Written by: Anja Hayes <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Brad Dains willingly lets running shape his past, present, and future. Aside from competing in many different ultras and marathons, he plays a role in directing the races he loves dearly. However, he was not always the model he is now for runners. One of the key elements of ultramarathons is building personal strength through enduring difficulties in life as they try to tear us apart. Through his own path, Brad has grown to embody this main aspect and continues teaching other runners how to find hope and hold on to it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Brad\u2019s journey with running began in a different body and mindset. He describes himself as being \u201cthe chubby kid\u201d during high school. While being eager to participate in basketball and football, he could never make the teams. Throughout young adulthood, he continued gaining weight, consistently feasting on fat-filled sugary foods and foregoing balanced meals. His eating habits met the criteria for a severe binge eating disorder. Six years after graduating high school, he managed to put on over 130 pounds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For the past 20 years, binge eating disorders have rarely been discussed in America. \u201cIn the culture we live in,\u201d Brad recalls, \u201cbeing big like I was, people saw that as okay\u2026 guys don\u2019t talk about it as much, but eating disorders and that sort of thing is something that is so prevalent.\u201d Over time, he began understanding how his eating habits were not regular and that he fit the description of a binger. \u201cIt was nonstop,\u201d he remembers, adding that at his heaviest, he \u201cwould drink 120 oz of Mountain Dew a day.\u201d He tells people frequently that \u201covereating is one thing, but to the extent that I was doing, it was insane.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Brad\u2019s decision to adopt a healthy lifestyle came after a day trip to the Iowa State Fair in 2004. Delicious and heavily caloric snacks loomed throughout the festival. Brad jokes that, \u201cFor someone who likes food, it\u2019s the best place to go.\u201d Throughout the day, he ate a slew of turkey legs, all while guzzling down beers and finishing off with sugar-filled desserts. At this point, Brad comfortably fit into 44\u201d pants and XXL tops, not anticipating any signs of slowing down. By the next day, all of the food he enjoyed then was now the root of disgust. \u201cI woke up and was tired of being fat,\u201d he recounts while reflecting on the dreadful morning after. The shift in his stomach also shifted his personal image; he was no longer comfortable with succumbing to binging. The same morning after the fair, he agreed to accompany his wife on her jog\u2014 breaking a multiple year trend of declining her invitations and saying he \u201ccan\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Across from his housing complex, a park\u2019s \u00bd mile track awaited the first steps of Brad\u2019s personal progress. While his wife circled it several times, he tapped out a quarter of the way through, throwing up at the entrance of a playground. \u201cI had to do the walk of shame back to our apartment,\u201d he retells with a hint of embarrassment. Though grotesque, expelling his appetite holds symbolism in the fact that he was releasing the toxicity he once willingly allowed. Despite the rough start, he did not lose sight of the loop, attempting it a few days later. He aced his second try, completing the first run towards becoming a better version of himself. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Shortly after completing the loop, Brad received life changing advice from his practitioner that forced him to work harder, or else. \u201cThe doctor said that I was eating myself to death,\u201d he reveals. Being a husband to his wife and a father to his children meant that he would have to make a drastic change in his consumption and exercise habits. Thus, his first \u00bd mile was only the first of many accomplishments leading up to ultrarunning. He continued his pace, upping his goals from \u00bd mile, to 5ks, 10ks, and not long later, full marathons. Brad also picked up healthier cooking habits and replaced his eating addiction with an obsession of personal betterment. By embracing such a severe shift, Brad took back his life expectancy and lost over 100 pounds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As his physical health became a priority, so did his mentality. His passion for running transformed from a fight to a filled void. Aside from running his first ultramarathon in 2010, he also joined a local running club around the same time, later being appointed to its board of directors. During trying situations in life, Brad has been able to turn to his race community for affirmation. An instance he cites was when he needed a part-time job to provide for his growing family. Once his wife decided to stay at home after the birth of their third kid, he connected with the owner of a local running store, also a member of his club. His side gig at the store allows him to revisit his past through others’ present situations. \u201cA lot of people come in wanting to start running and that\u2019s my point\u2013 we are all in,\u201d he shares. \u201cI get antsy, in their face, and tell them \u2018yes, let’s do it.\u2019\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Outside of work and the running club, Brad makes a mark on ultrarunning by directing races he once never believed he was capable of. After learning a former director of the Booneville Backroads was stepping down, he volunteered. His natural love of \u201cputting on events for others that lets them hit goals,” as well as his past participation made him a perfect candidate for the position. He now plays a role in coordinating the Backroads races for two years and counting. Eight months prior to the marathon, Brad makes preparations for everything down to timing, insurance, marketing, and custom swag for finishers. One highlight of this process comes from the challenge of differentiating strategies from other years. \u201cIt\u2019s a lot of thinking outside of what we have done in the past to attract people,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
By far, the most rewarding part of his work is seeing the impact that competing in Booneville Backroads has on its participants. Each year, Brad has the pleasure to see the racers\u2019 joy in crossing the finishing lines. When he meets them, he often gets the opportunity to hear their \u201cwhy\u2019s\u201d for deciding to run. Brad recalls a specific racer in 2021, who was celebrating the one-year anniversary of their last round of chemotherapy. \u201cYou hear these stories of people overcoming these huge adversities in their lives,\u201d he explains. \u201cI\u2019ve met people who have overcome drug addictions, severe depression, and anxiety.\u201d Fifteen years since the beginning of his own journey, Brad is able to witness hard work pay off as he advocates for others to achieve their own goals. Brad acknowledges that by \u201cgetting to hear these stories\u201d he is driven to come back and help annually. \u201cI want to be a part of their success story,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The incredible milestones Brad has reached does not necessarily mean his life is without hardships. Like many others, he still endures days that seek to diminish his progress. Brad knows this well, which is why he lives by the mantra that \u201ccan\u2019t is the worst four letter word.\u201d To Brad, his motto reminds him that, \u201cWe can do some pretty amazing things if we stop listening to the voices in our heads telling us that we can\u2019t.\u201d Personal trials are difficult to navigate, yet they also serve a greater purpose. Instead of being dragged down, he chooses to take these difficulties day-by-by, rolling with the punches and continually learning how to push his own limits and along the way, teach others how to conquer their own.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Written by: Anja Hayes Brad Dains willingly lets running shape his past, present, and future. Aside from competing in many different ultras and marathons, he plays a role in directing the races he loves dearly. However, he was not always the model he is now for runners. One of the key elements of ultramarathons is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3800,"featured_media":200820,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-200794","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog_posts"],"yoast_head":"\n