Meet the No Meat Athlete Team!
Matt Frazier
Asheville, NC
What I’m supposed to do at No Meat Athlete: Write amazing, inspiring, life-changing blog posts.
What I actually do at No Meat Athlete: Delete email.
Primary Sport: Running, mainly marathons and ultras.
Secondary modes of getting your sweat on: Weight training, eating Indian food.
Favorite race: The North Face Endurance Challenge 50-Miler, my 50. It was 95 degrees out that day, but somehow running 50 miles turned out to be so much less painful than I ever expected.
Bucket-List race: Badwater, the “World’s Toughest Footrace” — 135 miles from Death Valley to Mt. Whitney. I can dream, right?
Foods I once thought were gross but now can’t get enough of: Hummus.
Song that makes me want to set a PR, dig out of a bonk, and/or wrestle a bear while running: “My Hero” by the Foo Fighters.
Coolest thing I’ve ever done: Qualified for the Boston Marathon, after working for 7 years to take 100 minutes off my first marathon time to do it.
Scariest thing I’ve ever done: Quit grad school to do this job full-time.
Mantra and/or favorite inspiring quote: “No one is going to pick you. Pick yourself.” – Seth Godin
Doug Hay
Washington, DC
Associate Director of Things People Never Notice, Virtual Coffee Fetcher, Coordinator of Extracurriculars, Assistant to the Manager, The Right-Hand Man, Matt’s Little Helper, Senior Adviser of Keeping It Real
How I joined No Meat Athlete: I chased after a dude wearing a NMA shirt at the DC Veg Fest 3 years ago. It turned out to be Matt, and we struck up a friendship from there. A few years later he came to me asking for help organizing the first NMA Training Group in DC. The job has blossomed from there. Moral of the story? Chase down people wearing NMA shirts.
What I’m supposed to do at No Meat Athlete: Produce NMA Radio and occasional product reviews, answer Roadmap inquiries, keep Matt in order, and lots of other behind-the-scenes stuff that help make the No Meat Athlete experience the way it is.
What I actually do at No Meat Athlete: No Meat Athlete? I work for No Meat Athlete?
Primary Sport: The long, slow, wobble through the woods.
Secondary modes of sweating: Biking around town and occasional long ride with friends. That, and chasing a 2-year-old around the yard.
Favorite race: Whatever race I just finished.
Bucket-list race: Western States 100
Song that makes me want to set a PR, dig out of a bonk, and/or wrestle a bear while running: “Peaches” by Presidents of the United States. Nothing gets me going like the thought of nature’s candy waiting at the finish line.
Most embarrassing moment while training/racing: I was once so tired during a 25-mile training run that I just sat down in the middle of the trail without thinking. I didn’t realize I quit moving until a group of guys running by stopped to ask if I was okay.
Coolest thing I’ve ever done: A week-long trek through Chile’s Patagonia.
Mantra and/or favorite inspiring quote: “You can do anything for 10 minutes. Now get your ass in gear!” Repeat 10 minutes later or as needed.
I idolize: My daughter, who’s always searching to discover something new and exciting.
Favorite No Meat Athlete post: How You Can Run an Ultramarathon. I signed up for my first ultra less than 10 days after reading this post.
Matt Tullman
Boulder, CO
Managing Partner
What I’m supposed to do at No Meat Athlete: Try to stay out of Doug’s way
What I actually do at No Meat Athlete: End up in Doug’s way
Primary Sport: Doug dodging. (Or Running)
Secondary modes of getting your sweat on: Kettlebell / Yoga
Favorite race: Ragnar (for the team spirit 🙂
Bucket-List race: Climbing all the 14’ers in Colorado
Foods I once thought were gross but now can’t get enough of: I’ve always had a deep love affair with food, and never met one that I didn’t like!
Song that makes me want to set a PR, dig out of a bonk, and/or wrestle a bear while running: An inspiring biography in audiobook form
Coolest thing I’ve ever done: Becoming a dad.
Scariest thing I’ve ever done: Becoming a dad in a massive snow storm.
Mantra and/or favorite inspiring quote: “Trust yourself” or “Comfort is the enemy.”
I idolize: Scientists. Truly a thankless job, but the only way we move forward as a species!
Favorite No Meat Athlete post: Behind the Scenes look at NMA
Wilfredo Benitez
Portland, Oregon
What I’m supposed to do at No Meat Athlete: Manage and inspire NMA Pulse members with riveting social community engagement and weekly newsletters.
What I actually do at No Meat Athlete: Stare at a computer screen and type many more characters than Twitter will ever allow.
Primary Sport: Running – half marathons and ultras are my favorites!
Secondary modes of getting your sweat on: soccer and giving nutrition presentations
Favorite race: Pick Your Poison 12 hour (no longer running) – I learned so much about my body and my passion for this sport in these 12 hours of running around a 10-mile loop
Bucket-List race: Tarawera Ultramarathon (New Zealand) & Grand to Grand Ultra (Utah, USA)
Foods I once thought were gross but now can’t get enough of: grapefruit and tea
Song that makes me want to set a PR, dig out of a bonk, and/or wrestle a bear while running: “In the End” & “Numb” – Linkin Park
Coolest thing I’ve ever done: moved straight across the country (Jersey to Oregon) with my life partner and then switched careers from being a school teacher to being a nutritionist.
Scariest thing I’ve ever done: I cliff dove once. Also, see above ^.
Mantra and/or favorite inspiring quote: You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” – Wayne Gretzky — I couldn’t tell you anything about Gretzky, but this quote applies to so much else beyond sports and I love what it says about sometimes just going after it!
I idolize: My dad and my niece. My dad for countless reasons and my niece is the coolest person I know.
Favorite No Meat Athlete post: The Surprising Results of My Tart Cherry Juice Challenge – I started using tart cherry after this and my stubborn knee pain went away for good. Do you know how significant that is for a runner? I can’t recommend this stuff enough!
Esther Jaffa
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Assistant to the Senior Advisor, Customer Service Wizard, and ‘Girl, Friday”
What I’m supposed to do at No Meat Athlete: Support! I support the NMA Team and NMA Community. If you need something, I’m your “Girl, Friday”
What I actually do at No Meat Athlete: A little bit of everything.
Primary Sport: Gym Rat
Secondary modes of getting your sweat on: Running and public speaking
Favorite race: St. Jude Memphis Marathon!! (Memphis, Tennessee)
Bucket-List race: City Bikes Las Olas Triathlon (Fort Lauderdale, Florida)
Foods I once thought were gross but now can’t get enough of: I LOVE Brussel Sprouts! Broccoli, Asparagus, and Beets. All the veggies you were forced to eat as a child, I can’t get enough of, as an adult. #Adulting
Song that makes me want to set a PR, dig out of a bonk, and/or wrestle a bear while running: “Thunder” Imagine Dragons. This song has followed me – city to city – state to state – and somehow always plays when I need the inspiration to push through the difficult moments in life.
Coolest thing I’ve ever done: New Orleans Rock and Roll Full Marathon
Scariest thing I’ve ever done: Starting my own business and joining the NMA Team. Excited and scary are interchangeable, right?
I idolize: Strong, Caring, Compassionate, Driven women. If you are out there doing your thang, I admire you!
Favorite No Meat Athlete Post: How Not to Be the Punchline of the Vegan-at-a-Dinner-Party Joke This podcast was new when I was a baby-vegan, and new the plant-based world and it really resonated with me.