Tim VanOrden - Guinea pig & Founder of Running Raw
- Hometown : Bennington, VT
- Current Residence : Venice, CA
- Age : 39
1. When and why did you start this lifestyle?
I switched to a vegan lifestyle in 1998. At the time, I was an actor in Los Angeles and was concerned with keeping the signs of aging at bay. Since that time, I have experienced a complete physical and emotional transformation. I could now cite numerous reasons for choosing this lifestyle, such as animal cruelty, health, environmental impact, and most recently, improved athletic performance.
My transformation took another leap forward in 2004 when I became a raw vegan, excluding all cooked and processed foods. This choice was motivated by a desire to improve my health, but the impact has been all encompassing. The vitality and energy that I now experience are remarkable, I feel like I'm twenty years old again.
2. What has been your experience as a raw vegan athlete? Have you noticed any performance or health benefits or problems?
Moving to a raw vegan diet was the best choice I've ever made as an athlete. My endurance has dramatically improved, and I recover from hard training and races in less than half the time. I've had to stop doing upper body workouts at the gym, because I now build muscle too quickly, which slows me down as a runner. My asthma is gone and I'm no longer troubled by joint pain.
3. Have teammates and other athletes been supportive or critical?
Initially other athletes were critical, but seeing my rapid improvement has made them very curious. Now I get frequent inquiries about what "power foods" to eat during training and racing. I tell them that it's not what you eat but rather what you DON'T eat that makes all the difference.
4. A brief history of your athletic career.
It seemed as though my dreams of athletic glory as a runner and cross country skier had come to an end in 1989. Chronic knee and ankle pain, caused by numerous injuries, coupled with a severe case of exercise induced asthma, finally got the better of me. Over the next several years, I made a few attempts at training, but would quickly succumb to my injuries and asthma. In the mid 90's I finally gave up any hopes of ever competing again, and sadly, of ever being in any kind of shape again.
It wasn't until November 3rd of 2005, my one year anniversary of becoming a raw vegan, that I decided to give it one more try. During the course of that year, my body had completely transformed. I was experiencing levels of energy equal to or greater than those that I had felt in my teens. Was this real or was it all in my head? I needed to find out. So at the age of 37, with nearly fifteen years of sedentary living as my base, I began to train. At that time, I hadn't heard of any other raw vegan athletes, and had only heard of one vegan athlete. I had no examples to follow or mentors to advise me, just lots of questions, and a burning desire to see what was possible.
Within my first week of training, I realized that I was onto something big. My speed and endurance were far beyond what conventional wisdom deems possible in such a short period of time and after so many years of inactivity. More importantly, my asthma was gone and my knees and ankles were free of pain. I decided to test my limits and took to running up the steep mountains of the Los Angeles area. Within three months of beginning my training I had established myself as one of the best Mountain Runners in California. In the next six months, I had become one of the best Mountain Runners, and one of the top stair climb/tower racers in the country.
My next goal is to break the world outdoor mile record, and be the first person to break the four minute barrier at 40 years of age. This is not a personal goal, but a wake up call to all the cynics who believe that world class results are not possible on a diet of whole raw plant foods.
5. What do you hope to accomplish?
My mission is to show the world that athletes who eat exclusively raw, whole, plant foods can not only stand atop the world stage, but can achieve levels of performance not possible on a conventional diet. I hope to inspire other athletes to take up this challenge and leave doping and steroids behind. As this movement grows, my dream is for these athletes to become role models for children, and help to educate people around the world about the benefits of choosing this lifestyle; for athletics is a language that transcends, race, religion and politics. It is a universal language capable of inspiring all that witness it's expressions of grace, power and speed.
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In early 2007 Tim became part of the Body Design Team at GLiving, an amazing new "network" dedicated to everything green (G). ?Tim is also the Co-Director of RunRaw.org, a non-profit organization committed to developing teams of raw vegan marathoners at every major marathon in North America. Organic Athlete recently chose Tim to represent their organization as a spokesperson and Pro Activist. A great honor considering the level of world class talent on this team.
As the most successful high school cross country ski coach in Vermont history, Tim brings a wealth of experience in coaching and inspiring young adults to achieve their full potential, and to have fun along the way.
When he's not competing, Tim travels the country speaking about the benefits of a Raw Vegan lifestyle and it's effects on health and athletic performance.
The RunRaw Team
Founded by Krista Mikulski in surburban Chicago, IL in 2006, the RunRaw Team was created to bring raw and living foods into the world of sport. The goal of the team is to have raw vegan athletes participating in marathons and other races around the world to help bring awareness to the health benefits of eating uncooked, unprocessed whole foods.
They are not a group of seasoned athletes; in fact some of them have
never run a race before, let alone a marathon. They are a group of
varying ages and backgrounds, with a common passion for sharing spreading
the raw word.