No Barriers Podcast – The Ultra Barrier Breaker

We’re proud to share that our Race Director, Amy Rusiecki, recently joined the No Barriers Podcast for a gripping conversation with blind adventure athlete Erik Weihenmayer.

Erik was the first blind person to climb Mount Everest in 2001. He’s since ascended the tallest peak on every continent, climbed El Cap in under 24 hours, kayaked the Grand Canyon, authored three books, spoken to students and businesses nationwide, and led expeditions around the world for those living with seen and unseen disabilities as part of his non-profit, No Barriers.

Amy joins Erik’s show to talk about the complexities of ultrarunning, her role as an athlete, guide, coach, and race director, and the ways in which she tries to expand accessibility and address inclusion issues in our sport. Erik is curious about what goes on in our heads as ultrarunners, what it really takes to tackle 100 miles as an athlete with a disability, and asks Amy what she hopes racing will look like in the years to come.

While Amy has helped our race create divisions for both athletes with disabilities and nonbinary runners, led discussions with other race directors about how to better manage gender equality, and deepened our fundraising commitment to Vermont Adaptive—she says there is still plenty of work left to do.

Tune in, and please email us at vt100@vermontadaptive.org if you have ideas on how our event (and others) can continue to break barriers and close gaps. We strongly believe that the trails are a place for everyone and we continuously strive to make our runner, volunteer, sponsorship, and fundraising opportunities as accessible and appealing to people from all backgrounds and identities.

Amy’s episode (no. 126) is available here on the No Barriers Podcast showpage as well everywhere you get your podcasts, like Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Enjoy, and thanks for listening!

Images courtesy of No Barriers, Ben Kimball, Peter Maksimow, and Bruno Hamann.