Embracing You Podcast: Daniel Hight
Our founder Daniel Hight joins Eric Pothen on his Embracing You podcast to share his story about his renewed fitness journey and his perception of his body.
More Than Our Story
Bob Knuckey
75-year-young endurance athlete extraordinaire Bob Knuckey relives his career from his running days as a youth in high school, to his recent Age Group win at this years’ 2023 IRONMAN World Championship in Nice, France.
Highlights
We had a race around the schoolyard. It was like 800 meters, and I finished third and that got me hooked on running. Grade 11 I finished third, grade 12, I finished second… grade 13, I finally I won it.
I've done about 55 marathons... my best one was 2 hours, 28 minutes and 53 seconds in the Toronto Marathon.
In my early sixties, one night after working out with the Etobicoke Huskies, on my warm-down run, I went by a C3 workout with Barrie Shepley, and I got to know him through there and he eventually got me... So that's how I got coaxed into it. I started with duathlons and then for a whole year, Barrie and I argued over whether I would get the swim going... and he won.
Three months before (IRONMAN 2007 Wisconsin) I discovered that I had prostate cancer, so I chose the route of having it removed... I hadn't planned on competing, but the night before the race and I saw the cow medal and I had to have it.
[With no running, and only two bike rides and two swims since surgery, Bob ended up sixth in his age group to claim his medal]
The second time I went to Kona, I had nailed down the pacing on the bike. My nutrition was better and I ended up finishing fourth.
When you finish in the top five, you get a salad bowl. It's a small salad bowl, unless you're the winner, then you get a big salad bowl. So that was my focus for the next few years - to get the big salad bowl.
I think the fact that I am doing it (staying active and running triathlons) has kept me young, and I am going to keep doing it as long as I can. I can see myself when I'm 85... Racing people in a walker because I love to race.
I didn’t really celebrate (after winning my first 70.3 World Championship). I just came back home and started training for the next one.
I noticed a big change in my running form when I turned 50, and I noticed another big change when I turned 70. So you're slowing down every year and that's a little concerning, but as long as I'm not slowing down more than the other 75 year olds, I'm a happy camper.
You’ve got to jump on those injuries.
If you are a runner, branch out and do multi-sport, biking has a lot less strain on the body, swimming has even less. A lot of my running friends, I would say maybe 5% of them that I used to run with are not running anymore because they totally wrecked their bodies.
Second thing is to join a club with a lot of young people in it, which I do. I work my hardest to keep up with all the young people and that keeps me young and just keeps me moving.
I find that if you hava a goal, a lot of people don't have goals, so they don't bother training. I like to have goals and that keeps me in the game, keeps me looking forward to something.
IRONMAN
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C3: Canadian Cross Training Club
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Triathlon Ontario
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Daniel
Daniel is an extremely curious person, a wealth of random knowledge and facts. Extremely passionate about a vast array of interests ranging from health to history, science to athletics, everything culinary and the list goes on. Trust us, you would want to be on his team for Trivial Pursuit.
Daniel is also years into his battle with brain cancer. He experienced a seizure while on a Zoom call at work in late 2020 and quite literally, his life changed within minutes. After his operation he started to talk about his story but had always known it was more than just him. From then, More Than Our Story became a PROJECT that has evolved into the starting point it is today.
Additional Profiles
Kieren O’Hanlon
Kieren opens up about his health challenges, and how he is still perfecting the balance of being a loving husband, father and his well-being.
Carol Schulte
Carol shares how her struggles with mental health led to her founding The Brave Initiative and become the bravest version of herself.
Jillian Best
Jillian Best shares her inspiring journey from liver transplant recipient to becoming a world record holding swimmer and the first transplant recipient to swim across Lake Ontario.
Steve Veasey
Steve Veasey candidly discusses his life, his epilepsy, and how his journey has brought him back full circle to his first love - illustration.
Dr. George Ackerman
Dr. George Ackerman advocates for increased awareness of Parkinson's disease in memory of his late mother who passed from this terrible affliction.
Daniel Hight
The inaugural profile is none other than Daniel Hight, founder of More Than Our Story.
Nicholas Whitaker
After his layoff, Nicholas Whitaker co-founded the Changing Work Collective, become a life and career coach and devoted himself to improving workplaces, leaders and work culture.
Bob Knuckey
Bob Knuckey, 75-year-young, endurance athlete extraordinaire became a 2-time, age-group IRONMAN world champion this year in Nice, France.
Joe Tolles
Joe Tolles is a semi-retired, professional hockey player, CrossFit gym owner/operator, organ donor, and inspiration to others.
Eric Pothen
Eric shares his story from struggling with an eating disorder, to coaching people to help heal their relationship with food and their bodies.
Greg Robertson
Greg Robertson shares about his enthusiasm for triathlon, his ambassadorship for the Somersault race series and his goals for 2023 and beyond.
Ryan Grant Little
Ryan Grant Little shares his story from serial entrepreneur to angel investor and food tech ambassador. He also talks about his ongoing charitable and humanitarian efforts.
Dr. Caesar Lim
Dr. Caesar Lim talks about his podcast The Capable Dads, where he and his co-hosts discuss topics related to fatherhood in an open and honest way.
Stephen Glaus
Stephen shares his story of grit and determination of how he battles multiple sclerosis and his journey to becoming a three time IRONMAN.
Brandon Throop
Brandon shares his story, from his diagnosis with non-Hodgkin lymphoma to his aggressive treatment and current remission from the disease. He also talks about his fundraising.
Interview: I Have Cancer, Cancer Doesn’t Have Me
Our founder Daniel Hight is interviewed by Dr. George Ackerman for Together For Sharon on how he navigates life with his cancer diagnosis.
Michelle de Clair
Michelle juggles many roles with pride: mother, wife, volunteer, her career; yet she maintains a humble, quiet resiliency, as a daily reminder of the dangers of COVID-19.
Needs Improvement Podcast: Daniel Hight
Our founder Daniel Hight joins Nicholas Whitaker on his Needs Improvement podcast to share his thoughts on the impact of physical health on mental wellbeing.
Ruthie Sloan
Ruthie shares her story of courage and determination as she balances motherhood, trail running, and getting diagnosed with cancer during COVID.
Danielle Patrice
Danielle shares her incredible story of survival against domestic violence and how she now advocates and champions for those who have lost their own voice and agency to this evil.
Eric Duplain
Eric Duplain defines generosity, kindness and selflessness, and possesses the sheer determination and talent to master whatever he sets his mind to.
Nicholas Umali
Nicholas shares his story of persevering through stage 4 cancer and how he views his diagnosis as a blessing that's given him a new perspective on life.
Kevin Culliney
Kevin Culliney advocates for cancer awareness and seeking out second opinions and alternatives. He shares his remarkable story of survival, from diagnosis with stage IV cancer.
Mark Opauszky
Mark Opauszky shares his story of unbelievable resilience in his fight against necrotizing fasciitis.
Ryan Stark
Ryan shares his love of being creative, debunks some of the myths surrounding diabetes, and about what it's like living with this condition.