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Zach Friedley is Paving The Way For Adaptive Trail

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Ellie Pell

By: Ellie Pell

Ellie is an equal opportunity DMer with no shame in a cold call. She ran fast once and will remind you that it was before supershoes. Recently she set the FKT from her kitchen table to the fridge. Record pending drug test results.

A note from Freetrail: You know Ellie Pell from the Freetrail Fam Pod, but did you know she has an insatiable need to get to know you, and I mean REALLY get to know you? Like, what’s your favorite kind of cheese? “You Made it Weird” is Ellie’s brainchild because while she loves that these athletes are mega-talented she also wants to know what ELSE IS THERE?! Look for You Made it Weird every FridayE. 


You Made it Weird With Zach Friedley

Zach thought this column was called “Let’s get weird!” so I really don’t know what to expect…

What doesn’t this guy do though? After a wild couple of years that included training for the Paralympic games and moving to California to grow weed, Zach now finds himself one of the figureheads of the adaptive athlete movement in trail running. He founded Born to Adapt, modeled after the Born to Run 50km, a race tied to the book we all know and love, Born to Run by Chris McDougal. Zach travels across the globe teaching companies, races, and brands how to be more inclusive and make products that work for adaptive athletes. Zach is my On Trail teammate, so I have seen firsthand how he works with our development team to modify his gear (and his prosthetic!) to be able to compete in some of the most rugged places in the world. Trail running has a long way to go, but with Zach at the helm, adaptive athletes will find space in our sport.

Find Zach on Instagram, Strava, and on his Website.

Who are you and what do you do?

My name is Zach and I do a lot of things in this world. My favorite thing is creating opportunities for others.

How many hours of sleep do you get per night? What are your nightly habits around your sleep (or lack of sleep…what things keep you up at night?)?

I love to get a ton of sleep. It’s not unusual for you to find me in bed before sunset. I like to keep my rhythm with the sun if I can. Occasionally I’ll stay up late and get weird (and by weird I mean watch Tiktok videos).

Do any of your group chats have names? If so, what are you willing to share? How did they get that name? What is a major topic of discussion in them?

I have a bunch of ROMP group chats. We climb huge volcanoes in Ecuador so they are named 2023 Cayambe and 2023 Cotopaxi, we all keep the chats going with random stuff. These chats have some of the most badass adaptive athletes in the world in them. I’m grateful to be connected to those humans. 

If you could change one thing about your favorite social media platform, what would it be?

I wish the sales videos on Tiktok disappeared. I’m still waiting to be Tiktok famous. Maybe one day…

What is a book of fiction that you really enjoyed, for no other reason than you liked it?

Definitely, Dune.

What is one song you’ve been listening to on repeat recently?

Kendrick Lamar “Not like us” iykyk

PS I can explain the Drake vs Kendrick beef of anyone is interested 

What is one trend that started in 2020 that you love? 

I think in 2020 people really started to hear about diversity and Inclusion. I love that trend! Let’s keep at it.

What is one trend that started in 2020 that you hate? 

I can’t think of any. 

What are the last three emojis you used? 

🙌❤️🙏

What is the last thing you bought online? 

The Wifi on the airplane so I could get these questions answered 😊 

What is your most controversial food opinion? 

Kansas City BBQ is hands down the best on planet earth. Tell me I’m wrong by providing your BBQ samples.

What three videos are at the top of your YouTube recommended homepage?

Ha something about Patrick Mahomes, Running (Sally McRae) and meditation.

Which Allie is your favorite? 

Probably Allie Mac!

What argument in mass media do you not understand or think is a worthless issue? 

Cat vs Dogs.. Can’t we love both? 

When you go home for the holidays, what is the food or tradition that it wouldn’t be the holidays without?

KC Joe’s Ribs 

When I say in-seam you say…?

TSA loves to check mine anytime I fly 🤦 Legit gropers…

When has your ego caused you to do something you sort of regret but also would describe as wild and worth it?

Maybe my entire 20s lol!

What was your worst running fuel decision? What was the surprising best?

Worst fuel decision was no water or calories running to the top of El Capitan in 2019, I made it halfway. Maybe the best was pancakes!

What is your death row meal?

Brazilian SteakHouse with a massive Acai bowl.

Out and back or looped course? Why?

Out and back, because you have to come back, loops have easy outs.

Barkley or 24H track race? Why?

Probably unpopular opinion here but both seem kinda boring, I’d rather watch WSER States live or on the live stream.

When I say PTRA you say?

Kinda reminds me of PTA in grade school. 

What is one thing that absolutely scares you? Why?

Probably surfing in the ocean, sharks and waves.

What is a time you felt you didn’t measure up? How did you get through that?

Probably my first few public speaking gigs, I got through it by doing more of it.

Who is another runner that flies under the radar that we should all get to know?

Dani Aravich 😘

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