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Listen "#13 - From Marine to Ultra Athlete: Billy Richards Incredible Journey | "Part 1""
Episode Synopsis
I was lucky enough to have Billy Richards on the podcast today. I can honestly say that I haven't had anyone on quite like him. The amount of people he has impacted and the amount he has accomplished in 42 years of life is truly inspiring.
Billy is a veteran of the armed forces, who served 4 years with the Marines in the Infantry, and 3 years in the Army as a Paratrooper. He is currently a personal trainer working at Fitlife East Islip on Long Island. Billy is a Certified as a Master Trainer through ISSA and NCSF, along with having over 60 other fitness certifications. He currently runs races and other fitness events with the American Flag, having carried it at every event since 2015, to honor the military, law enforcement and first responders. Bill has also set a record for most Spartan Trifectas by a male athlete with 32 in 2023 finishing a total of 158 events that year with a bad hip.
Athletic Accomplishments
-792 Fitness events-currently at 623 with the American Flag
-45 100 mile Ultramarathon finishes, all carrying the American Flag the entire distance. 37 of those 100 milers were finished in a 12 month period. Only 4 people in the world have ever done that.
-Winner of 3 100 mile races(carrying the American Flag)-5x World's Toughest Mudder Contender-Winner of the 2014 Team Death Race
-Open Heat winner of the 2018 Lake Tahoe Spartan Ultra and Dallas Spartan Ultra(carrying the American Flag for both)
-winner of the 2013 Winter Throwdown CrossFit competition
-won his division in Powerlifting Meet in 2016
-first to finish the Savage 7 50k(31 miles) series, by doing 7 50ks in 7 consecutive days-2017
- did the Texas Quad (4 marathons in 4 days) while wearing a 45 pound pack filled with canned goods and carrying the American Flag to raise money for struggling veterans.
-2016 - did a "Thank the Police Tour" running at 39 precincts around the country, carrying the American Flag, delivering the American Flag, a handwritten Thank you card, and handwritten list of donors to the police to let them know the community still supports them.
-2017 - ran 8 Ultramarathons and a Marathon in 9 consecutive days carrying the American Flag to help out struggling veterans.
-2018 - 12 Spartan Trifectas, finished the Savage 7 50k series(7 50ks in 7 days)-
-2019 - finished 35 100 mile races(37 were from November 2018 to November 2019)
-2022 - 16 Trifectas in 3 countries-2023
- 32 Trifectas(most ever by a male athlete) in 17 different countries-2024
- finished 11 Marathons in 11 States in 11 days raising money for Operation Vest who provides funding for counseling services for veterans, to help end the Veteran Suicide epidemic.
This has been my longest podcast to date which ended up being about 1:40 and this was only part 1! Look for part 2 next week where we dive into how racing with the USA flag started and why he does it to the Thank You Police tour.
Billy is a veteran of the armed forces, who served 4 years with the Marines in the Infantry, and 3 years in the Army as a Paratrooper. He is currently a personal trainer working at Fitlife East Islip on Long Island. Billy is a Certified as a Master Trainer through ISSA and NCSF, along with having over 60 other fitness certifications. He currently runs races and other fitness events with the American Flag, having carried it at every event since 2015, to honor the military, law enforcement and first responders. Bill has also set a record for most Spartan Trifectas by a male athlete with 32 in 2023 finishing a total of 158 events that year with a bad hip.
Athletic Accomplishments
-792 Fitness events-currently at 623 with the American Flag
-45 100 mile Ultramarathon finishes, all carrying the American Flag the entire distance. 37 of those 100 milers were finished in a 12 month period. Only 4 people in the world have ever done that.
-Winner of 3 100 mile races(carrying the American Flag)-5x World's Toughest Mudder Contender-Winner of the 2014 Team Death Race
-Open Heat winner of the 2018 Lake Tahoe Spartan Ultra and Dallas Spartan Ultra(carrying the American Flag for both)
-winner of the 2013 Winter Throwdown CrossFit competition
-won his division in Powerlifting Meet in 2016
-first to finish the Savage 7 50k(31 miles) series, by doing 7 50ks in 7 consecutive days-2017
- did the Texas Quad (4 marathons in 4 days) while wearing a 45 pound pack filled with canned goods and carrying the American Flag to raise money for struggling veterans.
-2016 - did a "Thank the Police Tour" running at 39 precincts around the country, carrying the American Flag, delivering the American Flag, a handwritten Thank you card, and handwritten list of donors to the police to let them know the community still supports them.
-2017 - ran 8 Ultramarathons and a Marathon in 9 consecutive days carrying the American Flag to help out struggling veterans.
-2018 - 12 Spartan Trifectas, finished the Savage 7 50k series(7 50ks in 7 days)-
-2019 - finished 35 100 mile races(37 were from November 2018 to November 2019)
-2022 - 16 Trifectas in 3 countries-2023
- 32 Trifectas(most ever by a male athlete) in 17 different countries-2024
- finished 11 Marathons in 11 States in 11 days raising money for Operation Vest who provides funding for counseling services for veterans, to help end the Veteran Suicide epidemic.
This has been my longest podcast to date which ended up being about 1:40 and this was only part 1! Look for part 2 next week where we dive into how racing with the USA flag started and why he does it to the Thank You Police tour.
In God we trust