Wild Ideas Worth Living

Michael Koppy is a 75-year-old ultrarunner and retired engineering professor from northern Minnesota who is still breaking records in endurance sports. Over the past decade, he's completed two fastest known times (FKTs) and continues to compete in some of the country's most demanding ultramarathons. In 2026, he became the oldest person to finish the Arrowhead 135, one of the toughest winter ultramarathons in the United States.

If you enjoyed this episode:

Listen to Breaking the Record at Big’s Backyard Ultra with Harvey Lewis

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Breannah Yeh is a slackliner, highliner, and content creator who has spent the last six years dedicated to life on the line. Whether she's landing tricks on a slackline in Los Angeles or walking highlines suspended thousands of feet above the ground, Breannah brings a joyful and creative approach to a sport that demands intense focus and balance. Through her videos, she shares the challenges and rewards of slacklining with a community of more than 2.5 million followers.

Connect with Breannah: 

TikTok

YouTube

Instagram

If you enjoyed this episode, listen to: 

Learning Something New with Dylon Efron

Life on a Highline with Faith Dickey

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Capital One and the REI Co-op® Mastercard®

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Lisa Jhung is a writer, trail runner, and ultramarathon pacer who first began pacing runners more than 25 years ago. Drawn to the challenge and camaraderie of endurance sports, she's helped athletes through some of the most demanding miles of their lives. What keeps her returning to the trail is the opportunity to support someone else's big goal and be part of their journey to the finish line.

Connect with Lisa: 

Website

Instagram

Substack

Thank you to our sponsors: 

Capital One and the REI Co-op® Mastercard®

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Lucy Barnard is an Australian adventurer walking the length of the Americas, a years long expedition from Argentina to Alaska she began in 2017. Along the way, she adopted a blue heeler named Wombat, and together they navigate deserts, mountains, jungles, and remote terrain on foot. By 2026, Lucy had reached northern British Columbia, steadily continuing north toward Alaska.

Connect with Lucy: 

Website

Instagram 

YouTube

Thank you to our sponsors: 

Capital One and the REI Co-op® Mastercard®

Benchmade

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On June 12, 2025, 15 year old Tasia Linwood set out to kayak 310 miles down the Klamath River, from southern Oregon to the coast of northern California. She went with several other young Indigenous kayakers, from different tribes who live along the river. Their journey marked the first descent of the Klamath after the removal of four dams, which her community had fought for for decades.

Connect with Tasia: 

Watch: First Descent: Kayaking the Klamath River after the largest dam removal in U.S. history

Support Paddle Tribal Waters: https://www.tattoo34pdx.com/ptw

Thank you to our sponsors: 

Capital One and the REI Co-op® Mastercard®

Benchmade

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