#059: Sandlot Jax - GORUCK Games Champions Hunter McIntyre & Katie Knight, Sandlot Technology Co-Founder BJ Naedele, GORUCK Head of Community Emily McCarthy, Gold Star Spouse Sara Wilkinson

The Jedburgh Podcast goes on location to the 1st GORUCK Games & the Sandlot Jax Fitness Festival. This compilation episode is the first of 12 interviews with some of the most prominent personalities in fitness and entrepreneurship; all recorded in the back of a WWII Land Rover British Royal Air Force Ambulance in partnership with Jaguar Land Rover of Fairfield and The Readiness Collective. 

Host Fran Racioppi shares the GORUCK Games story as he talks to the winners, veteran Hunter McIntyre and newcomer Katie Knight. They discuss their fitness journeys as Katie transitions from ultramarathons to obstacle course racing and Hunter candidly shares how fitness helped him win his battle with drug addiction.

Fran also brings in the Co-Founder of Sandlot Technology BJ Naedele to explain how the Sandlot Fit app is democratizing fitness and breaking down the barriers between trainers and trainees. Finally, Fran learns from GORUCK’s Head of Community Emily McCarthy & Gold Star Spouse Sara Wilkinson how the vision for Sandlot Jax became a reality. 

Read the full episode transcription here and learn more on The Jedburgh Podcast Website. Check out our video versions on YouTube.

Highlights:

-BJ talks about building four fitness apps at Nike and how he has applied that knowledge to building Sandlot Fit to bring trainers and trainees together to streamline the fitness journey.

-Emily & Sara describe the birth of Sandlot Jax and the GORUCK Games. 

-Sara & Fran reminisce about completing Chad1000X and preview the Boston Frogman Swim.

-Emily shares the tough days of building GORUCK and the vision behind Sandlot.

-Katie comes from an ultramarathon background having just entered obstacle course racing; Hunter is a seasoned Veteran with 100+ podiums and several world records. 

-Hunter shares his personal journey balancing raw potential with emotion, not being accepted into the Navy, and how addiction to heroin shaped his mindset.   

Quotes:

-”To unite and democratize fitness.” (BJ)

-”It’s good to stick with something and not give up on it.” (Emily)

-”By far the most brutal experience was that ruck. The twelve mile ruck is not fair to any human being; even fit human beings.” (Hunter)

-”I like to go after titles that I really have a connection with.” (Katie)

-”To be the best in the world you really have to stay in your lane.” (Hunter)

-”My kind of saving grace was coming out of drug use and getting back into athletics.” (Hunter)

-”I had to have that moment where I had a loss and I realized the difference between greatness and myself was that I was doing drugs.” (Hunter)

-”My purpose and passion is really getting people to be where they want to be.” (Katie)

Katie Knight’s Three Daily Foundations to Success:

-Work hard

-Focus on what’s important

-Love everyone

Hunter McIntyre’s Three Daily Foundations to Success:

-Do tons of research

-Assess yourself honestly and raw

-Push your limits in way that helps you grow

This episode is brought to you by Jersey Mike’s, 18A Fitness, Analytix Solutions, Jaguar Land Rover of Fairfield and The Readiness Collective.