Tom is an accomplished ultra marathon runner, fitness enthusiast and founder of Stillbrave, a non-profit organization providing non-medical, supportive care to children with cancer and their families. Up until four years ago when he discovered the Bigfoot 200 Race, Tom completed every race in which he competed.

But this race was different. Bigfoot 200 is a grueling non-stop 206.5 miles with more than 86,000 feet of elevation change on Mount St. Helens.

Even though he was mentally determined year over year, Tom wasn’t able to complete Bigfoot 200. His body failed him, putting his life in danger several times. As a result of these experiences, Tom knew he had to train differently to compete. HIs determination was further driven by fundraising goals for Stillbrave —every mile of his race is dedicated to a child impacted by childhood cancer.

In addition to running, Tom did everything from weight-training to CrossFit, to hot yoga and Bikram yoga to get into shape. He discovered Pilates and Studio BE through a friend and it piqued his interest. He was willing to try anything to prepare for the toughest race of his life.

Tom started Pilates training and found it to be the most all-around, all-inclusive workout, incorporating aspects of CrossFit, weight-training, and yoga. But most importantly, Tom discovered pilates was the key to strengthening his core, the foundation of ones stamina. In running, a solid core is just as important as solid legs. Pilates increases muscle strength and tone of abdominal muscles, lower back, hips and buttocks—key muscle groups for tackling the physically demanding length and elevations of Bigfoot 200.

Pilates fast became more than a physical workout for Tom; it was mental and it was spiritual. These feelings were deeply attributed to the atmosphere within Studio BE. Tom had trained at a lot of gyms but Studio BE was different. He felt valued and found the environment to be authentic, inclusive and nonpretentious. Employees and other clients deeply cared about Tom and his Stillbrave mission, frequently asking about the well-being of children supported by his organization.

In Studio BE, Tom has found a new support system—a “tribe” that brings him a different kind of strength, both physically and mentally.

Through rigorous training and die-hard dedication, tom completed bigfoot 200 in 2019.