of course I wanted more after that and wasn’t fufilled and then that escalated to a few 50ks, then 50 miler and eventually the 100 miler. Ive had the love for long distance since I started running.
 
  1. I do not like to remain stagnant in life and training for ultras always make me work for something. The work that goes into a prep for a ultra is truly satisfying and I believe that is the real reward, not the finish. Im always looking to do something that challenges me physically and mentally and ultra running does just that.
 
  1. Honestly, the biggest challenge for me in Ultra Running is Rest Days. I have a hard time taking days off and recovering my body which has led to some injuries. I have OCD when it comes to running and fitness, I always gotta be moving and walking so much a day because of the fear of going back to 350 lbs which leads to never taking off much.
  
  1. Dont take any run for granted and appreciate your health. Truly be grateful for each run because you never know when it will be your last. Also ultra running shows that your body is capable of more than you actually think and a lot of times its your mind holding you back. 
 
  1. That mid run nutrition and hydration is a crucial part of ultra running. If you dont have that dialed in it can lead to some serious issues on the trails. Time on feet and training similar to the conditions of your race is beneficial. Train how your going to fight.
 
  1. Just start! Do a lot of time on feet / timed runs instead of running based on a certain mileage for the day. For example set a timer and go for an hour run instead of a prescribed distance.

 

Contact Brady:

Twitter- @Wix47
Instagram- Wix78_
 

Listen to his podcast here