I am a motivational, keynote speaker and endurance athlete who inspires audiences to BELIEVE...to believe they already possess the ability to perform at high levels, to believe they can accomplish anything.
By defining our true PURPOSE, shifting our MINDSET and being ACCOUNTABLE to ourselves, we remove the shackles that hold us back, we purposefully run toward challenges, and that is where true TRANSFORMATION occurs, and we become superhuman, set apart from the status quo.
Disruption of the status quo is necessary for transformation. We learn and adapt when we go against the grain, when we silence the noise of our external environments.
In 2005, I was living my dream as a combat arms, Army soldier. I didn't sign up for benefits or college money. No, I wanted to go to war, to serve in an honorable career for my country, and give my life, if necessary, to execute that objective. And one morning that July, in the Triangle of Death southwest of Baghdad, that nearly happened. My vehicle struck a roadside bomb and took my left arm...minor setback...an opportunity was created.
I never woke from my dream, and fought vigorously to change government policy and became the first amputee to commission as an Army officer, where I served three more tours between Iraq and Afghanistan.
Our trauma, challenges, stressors and failures do not define us, but how we react to them, the opportunity we create from them, becomes the LEGACY we leave behind.
When I started going blind running a 100-mile race at 13,000 feet of elevation, I didn't panic or rely on willpower...I knew I was testing limits...I learned and created opportunity. I made adjustments, and defaulted to my purpose, the true motivator, which for me, is BEING the example for my children and showing up positively for the people I care about. I would be carried off that course unconscious or finish with a medal around my neck...no other option.
And this is the INSPIRATION I instill in audiences with whom I speak. No challenge too great, and whatever it takes, we KEEP. MOVING. FORWARD.
ABOUT RICH INGRAM
Raw resilience is borne from PURPOSE, MINDSET AND ACCOUNTABILITY. Resilience is a craft, a skill, and it takes practice and consistency. It starts with being true to yourself, accepting reality for what it is and viewing no situation as good or bad. It is believing in yourself and knowing you have the ability to accomplish anything. Raw Resilience is the unabashed and relentless forward motion toward excellence, regardless the challenge or setback. It drives us toward the challenge, toward the discomfort…to TRANSFORM into unstoppable humans.
Follow Rich in this brief documentary as he runs the Silver Rush 50 mile ultramarathon in Leadville, CO. His IT band flared at mile 8, causing him to hop the remaining 40 miles. He finished the race, winning his division and qualified for the legendary Leadville 100 Trail Race August 2024.
Rich finished the Leadville Trail 100 ultramarathon race…despite losing vision in his left eye [twice] and suffering from hallucinations at 12,000 feet of altitude. Whatever it takes. KEEP. MOVING. FORWARD.
