Five years ago, I set out to burn 10,000 calories in a day. I set out to do this because it was Covid Times (spooky) and I felt like I had literally nothing better to do with my time. I was a recent college graduate, I was happy, healthy, a bit bored, and looking to push my body’s limits. I set out at 4:30 a.m. and exercised until 8:30 p.m. taking some breaks throughout the day. I did almost the entirety of it alone and in silence. I stopped the second I hit 10,000 calories and the first words out of my mouth were: “I’m never doing that again.”

3 months later, my buddy Jake was in town asking me about the big day. He slyly commented that I came up just short of doing an Ironman. 11 more miles of road biking, 1.3 more miles of swimming and 4 miles more running and I could have been there. Stupid, charming, Jake. As I’m sure you guessed, a few weeks later, I found myself training for my first Ironman distance triathlon.

Other than being too competitive to say no, why would I go through that again? I had already proven to myself that I could do it. I had pushed my body near its limits. And I did NOT have a good time. But there was this thought eating away at me that I couldn’t let go.

That day was truly difficult and it had taken everything out of me, physically, emotionally, you name it. I had made a conscious choice to have THAT day. I chose to have a really difficult day. And my “really difficult day” was pretty spectacular. I got to road bike through the sloping orchard hills of Hood River County; Mt Hood soaring through the trees in front of me.

I got to run along the Historic Columbia River Highway Trail overlooking miles and miles of the Columbia Gorge with Mt Adams towering above it all in the background.

I got to swim laps in a calm basin off the side of the Columbia, and I finished my day running circles through downtown Hood River. That was my hard day. And that was my choice.

There are so many people that wake up every day hoping that just once, they could have an easy day. A day where they aren’t worried that one little accident could bankrupt them. A day where they don’t have to worry about having enough to eat, or having a place to sleep. My “hardest day ever” came nowhere near not knowing where my next meal might come from or where my next bed could be. How privileged was I to be able to decide that I wanted to suffer for fun?

In no way am I against pushing yourself, competing in races, ultra endurance events or anything of the like. If anything, I’d advocate for all of you to spend one day trying to find your limits. Show yourself that if you set out to do something improbable, you might just surprise yourself. There’s immense power in that. And you might find empathy in the pain as well. I will also ask that you then take that drive and that passion and, every once in a while, use it to make a difference.

~65% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck. 20% of Whatcom County Residents rely on the Food Bank every week. There are so many different ways to help and to make a difference. Here’s what I did:

In the Spring of 2021, I started my fundraiser called Hunger vs Hunger. Initially, the fundraiser was simple. I set out to burn as many calories as I could in one day to raise awareness for food insecurity. I got one corporate sponsor, The Jerry H Walton Foundation, to match donations and I asked as many people to donate as possible. Then, all of that money would go to the Bellingham Food Bank. That first year, I had a goal of $10,000 and I raised over $29,000.

Fast forward to the present day, and so much has changed. My fundraiser has gone from one corporate sponsor to thirty-six. My fundraising goal has gone from $10,000 to $100,000. The number of events I host has gone from one to twelve. My fundraising total has risen from $29k to $220k. And the demand at the Bellingham Food Bank has gone from 1,300 families per week to 5,100.

I’ll be setting out on July 20th to once again “ruin” my day, to try my best to empathize with the struggles of those in need, while rallying everyone around me to join my cause. My day will look like this:

1. 2:00 a.m. – 112 mile bike ride

2. 9:30 a.m. – 1 hour H.I.I.T. workout at JD Elite

3. 10:30 a..m. – 16 mile run

4. 1:30 p.m. – 3 mile swim

5. 4:30 p.m. – 6.5 mile mountain bike ride

6. 5:30 p.m. – 10.2 mile run

Around 12,000 calories burned, 15 hours of moving time, 84,000+ steps taken, 148 miles traveled, and a couple less toe nails than I started with… That’s what my day usually looks like. And I’ll keep on doing it as long as I can.

To learn more or get involved in Ethan’s cause visit: Www.Ethanhunger.Com/Hungervshunger

To donate, visit: Https://Donations.Bellinghamfoodbank.Org/Hvh24 (all donations tripled!)