Powerlifter to Ultra Runner: Will Eadie’s Journey Shows Anyone Can Start

When Will Eadie laced up his running shoes for the first time in April 2024, he wasn’t planning on becoming a runner. The former powerlifter and CrossFit gym owner was simply looking for a way to cope with a challenging situation and not turn into an ultra runner. His wife was battling health issues, and as a self-described “fixer,” Eadie needed an outlet for his stress.

“One way for me to not bother her with a fix was to ride the peloton for an extra hour,” Eadie shares. “Let me go do an extra session.”

What started as stress relief quickly evolved into something more meaningful. Morning walks with his wife turned into run-walk intervals, and before long, Eadie found himself contemplating his first race. Standing at 6’5″ and having reached 335 pounds during COVID, Eadie wasn’t the typical image of a distance runner. But that didn’t stop him.

Breaking Through Perceived Limitations

In less than a year, Eadie progressed from complete beginner to completing both a half marathon and full marathon, with a 50K trail race on the horizon. His journey challenges common assumptions about who can be an endurance athlete.

“People can get into it and immerse themselves in it and have fun in it and actually be successful because I’m going to complete them and I enjoyed them and they made me feel better,” Eadie explains.

The Power of Cross-Training

One key to Eadie’s rapid progress has been his commitment to strength training. As someone with a background in powerlifting, he’s witnessed firsthand how combining strength work with endurance training can lead to better results.

“In the year I’m running, everything has gone up,” Eadie notes. “I’m better in the gym, I’m better at cycling. It’s unbelievable to me how much it all relates.”

His advice for newcomers? “Start lifting because it’ll protect you from injury so much. You’re never going to say, ‘Oh, I wish my shoulders were less strong or I wish my calves were less strong.’ It’s just going to help you.”

Making Lifestyle Changes for Success

Along his journey, Eadie made significant lifestyle changes that supported his new athletic pursuits. Perhaps most notably, he stopped drinking alcohol altogether. “Now I tell people, I will never drink again,” he says. “I have fallen in love with this feeling of waking up, feeling great. And it’s so much better than anything I ever got from having a drink.”

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Finding Balance in Marriage and Training

One of the most striking aspects of Eadie’s story is how he’s integrated his training with his marriage. Rather than letting endurance sports pull him away from his wife, they’ve found ways to combine their interests through hiking and cycling.

“We have finally found these things. We’ve always loved working out together,” Eadie shares. “Hiking and biking is this thing that we can spend six hours doing together.”

This approach has helped him maintain patience with his progression. When his wife wants to go for a long hike or bike ride, he sees it as an opportunity rather than a disruption to his training plan. “If I was supposed to go do a 12-mile run, but she wants to go do a four-hour hike, I’m counting it. It’s time with her.”

Learning from Every Experience

Despite his quick progress, Eadie maintains a healthy perspective on goals and outcomes. When he missed his secret goal time in his first marathon, he viewed it as a learning opportunity rather than a failure.

“The part of my brain that would have called that marathon a failure for not hitting 4:15, it exists, but it exists as, how do I hit 4:15 next time? Is it better fueling? One of the things I immediately realized is I wasn’t doing enough hill work.”

Looking Forward While Staying Present

Now, Eadie has his sights set on new challenges, including a potential future Ironman triathlon. But he’s taking a measured approach, planning to start with sprint triathlons and gradually build up his experience.

His message to others thinking about starting their endurance journey? “Don’t let those fake gates appear in front of you because they’re not really there. If you take one step forward, that gate disappears.”

Staying present has allowed Will to go from a powerlifter to a runner and soon to be ultra runner. The gates didn’t exist but he didn’t know that until he took that first step. It is your turn to take that first step and transform your life.

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