We here at Power Athlete get countless emails every year filled with client testimonials about how our programming helped them dominate their opponents on field, crush their PT test or selection event, or just pack on mountainous slabs of muscle. We read every one, and celebrate each win right alongside our loyal followers. But sometimes we get some that simply can’t just live in our inbox. The story is too awesome, and the win too powerful, to not share it with everyone else – not in an attempt to highlight our programming, but because we’re a fan of humanity (more on this later), and the story is just that amazing, and it would be a disservice to you all if it wasn’t shared. 

This is one of those moments. We received this email last week, and as soon as we read it we KNEW we had to shout this story from the rooftops. Mr. Timothy Biscoe [@tjbisc], this is your victory.

Be the HAMR

Tim is one of our loyal followers on our HAMR program. For those unfamiliar with it, our Holistic Athlete Movement Readiness (HAMR) program was developed from our work with various units and branches within the Military, as well as a wide variety of First Responders and other Tactical Athletes. While it includes the same helpings of heavy weights and sprinting you’ll see in some of our other programs, HAMR also incorporates one other component not seen anywhere else in the Power Athlete Big Book of Programs: distance runs. Regardless of the organization we worked with, this one need remained constant – the athletes had to run. So, we knew any program for these individuals would be incomplete without some distance work. And this is where Mr. Boscoe comes in. As a First Responder, or servicemember? No – as someone who was training for a marathon. But not just some weekend fun run. We’re talking about the Big Daddy of them all: The Boston Marathon.

The Inspiration

Tim’s youngest son Quinn was born in October of 2021, and was diagnosed with a congenital heart defect – double outlet right ventricle – while his wife was 20 weeks pregnant. This little guy then had his FIRST (yes, meaning there were more) open heart surgery just three days later. As the family rested and recuperated, they were able to watch the Boston Marathon from their room at the Boston Children’s Hospital (BCH). Quinn would go on to have his SECOND open heart surgery in March of 2022; unfortunately, due to some post-surgical complications that budding warrior would end up with a nearly 60-day stay at BCH; once again, Tim and his family were able to watch the 2022 Boston Marathon together as Quinn recovered. And after seeing two of these Marathons, Tim decided it was time to throw his bib in the ring.

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The Training

Tim, being a loyal Power Athlete, knew that even though he would be pounding the pavement for 26.2 miles, he would still need a diet of heavy weights to ensure he would have the musculature to absorb and protect his body over the run. Heavy weights? Running? Sounds like a job for HAMR.

Tim continued with his regular strength training on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. But rather than trying to secret-squirrel some special mutant program on top of this, he simply substituted his marathon runs and mileage in on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays.

No special sauce. No secret formulas. He had a goal, and made the program work for him. Which brings us to the next part of our story.

Piece of Advice #4: Have a Goal

In a recent article, Power Athlete CEO and Master of the Mat John Welbourn discussed 42 (more) things he’s learned since he penned his legendary article 10 years ago, discussing 42 things he’d learned up to then. Item number 4 in this recent article? 

“Have a goal. Any goal.”

Goals provide direction and focus to training. Without a goal, you’re equivalent to a ship setting sail with no destination in mind. Tim was no different. When he began his training, he set a goal of finishing in under 4 hours 30 minutes. For those unfamiliar with how these times shake out, a 4:30 time falls almost right smack dab in the middle as the perfect average time. 

Nation, we are here to tell you – Tim achieved this goal with flying colors, crossing the finish line at 4 hours and 28 minutes. Oh, we also forgot to mention one thing. He also raised nearly $22,000 for the Boston Children’s Hospital. 

Yes, you read that right. He crushed his goal AND raised a metric ton of money for a great cause. 

Piece of Advice #16: Be a Fan of Humanity

Another nugget offered by Mr. Welbourn was to be a fan of humanity:

“Be excited to see the best in the world step on stage against the best competition, and have their best performance. Root for it. Demand it. Nothing is better than being part of a legend.”

So since we’re fans of humanity, we’re going to say it again, louder for everyone in the back and because it’s so damn awesome. 

His son is healthy. He achieved his goal. And he raised nearly $22K for a Children’s Hospital. If that doesn’t make you want to jump up and shout in celebration, we honestly don’t know what will.

The icing on this cake of badassery? Tim was able to complete the race with Quinn and the rest of his family watching him as he crossed the finish line. If that doesn’t give you goosebumps, you need to grab a heart monitor because you might be dead.

Celebration Nation

To paraphrase the stoic philosopher and amateur stunt enthusiast Dominic Terreto: We don’t have friends – we have family, and family celebrates when one of our own wins.

Want to offer Tim a digital high five? Drop a congratulatory note in the comments here or on the IG. And do you have your own tale of victory you want to share? Send it our way! Like we said before, we love seeing you all out there crushing it and celebrating all your wins, big and small. That’s what sets this tribe apart from all the others out there. 

Related Content

Training: HAMR

Blog: Another 42 Things I Have Learned by John Welbourn

Blog: The Aerobic Power Athlete by Ben Skutnik

Blog: Aerobic System for Football by John Welbourn

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