3rd Annual Western North Carolina Flyathlon

A little brookie in WNC!

In 2009, my twin brother and I were both diagnosed with thyroid cancer.

Fortunately, our type was treatable with surgery and radiation! Ever since then, we’ve made it a tradition to do something each year to celebrate life — actively. We’ve tried to mark that gratitude by pushing ourselves physically and getting outside into God’s creation. Over the years, that’s looked like running across the Grand Canyon, completing the Boston Marathon together, and spending countless days fishing—doing things that remind us just how good it is to be alive.

We know our story could have been different. Many people don’t get the outcome we did.

So each year, what we do is both a celebration and a remembrance—giving thanks for what we’ve been given, and honoring those who have suffered more than we have.

This year, that journey takes me to the Western North Carolina Flyathlon.

It’s a one-of-a-kind, conservation-minded event built around a simple idea:

run. fish. beer.

Participants trail run through the mountains of Western North Carolina, stop to fly fish along the way, and—yes—enjoy a well-earned craft beer at the finish. But what makes this event truly meaningful is its purpose.

The Flyathlon is a fundraiser for coldwater conservation, with a focus on protecting the Southern Appalachian brook trout—one of the region’s most iconic and fragile native species.

Funds raised go through Running Rivers, a nonprofit that has raised nearly $1 million over the past decade to support native fish and watershed conservation projects across the country—including right here in North Carolina. Their mission is simple and powerful: protect these waters by raising up people who care enough to steward them.

That’s something I deeply believe in.

Spending time outdoors—running, fishing, exploring—has been a big part of how I’ve experienced joy, healing, and perspective over the years. Supporting efforts that preserve those places for future generations feels like a natural extension of that gratitude.

If you feel led, I’d be honored if you’d consider supporting this effort.

Your donation will go directly toward conservation projects that protect these streams, these fish, and the ecosystems that sustain them.

And while they are a Colorado-based 501(c)(3), rest assured that funds raised through the WNC Flyathlon will be spent on projects in North Carolina!!!

Thank you for considering supporting my Flyathlon fundraiser!