Setting Ultramarathon Records at 75 Years Old with Michael Koppy

0:00Michael Koppy, welcome to Wild Ideas Worth Living. You are a wild man. We're excited to have you on. How old are you?

0:08Michael Koppy:Yes, I'm 75. I'll be 76 here in August. I love that. I don't really don't ask people their age, but I figured it was warranted because just a little background on January 28th, 2026, you became the oldest ever finisher of the Arrowhead 135 mile race in northern Minnesota, which is amazing. This is not Lake Arrowhead in Southern California. This is Arrowhead in Northern Minnesota. The temperature hovered around negative two Fahrenheit and all competitors had to carry a full complement of survival gear. You also had to carry a whistle around your neck to call for help if needed with the warning that your mouth could be too numb to yell.

0:49Michael Koppy:You were a little bit off on temperature there. Okay, good. I think you said minus two. It actually, the first night was minus 35, so a little bit colder. Michael Coppy is a retired engineering professor who lives in northern Minnesota. Nowadays, he spends his free time building custom furniture, gardening, and running some of the most grueling ultra marathons in the country. He's completed two fastest known times in the past 10 years, and earlier in 2026, Michael became the oldest person to run the Arrowhead 135. This race is completely bananas. Participants pull giant sleds up snowy hills and run through dark nights on almost zero sleep.

1:40All of this takes place in one of the coldest regions in the country during the coldest weeks of the year. I'm Shelby Stanger, and this is Wild Ideas Worth Living, an REI Co-op Studios production presented by Capital One and the REI Co-op MasterCard.

2:01You finished this 135-mile race in northern Minnesota. This isn't like a typical ultra because there's all these other elements of cold. Why did you decide to do this race?

2:13Michael Koppy:Well, I had tried it the year before, and I got six miles from the finish when I finally had to drop out. And so this year, I was going back for redemption. I knew I could finish it. I just had to not make a silly mistake that I made the year before. The year before, I got to the last aid station. They have three aid stations. and this was the second night actually it was early in the morning so this was probably about 45 hours into the race and when I got to that aid station I had only slept 45 minutes and so I knew I was going to be tired going into the finish so I took what I thought were three 100 milligram caffeine tablets and but they turned out to be 200 milligrams and I don't drink coffee so I had 600 milligrams in me and when I left that aid station I was so buzzed I sprinted for the next 15 miles literally passing everybody I had no control I at one point I passed a couple guys and they wanted to fist bump me and talk to me about you know congratulate that I was going to be the first person over 70 to finish this race I had a run in place while I was talking with them My legs would not stop moving.

3:35Michael Koppy:And then when I got six miles before the finish, I collapsed and fell to the ground and I couldn't get up. I called the medics. The two medics, Todd and Robbie, came out and picked me up and they tried to, you know, walk me around because I had seven hours that I could. I still had seven hours to go before I would have timed out. But there was just no way my body was just totally shot. And so they had to take me in on their snowmobile. That must have been so devastating. I don't know if you just sold me on taking caffeine or like terrified me from it. But being able to run 15 miles really fast sounds kind of fun.

4:18Although not passing out does sound really crazy. How did you recover from that? How long did it take you?

4:24Michael Koppy:It took a couple of weeks, yeah. But, you know, it actually takes longer to recover from the sleep deprivation than it does from the physical exercise that you're doing. You know, going 60 hours, like this year, I slept an hour and five minutes in 60 hours. so um that's that's what takes the longest is takes a you kind of feel like you're um like in jet lag mode after you know even after you've had a good night's sleep you just even when you wake up you just don't feel like you're all there and that goes on for a couple weeks wow that's so interesting well let's just get back to the beginning when did you start running and racing ultras because you're like superhuman.

5:15Michael Koppy:Well, I actually started in junior high and junior high school and, you know, ran track and cross country. And when I was in my junior year in high school, they had this trophy plaque in our trophy case that said the Thousand Mile Club. And so I asked my coach, what is this Thousand Mile Club? There was only one name on this plaque. And he says, when school gets out in the summer, until school starts in the fall, you have to run a thousand miles. And so I did the math and it turned out to be, you had to run 13 miles every day during summer vacation. And if you missed a day, of course, the next day you'd have to run a marathon.

5:59Michael Koppy:So you learn pretty quick not to miss too many days. Well, I went for that and I was able to finish that. So I kind of consider that was my beginning of long distance running.

6:14From a young age, Michael was motivated by a good challenge and a shiny trophy. After he joined the Thousand Mile Club, he continued to run in his spare time, eventually signing up for ultra marathons just for fun. Throughout his life, Michael has completed did numerous long-distance races, ranging from 100 to 250 miles. In 2020, at age 69, he even set a fastest known time on the 310-mile Superior Hiking Trail in Minnesota. Through each of these adventures, Michael has figured out how to stay healthy and fit, allowing him to lead an active lifestyle as he ages.

6:57How have you maintained your longevity? Like, how do you not get injured? How are your knees intact? Because this is so rare for runners to like keep going and going. I live in San Diego, home of the triathlon. There are so many busted old triathletes, meaning like they can't walk anymore. Their heart's messed up. Like they are burnt out. They're worn out. And I know them. They were pros. They were awesome. You are just like stronger than ever, it sounds like.

7:22Michael Koppy:Well, I used to get injured more and I started doing weights. And that has helped me a lot because it strengthens your core and it gives me a better overall balance so that I'm, you know, not relying on, I think, you know, just certain muscles that I'm using as a runner. I've now got a whole body that is fit. And so that really helped me from being injured. I used to get injured a lot more. And after I started doing weights, hardly ever. I did, in August of this last year, I tore my meniscus in two places in my knee. I was running with a new running group that started here in Duluth, and they wanted me to come and run with them.

8:10Michael Koppy:And they were running on sidewalks, which was, you know, it was real hard. And then I tried to stay with the leaders, which I shouldn't have. And so we were running really hard as well and fast. and I tore my meniscus in two places. So I had to get orthoscopic surgery. And so I wasn't even sure if I would make it to Arrowhead this year, but I was able to make it there and finish it this year. Whether it's weightlifting or good genetics, it's impressive that Michael hasn't had to deal with any major injuries over the course of his running career. That durability has allowed him to take on some truly punishing events like the Arrowhead 135.

8:52This race takes place in International Falls, Minnesota, a town nestled on the border with Canada whose nickname is the Icebox. All participants have a list of gear that they're required to bring in order to compete, including hand warmers, a whistle, and a sleeping bag that can withstand extreme temperatures. All of that gear weighs upwards of 50 pounds, which the runners have to pull themselves. But this equipment is particularly important because it could take up to 10 hours for runners to get help if something goes wrong. Let's talk about Arrowhead really quickly. Maybe you could paint a picture of what this race is like for someone like me who just doesn't even really spend time.

9:36I've never seen a snow race really beyond a cross-country ski race in Colorado. What does that look like? Like, what do you have to carry?

9:44Michael Koppy:Where do you sleep? Right. So it starts in International Falls, the icebox of the lower 48. And they hold it on the last week of January because statistically that's the coldest week of the year. So they are doing everything they can to make it a cold race. And this year it really lived up to it because the start of the race was 17 below when we lined up on the start line. And then, you know, we took off. And the first section was 36 miles, and that's fairly flat, but it's also, most of it is quite in the open. And when we started this year, we had a headwind of about probably 15 to 20 miles an hour.

10:28Michael Koppy:Everybody was having a hard time that first bit until we finally got into the woods because of the wind chill. So then we get to the first aid station, which is actually a kind of a general store. We are allowed to buy stuff there and we can get water there. And then we head out again and then we go to Mel George and that is the halfway point. But that's going to be a pole. We call it pulling because you're pulling your sled. It's going to be a pole all night long. And that first night was 35 below. And that's when the majority of the people dropped out this year because we not only had cold, we got an inch of snow, which is uncommon when it's cold.

11:09Michael Koppy:It typically doesn't snow. And when you get new snow, that adds friction to everything. So your sled pulls harder. It's harder to just navigate everything. Wow, Michael, that's incredible. So how do you see at night? Yeah, well, that's, we carry lights. And the section after Mel George is the hilius section. And we're talking really big hills. They're half a mile long, very steep. And we have to pull our sled up these hills. But the nice thing, once we get to the top of the hill, we get to hop on our sled and slide down. And we're sliding down these hills at like 35 miles an hour. I mean, we're cooking.

11:51Michael Koppy:And most of these hills are at night. that we're doing on this third section. And so we're flying down the hills. Well, I, the second night now, it's, it's a little warmer. It's 25 below. And I pull out my, I, I carry two headlights, always to have a backup. So I went to grab my second light. I put this headlight on and I pressed the button to turn it on. Well, the plastic is so hard, it would not indent to turn the light on. So I had to put it back on my sled and I had to grab the original light that I had then. I'd already used it for a whole night. And so I put this headlight on that I've used already now for 15 plus hours.

12:32Michael Koppy:And it's like in its saving mode. It's in a dim mode. It's on, but I can only see like 10 feet ahead. And so I get to the top of these hills and I hop on my sled to go and I'm going down these hills at 35 miles an hour and I can only see 10 feet ahead and this remember this is on a snowmobile trail that's about 10 feet wide with woods on both sides and so if you make a slight mistake you're going to be in that woods pretty fast and you know all that's in that woods is trees and they're pretty hard and it looked like from my eyes it looked like I was always going over a cliff because I could only see 10 feet ahead and then it was pitch dark after that 10 feet.

13:14Michael Koppy:And when you're going 35 miles an hour, that 10 feet is like, that's a second, you know? And so, you know, I was basically going down these hills almost blind and, but I had done it the year before. So I knew, I knew the race director wouldn't be, uh, routing us over cliffs, even though it looked like I was going over a cliff all the time. Um, so I just, just had to trust my instincts and, and just, you know, you're using your heels to steer because there is no steering mechanism and these hills aren't straight. They got curves in them, you know, everything. And, you know, plus you're fatigued now.

13:49Michael Koppy:This is the second night. I haven't had any sleep. We've been going 24 hours a day with this pulling everything. So you're fatigued and you're, you know, not all your mental faculties aren't all there. So that was a real challenge to get through that section. What's your sled like? I built my own sled because the ones that were out there well my background is engineering and so why wouldn't i build my own sled right um my sled is one of the fastest sleds out there when when we're sliding down the hills like i was mentioning i i slide like 50 feet further than everybody else and so i'm going faster and uh and i that makes it easier for me right if i can go 50 feet further on my sled then I don't have to run 50 feet, right?

14:38Michael Koppy:It's much easier to slide. So it makes total sense. So I designed my own sled. Now I've since built a couple for other friends because they've seen them and they like them. So, but it's basically, you know I have two runners on the bottom of my sled. Most sleds that you commercially buy are molded and all they are is a piece of plastic that's put in a mold and they shape it. And the whole sled sits on the bottom of the snow. or on a surface of the snow. And to me, that's a higher contact area. So the friction is higher and it's not going to slide as fast. I have two runners on mine and I wax those runners.

15:18Michael Koppy:And the plastic that I use is the slipperiest plastic that is available. And so that's why my sled is so fast. And then I also designed it with a box on the back that has two inches of insulation all the way around. It has a cover you lift off. and in there is where I carry all my fluids and all my food so they don't freeze. And then that box serves as my seat to sit on when I slide down the hill. I haven't seen any sleds out there like mine.

15:51When Michael is not using his sled to careen down hills, he's towing it behind him. He converted a tool belt into a harness and attached a couple of five-foot-long elastic dog leashes to his waist. The stretch makes it much smoother and easier to haul his sled. As a skilled engineer, part of the fun of these ultras is how much problem solving he gets to do. He loves building his own equipment, navigating through the wilderness, and finding real-time solutions when things go wrong.

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18:46In 2026, at the age of 75, Michael Coppe became the oldest person to complete the Arrowhead 135, an ultramarathon that takes place in the dead of the frigid Minnesota winter. There are so many variables in this race that there's almost no chance everything will go according to plan. Michael certainly has had his fair share of snafus during this run, like when he mistakenly packed half of his calories in the wrong drop bag and he had to eat power bars for 35 miles straight, or when the weather was so cold at night that he developed frostbite on his arms and feet. But eventually, after more than 50 hours on trail, Michael made it to the place where he had previously dropped out.

19:32And Tom and Robbie, the medics that had helped him the year before, were standing there cheering him on. That encouragement gave Michael the motivation he needed to keep going.

19:49Michael Koppy:I got about four miles before the last checkpoint, and I was just totally beat. It wasn't that I was really tired in terms of sleepy tired, but I was just physically spent. So I pulled out my sleeping bag and I laid that right on the side of the trail and I slept for an hour and five minutes. And my sleeping bag is a minus 30 sleeping bag. Now, when I hopped in that, now that bag has been on my sled for two nights and two days. And I hopped in that sleeping bag and I was so tired, as soon as I hopped in, I fell asleep. When I woke up, though, my feet were froze, and I found out that I actually got frostbit.

20:31Michael Koppy:I was laying on my side, and my leg that was on top got frostbit because even though I was in a minus 30 sleeping bag, the inside of the bag was also probably the temperature of the outside by now, and there was nothing to warm it up. But again, I didn't know that until the race was over. So I got going again. When I got to the same point that the year before I had dropped out, which was six miles before the finish here, Robbie and Ted were standing. the two medics that brought me in were standing there, uh, cheering me on. And that was so uplifting at the time. I mean, I even kind of get choked up now when I talk about it because that was like, you know, it's just like, uh, was such a inspiration for me.

21:21Michael Koppy:And, uh, and they told me, you know, up ahead is there, is the five mile mark. There's a intersection that we have to navigate. And he said, when you get there, you got five miles to the finish. And then finally, when I got to the five mile mark, I did the math. Now, of course, I've been out here like 55 hours or so. So my math skills have really diminished, but I did the math. I knew what pace I was going. And to me, it looked like when I did the math, I was going to miss the finish by an hour. So I called. Yeah, I thought, here's another year. I'm not going to make it. And so I called Ted and I said, hey, Ted, you might as well come out and get me with the snowmobile because I'm not going to make it.

22:03Michael Koppy:And he says, and he could see me on a screen because you can track all the runners. He said, no, no, Mike, you're going to make it. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other. You got it. And so I said, okay, you know, and because I knew I wasn't probably the best person to make that judgment at this point in the race. So I kept going and And finally got about, I think it was almost two miles before the finish. But at this point now, I was so totally spent. I was just going on fumes. And here is Ted on his snowmobile. And he says, I'm going to bring you into the finish. And so what he would do is he would park his snowmobile and him and I would walk together.

22:48Michael Koppy:And then we'd go a little distance. then he'd run back to his sewing machine, get on it, go way ahead of me, and then he'd come back to me, and we kept leapfrogging that way. And then finally, when we got about a quarter of a mile before the finish, he took off and went to the finish and told everybody I was coming in. And so there was a huge crowd there, and it was great. Woo! Mike, you're doing it! Yeah, Mike! No!

23:33Michael Koppy:And so then finally, you know, I crossed the finish line and Ted picked me up, put me on the back of his snow machine because we had to go to the hotel where the hospitality room was where they were doing all the festivities. Well, he brought me on the snow machine right to the front door. And then he lifted me off, and Robbie was at the front door of the hotel with a wheelchair. And they put me in the wheelchair, wheeled me up to the second floor, where the hospitality room was, where all the racers that had finished were. And when they brought me in, I got a standing ovation from all the past people that had finished, and that was great.

24:18And then I received my award, my trophy for finishing and being the first person over 70, being 75 to finish Arrowhead.

24:35Michael Koppy:And when they were going to give me that, I said, no, you got to wait for Robbie and Ted because they earned this as much as I did. So they had to get them, and then when I got the award, they were there.