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Enormocast 293: Jim Ewing – The Quality of Life

On Episode 293 of the Enormocast, I connect with paraclimber Jim Ewing. Jim grew up climbing in the storied days of 1980s North Conway in New Hampshire. In his formative climbing years, Ewing rubbed elbows with the likes of Randy Radcliff, Alison Osius, and Hugh Herr. He didn’t know it while eeking out a dirtbag life in New England, but that early friendship with Herr would become one of the most pivotal relationships of his life. Fast forward decades to Jim family-climbing in Cayman Brac, and a fateful day that resulted in a 60 foot ground fall and a broken body barely clinging to life. Later, while looking for solutions to a painfully destroyed ankle and leg, Jim found himself in the office of his old friend Hugh – now the preeminent inventor of leg prostheses in the world. Hugh laid out the argument for amputation, and Jim started down an experimental path to a better quality of life than he could have ever imagined while being stuffed into an ambulance in the Caribbean.

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Enormocast 292: Hamish McArthur and Holly Toothill – Showing Up

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On Episode 292 of the Enormocast, I sit down in a hotel in Squamish (Sḵwx̱wú7mesh) during the Arc’teryx Academy with Olympian Hamish McArthur and British competition climber Holly Toothill. I arrived in Squamish with Hamish booked and asked Holly to join at the last minute as a friend, teammate, and observer of Hamish’s performance in Paris. Hamish finished 5th in the combined at the 2024 Olympics. The conversation ranges from examining their friendship, competitive styles, to Hamish’s Olympic experience. Hamish also reveals that his path to the Olympics was never a dream, and he was sometimes even reluctant to pursue the contest. But when he got in, he knew he would show up and do his best. Turns out that showing up is his superpower.

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Enormocast 291: Aubrey Runyon – The Long Road Home

Episode 291 with Aubrey Runyon has been removed from the feed. I understand that many people heard the episode, enjoyed it, and found Aubrey’s story very compelling. In the time since recording and posting the show, I received information from several disparate sources that caused me to doubt some of the fundamental parts of Aubrey’s origin story. When I brought some of the contrary information to Aubrey’s attention, we agreed to take the podcast down together, though Aubrey maintains the veracity of the interview.

Consultations with experienced journalists have made it clear to me that removing the episode permanently is the most professional course of action.

I also want to be clear as possible with listeners about why its been removed.

I have decided not to share the specifics of the factual dispute publicly, nor will I be pursuing the issue further at this time. I have never been forced to deeply examine the integrity of a posted interview, and I have been challenged by this process over the last few weeks.

I sincerely apologize to listeners and hope your trust in the Enormocast will be maintained going forward.