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Reimagine Running | Interview with LaQuitta and Kirk Probasco S1E9 · Reimagine Running

• Coach Ryan Head: Running is a strange thing. Some people find it on the sidewalk at sunrise. Some find it deep in the mountains chasing daylight. And some of us find it when life feels heavy and running is the only thing that makes sense. For some, starts with the 5k. For others, it's a marathon. And for a few, it's a hundred miles that changes everything. But somewhere between the first step and the finish line, something happens. Running stops being about pace or distance or medals. It becomes about purpose. I'm your host Ryan Head. Alright everybody, welcome back to Reimagine Running, the podcast about ⁓ why run. I am ⁓ very, very for this episode for many reasons, but ⁓ one the main reasons ⁓ I'm excited for this episode is I have two people on, I know, a double interview today, so I have two really good friends that are on this episode with me. Hey runner, thanks for hanging out with me today on Reimagine Running. I'm grateful you're here and a part of this great podcast. I just want to remind you, if you ever feel stuck and unsure or just want someone in your corner, I do offer coaching for runners at any distance, whether you're starting out with the 5K or you're chasing some crazy big goals and dreams like the marathon or the 100 miler, I'd love to help you. Please reach out and I'd be happy to set up a time to go over options and plans and goals with you. Well, until next time. And this is Reimagine Running, the podcast dedicated to talking about why we run. Each episode, we'll sit down with runners from every background, trail runners, road runners, beginners, veterans, and talk about their journey. Not just where they've run, but why they run. Because for many of us, running didn't just change our fitness. It helped us find clarity, healing, discipline, hope, and sometimes even ourselves. Whether your why was born on a short loop around the block or somewhere deep inside a long, lonely mile. many years ago, it feels like it was yesterday, When I was a brand new runner in this community, these two were not only kind, but very welcoming and played very big part in my running journey to making feel welcome, to helping me feel like I mattered, ⁓ that people cared about me. And they have always just had a of a special place. Take care of yourself, trust the process, stay disciplined and keep chasing that Y. This podcast is for you. Welcome to re-imagine running. in my heart, if you will, just being two amazing people. Trust me, if you've ever ran any race in the Ogden area, I'll it even bigger than that. Weber County, Davis County, you've met these two. If you haven't met them, I strongly encourage you to meet them. They are, without a doubt, some of the kindest people you will ever meet in your whole life. They're kind, they root for you, they're always cheering for everybody, and I think that's what makes them so special. ⁓ I'm excited to have Kirk and Laquita on the episode today. I wanna give a little intro about who they both are. So we'll start with Laquita. So Laquita grew up in North Ogden. She ran track through junior high and high school. She got married not too long after graduation and married her high school sweetheart Kirk. This year they will be celebrating their 44th anniversary. Let's go! That is so awesome. Especially just in our day and age. think that just shows ⁓ much ⁓ just just longevity love true love ⁓ just amazing as life goes it gets it got lifey took a break and taken care of ⁓ Herself so after about 25 years she decided it was time to make a big change in her life and 19 years ago that change happened with several lifestyle changes ⁓ and She returned to lost some weight, and then it became a routine, and I learned to enjoy it like she did back in high school. she aged, she knows she's not fast, but that's okay. She just loves getting out there and living life as it should be lived. I 100 % agree with you really quickly. I chatted with her last night, We were talking about this exact same thing. It doesn't matter about your pace. It matters about being out there because a lot of us, just wanna see our amazing friends out there. ⁓ Thanks, Aquita, that's awesome. Now I got Kirk's intro. Kirk is a runner based in northern Utah. One of his favorite things about running is, aside from the miles themselves, is the incredible community that comes with it. I 100 % agree. actually started running later in life and has been at it for about 15 years now, which proves it's never too late to fall in love with the sport. Totally agree with you, and that's one of the things I love the most about the community. So many of us have started. not when we were in our teen years, it was more in 20s, 30s, and 40s, which is just fantastic. Over the years, he's lined up for many, full marathons. He's taken on several 50K trail races, which I have been lucky enough to share with him ⁓ on many And he even himself to run his 50-miler, which we are gonna talk about today, which is gonna be ⁓ so fun. Last he was a ⁓ ball with some serious Kirk And Quitta: Thank you. Coach Ryan Head: some stuff that happened. So ⁓ right now more focusing on getting back to where he was before, one at a time with a lot of gratitude along the way. He's still chasing but he's enjoying the process and still thankful to be part of such a supportive and welcoming running community. Kirk and Lucreta, this is an honor for me. Welcome to the podcast. Kirk And Quitta: Thanks buddy. Thanks bud. It's nice to be here. Coach Ryan Head: Yeah. Well, it is an honor and I mean this. I'm not gonna lie, most people I have on here, I'm not intimidated to talk with. You two somewhat intimidate me because ⁓ look at you two not as just runners and just regular people in the community. I look at you as people who ⁓ played a huge part in my running journey. ⁓ whether you know that or not, you And I who I am in many ways because of you two. Both of you not just one or either both of you have been so kind so inspiring so like you got this go for it And we just had we've had a great relationship ever since the first time I met you both, so I'm just excited It's an honor for me again. I feel a little intimidated to have you both out here, but I know we're friends And I'm excited for the conversation so anyways well I always like to start it off the you know the interview, but Why don't, and whoever, whichever one of you wants to start, go for it, but tell us a little bit more about you guys outside of running, outside of running. Nothing about running. I don't want it for just a few minutes. Tell us something else you guys like to do or something you're passionate about or just something maybe nobody really knows about you guys. Kirk And Quitta: Gosh, I don't even know where to begin, especially right after that intro right there, Ryan. I feel like he was like embellishing most of that quite a bit. I hope I can live up to some his expectations. Coach Ryan Head: Not in the slightest, not in the slightest. I'm not embellishing that at all. And I can assure you, they're, go ahead, go ahead. Kirk And Quitta: I was just going to say, I got to get this out of the way before look up to you as a runner. ⁓ have welcomed us huge into the community, you know, and I look up to you and get the encouragement ⁓ you ⁓ ⁓ other folks as well, but you especially, and turning back to get onto the trails as well. You know, I don't know if I've got the 100 mile in my sight, but... Coach Ryan Head: Yeah. Kirk And Quitta: Who knows what's going to happen at this my life. So ⁓ I like to talk a little bit about, know, like, well, like we've talked about, the is the secret, you know, ⁓ and know we're supposed to be talking about ourselves and stuff that doesn't have to do with running. the thing best is you get treated like a runner. because you're a runner at that point, right? And it's not, know, I was so intimidated by the process that you go up there and get on the ⁓ line with all these, you know, six foot four guys that are 130 pounds and it's all legs. ⁓ you me and my 28 inch inseam just out there just a redden. I was intimidated how that would happen. And instead I just found friends and people I love and one of the magical things I think about running is when you're out, you know, three hours away from the start line and you're doing stuff and you've hooked up with those people that were running the same pace as you. And then you just make friends forever. You know, like I've been out running and met somebody on ⁓ mile, you know, 28 or whatever. And we run all the way in with it. And and then. Then you follow them on Strava and then you see them and then pretty soon you're just buddies again, you know? And that's the magic of this ⁓ it really matter if you're doing 14 minute miles or you're six and a half minute miles. You're all just part of the same ⁓ kid. never had anybody pass me and be ⁓ a weenie it. You know what I mean? People... Coach Ryan Head: Yeah. Kirk And Quitta: like, you look good bro, that's the best part. Genuine love that people have for the community, know, back into it. I was 42 before I got back into running and now graduate high school at 18, get back into running at 42 years old. It's just like I'm not that spring chicken out there, you know. I have set some PRs and I'm super proud of them. And I've done one full marathon and that was the Ogden Marathon in 2019. And my goal with that was a live under five and four hours, 47 minutes. And I was looking on the wall to see if I could see what it was. 47 minutes and 52 seconds. Coach Ryan Head: Mm-hmm. Let's go. Yeah. I love it. Kirk And Quitta: I was alive under five, but... Coach Ryan Head: Well, the funny thing is, I don't know if you know this, I was there with you. I don't know if we knew each other at that point, but I think we may have, and I was barely ahead of you. That race that year in 2019 was really cold, really rainy. I mean, you may have picked one of the worst cheers to ever do the marathon because it was so cold. I don't blame you. It is one of the very few times I've ever run a marathon. Kirk And Quitta: think we did. I'm Anyway, I haven't ran it again. Coach Ryan Head: And I remember I came through, was my second marathon I'd ever done. And when I came through the finish line, I immediately just went over to my wife who was sitting right on the fence or whatever. And I was just like, we have to leave. And she's like, are you okay? And I said, no, I'm not okay. I am like shaking uncontrollably. And we went directly to the truck and we turned on the heated seats for the truck, which is pretty sweet. And I just shook uncontrollably. And she's like, do you think you have hypothermia? And I'm like, I don't know. Kirk And Quitta: absolute. Coach Ryan Head: Let's just figure it out. So anyways, I remember that year. I just remember 2019 as my second marathon and I was like, wow, this is drastically different than 2018 when it was hot. I was a brand new runner at that time in 2018. I didn't know what races were like. I felt like that was hot. And then the exact the next year, absolutely freezing with rain and snow. So. Kirk And Quitta: Exactly. There was snow at the top of the mountain there at the start line. Coach Ryan Head: I remember! I remember! Kirk And Quitta: And I remember coming across the line and Kirk had one of those emergency blankets to wrap around me and said, you are for, and that's just, stood there and shivered afterwards. And I said, I don't even care about what's my drop bag. Let's just get back so I can get warm. but back to the first question there, outside of running, gardening. I love ⁓ to and ⁓ hang out my grandbabies. I've got two granddaughters that live in Los Angeles. Coach Ryan Head: Yeah. ⁓ yeah. Kirk And Quitta: eight-year-old and a six-year-old and we try to spend as much time with them. I ⁓ my own business. I own my own salon. After hair ⁓ for plus years, ⁓ 11 ago, I opened my own salon with a partner. you know, so, but I'm knocking on that door of retirement right now and watching out the window at the trail going, I need to get back out there every day, you know, so, but that's a little tidbit there getting back to something besides running, you know, spending as much time as I can with my family, you know, they're the loves of my life, you know, and I wouldn't be where I am today without the support and love from my family, you know, so. Coach Ryan Head: Love it. Nice. Kirk And Quitta: That's kind of our, know, I know we're kind of that everybody's like, ⁓ God, they make me sick to my stomach. But ⁓ we do everything together mostly, you know, and ⁓ still buddies and we still hang out and we still make each other laugh and every day and getting out and doing stuff is part of that equation, you know, we get to. Coach Ryan Head: think it's awesome. I think it's so freaking cool. Kirk And Quitta: she didn't run, it would be hard for me to go running. And when I don't feel like going, she's like, get your ass off the couch, we're going. And when she does, well, she always feels like going. I'm the lazy one. ⁓ Coach Ryan Head: Yeah. No, no, you're awesome. I know you're just as awesome. I love, I always love it because I always get the Strava notifications when you both have gone out and I'm like, yep, they went out together, this is awesome. I think it's super cool that you guys do that. I you guys are an example in that way because I know that my wife, not a lot of people know who my wife is because she doesn't really do a lot of the running stuff at all. She's kind of like, that's your world, that's your realm. But I'm the same way, we do everything together. We have. Kirk And Quitta: But. Yeah. Coach Ryan Head: a lot of the same interests. love baseball. We go to multiple baseball games every year. We love our daughters. We go to all their practices. We like to be at all their games. You know, we're very religious. I know as you guys are, we attend church each Sunday. It's very important to us. And like to be in each other's presence. We usually go on a date at least once a week. We're always being together. And it's important to us. ⁓ And like guys said, like we're each other's best friend. And I believe that. Kirk And Quitta: Yeah. Coach Ryan Head: And I'm just like, just because I don't put a lot of it on social media, as I've said in the past, keep my personal life pretty private ⁓ because I don't want to put pictures of my daughters or my wife or whatever out there. And that's just a personal decision. I'm not saying that's wrong by any means for anybody else, but my relationship with them is just so, so important, so sacred to me that I keep it very private. But a lot of people are like, I've actually had people say to me, are you divorced or are you single? And I'm like, no. Kirk And Quitta: Yep. Coach Ryan Head: No, actually quite the opposite, very happily married. So it's kind of funny, but. Kirk And Quitta: And I've had the honor of meeting your wife and so and she's beautiful and she's a wonderful person. So yeah. Coach Ryan Head: Yeah, she is. Yeah, she is. She's, she's, she's married down. So I feel bad for her. So. ⁓ Kirk And Quitta: Like I tell everybody, Laquita could trade up and about like she could make three phone calls and have 15 guys standing out in the front yard, you know. Coach Ryan Head: I hear you, man. live with the same fear, so I hear you. That's awesome. Well, cool. Kirk, what do you like to do outside of running? What's something different outside of running that you like to do? Kirk And Quitta: You know, well, me tell you the whole story. I'm to start at the beginning. no. And then that'll add a lot ⁓ to where at now. 20 years ago, I couldn't go up and down the steps without stopping and catching my breath. was 60 pounds than I am now, ⁓ and so was And we were both excessively. Coach Ryan Head: Yeah. Kirk And Quitta: every night to the point where it became a physical problem. then 20 years ago, God did for us what we couldn't do for ourselves. Amen. ⁓ And found recovery and we got sober and everything at that point. with recovery, ⁓ get You start mental changes. and spiritual changes. And then you're like, I want to make physical changes too, right? getting healthy spiritually. I'm getting healthy mentally. I really want that. I want to feel that physically. And so we had an old, old crappy treadmill I would walk 20 minutes every day on it. and pretty soon it got the point where I could almost do two miles in that 20 minutes. And so I pushed it to to three miles, you know, and I started and then we signed up for the Huntsville, 4th of July, 5K. You know, one of them that isn't really timed and, ⁓ you they're not sure where the route is the day, the morning they're doing it, you know, ⁓ and, somebody. And we did that. And I remember it was like a ⁓ 36 5K or something like that. And I was as proud I could have been. you know and the problem is look like I've been training and running and stuff and and that morning Laquita's like well maybe I'll run with you and I'm like come on now I've been training this is a big deal you know and so we get done and I'm like okay let's go and I'm like let's go and she's like oh I have to wait and I'm like why and she's like well I I won a prize I I took first in my age category We have to, and I'm like, she just showed up and did better than me, right? Like, that's how my life always is. So we waited around and she got her little ribbon and, but at that point you get kind of hooked, right? You get that feeling about how much fun it is to just go out there and do that. so just signing up for stuff and, you know, ⁓ Coach Ryan Head: Yes! Yes! Kirk And Quitta: Then you do a 10K, you know, because it's twice as far and I'm not even sure I can run 10 kilometers, you know, and then and then you get that under your belt. You've got to do a half, you know, and many halves have you done? 35 quite a And and just, know, that whole finishing a half marathon for the first time. is a magical moment in a human being's life because you've dedicated so many miles and hours and stress and, know, checking stuff on the Internet. And what am I supposed to eat that morning? And ⁓ do I poop correctly? You know, like all that stuff that you got to think about. and then once you do that, like you're ⁓ hooked. ⁓ and the good news is Coach Ryan Head: ⁓ yeah. Mm-hmm. Kirk And Quitta: that a spiritual aspect to running of just that if in the ⁓ pre-dawn with headlamp and 200 other guys and gals and you're on a trail going someplace you've never been just trusting that people ahead of you know where you're going and that there's going to be ⁓ bread in the and That's magical, baby. Like, I love that so much. you know, a lot of the ⁓ that we're in recovery with have started running, you know, and we've done, we get do, you know, like... ⁓ then they call us and ask us for advice. Yeah, they're, ⁓ I'm buying What kind of shoes should I buy? Just go find Jamie and ask her. She'll get you the other right shoes, you know, and that's a little plug for the sponsor. Coach Ryan Head: ⁓ yeah. Bye. Yeah. Yeah. Kirk And Quitta: Yeah, exactly. But so that's that's my favorite part of it is just all of those pieces of our lives get to come together into this into this thing. And it just has to do with, ⁓ like ⁓ we ride our bikes, we have bikes and stuff, but bikes expensive Coach Ryan Head: Yep. Yep. Yep. Kirk And Quitta: all you need to go running is just a pair of shoes, really. Right. And, and, uh, and then you just, it's just me in the road and I don't have to deal with all that other stuff and I don't have to wait on anybody to show up and, and we don't have to worry about having five so we can play five on five. And you know, it's just me and the trail can go anytime we want to. And there's a lot. Read them in that. ⁓ Coach Ryan Head: That's awesome. Well, you've said a lot. You guys have said so much that I'm like, wow, like there's so many different directions I want to go. You know, one, I really appreciate you guys kind of talking about what life was like maybe, you 20, 20 plus years ago. I think that's important for people to understand. you know, the reason for this podcast, right, is what is our why? ⁓ that's, that's important. You know, one of, and I, and I understand that I, because when people ask me what my why is, I'm always like, like a tree. There are so many roots. ⁓ I could always say, ⁓ I wish there was a definite answer. there's a lot of different roots and each one are important for a reason. think that's why the sport means so much to me and why ⁓ running isn't just, it's not even sport, I say. It's more of a lifestyle. It's more of who I am. It's my identity in a lot of ways, but I really love because I had another guest on a few weeks back who, He had substance abuse in a lot of ways and know not saying that that's your guys a situation but you know he ⁓ used think I'm not a good person and nobody cares about me and I'm worthless and all this other stuff but I love when people like you guys are like no we're gonna change we're gonna do something different and I want to have a better lifestyle I want to do something different with myself and move myself forward. And I think that's important. I think people need to hear this. That's why, again, why I'm doing this podcast is I love to hear people's whys, but I also want people to hear these types of stories from you too because, it's vulnerable. You're being vulnerable when you're telling these stories and it may be awkward and you're like, I don't know if anyone's gonna care, but I can tell you the amount of comments that I've been getting about people talking about DNFing racists, people talking about... divorce on here and having substance abuse and the injuries and all this other stuff. Like people are coming out of the woodworks and they're like, that hit so deep because it applied to me. It meant to me because that was real, because that's what I'm going through now or I did go through that. And so that's why I love that you guys are willing to share stuff like this because I think it is essential. I think it's essential for people to talk about these things and. and that we get it out there because every one of us in this writing community has a story. Whatever that story is, we're all different. And I think everybody needs to hear these stories. So I love that. I thank you for saying what you said there. I think that's really important. Kirk And Quitta: Yeah. Well, thank you. the ⁓ is changes. And I think I said this last night to you too, my why changes a lot every day. You know, it's different from when I ran my first 5k to when I ran my first, half marathon to when I ran my first ⁓ 50k. why today is because I can, you know, and I choose to do this today. I choose, chose to do a different lifestyle, to get up and make a difference today in my life, and try to make a difference in somebody else's life, and whether that can be through answering a phone call at three o'clock in the morning from somebody or putting my shoes on. I like to make sure there's sunlight before I hit the trail because I can be a little clumsy out there. I've fallen a couple times, but it's good to be out there at sunrise as well, but that's my time to to be part of ⁓ the Coach Ryan Head: Mm-hmm. Kirk And Quitta: the universe or just the creation that God gave us. We purposefully moved into Ogden because of the mountains. We wanted to get back up to the trail and get a lifestyle of ⁓ helped get to where we are today. I'm going to just a tiny bit back to when Kirk was talking just a little while ago about the ⁓ first 5k and being able to move up the steps. Before we We signed up for that first 5k. were at the the finish line at the Ogden Marathon. And we'd gone down just to see what was going on You and then it was just like, wow, this is the finish line. And this is, and we look at each other and it was just like, I want to do this again. You know, I want to be part of this. I want to come down and feel the adrenaline. I mean, I crossed a couple finish lines when I was in junior high and high school, but nothing compared to when I seen people coming across that finish line, you know, and just seeing the excitement that people have. And it was just like, I'll never be able to do a half marathon, you know, and Kirk says, we don't have to start with a half marathon. Let's just start with a 5k, you know, and that's what we did is, is we Coach Ryan Head: Yeah. Kirk And Quitta: started that training process and putting on those crappy shoes at first because we didn't know what to wear. And then did the 5K in Huntsville and then just kind of progressed into it as we got. And got further into our health lifestyle and exercising on a regular basis. And then lo and behold, here we are today. I've got 40 plus half marathons. un-numberable, I don't know if that's the right word or not, five Ks, 10 Ks, and one full marathon, road marathon, and then three to four, I think 50 Ks on the trail. And that's a whole new world, that's part of where my why is, is... Coach Ryan Head: Mm-hmm. Kirk And Quitta: because I can today. Why do you continue to do this? Why do you be, how are your knees? I mean, that's always somebody asks, well, how's your knees? As you are aging, your knees getting, and I said, well, yes, I'm aging, but now I'm going backwards because 20 years ago, I looked 60 years old. In days, I'm gonna be 62 years old, you know, and I'm gonna be doing, Coach Ryan Head: Yeah. Kirk And Quitta: two half marathons within a month of each other. so this what I get to do. This is my why today. ⁓ Because I have people like you in my life. People in running community. Everybody at Goal Foundation has been amazing. And there's just countless in that. ⁓ If I start naming people, I'm going to leave somebody off. So you're the one that's focusing on today. But you have been a ⁓ big part of ⁓ run. Coach Ryan Head: Let's go. Yep. Yep. Yeah. Kirk And Quitta: career you know and I want it to continue and so that's my why today you know and who knows what it's gonna be in two years yeah exactly I still be doing this at 70 years old 80 years old you know there's an 80 year old that's running the wind running series so want to do that maybe you know but who knows Coach Ryan Head: Yep, five years, whatever. Yeah, yeah. Well. Yeah, yeah, that's so, and it was so cool to see her come through the finish line. I'm hoping that she's at the 10-miler tomorrow, because I really want to shake her hand and know her name, because I think it's so impressive. Yeah, so impressive. But one thing I just want to elaborate on a little bit that you just said there is I've had multiple people come on, and they've said exactly what you said about coming to a finish line. If you want to change your life, if you want to just feel something completely different about yourself, Kirk And Quitta: Me too. Coach Ryan Head: Go to the finish line of almost any race. I don't care what it is. It doesn't have to be some major marathon like New York City, Boston, whatever, Chicago. Go to the Salt Lake City Marathon. Go to the Ogden Marathon. It will change your life. It will inspire you. One of the coolest things that I ever heard from one of my friends is they came to see me cross the finish line at the Wasatch 100 my very first time. And they were just like, Ryan, I couldn't stop crying because I kept seeing these people come in and you knew they'd just been through it, right? 100 miles, they had 36 hours to do it or less, or they did it less. And they're just coming through and then he's like, then I see you come through and you're just given everything you have. And it's just this grit, this determination, this consistency. You put it all together and you hope, you hope by... Kirk And Quitta: Yeah. Coach Ryan Head: everything under the Sun that you just you did enough to be to get there and There's a lot of people who don't a lot of people that don't make it to that finish line not throwing shade at most people because it is a tough thing to do But for those who do endure and make it to the end, it's it's so inspiring It's just it's a beautiful thing and and if it doesn't bring some emotion out of you I would dare say you're probably not alive you're dead or something because it is so inspiring and every time like You know, I talked about this with Tim, but I remember last year, and Matt's gonna probably kill me about this, but Matt Emmett, he's someone that's been running with us. He's in the training program for the Ogden Marathon and Fleet Feet program this year. I remember him coming across, and he was like six hours and 15 minutes, six hours, 20 minutes, something like that. And he did the whole John Stockton jump up in the air, you know, when Stockton hit the three, but he jumps up in the air when he crosses the finish line. And I remember just like, I was like tearing up. I was like trying not to like show my emotion, because it was like, this guy gave. Everything to get across that 26.2 and it's beautiful like so beautiful to see someone just do put in that kind of work So I agree with you guys I love what you bring up the finish line because that's something you were one of the very first people that ever said that to me I remember years ago you said that you're like well We got into running because we came to the finish line of the Ogden Marathon And it just that's always stuck with me and anytime I've been at a finish line I've definitely felt that same feeling that you guys that you guys mentioned so just Kirk And Quitta: And I love sticking around the finish line at the Ogden, know, and cheering people on, you know, and that's just because if somebody did that for me, ⁓ if I can do that for somebody else and be their little cheerleader, ⁓ I've been... cheered so loud that I have no voice, you know, and have that squeaky butt. It's just, was able and blessed ⁓ ⁓ you coming across, you know, one ⁓ your 100s. And I was at the finish line watching Sarah Manning come across, you know, and it's just, it is a beautiful experience to witness somebody that put everything out for 100 miles on the trail to watch him finish, you know, and to be there with them and experience that. with them, you know. ⁓ Coach Ryan Head: Yeah, it is. Oh, go ahead. Yeah, go for it. Yeah. Kirk And Quitta: Well, was going to like not change the subject, but kind of change the subject. Our first half, we ran shoulder to shoulder the whole way. ⁓ ⁓ And it was ⁓ Half. And you ⁓ down the canyon and you make that corner ⁓ Grant. And turn that corner and it's like ⁓ Alfred Hitchcock movie where the finish line just gets farther away, you know? Coach Ryan Head: Nice. Kirk And Quitta: and you can see the longest half mile or mile that way and it's just on the horizon so we turn that corner and she takes off I'm like no it's too soon don't don't run then she looks over her shoulder and says then keep up and like all right let's run right ⁓ and Coach Ryan Head: Everybody says it. Everybody says that. I love it. And it's so true. It's so true. Let's go! Kirk And Quitta: takes off and I take off and we're throwing elbows and pushing each other and running ⁓ Like did you see the finish of the ⁓ Marathon? Where the guy? ⁓ was us at the end of that half, you know And two hours and 20 minutes into it or something, you know and we're we're running like the Olympics is on the ⁓ and Coach Ryan Head: Just recently, yep, I did. Yep. Kirk And Quitta: Dead spot on the exact same time. 100 down to the 100. And so and then we were friends again after, know, but for but for that while we were we were fighting and then I remember my first full was the Huntsville and started all the way at the top and I'd been training and I was so and I didn't think I could do it and I was Coach Ryan Head: Yeah. ⁓ yeah. Kirk And Quitta: sure I was going to have to get an Uber from somewhere and get me home I finished and you're dumping all those endorphins plus you're finished, you know, like everything and I started like ugly crying and I couldn't stop, right? ⁓ And mayor of Huntsville, his wife was there and I'm hugging her up. We knew her from high school, you know. And I'm crying and I'm hugging and she's like, Kirk, you're weirding me out. You got to let go. And I'm like, no, I can't. And I left boogers all over her shoulder. And I didn't even care, you know. And but but there's very few times in in our society where you get to have like those real life emotional situations and very few times like like most most people that aren't. in endurance kind of things don't know what their body can do. You know, they have no idea. If the car broke down in the middle of the desert, could I make it to a gas station that's 22 miles away? You know, they no idea if they could or not. And I know exactly what I'm going to feel like when I get there, you know. And so that's a big part of it, too, is just is that body awareness that we get to have now. Coach Ryan Head: Yeah, well, and I think you're completely right. It's crazy because I remember like all of us, I think every one of us, maybe there's a few people out there that never felt like this, but I remember when I ran my first half marathon and I had multiple friends say you should run a full and I was like, there's no way man. Like 13 was hard. 13 was pretty hard. And I'm like, I don't know if I can double that. Like I get to the end of a half and I'm kind of like, I'm hurting pretty good. Like I pushed really hard. And so then right, go and do my first full, I trained good, but I made some really dumb mistakes because I was a new runner and I thought I knew everything and I did not know anything about how you properly hydrate and nutrition. And I've, that's been, I've said that a million times. And so I remember getting the end and I was like, I'm never doing that again. Like that will ⁓ again. You know, fortunately, Ogden Marathon back in the day would send you that 50 % off email like, hey, sign up now and for 50 % off. And I was like, dude, of course I'll sign up again for 50 % off. Yeah. So then I went back in 2019, we had the rain and snow year. And then I just remember after that, I just kind of felt like I was hooked, but I didn't, it's like you said, you didn't know what you could do. And that's what's really helped inspire me. Kirk And Quitta: Okay, sure. Coach Ryan Head: to increase my mileage ⁓ the races that I've done on the distances because I'm always like, I don't know what I'm not capable of at this point because I didn't think, because, and as I've showed before, like my right knee's been reconstructed twice, ⁓ football and basketball in high school. I've the ACL, MCL, ⁓ it's mess and it still is a mess. I really can't bend my knee past like 100 degrees. it's almost at a 90 degree, I can't. I can't and that's okay. It's just the burden I bear everybody has burdens We all bear in this life and that's just mine I remember being like I'm not gonna let this stop me I'm gonna just keep going and we'll just see what we can do So like you guys I did my first 50k and I went to my first 50 miler And then I went for my first hundred which didn't go well. I DNFed on Antelope Island But then I was like, I'm not giving up like I think I can figure this out ⁓ and journey has just been magical because of just like telling myself like you're capable of so much more than you ever realize. know, ⁓ know you guys kind of feel the same way because you've already kind of alluded to it or hinted at it. But you know, to me running is a very spiritual journey as well. ⁓ on the trails, ⁓ you said, I love that analogy you use or maybe not really analogy, it's just more of like actual life, you know. Kirk And Quitta: Yeah, absolutely. Coach Ryan Head: To me, when I'm running Wasatch and I'm at mile 65 and I'm leaving Scott's Pass and it is still the darkest of nights. I mean, it is like 2.30 in the morning, three o'clock in the morning. It is dark, it is cold and all you have to rely on is like you said, like your headlamp and I'm like, heavenly father, like I'm going to brighten and we're gonna keep pushing and I know I'm hurting. You know, at times I've had. Kirk And Quitta: you Coach Ryan Head: kidney stones, I've had blisters, I've had multiple issues and I'm like want to finish, I want to prove to people ⁓ this is possible. I'm your hands right now. I'm gonna give everything I have and I'm just hoping that you help carry me the rest of the way. And there's been so many times that I have been, I'm not ⁓ I think has an ⁓ important thing I tell ya, ⁓ multiple times felt closer to God on the trails than I have in any other setting. And I think there's a place for all of that, right? But it has been just a spiritual journey that I have loved and it's helped me be a better person in general. ⁓ Kirk And Quitta: I think so. Yeah, absolutely. In 2023, I ran 250 Ks and I did the nine hour Northern Utah Trails Fest and then I did the Pony Express 50-Miler and I was about as fit as I had ever been in my whole life. Then in the winter, was running the Coach Ryan Head: Yeah. Mm-hmm. Kirk And Quitta: half marathon during the winter racing series and I didn't feel right. And I was like, there's something going on and I was having trouble exchanging oxygen okay and I was like, cause was fit, I could run a half marathon. I was running multiple half marathons a week, you know, just in training. And this felt weird and I didn't feel right and I think as runners we can tell the difference between having a cold and feeling funky or ⁓ something's wrong, you know, like when your your knee hurts for 200 yards while you're running and you're like, ⁓ that's something I'll just run through that and then it hurts and you're like that's serious and I can tell the difference, you know, and this was something and so I started continually getting a little bit worse and worse and and I couldn't run and I wasn't feeling right and I went to the dock and there were know, I had a whole bunch of ⁓ my ⁓ work was coming back weird and we chased what was wrong for six, six, eight months. And finally they found that I did have stage three esophageal cancer. And that was causing all of this stuff, right? like going from as fit as you've ever been to you're really sick and you probably are gonna die. in one doctor's visit, know, and I think that this well first being in recovery and knowing that I only have today and I get to celebrate today no matter what ⁓ and then in where ⁓ I know that can do things that are really hard and hurt a lot, right? And ⁓ go to meet with the oncologist and he's like, says here that you're an ultra marathoner. He's like, that's going to help. That's going to help. and so we, you know, I'm going into radiation and I'm going into chemo. And while I doing that, you know, ⁓ we're, still we're still trying. And, and the winter racing series last year, I was in chemo and showing up and doing the short course, you know, I wasn't breaking any ⁓ Coach Ryan Head: I remember. Kirk And Quitta: But, and then one ago this week, they went in and took, went in and it, you know, and took the tumor out and took out a big portion of my stomach and most of my esophagus and stitched it all back together. And I remember ⁓ two after my Queda got me and we walked the halls in, ⁓ in the hospital and I put on my Strava so that I could post that .05 walk, but I was prouder to hell of that .05 walk. And I wanted all of my buddies on Strava to know that I was up and I was alive and I was and I was at least trying to get there, you know, and and I'm going to run the 10 mile or tomorrow and I'm going to be much slower than I've ever done it in my whole life. But I'm so grateful that that I'm up, right? And I'm going and I'm alive and my numbers, you know, all my markers are zero and I'm feeling better. so. That's a gift that running has given me, That I was healthy enough to go through what 80 % of people don't make it through, right? The kind of cancer I had at the stage that I was at. And it's only been a year, you know, or a year and a half since we started therapy and stuff like that. But the outcome could have been so much different, you know? And I had so many, they were like genuine friends of mine. I can think of three of them right now that were diagnosed with a similar cancer, not the same, but a similar, the same time I have and I've been to all of their funerals, you know? So. I think that there was, there was some kind of, of, um, meaning for me to get that healthy that when I did, um, because it carried me through some really, really dark times. And, uh, and now, um, like I ran the, uh, racing series, uh, 5k and it was 30 or no, did what was 28 minutes. And you know, a couple years ago I was running a 21 minute 5k, you know, and it really pisses me off that I'm as slow as I am. But it also makes me joyful that I get to go out and I get to see my friends. And ⁓ I was laying in the hospital, sure if I was going to live or die. And one of my buddies ran a hundred mile out at Antelope Island and ⁓ dedicated to me. And you know, a couple years ago I was running a 21 minute 5k, you know, and it really pisses me off that I'm as slow as I am. But it also makes me joyful that I get to go out and I get to see my friends. And ⁓ I was laying in the hospital, sure if I was going to live or die. And one of my buddies ran a hundred mile out at Antelope Island and ⁓ dedicated to me. And my wife went out and ran in, finished the run with him. And I watched it on the internet and cried that's the community get to live So, that's the community that helps support me through it as well. You know, because it, ⁓ I didn't know what was going to you know? ⁓ so our lives changed. And my wife went out and ran in, finished the run with him. And I watched it on the internet and cried that's the community get to live So, that's the community that helps support me through it as well. You know, because it, ⁓ I didn't know what was going to you know? ⁓ so our lives changed. Coach Ryan Head: Yeah. Yeah. Kirk And Quitta: immensely a year and a half ago, for the better that this guy's still sitting next to me, makes me laugh every day. ⁓ immensely a year and a half ago, for the better that this guy's still sitting next to me, makes me laugh every day. And was in surgery and people asked me, do you want me to come down and sit with you at the hospital? And I said, no. That's so, they said, are you sure? And I said, yeah, cause why would I want to sit at the hospital when the doctors have got him taken care of? I'm taking my running shoes and I'm going to go run. and I'm gonna be, if I have to do laps around the hospital, so I'm close enough, if something goes wrong, I can get back to the hospital. But I did 10 miles that morning while he was in surgery because that's what I get to do. That is part of what, that's my why, you know? He's my why at that time. And now I've taken that off my plate and I've, you know, it's grown into other things, but. A year ago, I didn't know if he was going to be here and now we're running side by side. When got the friends and the love and the support and the capability of going out and running while he's in surgery and I have that feeling, things are going to be okay. I don't know where it's going to take me, but things are going to be okay and I will be okay no matter what. You know, so the problem, we've all tried through that. The problem with having a real pretty wife and a cool girl that is as soon as I got cancer, all my buddies were calling up, you know, if Laquita needs anything, have her call me. I'm like, damn it. were all plotting to find out, are you still alive? ⁓ Coach Ryan Head: Well, guys, I f- Yeah! Yeah, yeah. That's awesome. Well, guys, I mean, we could end here and we would be, this may be one of the best episodes I've ever had, but I'm gonna try my best to keep my composure too while we talk about this. If you're okay with it, I'd like to dive into this topic a little further because this is important. I say this because there are people in our community right now that you're not aware of, that I'm aware of, that are dealing with cancer. it's struggle for them. And it's hard for me to see them go this. And I know that they're as brave as possible, but you know, you don't know, you don't know. And think it's really good for people to hear these types of stories because you just don't know. You don't know for sure. And like you said, like your doctor says, it's good that you're an ultrarunner because that's going to work in your benefit. But I would love to just take it back just a step really quickly. Kirk, actually, you did a good job explaining. I'm in the liquidity. Hopefully, I can help you try to keep your composure as much as possible. And I apologize. And if you guys don't feel comfortable with this, you Please let me know, we do not have to have this conversation, but what were your thoughts during all of this with Kirk? Kirk And Quitta: my thoughts of cancer and I was gonna do if he didn't survive. And that was what was the biggest part of that. my faith that I have, ⁓ I able to ⁓ reach into that. And I was able to ⁓ reach my community, both recovery community and my running community. because I've gotten more spirituality. mean, I go to church on a regular basis. I take my 91-year-old mom to church almost every Sunday, you know, because that's what she does and that's what I get to do today. But my spirituality grew tenfold over the last year and a half, you know. But my thoughts are, like I said a few minutes ago, I'm going to be okay one way or the other. It's always better when I got my sidekick with me, you know, but it was tough. I went to some dark places, know, and the fact that I had people that I could reach out to and talk to, you know, got me through it. And like I say, putting on the running shoes when I was at the hospital just to help clear my mind at that time, you know, to pray as hard as I could. I'm, ⁓ ask everybody all the time, what can I do for you? And they say pray. And that's what people did for me as well. power of prayer is huge in my life. So that was the hardest ⁓ of ⁓ was going to survive without him? And thankfully, I have to do that right away. ⁓ And no one going to like to not survive. I got my guy here. Coach Ryan Head: Yeah. Yeah, well, that's beautiful and I get it. times it's really just you're going on faith and you're just like, I'm just gonna take it one day at a time and one step at a time. And I think that analogy is so key for so many of us when it comes to these journeys, right, that we're on. And that's I really like running is I feel like running is just such, there's so many good metaphors, there's so many good analogies for our lives in general. you know, putting that one step in front of the other and being like, I don't know how this is gonna go, but I'm gonna give everything I can. I'll try to keep my convoys here now, but I just wanna tell you guys about the Buffalo 100 last year in 2025. So I remember for me, I was going back, because two years previously, I had DNF'd that race. And I had left the race because Kirk And Quitta: Absolutely. Coach Ryan Head: And I chose to, I've said that and I own it, I'm okay with that. But I left the race because there was some really bad weather, but I did not know what it took to finish a 100 miler. And I thought I was, I was like, I'll just push through, I'll be fine. And I left and for two years that ate at me. Two years I was like, you're better than this, cause you can go do Wasatch and you can go do Bear and then you can do Wasatch and Bear in the same year and you did it. And I'm like, How can you let a race like this just stop you? I, you guys have seen in years previous, I like to run for people. I like to say for, you marathon or whatever, I'm gonna this race to somebody. Because I know I'm not trying to be cocky, I'm not trying to be arrogant, but I know I can finish a marathon. I've gone to that point, that's not too a bit of mileage for me, I'll get across. So I like to dedicate races to people. with a hundred miler, there is no guarantees anyone's gonna get across the finish line. There are so many factors out of everybody's control. as I sat here and I thought about it, as I got ready for the race that week, I was like, I know the perfect person that I can honor with this race because doesn't know, he doesn't know either what could happen. And there's no guarantee that he's getting through this. Kirk And Quitta: Mm-hmm. Coach Ryan Head: And I thought, you know what, if he's gonna fight, then I'm gonna go fight too. And we'll do it together and I'll do it for 36 hours, 34 is the cutoff for Antelope. And I said, I'm gonna go fight for 34 hours and whatever happens, happens. And I'm gonna give everything I have and there's no way I will walk off the course. If it snows, then it snows and I'm gonna push through and I don't care. I won't stop until someone says, the race is over, Ryan, you gotta pull. And I was like, we're gonna go. And I just remember the whole time out there, I just kept telling everybody, we're finishing. There's no question in my mind, we're finishing this race. And I just remember, I kept thinking about you out there, Kirk, and I was just like, this race is for you, man. Like, I'm giving you everything I have. And I don't think I could ever do that for Watt's at your bear. Just because I don't know if I can always finish it. I would love to think I can, but there may come a day and a time that I can't. But I was like, if there's one 100 miler, I know I'm finishing it. It's gonna be this race. And for you to be there, Laquita, there at the finish line, and Kirk, I know you were healing up and there was no problem, but for you to be there, as I was coming in that last mile, I couldn't stop sobbing as I was talking to you. I was trying to keep my composure and I just couldn't stop crying. through the finish line with you. You're there right next to me. We come through that finish line and I was just like, and you shared the good news that there was some good things happening with. Kirk with his diagnosis and I just thought what a beautiful day. Not only is he feeling better, he's on the right track, but we just finished 100 miler. And I just remember thinking, I don't know if I'll ever have a moment like this with 100 miler again, but man, what a beautiful moment in my life to just be able to see you there, to run for you, Kirk, just to do something that's just so hard. And I just thought, he's fighting, I'm fighting. We're gonna fight together today and we're gonna share the battle together today. So it was an honor to run for you my friend and I'm grateful that you were fine with it. I know some people like to keep this in the dark. They don't like to make a big thing but it meant a lot for me to wear your bracelet and run for you that day. It meant a lot to me. Kirk And Quitta: Well, thank you. The thing is life and with running and with everything we do, when out there, ⁓ know, it's a ⁓ 5k a 100-miler, you got to run the mile you're in, right? And that's life is, you know? I... ⁓ We talked this getting up every day doing just what today requires. not thinking six months down the road. I'm not, ⁓ know, running my head. Today I get up ⁓ and I've to do a little physical therapy and I gotta try to eat something or whatever, you know. That's a blessing, ⁓ To learn that my life. I don't have to dream a better life. I just got to... embrace the beautiful life I have, right? Every moment at a time. so that being said, ⁓ when I'm, you when I was going through radiation and chemo and all that and really, really sick. didn't want my kids in Laquita to have to go through all of the crap that you'd have to go through. So we, my got ⁓ completely We got the, met with Lindquist and got it all taken care of. We, ⁓ I wrote my obituary. I put my order of worship together for the funeral. And writing your obituary is a really good exercise that everybody should do. And. And it allowed me to look at my life through a different set of glasses, right? And so then we come out, and not completely on the other side, you know what I mean? Like everybody's lives are still in question. I get hit by a truck tomorrow, especially the way I drive. But coming out the other side, was like, this really where my life is? Right? You know, I was a commissioned salesperson and making pretty good money, doing pretty good, successful. But chasing that deal just didn't seem that important anymore, you know? And so January 1st of this year, just three months ago, I my job. ⁓ now get to do ⁓ like, Laquita and I were talking about that I wanted to do ministry full-time, you know, and be that voice of hope ⁓ the dark and not guilt shame and ⁓ that of stuff, but just hope and love and peace. And she's ⁓ like always does. She says, if God has a plan, just be open to it and it'll happen, right? ⁓ Quit trying to things. And two days later, a church texted me and they're like, our pastor just retired and your name came up and are you available? And that's, ⁓ I'm semi-retired. ⁓ he's pastor. Yeah, and such a right? And I wouldn't got that gift without having cancer lead me to it. Coach Ryan Head: Yeah. Kirk And Quitta: ⁓ and I wouldn't have gotten through cancer without recovery and running leading me through it. And I'm so grateful for the last however many years that things just keep getting put in my path in exactly the right time and beautiful people show up when exactly when I need to know them or I show up exactly when they need to know me. gifts, we ⁓ minimize. how important this stuff is. Absolutely. So I had one of my guys, an alcoholic I work with, he's an ultra guy, right? And he wasn't sure about going into recovery and there's a lot of story. But he asked me to pace him on, he was the last 20 of a 50. Well, actually, he's going to be about last 17 or something like that. And I couldn't find him, couldn't find him. He missed. He was late. We were worried about him. I ended up running back the wrong way a couple of miles and found him. He was dehydrated. He'd fallen. He was puking. We got him to the water station and got him rehydrated. And I'm like, do you want to, do you want to pull? ⁓ know, and or do you want to keep going? He's like, I can go, you And so I carried all the water I could and me and him. Coach Ryan Head: Hmm. Kirk And Quitta: ran that the last in and and we did his step one on the trail during that race and possibly one of the most beautiful moments in my life and he's one of like maybe my best friend in the whole world right now at this moment and I love him like my brother ⁓ and But running and recovery and all that gave us that, right? there's no way we could have done that, you know, sitting in folding in the back of a church somewhere, you ⁓ know? Coach Ryan Head: Yeah. Well, isn't, I think, isn't that just so beautiful about running how it connects so many people and, it, it really, you know, a lot of like what we're talking about today in this episode, which I've loved by the way, I haven't followed remotely close to the script that I had, which is beautiful. I'm totally fine. I'm like, I'm throwing that thing out the door. Like we're just, we're doing, this is perfect. Kirk And Quitta: Sorry. Coach Ryan Head: ⁓ I'm just back how amazing this episode's been so far but but I love what you said there because There's certain things that in our lives and I'm like it wouldn't have happened if I hadn't made I these hard things so I the thing I always think of for me is my right knee has been reconstructed twice and and I remember being a teenager and you try being you know, we all were teenagers at one time, right and you have this happen and I'm like I'm basically like, I was hoping to maybe get some kind of scholarship to play football, basketball, baseball, whatever, you know, I'm hoping that this could be my lifestyle. This could be what I do. all of a sudden ⁓ a 21, 22 year old guy. I'm 265 pounds. I'm overweight. ⁓ truly feel like my trajectory life is to be overweight and unhealthy. ⁓ And was ⁓ okay. I accepted it. And I was like, I'm not gonna do anything good with my life. But it's funny how there's just been people that really have helped direct or got placed in that way that just helped ⁓ you in certain directions to where now you're where you're at. And I've said, and I appreciate your kind words, but whatever people believe of me out there, I'm just a regular person. ⁓ I'm not special. I know I'm not. I just try to be an example that yes you can and when people say well what do mean by yes you can? I'm like whatever that is, yes you can and you have to have that mindset. If you have already accepted defeat you've lost. Yes you can, whatever it is. If you think you can run 100 miles you're going to do it. If you think you can beat cancer you keep that in your mindset until the very last second. You don't stop and that's what I love about you and some of my friends who I know are dealing with it. Kirk And Quitta: Yeah. Coach Ryan Head: They have that mindset, I'm gonna beat this, I'm gonna do everything I can, I'm staying as positive I possibly can. Whether you're going to college, whether you're dealing with personal heartache and whatever it is in life, yes you can, you can do this. And I think that's what running really taught me in so many ways is that no matter how dark the night is, no matter how much I wanna quit, I can get right up out of that chair, read a few text messages from this wonderful community. of friends and family that are like, Ryan, you're gonna finish Wasatch, we know you will. And I was ready to DNF, I was ready to call it, and I get up at Scott's Pass and I look to my pacer and I say, let's go, let's go, we're leaving right now. And we just start walking down to Brighton. And I'm like, I'm gonna finish this no matter what. Even if I don't make the 36 hour cutoff, I ain't stopping until I cross that stupid finish line, because I'm gonna get this finished one way or the other, fortunately I was able to. But I think that's just the beauty of it is, this sport and just the what it does and and how it's brought so many of us together, you know again as I said a lot of who I am is today be is because of you two and and I'm grateful for your friendship. I'm grateful for the example you've set for me. I know you continue to set an example for people both of you do and you don't think you do maybe you're like no, you know, maybe there's one or two people we're we're having a positive impact on but you know you said One thing you said, and I'm paraphrasing here, but Kirk you just said that now because you're a pastor that you can bring hope and life and joy and help bring people closer to whatever meaning that they find in life. And I dare say that you were doing that before you were actually a pastor. % believe you were doing that already just of who you are and how kind you are, how you've always made it a priority to. just be so friendly and Laquita I'd say the same thing about you. You have been such a joy every time I've seen you at ambassador meetups, every time we run together, you have just been so, just so positive and I'll never, my favorite moment with you will always be that last half mile of the Antelope Island Buffalo 100. Me and you just crying and laughing and bussin' that out to get to the finish line and I'll always be forever grateful for that moment in my life. So like I said, I dare say, Kirk And Quitta: Well, no, I was just going say me as well. That was a beautiful, experience to be able to have that with you. it meant a lot to me as well. Coach Ryan Head: ⁓ go ahead. Yeah, well and like I said, I just dare say you both are some of the best examples of Christ-like people in this community and I, you know, I do believe you guys are just great examples and so many people not only look up to you but think of you as the example to be like. 100 % believe there are many people that wish they had the same marriage you two do and I can assure you of that for sure. So, wow guys, well this has been It's fantastic. ⁓ Yeah, well, I'm gonna, I wanna go into just the last couple questions, the one consistent thing I always like to do. I do have the lightning round questions I'm gonna throw up both of you, so we'll go through, we'll let ladies first, we'll go with Laquita first, and then Kirk, I'll turn it over to you. You can respond to these with one word, or you can give a little explanation, whatever you prefer. So, they're just, I'll throw out some questions, and feel free to answer them as you see fit. Kirk And Quitta: It went by so fast. Coach Ryan Head: And then I'll have a few more questions as we get to the finish line here. then yeah, kind of go from there. But first question I have for you, favorite race distance, Laquita? Kirk And Quitta: half marathon. Coach Ryan Head: Ooh, I love it. That's my favorite racing. Kirk And Quitta: ⁓ I have a t-shirt that says I'm only half crazy and that's one of my favorite. But yeah, half marathon probably. Yeah. Coach Ryan Head: Hahaha I love it. A half marathon is my favorite racing distance. I'll always say, I love running the 100 miler. I love running the marathon. But if I'm going all out, half marathon is where it's at for me. So that's perfect. Rotor trails. Kirk And Quitta: Me, road or trails? Right now I'm leaning right towards the trails. ⁓ Road brought me back to running, but trails because I can get out there and I don't have to push myself on the pace. Coach Ryan Head: Yes. Nice, let's go. Kirk And Quitta: I can walk if I want to. I can walk on road races as well, because I've slowed down as I had said earlier on, or you had said on my intro. ⁓ ⁓ has slowed down. And I've the PRs. ⁓ And not out there to push myself to where ⁓ I want to do it anymore. Because I yeah. ⁓ trails right now because I'm a half less than a half a mile away from the 22nd Street trailhead. Yeah. Yeah. Coach Ryan Head: Yeah, no one's gonna fault you there. That's perfect access. Okay, or evening runs. Kirk And Quitta: both. I can get up. ⁓ I can do both. ⁓ I can run the treadmill or outside at night ⁓ ⁓ like a baby. But like to if yeah, I like to get up and run in the morning, you know, as well. So I'm a both either one of them. Coach Ryan Head: I love it. Okay, last lightning run question, music, podcasts, or silence on your runs? Kirk And Quitta: music on the road race silence when I'm on the trails. ⁓ ⁓ I like to hear what's around me. If I'm out on the trail and I'm up where I love to get up under the trail where I can't hear the road, you know, the cars and stuff and getting up high enough on the trail. So I want to hear if somebody's coming up behind me. And I just want to be there and experience the trail. Coach Ryan Head: Okay. Let's go. I like that. I like that. Kirk And Quitta: And that's where God Talks to me out there on the trail. yeah, on the road and no ⁓ on the trail. Yeah, the road, music, trail. You got it. ⁓ Coach Ryan Head: That's awesome. I love it. Yeah, okay, follow-up question on that, because I do this with everybody. Music, what's on your playlist right now? Kirk And Quitta: Good classic rock and roll. I gotta have that upbeat. I got a lot of pink on there, but I go from pink to ACDC to Jethro Tull to a lot of Rod Stewart, you know, but it's gotta be upbeat. But I love a good mix of music. Coach Ryan Head: Give us one. Yeah. Yeah. Nice. Nice. Nice. perfect. I love it. I love, I love where you went with that. That's perfect. I like, that's a good playlist. I'm ⁓ fun thing that I've alluded to, especially cause I'm always quoting song lyrics on my runs. It's just kind of my thing. ⁓ am obsessed with music. I have been a lot of my life and, ⁓ ⁓ I don't know if I've found a genre I don't like. I ⁓ I mean, it doesn't matter the genre. I love them all. People are like, you like country or you like rap? like, I found love with all of it. I just love a good tune. So. That's awesome. I love your music choices. Great choices. So, K. Kirk, we're gonna go to you now. We'll ask you the same questions. Favorite race distance? Kirk And Quitta: Yeah, I think ⁓ 50k. Just because it it's a long ways and it takes all day and stuff like that. But it's gentle like and it's it's community and you get to stop it. You know, you ⁓ and take pictures and you hang out at the water stations. It's not like Coach Ryan Head: Let's go! Yeah! I love it! I love it! Kirk And Quitta: I did two eight fourteen. So now I got to run three eight twenties. know, like it's like, we made it to the top of the hill and you hug and you look around. Yeah. Fifty, you know, ⁓ it's a minute since I've done a 50 K, but I'm going to do another one. Look, we do. I will do it. There's my dedication to you. will do one. You've heard us. You heard us commit right there. Coach Ryan Head: Yep. Yes, that's awesome. Yeah. Well, if you two do it and I'm not still hurting, if we go out to Antelope, I'll do it with you guys in the fall. I think that would be sweet if all three of us, cause I was gonna say, I feel bad we never brought it up, but the two, how many times have I done it? I know at least twice you guys have run it with me, the 50K out there. And that was so fun. I've got pictures of that. That's probably gonna be when I do our social media posts. I'll ask for pictures that you guys would like me to post, but I think I've got to post the one of the three of us together. I think Sarah's in that picture as well, but. Kirk And Quitta: Absolutely. Yeah. Coach Ryan Head: Hopefully Sarah will be okay with that but we'll post that because I think that picture is just so cool the three of us doing the fall classic out there on Antelope Island. Those are memories of the three of us. that's so cool. Okay next question. Rotor trails Kirk. Kirk And Quitta: I think I'm with Laquita. gotta go. Just the, you know, like I don't mind running on, and I know it's not popular, but I love my treadmill. Like, I love my treadmill. But the pace and the, just the... Coach Ryan Head: trails. Nice. Kirk And Quitta: Like it's better on your body and it's better on everything to be on the trail. And, and you know, you get to see like moms and kids and deer and, you know, guys under their e-bikes trying to run you over and all that stuff. It's, I like the trail. Coach Ryan Head: That's awesome. When we did that seminar, the training session at Fleet Feet yesterday, and I was saying the same thing to people, because everyone's like, oh, how do you stay healthy, injury prevention? And I was like, get into trails. You throw in one or two days a week at least on the trails, you're going to stay healthy. And everyone's like, whoa. And I was like, I'm just saying. And I think I got a couple of head turns from our favorite road running people, Tim Cotterall. But he loves trails. He gets it. I was just like, if you wanna stay healthy, get on the trails. You're gonna go slower like you're saying. don't have to always be running. You can take some walk breaks. You can do some hiking. So I love it. I'm with. Kirk And Quitta: And it's not that, you know, pounding that you get on the road, you know, that you're running and you're turning and you're up and you're down. you know, there's all of that using different parts of your body. So. Coach Ryan Head: Yep, 100%. And I'm with you guys. I'm a trail guy through and through. So I love running roads because it's for community and I love being with the community, but I wish the community would go to the trails because then I wouldn't have any reason to on roads any longer. But that's awesome. next question for you, Kirk, morning or evening runs? Kirk And Quitta: Evening. I've tried to get up in the morning like you people and go five o'clock in the morning, you know, we're going to meet up at 430 a.m. in Cedar City. And I'm like, what? What the heck is wrong with those people? I just don't. And like I do my best, like if I'm writing or I'm doing stuff, morning is when I do that best. so evening is for sure my favorite time to run. Coach Ryan Head: Hahaha Okay, I feel bad. I skipped this one with Laquita, so we're gonna ask Laquita and then we'll come back to you Kirk and ask you, what is your favorite post run or race meal? Kirk And Quitta: I got two of them that I would do. Breakfast right after a long run or race or a hamburger. ⁓ Coach Ryan Head: Mmm, nice. Yeah, I've had a lot of people say hamburger I think almost every person has said hamburger besides one person Jenny said pizza. So that's awesome I think most people are like agree with you a good hamburger is just sounds so good after a runner race So that's awesome Kirk question to you. Kirk And Quitta: Yeah. Yeah, you. ⁓ I can say it's usually the breakfast though. But yeah, like I say, a hamburger. breakfast is for sure. Greasy bacon over easy eggs and some pancakes and for sure And put gravy on all of that stuff. ⁓ Coach Ryan Head: Yeah. No, you're good. Nice. Hmm, that sounds good. Yeah, I'm gonna be honest. I know it's what, it's almost 7.30 at night and that sounds good right now. So I like the sound of it too. So that's awesome. Okay, music, podcasts or silence? Kirk, what's your fave when you're running music? Kirk And Quitta: I missed. Music. Music mostly. Yeah. ⁓ well, it's either like 70s funk, or I really, really like 2010. Pump Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, Carrie Underwood. Yeah. But I listened to like the, the workout remixes it. Coach Ryan Head: Nice! Kirk And Quitta: So it's like the worst music ever made. I like, know, I stay out too late. Got nothing in my brain. ⁓ My favorite. love that. Coach Ryan Head: Yup. Uh-huh. I love it. have the same albums downloaded on my playlist, so I know exactly what you're talking about. That's awesome. That's super cool. Well, yeah. Kirk And Quitta: Yeah. And I like it like 175 beats per minute, know, so I can, it helps me a lot if I'm trying to keep a good ⁓ cadence ⁓ Coach Ryan Head: That's awesome. No, I love it. I love it. Well, let me throw two last questions at both of you. And I'd love to hear both of you give me your thoughts on it. And you both can kind of give your individual responses and then we'll be wrapping up here. But question I'll throw at Laquita is, what would you say to someone who's maybe lost their why with running? Kirk And Quitta: ⁓ To just reach deep inside and just try to, continue what they're doing and just try to get back out and release ⁓ and pray about things, you know? Those always when I take a moment of silence ⁓ and ask. what I can do or and things, but yeah, just to reach deep inside and still find that why, you know. Coach Ryan Head: I love that. I think in so many ways that is so important because I know as I've gone to like the trailhead and I'm like you know and I'm in the middle of July right and it's already 78 almost 80 degrees and I'm like ⁓ it's hot I do not want to do this today. I always say to myself how bad do you want to do wasp fish this year? How much do you want to do bear? Like do you want it? it just motivates me. It's like you want this, you want to be able to run that race here in two or three months. ⁓ go, it's time to push. So, no, I love that, I love that. Kurt. Kirk And Quitta: Yeah, and I've done that too. I've asked myself, why am I doing this? Why do I get up? And I tell myself, because I can, and I can make a difference, you know, and continue to make a difference in myself, you know, and be a stronger. I want to be better today than I was yesterday. And I was pretty, pretty good yesterday. you know, okay. Coach Ryan Head: Yeah. That's awesome. Let's keep it going, yeah. That's awesome. Kirk, I'll throw the same question to you. What would you say to someone who may have lost their wire? Yeah, maybe not even lost, but maybe they're just struggling with their wire. What would you say to them? Kirk And Quitta: You know, lives, if our lives are anything, it's cyclical, right? And go through these seasons and things ebb and flow. ⁓ And okay that ⁓ is part being a human being, right? And sometimes, you don't force it. You know? Maybe you're getting called in a new way, right? Maybe there's a new path opening up for you. I've known guys that have given up running completely and now they're road bikers and they're the happiest they've ever been in their lives, right? I don't understand that. That makes no sense to me. But... We have a rule if it doesn't make us money or bring us joy, we're not going to do it. Bring us joy. If you've lost your why, then re-examine. Maybe you got a new why you got to figure out or maybe you've got a ⁓ path that's getting put in front of you. But be open to the way the universe is unfolding because there is a path ahead even though you may not see it. Coach Ryan Head: Yep, exactly. Yeah, we, can't connect the dots. As Steve Jobs says, one of my favorite quotes, you can't connect the dots going forward. You can only connect them going backwards. And, ⁓ you can only see the path when you're look, when you're past it, but going forward, you're just like, what is happening? And, and I do think you have to trust whatever people, whatever your belief system is, or whatever it is, whether they call it in, in, you know, intuition, the you know, your faith, whatever you want to call it. Kirk And Quitta: Yeah. Coach Ryan Head: universe, you gotta trust that because somehow I think a lot of times, just as Steve Jell says, it knows the path you should be on ⁓ and gonna try to correct you and course correct you to get on that. So I love that. ⁓ And Allred had the exact, almost exact same response, which I loved. He's like, don't force it, don't force it, get out. If it's not the right moment, go spend the season doing something different. Go do woodworking. He loves work. He's big with animals. He loves working with his animals. And I'm like, dude, you're that's awesome. That's such great advice. So and I second and I think again, both both responses are great. And I think definitely, you know, like, you know, if it's not your time, then take a break. That's okay. Running will always be there. It'll it'll be there for you. If you want to get it's going to be waiting there like you like you guys said, I think liquidity you said it from the get go like all it takes is pair of shoes. All you need is pair of shoes to do it. Kirk And Quitta: Yep. Coach Ryan Head: really at the end of the get day. Like it's nice to have all the gear, but just you just need a pair of shoes. Just get out there and go. So, all right, last question both of you ⁓ maybe there's more to it. Maybe there is not. Both of your whys have been so amazing. And if there is nothing else left to be said, that's quite all right because this has been just an amazing episode talking about our whys. But is there ⁓ any bit? of your why or anything else that maybe you're like, ⁓ I wish I could say this or I wish I would have said this during ⁓ episode. ⁓ is it? Is there anything else that you wish you could, if you could tell someone that's barely gotten on this journey, this trail of life that we're all on right now and you're there like, what's that one last thing ⁓ just would love to tell them ⁓ do? What would it be? Well, we'll start with you. Kirk And Quitta: Believe in yourself, don't sell yourself short. And ⁓ trust instinct, trust the process. There was many times that I would sell myself short and I can't do And today it's, get do this. I usually don't tell people that I've got this because as soon as I say, got this, ⁓ then I stop learning, you know, and I can't move forward. And that's just my beliefs. You know, get to do hard things today, ⁓ just believe in yourself and trust the process. ⁓ ⁓ you said just a few minutes ago, take it one day at a time and one step at a time. And when you said that, I smiled on that because that's my mom's favorite saying, you know, is just, ⁓ Coach Ryan Head: No, that's awesome. Yeah. Kirk And Quitta: We just have to take it one day at a time, one step at a time. And I always say, mama, that's all we got today is one day at a time, one step at a time, but believe in yourself. Coach Ryan Head: I love it. That's beautiful. And I agree with you. think our biggest problem the number one thing that holds us back in our lives it's not you know, I get there's there's opportunities and and and there's all kinds of factors whether you know, there's a lot of know, unfair things in life, but I do think the number one thing that holds most people back is their belief in themselves. So ⁓ if can if you can conquer that so many doors open. I love that. we'll turn it to you. Any last bit of advice, anything last about your why that you would share with anyone here? mean, you both have just imparted so much wisdom. You shared such great examples of who you are and ⁓ but ⁓ else you'd love to share with everybody today. Kirk And Quitta: You know, we live in a really broken and fractured and troubled time. And job is to be light and love in that place. ⁓ ⁓ get to do that whether we're on the trail or whether we're at work or at the grocery store or whatever, but that's our job. Just go out and be light and love. And we don't know what's going on in anybody's life except the fact that if I can do something today that brings a little bit of hope or joy with them, then I need to be doing that as hard as I can. So it. Light and love. Coach Ryan Head: I that. No, I love it. I have used this saying so many times, whether it's in my personal life, religious life, work life, you name it, it varies to what you just said. And I always just say, you know, so many people need something to rally behind. So many people need something good to believe in again, because like you said, we live in just a world that is full of so much darkness and ⁓ just much hard. And if you can just be that one person that showed them that there is still some good, that there is someone good in this world still, and that you believe in them, then that might change their whole outcome. That might change the whole game for them. truly, that's a lot of the reason why we do the running club. That's why I do a lot of what I do is because I hope ⁓ might impact one person. If I made one impact in one person, then my job is complete. I just want to try to, you know, that's been one of those things as well as just other things. I work in HR professionally and I always say, there's certain things I'll never stand for and if it's discrimination, know, harassment, any form of harassment, I'll never stand for it. ⁓ see the fury of ⁓ I am because there's no reason why someone doesn't deserve to be treated with respect and love and kindness. So thank you. That was perfectly said. So that's awesome. Well guys, wow. Wow, I mean, I said, we were halfway through this at minute 45 and I was like, there's really not a whole lot more we need to say. We could wrap this up and call it a day. This might be one of the best episodes or maybe the best episode I ever put out. But I just want to again, want to personally thank both of you for coming on and being on this podcast today. We'll end just, you know, if people want to follow you on social media. you are you open to people following you on Strava and Instagram? Awesome. Kirk And Quitta: Yeah, absolutely. I'm on Instagram, Kirk's not. Yeah, I... But I'm on Strava. We're both on Strava, so you know that. Yeah. Coach Ryan Head: Okay. Yep, I'll put both of your tags in the show notes so people can follow you. I highly encourage if you're a listener to this and you're looking for something good in your life, I really encourage you to follow these two, follow their example. They are just two wonderful human beings. They're doing the right things and they're an example. They're an example of love. They're an example of how marriage should be. They're example of how you should be in a community and I think... That's probably some of the most defining and just best examples of just human nature that you'll ever find is in these two. So last couple of things really quickly. I do want to make our plug for Fleet Feet, who is our premier sponsor for the podcast. As always, go over there, get those guys to take a look at your feet. They got a free foot scanner. They'll take care of you, tell you exactly what you need. Whatever the gear is, whether it's shoes, ⁓ nutrition, hydration, you know. close, they gotcha. So make sure you get over there, see Fleet Feet, they'll get you taken care of. And my last plug, I wanna make a throw out really quickly. Laquita, what is the name of your salon? And maybe you're like, Ryan, we're already booked, but are you taking clients? Kirk And Quitta: I am not taking new clients, but the name of the salon is Heads Up and Nail Salon in Clinton. But I'm going down about six weeks. Coach Ryan Head: in clinton okay okay okay well follow if you see their her stuff on social media feel free to follow if there's an opening definitely go and support these guys kirk what what is the church that you're the pastor at Kirk And Quitta: Presbyterian in Brigham City. Coach Ryan Head: Awesome. Well, if you're in that area and you're looking Kirk And Quitta: 1030 Sunday mornings. got nursery. ⁓ Coach Ryan Head: 1030 sat it on Sunday mornings if you live in Brigham City or in that area I Definitely recommend you you go listen to Kirk. He's he's a great man and definitely someone that I promise you you're gonna feel something different about your life and you're gonna come closer to you know Whatever you believe in this life. So anyways both of you. Thank you again. Thank you for your time today This has been one of the funnest episodes I have done so far. So thank you again both of you Kirk And Quitta: You bet. Thanks, Raya. I appreciate you. Coach Ryan Head: Yep,