Wild Ideas Worth Living

Mohamed Lahna is a Paralympic medalist, endurance athlete, and one of the world's most accomplished para-triathletes. Born without a femur in his right leg, he didn't begin running or cycling until his twenties. On July 29, 2026, he completed a self-designed triathlon across America: a 28 mile swim around Manhattan, a 3,000 mile bike ride from New York to Las Vegas, and a 350 mile run to Venice Be...

Kelsey Pfendler made history on July 3, 2026, when she became the first American woman to row solo from California to Hawaii, completing the crossing in just 43 days and setting a new speed record. An open ocean rower and longtime Grand Canyon river guide, Kelsey spent two years preparing and funding the expedition herself. Her journey culminated in a record that shattered the previous men's mark...

Sunny Stroeer spent years working as a business consultant before burnout pushed her to rethink what success looked like. She left the corporate world in search of adventure and went on to become one of the most accomplished endurance athletes in the outdoors, setting more than 20 Fastest Known Times across the globe. In 2024, she became the first woman to ski the full Iditarod Trail, a feat that...

Tyler Mitic is an endurance cyclist and mental health advocate who spent 27 days riding a tandem bike the length of California. Along the way, he convinced more than 40 strangers to hop on the back of his bike, creating opportunities for connection, conversation, and shared adventure. What began as a cycling challenge became an exploration of rejection, friendship, and the power of showing up for...

Kit DesLauriers is a ski mountaineer, two time Freeride World Champion, and the first person to climb and ski down the Seven Summits, the highest peaks on each continent. She completed the historic project in 2006, cementing her place as one of the most accomplished ski mountaineers in the world. A National Geographic Adventurer of the Year and member of the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame, Ki...

Alison Mariella Désir is a runner, activist, author of Running While Black , and host of the award winning PBS series Out & Back . In 2013, she started a community run club in Harlem with a simple goal: help more Black and Brown people experience the joy and connection of running. That grassroots effort helped launch a career dedicated to building community, expanding access to the outdoors, a...

Rob Lea is an endurance athlete, mountaineer, and open water swimmer who became the first person to complete the Double Seven in June 2026. The project combines climbing the Seven Summits, the highest peaks on each continent, with the Oceans Seven, a collection of iconic open water crossings that includes the English Channel and the Strait of Gibraltar. By uniting two of the world's most demanding...

Jenn Dice is the CEO of PeopleForBikes, a national nonprofit dedicated to making biking safer, easier, and more accessible across the United States. As a lifelong cyclist, she has spent decades exploring the outdoors on two wheels and advocating for better places to ride. Her work is driven by the belief that bicycles can improve health, strengthen communities, and create more connected places to...

Anton Nootenboom is an endurance athlete, mental health advocate, and world record holder known as the Barefoot Dutchman. He has walked thousands of miles barefoot through some of the world's most challenging landscapes, including the Himalayas, the Australian coast, and across the United States. A former Dutch soldier, Anton uses his expeditions to raise awareness for men's mental health and insp...

Rachel Entrekin is an ultrarunner and three time champion of the Cocodona 250, one of the most demanding ultramarathons in the United States. Known as the "Queen of Cocodona," she became the first woman to win the race outright in 2026, covering more than 250 miles across Arizona in 56 hours, 9 minutes, and 58 seconds while setting a new course record. Connect with Rachel:  Instagram If you enjoye...

Courtney Conley is a movement specialist, foot health expert, and author of the national bestselling book Walk . Through her work as founder of Gait Happens, she helps people build stronger feet and ankles to improve mobility, prevent injury, and stay active for life. Whether you love hiking, running, biking, or climbing, Courtney believes better movement starts from the ground up.  Connect with C...

Samer Abouhamad is a long distance cyclist who biked 46,000 miles through 61 countries during a three year journey around the world. He began the ride just outside his family's home in Brookline, Massachusetts, and completed it in Beirut, Lebanon, in September 2025. Connect with Samer:  Website Instagram Thank you to our sponsors:  Capital One and  the REI Co-op® Mastercard® Benchmade Hosted by Si...

Michael Koppy is a 75-year-old ultrarunner and retired engineering professor from northern Minnesota who is still breaking records in endurance sports. Over the past decade, he's completed two fastest known times (FKTs) and continues to compete in some of the country's most demanding ultramarathons. In 2026, he became the oldest person to finish the Arrowhead 135, one of the toughest winter ultram...

Breannah Yeh is a slackliner, highliner, and content creator who has spent the last six years dedicated to life on the line. Whether she's landing tricks on a slackline in Los Angeles or walking highlines suspended thousands of feet above the ground, Breannah brings a joyful and creative approach to a sport that demands intense focus and balance. Through her videos, she shares the challenges and r...

Lisa Jhung is a writer, trail runner, and ultramarathon pacer who first began pacing runners more than 25 years ago. Drawn to the challenge and camaraderie of endurance sports, she's helped athletes through some of the most demanding miles of their lives. What keeps her returning to the trail is the opportunity to support someone else's big goal and be part of their journey to the finish line. Con...

Lucy Barnard is an Australian adventurer walking the length of the Americas, a years long expedition from Argentina to Alaska she began in 2017. Along the way, she adopted a blue heeler named Wombat, and together they navigate deserts, mountains, jungles, and remote terrain on foot. By 2026, Lucy had reached northern British Columbia, steadily continuing north toward Alaska. Connect with Lucy:  We...

On June 12, 2025, 15 year old Tasia Linwood set out to kayak 310 miles down the Klamath River, from southern Oregon to the coast of northern California. She went with several other young Indigenous kayakers, from different tribes who live along the river. Their journey marked the first descent of the Klamath after the removal of four dams, which her community had fought for for decades. Connect wi...

Liam Garner is a long distance cyclist who set out at 17 to bike from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska to Ushuaia, Argentina, completing nearly 20,000 miles and becoming the youngest person to ride the length of the Americas. Now, Liam is continuing his global cycling journey, riding roughly 15,000 miles from Portugal through Europe, the Middle East, and Asia toward Singapore as part of his goal to bike across...

Lindsay Branham is an environmental psychologist exploring how we build deeper, more reciprocal relationships with nature. Her work invites us to go beyond simply spending time outside and consider what it might look like to truly listen and even communicate with trees. Connect with Lindsay:  Website  Instagram Purchase Lindsay's book, Heartwood: The Wisdom and Healing Kinship of Trees  Thank you...

Yassine Diboun is a Portland-based ultrarunner and coach who found endurance sports during recovery from addiction. After signing up for his first triathlon in 2004 to bring structure to his life, he discovered a talent for running that quickly evolved into a career in ultramarathons. Since then, he has become one of the sport’s most respected athletes, with top 10 finishes at Western States 100,...

Joe Holder is a Nike Master Trainer and GQ fitness columnist with a track record of coaching elite athletes and high profile clients. Grounded in a background in health and wellness, he brings a practical approach to endurance training and overall fitness. His work spans marathon training, thru hike preparation, and strategies to support long term health and performance. Connect with Joe:  Instagr...

In January 2026, Taryn Smith became the third American woman to row solo across the Atlantic Ocean, completing a 46 day Atlantic Ocean crossing in open water conditions. With no rowing experience beforehand, she leaned on a foundation built through world travel, the New York City Marathon, and summers exploring Idaho’s Sawtooth Mountains. Website Instagram Thank you to our sponsors:  Capital One a...

Shane Schieffer is an endurance swimmer who spent more than 15 years dreaming of a full length swim of Lake Powell, the desert reservoir stretching from Utah into Arizona. In September 2025, he became the first person to complete it, covering 140 miles in 11 days while towing 215 pounds of gear. The route carried him through a remote landscape of sand colored canyons, rock formations, and isolated...

Nikki Bettis turned a simple hike on the Appalachian Trail into an audacious plan to thru hike the entire trail with her fifteen kids, ranging in age from 4 to 21. As a single mom in rural Virginia facing financial and emotional strain, Nikki hoped the physical challenge and months spent outdoors together could help her family reconnect and find a way forward. Connect with Nikki:  Website Instagra...

Adventurer Garrett Gee turned a four month family trip in 2015 into The Bucket List Family, documenting world travel with his wife, Jessica, and their kids. What began as videos shared on YouTube and Instagram became a global family travel brand with millions of followers, built on experiences from shark diving in South Africa to hot air balloons in Turkey and biking through shrines and gardens in...