Nearly 400 Pounds to Ultra Runner

Tyson Black’s story is one hell of a transformation. At his heaviest, Tyson was nearly 400 pounds. Years of grief, addiction, shame, and trying to outrun things he hadn’t dealt with had taken their toll. Today, he’s sober, running ultramarathons, surrounding himself with some of the best people in the sport, and trying to find out just how far he can take this second chance. In this episode, Tyson and I go all the way back — growing up in a tight-knit community, losing multiple friends at a young age, turning to drugs and alcohol, working in a funeral home, his eventual PTSD diagnosis, and the years he spent knowing he was capable of more while continuing to run from it. We also get into the other side of the story: losing nearly 200 pounds, finding ultrarunning, rediscovering his faith, the friendships that helped pull him forward, and how serving others ultimately led him into the crew of Harvey Lewis at Mid-State and Last Soul Ultra in Germany. This conversation is about a lot more than running. It’s about grief. Shame. Addiction. Sobriety. Faith. Friendship. Service. And what can happen when you finally stop running from your own potential. Tyson isn’t interested in simply becoming the person he used to be. He wants to find out who he could have been all along. Topics include: • Going from nearly 400 pounds to ultrarunning • Grief and losing friends at a young age • Drug and alcohol addiction • Sobriety and breaking old patterns • PTSD and working in the funeral industry • Faith, shame, forgiveness, and purpose • Weight loss and beginning his running journey • The ultrarunning community • Crewing Harvey Lewis • Last Soul Ultra in Germany • Finding your potential after years of wasting it If this conversation resonates with you, subscribe to The Keifer Madness Podcast and share the episode with somebody who needs to hear Tyson’s story. #Ultrarunning #Sobriety #AddictionRecovery #TrailRunning #TysonBlack