Go one more.

Three simple words that can push you beyond what you think is possible, whether it is one more lap on the track, one more rep in the gym, or one more step toward your goals. It is a mindset that pushes you past limits, past doubt, and into places you never thought you could reach.

This past weekend, that mindset was on full display as double amputee Mike Egan took on the G1M Ultra, delivering a performance the sports world will not soon forget.

Who is Mike Egan

In the early morning of May 27, 2012, Marine Cpl. Michael Egan led his squad of Marines on foot patrol through the village of Kajaki, Afghanistan. As the cover of night began to dissipate into the early morning sun, Egan was suddenly thrown airborne. He had stepped on an IED, and now he was in a desperate fight for his life.

After being flown out of the village by a Chinook helicopter, Egan would undergo 30 surgeries, 200 stitches, and a bilateral above-the-knee amputations,.

For Egan, fitness became an outlet during his lengthy recovery. He would go on to become a personal trainer, and in 2021 he would find Adaptive CrossFit while trying to learn how to better train a client with spina bifida. He participated in CrossFit’s adaptive training course and later became a Level 1 CrossFit coach. Egan also competes in adaptive CrossFit competitions in the seated division. In 2023, he placed first in the seated division at Wodapalooza and followed that up with a second-place finish at the Adaptive CrossFit Games in 2024.

In December, he added another impressive feat to his resume when he broke the record for most miles covered in a wheelchair in 24 hours, completing 152.37 miles in 21 hours and breaking the previous record six hours earlier. When asked why he kept going, Egan told People.com that

“I wanted to push the limits of what is perceived as possible for people with disabilities or for anyone who thinks there’s any type of limitations to what they’re capable of.”

Forward Always

In April, Egan continued to push the limits of what he’s capable of when he entered the G1M ultramarathon. Competitors have one hour to complete a 4.2-mile loop. The race has no specific endpoint and follows a last-man-standing format.

In 27 hours, Egan made it 110 miles, surpassing 117 other competitors. In his final lap, Egan could no longer use his wheelchair because of the trail conditions. Instead of giving up, he got out of his wheelchair and dragged himself.

So what kept him going when the wheelchair was no longer an option? In an Instagram post, Egan explained that he dedicated the last lap to his former interpreter and fellow amputee Abdul Rahman Niazi, who tragically passed away last year.

“Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional.

I’ve experienced a fair amount of pain in my life, my injuries being low on the list.

At times my pain debilitated me. I chose to suffer with it because I couldn’t let it go. Maybe a part of me didn’t want to.

I wanted to experience pain in this race because I needed to let go of something I wasn’t able to yet, and I kept going until I did.

Loop 27 was for my brother, Abdul Rahman Niazi. A man who embodied and taught me the true meaning of compassion and service.

Life can be painful, brutal at times…but that pain can be used for something good. Maybe something as simple as a guy pulling a wheelchair through the mud.”

Takeaways

Mike Egan’s journey of service and sacrifice is a testament to all of us that even if the pain and challenges in life are unavoidable, we can choose whether we wallow in it or use it as a catalyst to help others.

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