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Mike McKnight Mountain Masher

Colorado commands the attention of top athletes

Colorado, in my opinion, is one of the greatest States in the Union. The reason I feel that way is because of the wonderous wilderness that is in this state. The beautiful mountains. The adventurous deserts. The wildlife, the plants, lakes, rivers, trails, and season colors. When one place can orchestrate all of those things, into the symphony that is Colorado, the opportunity for adventure is unmatched and it calls to those who seek it. Michael McKnight is one of those people who could not resist the call of the mountains in Colorado. They called, and he conquered. 

"You sure you need that second serving of mashed potatoes?" Someone called out to Mike. Mike was overweight all through grade school and into high school and would get fat jokes directed at him on a regular basis. "I just got tired of the jokes," McKnight said, "So between my Freshman and Sophomore years of high school I decided I would only eat food according to the serving size, and I would run a mile every day. I lost 40 pounds that summer." He told me how some friends didn't even recognize him during the start of his Sophomore year.  

As time wore on, he was able to maintain his weight and fitness. When Mike was 21 he had started to catch the running bug and had walked onto the Utah State University track team. But during that same year, Mike was skiing in Utah when he bit off more than he could chew and crashed. He shattered his L1 vertebrae. After surgery with 2 rods and 9 screws later the Doctor told him to not even think about running for a year or more. He could start swimming in 7 months but he needed to focus on physical therapy. Mike began his therapy. He did do his therapy but felt he could push himself a little more. Soon he was walking a mile and then he found himself walking up to 6 miles with no extra pain. Mike then started running and, he found himself running with no pain, 3 weeks after the surgery. After 6 weeks he ran a 10K. 

Because of the skiing accident, Mike lost his job despite his swift recovery. Finding himself with no job, and not having college courses to take, he kept running. His love for running turned into a passion and he was able to meet others who ran but one friend, in particular, introduced him to ultra running and the Bear 100 race outside of Logan, UT. His friend talked Mike into pacing for him. The next year, Mike did the Bear 100 for himself. 

Mike McKnight's passion for long-distance running continued to grow and he soon discovered the 200-mile races that are held in Washington State, California/Nevada, and Utah. The latter being the longest at 240 miles. Mike raced and completed all three races in one year and won the fastest overall time for all three. He battled stomach problems on all three races which prompted Mike to change his diet switching to a low-carb regimen. That has sparked experiments that Mike has done to improve his personal performance. 

After changing his diet and finding success with a low-carb intake as well as honing his training and rest intervals, Mike competed in all three 200 mile races. And won first place in every single race. McKnight was starting to gain fans and get noticed in the running community. 

It was after that, Mike became sponsored by Solomon Shoes as one of their professional athletes and he became friends with another Solomon athlete, Courtney Dauwalter. 

Courtney has racked up several successes and is quite the runner herself. She attempted to run the Colorado Trail in an effort to beat the fastest known time. Now, for those of you that don't know, the Colorado Trail is 486 miles from the mouth of Waterton Canyon southwest of Denver to Durango. Its highest point is 13,271 feet above sea level, and most of the trail is above 10,000 feet. Now, as much of a fantastic athlete as Courtney is, she had to quit at mile 300 because her blood oxygen levels fell to 70, and she was rushed to the hospital. It was shortly after that Courtney encouraged Mike to run the trail and four weeks later, Mike was attempting the fastest known time.

Things did not go as smoothly as he would have hoped. On day 1 of the attempt, someone had broken into Mike's car and stole all 12 pairs of Solomon shoes. After a near-by Solomon dealer saved the day, Mike set out. After 20 miles, he hit heavy snow. Several team-mates and friends recommended that Mike re-schedule his attempt for the coming spring of 2021, but he opted to press on. 

Being over 10,000 feet in elevation took a toll on Mike and he described it as "draining". Making him much more fatigued. But the other component to his exhaustion was his sleep schedule. Mike slept for 5 hours over the course of 7 days. "I would take dirt naps. 2 minutes here, 5 there," Mike said matter-of-factly. 

Food was an issue too. "Nothing sounded good or appetizing," Mike said to me. So I would eat heavy at my crew stops every 30 or so miles and not eat in-between. He described how, as the days wore on, his exhaustion increased. He even started hallucinating at times seeing monkeys driving and riding 4-wheelers. "That's not real is it?" He asked his pacers. Not completely knowing the correct answer himself.

"At mile 400," Mike continued, "I strained my quad and it became very painful to keep going." He said. Mike re-purposed a bandana and wrapped it around his leg to limp the last 100 miles. 

Mike completed the trail in 7 days, 13 hours, and crushed the old record. He told me it was extremely difficult and painful and that he couldn't do it without the support of his wife, friends, and teammates. When I asked him what he will improve on he said he would make an adjustment to his sleep schedule. "I'll experiment with making those longer," Mike said. I had to laugh at that comment. He said that he hopes to beat the fastest know time (43 days) of the Appalachian Trail. Which spans 2,200 miles of the Appalachian Mountains. 

Mike has recently started to coach those who are interested in Ultra-running or running in general. If you would like to get in touch you can follow him on social media @thelowcarbrunner or email him at mcknightcoaching@gmail.com.

Now, you don't have to be an intense runner like Mike to enjoy the wonders of Colorado. But you can't deny the fact that Colorado is a special place to attract such attention from people all over the world. From the Colorado Trail, to the Maroon Bells, to our local Lunch Loops. Colorado is truly a place where people can find adventure.  

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