If you’ve listened to my podcast, you’ve heard that I like to run. For a while, I was running long distances and completed my first ultra-marathon in 2014 at the Mt. Hood 50. An ultra-marathon is anything longer than 26.2 miles or 42 km.

Other chiropractic podcasters have also run ultra-marathons, including Dr. Ed Osburn of The Chiropractic Philanthropist and Dr. Suki Mukher of Two Docs Talking. But what you may not know, is that the original trail ultra-runner is a chiropractor.

The Western States ® 100-Mile Endurance Run is the world’s oldest 100-mile trail race. Starting in Squaw Valley, California and ending 100.2 miles later. Following the historic Western States Trail, runners climb more than 18,000 feet and descend nearly 23,000 feet before they reach the finish line at Placer High School in Gordy’s hometown of Auburn, California.

It is held on the last weekend of June each year. I got to volunteer at the race and witness this spectacle of endurance last year, and was lucky enough to meet up with Gordy a couple of days later.

In the next few episodes, you’ll hear my extended interview with Dr. Gordon Ainsleigh, which I recorded just after last year’s Western States 100.

Part 1

In this portion of my interview, Gordy tells the story of how it all started, how the horses actually held him back, and why caffeine is a recipe for disaster in ultra runs.

Stay tuned for the next two episodes of Exploring Chiropractic for the continuation of this interview. Gordy shares stories from his early life, how he became interested in medicine and chiropractic, and why he couldn't care less about philosophy.