Kickin’ It With The KTrain

In this week leading into Father’s Day there’s no better guest to have on the podcast than the man who helped mold and shape me more than any other. Let me introduce you to my Dad, Steve Coon. Listen as Dad describes growing up in the suburbs of Chicago and then his decision to join the Marine Corps right out of high school. The Marine Corps certainly shaped Dad’s value system and laid the foundat...

Lesley Paterson is a 5x off road Triathlon World Champion. You may remember her name being mentioned when I chatted with my friend and guide Alan Greening way back in the first few episodes. Lesley is the coach I credit with whipping me into shape and getting physically and mentally ready to tackle a crazy year of racing in 2018 and for helping me recognize the grit and determination it was going...

When I moved to the Olympic and Paralympic Training Center, one of the first people to introduce themselves and welcome me to the Resident team was Howie Sanborn. Over the next several years Howie would become a close friend and mentor. Listen as we sit down and chat about Howie’s time as an Airborn Ranger, his time serving on the Army’s elite skydiving team, and how he got into Paratriathlon.

Bobby Koelble was my first ever guitar teacher. It was Bobby’s voice that guided me in initially learning the fret board and the initial chords and scales I learned. If you’ve listened to previous episodes that I’ve done with my friend and buisincesspartner, Jared Hara, you’ll remember us talking about TalkingTabs. Bobby was the voice of TalkingTabs and was an instructor at the guitar camp I atten...

In 2006, I took a trip to the jungles of Peru with some badass mountaineers. Among those who were our designated leaders was some crazy southern/Colorado/hippy dude named Jeff Evans. I’ve chatted with several people who are willing to just jump in and say yes when ever I want to go do an adventure. Jeff was that guy for my mentor Erik Weihenmayer. Over the years I’ve tried to keep up with people l...

What better way to kick off the week leading into Mothers Day than sitting down and talking with my very own mom! If you’ve read my book you know how critical a role my parents played in my life growing up. Even today they still play a critical role. In this episode mom and I chat about her own life growing up, how that shaped her, and then we get into how she and dad teamed up to navigate through...

Jared Hara lost his sight as he was becoming a teenager. Through the strength of his family and a desire to be something Jared found his way to playing guitar and eventually music. Jared and I met when we were both teenagers at a music camp that his family put together for blind and visually impaired kids. While I haven’t talked much about my passion and love of music here on this podcast yet, it’...

Running 26.2 miles is a feat. Running 26.2 miles guiding a blind guy is an extra feat. Especially when that blind guy is a super young cocky Kyle Coon. Joel Diaz guided me for my second ever marathon at Disney 2016. Joel also became a good buddy and has had some pretty cool and unique experiences apart from dragging my butt around Disney World.

I haven’t talked about it very much yet here on the podcast, but I’ve been an amateur musician for the majority of my life. Today I sit down and chat with the man who had a real hand in shaping my technique as a guitarist. John Monarch went to school to be a scientist but always had more of a passion for music. He attended the Musicians Institute in Hollywood, California and just kept trying his h...

Freedom of movement isn’t something I take for granted. Today let me introduce you to the person who helped give me so much confidence in being able to navigate my surroundings whether I was in the halls at school or traveling across the country or world. Karlin Michelson has been an Orientation and Mobility Specilist for more than 30 years, seven of those years working with me. I’m sure I caused...

Zoe Rom is the Editor-In-Chief of Trailrunner Magazine. More than that though she’s a good friend and running partner. Listen as Zoe and I chat about her running and journalism career. Check out what Zoe says is her most impactful article here as well https://www.trailrunnermag.com/people/unpaving-the-way/

Fred Morgan lost his sight in his mid 30s. He was a high school drop out and wasn’t sure how he was going to make things work. However, a mindset of “What does this button do” helped him keep trying things out until he found his path. Fred and I have had many an amazing conversation over the years since we were both call center agents at Lighthouse works and have both gone on to have some success....

There are a handful of people out there that I call up when I want to do something a little crazy or who I know will be up for just about any adventure. Alex Libbin is one of those people. Listen as Alex and I chat about his journey into the triathlon world and a couple of the fun times we’ve had, especially on a bike.

My buddy Jared Hara and I host a little Youtube Talk Show—some might call it public therapy—and we call it Blind Sweaters. A couple of weeks ago Jared called me up asking for some advice and to tell me about a little situation he found himself in. We chat about that situation and explore some other topics here on this Bonus episode of Kickin’ It With The KTrain/Blind Sweaters. Please give the epis...

It’s Boston Marathon Time! Let’s meet the man who guided me to my first Boston Qualifying Time and who guided me in my first Boston Marathon. Here’s Trinity Terry!

Stephen DeAugustino was a four time NCWA All-American and comes from a family of great wrestlers. Stephen was a member of the 2010 UCF Wrestling Team that brought home the NCWA National Championship and was the captain of the UCF Wrestling Team my freshman year. Since graduating from UCF Stephen has gone on to have an incredibly successful career with NBC where he has covered numerous sporting eve...

Sometimes you just connect with people. Sometimes the power of the internet isn’t such a bad thing. Peter Green came into my life when I was eager to learn more about the mountains. Pete took myself, Brad Jaffke and Justin Grant under his wing and taught us so much of what we now know about the technical side of the mountains. Many of the things Pete taught me I still use today if I’m out travelin...

Frank Frangie began his Sports Radio career in 1988 and has been part of the Jacksonville, Florida sports media landscape for more than 35 years. He is going into his 10th year as the radio voice of the Jacksonville Jaguars. I grew up listening to Frank’s talk show just about every afternoon, and was a regular caller. Frank always showed grace and enthusiasm to chat with a wee little kid who just...

There aren’t too many people crazy enough to ride their bike across the country. There are even fewer who are eager to do so on a tandem. And even fewer who want to pilot a blind guy during the world’s toughest bicycle race, also known as Race Across America. Today I chat with Chris Howard who was my pilot when we were part of the first team of tandems with all blind and visually impaired stokers—...

Brad Jaffke and I have climbed and adventured on three continents together. Brad has guided me over some pretty gnarly terrain and been there for some high highs and low lows. Learn how Brad got into the outdoors and how he continues to challenge himself in the mountains to this day.

In 2018 I attended a triathlon camp hosted by Amy Dixon specifically for blind and visually impaired triathletes. My guide at that camp, Danny Craven. Danny and I would go on to attend a United States association of Blind Athletes tandem cycling camp, my first time to the Olympic and Paralympic Training Center, as well as race Augusta 70.3. Danny has also been around the sport of Paratriathlon in...

I was very fortunate to get to extend my wrestling career a little bit after high school when I attended the University of central Florida. Jason Balma was my head coach and taught me so much both on and off the mat. Learn what he has learned over the years from wrestling and how we all still apply those lessons off the mat today!

Amanda Duke was incredibly instrumental in the development of Paratriathlon in the United States, and some could argue across the world. Amanda led the charge in putting Paratriathlon on the map as an elite sport, not just a participation event. In 2018, she brought a group of Paratriathletes to live and train full time out of the Olympic and Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, and one...

Today we chat with Justin Grant. If you’ve read my book you’ll know many of the mischief and adventures we got upto across the world. But now you get to hear it for yourself!

Colin Riley has been around the sport of Paratriathlon for about 10 years. He’s guided several high profile blind and visually impaired athletes, and is a Formulation Specialist with Infinit Nutrition. I’m a proud Infinit Athlete and even though Collin and I have raced against each other we have a very friendly and respectful relationship. Check out Infinit Nutrition at www.infinitnutrition.us and...