Help me to compete in the NUE MTB epic series.

My name is Isaac Johnson and I am going to complete the True Grit endurance race in Utah on March 11th. I will also complete the Cohutta 100 in Tennessee on April 22, and the Mohican 100 in Ohio on May 20th. They are all endurance mountain bike races and are part of the National Ultra Endurance Series (NUE) race series.

The True Grit will be almost exactly one year since I put myself in the emergency room. I was neglecting my health big time and basically committing slow suicide. I was drinking way too much and eating an extremely unhealthy diet. I was not exercising at all. I had stage two hypertension and dangerously high blood sugar. Two different doctors told me they were surprised I was alive. Somehow, I had zero plaque build-up in my heart and that saved my life. Since then, I have stopped drinking completely (and won't drink again. Ever.) I also completely changed my diet. I switched to a vegan diet. I exercise every day. I’ve lost about 110lbs since the ER visit. I’m down 216lbs from my heaviest. At 203lbs currently, I now weigh less than I’ve lost! I have also reversed my diabetes and hypertension completely. I'm off of all the medication I was on.

The True Grit race is a big goal that I've had for a while. It started as a kind of "maybe one-day" type of thing. Forget that! I'm doing it, and I'm going to finish it! I currently wake up an hour before I have to get the kids ready for school and walk two miles. I ride my bike as much as I possibly can, though it’s never as much as I would like. I am committing to becoming the best athlete that I can possibly be. I will be racing in as many races as possible. I will also compete in local races in and around Florida as I learn about them and become more aware of what is out there.

I have come a long way in my journey, but I can’t do it alone.

Financial support raised here will be used for essentials, equipment, and training.

Essentials include race registration fees as well as camping or hotel costs. A van rental and fuel costs will allow me to drive to each race with my food, bike, and gear. Being a vegan makes my nutrition a little harder to deal with and bringing a cooler with my own food is the easiest way for me.

I ride a Specialized Rockhopper that I love! I love the hardtail because I cut my teeth on bikes with BMX as a teen. The hardtail is like a BMX but for the trails! I have upgraded the fork to a Manitou Markhor that is amazing! I also upgraded the groupset to a Sram NX Eagle, which makes shifting a dream! My pedals and grips are Deity components in purple. I still have some equipment needs, such as a brake upgrade. I could also use a few things to help with training such as a Zwift Hub Smart Trainer for indoor use on days when it rains or my kids are out of school and I have very little time to get out and ride. Another thing that would help a lot is a Garmin bike computer with heart monitor and cadence sensor. That would help me more accurately track speed and power output. Those things are expensive and would come only after I have my entrance fees and my travel to each of the 3 races covered.

I would like to be able to take a few training trips to Georgia or some places with some elevation (Florida is pretty flat) so I can get experience and practice with climbing.

If you are able to help in any way, I greatly appreciate it.

If you have any advice or any words of wisdom, please feel free to reach out and message me. I would welcome any donations of gear or clothing. I currently scour the local thrift stores a few times a week for any athletic wear they have available in my size. I currently wear a size L/XL shirt and 34 pant.

Even just words of encouragement or a share are welcome. Thank you to the people who have already helped and thank you to anyone who does. Thank you for your help and consideration in reading this. I look forward to completing these races this spring!!!

If you would like to follow along with my journey, find me at:

Strava - Isaac Johnson

Instagram - plant_based_dad.83