Josh sits down for a conversation with Mike Higgins. Mike shares his background in athletics and how he has built running into his life for the past 25 years.

He shares how shifting focus and joining the track team led him to run collegiately at Penn State and then continue racing through adulthood. Mike outlines how he chose to train for the Antarctic Ice Marathon from signing up in January 2023 to competing in and winning the race in December of 2023.

As the defending champion of the Antarctic Ice Marathon, Mike shares how he trained for such an endeavor as running 26 miles on the Antarctic ice for 26 miles. He shares how signing up for something monumental gave him something tough to train through to remain motivated and disciplined amidst difficult life changes.

Mike highlights the logistics of running in Antarctica including landing on a strip of ice, the packable infrastructure during the 24-hour-day, and the feeling of seeing the plane leave while you stay on the ice. Mike shares what monumental race he’s looking to conquer next, and showcases how any given race day can provide renewed motivation on the journey.

To close, Mike reiterates the benefit of the community through exercise and how we become accountable for and advocate for one another.

For their run, Mike and Josh ran with Fleet Feet in Coppell, Texas. If you’re looking for a group to run with in DFW, join Fleet Feet Coppell on Tuesday nights, and check out Mike and Josh’s segment here -> https://www.strava.com/segments/37479916

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