The O2X Tactical Performance Podcast: 102 – Adam Popp

Adam Popp is a 12-year combat veteran of the Air Force with deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan as an Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team leader. In 2007, while working to disarm a roadside bomb (IED) in Afghanistan, he was injured by a secondary IED resulting in the amputation of his right leg above the knee.

In the years following his injury, Adam endeavored to find meaning and purpose. Ultimately, he found that running, sports, and advocacy work was his path to fulfillment and self-actualization.

He is a seven-time Guinness World Record holder, became the first above-knee amputee to complete a 100-mile ultramarathon within 30 hours in 2016, has five 100-mile finishes, and set an amputee record time of 16:13:43 for 100 miles in 2024. He won the 2024 Boston Marathon’s Para Elite division and set a world best of 3:08:52 at the London Marathon six days later. He has six finishes at the JFK 50-miler and set an able-bodied course record at the 2019 Colorado Kickers for Kids Endurance Run while winning the race outright. He has twelve podium finishes in Paratriathlon, including wins at the 2021 and 2022 Americas Triathlon Championships and the 2018 ITU Paratriathlon World Cup, and in 2023, completed a full Ironman in 11:03:06.

During the 18 months in which he was recovering from his injuries, he was able to meet and learn from others recovering from a wide range of traumatic injuries and individual challenges. He saw the myriad ways that people handled the process of recovery, many using sport to not only overcome their new adversity, but to rise to a higher level of functioning in the aftermath of trauma. By the end of his stay at Walter Reed Medical Center, he made a pledge to himself that he would utilize his experience, understanding, and compassion to help others overcome their individual physical and emotional challenges to reach their maximum potential.

He completed a Master’s degree in Rehabilitation and Clinical Counseling from George Washington University and a second master’s degree in Sport & Performance Psychology from the University of Denver. He has served on the Board of Directors of the EOD Warrior Foundation for 13-years, and on the VA Veterans’ Advisory Committee on Rehabilitation for three years. He is a certified peer-mentor and peer-mentor trainer through the Amputee Coalition of America and assists amputees and other individuals with disabilities to successfully pursue athletic and other personal endeavors. Additionally, he was featured in Alive, a documentary featuring veterans who have turned to athletics to heal both physically and emotionally from their battle wounds.

Support EOD Warrior Foundation:
https://eodwarriorfoundation.org/

Check out Adam’s website:
https://www.couchto100.com/bio

FirstNet Built with AT&T:
http://www.firstnet.com/healthandwellness

Building Homes for Heroes:
https://www.buildinghomesforheroes.org/

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