Martha Schoppe's guest appearances

Martha Schoppe

ULTRA University

The Adventure Stache

The Ultramarathon Mindset: Trail Talk

Mandy Miller

Lynsey Dyer

Rebecca Rusch

John Krause

Chris Cosentino

Chris Burkard

Randy Taylor

Sean Hopkins

Dave Hagen

Matt Phillips

Tim Johnson

Payson McElveen

Kelly Halpin

Tommy Caldwell

Mark Twight

OwlTail

We hear about fires in the western United States every year. And the news reports give stats on how well those fires have been contained. What is left unsaid is that those fires are contained by men and women trekking through the forest with tools and gear. My guest this week is Martha Schoppe. She is one of those who go into the wilderness to fight the fires. She also has the distinction of being a smokejumper. She and her team parachute into remote areas that would take too long to reach on foot.Martha is also an ultramarathon runner. She started running as part of regular training for the fire teams and kept going farther.

We hear about fires in the western United States every year. And the news reports give stats on how well those fires have been contained. What is left unsaid is that those fires are contained by men and women trekking through the forest with tools and gear. My guest this week is Martha Schoppe. She is one of those who go into the wilderness to fight the fires. She also has the distinction of being a smokejumper. She and her team parachute into remote areas that would take too long to reach on foot.Martha is also an ultramarathon runner. She started running as part of regular training for the fire teams and kept going farther.

Ep 100: Fighting Fires and Running Ultras - Martha Schoppe

Martha Schoppe is a smokejumper, one of a select group of firefighters that parachute to the location of the wildfires they’re tasked with controlling. Out of the 400 smokejumpers across the country, only nine are female. Martha joins Payson to talk about the extreme physical and mental demands of her work, much of which takes place before they even reach the fire. From sewing their own gear to jumping from 3,000 feet into perilous terrain to hiking with 140 pound packs in all kinds of weather, smokejumpers have earned their reputation as being one of the most specialized and experienced tiers of firefighters. Martha talks about some of her most uncomfortable landings, why fighting fires in Alaska can sometimes be extremely wet, and the physical stamina required to work for 18 hours at a time on a fire that lasts for weeks. She also talks about some of the common misconceptions about wildfires, and what it was like leading an inmate crew. In the six months of the year that Martha isn’t smokejumping, she’s pursuing other types of physical extremes. Not only is she a competitive CrossFit athlete, but she also runs 300+ mile ultramarathons (sometimes while pulling a sled in negative degree temperatures), ice climbs, and does Jiu Jitsu. In spite of all of this, however, her greatest claim to fame may be her multiple trophies in arm wrestling. She and Payson talk about all of this and more in this episode of The Adventure Stache. Instagram: @theadventurestache

Martha Schoppe is a smokejumper, one of a select group of firefighters that parachute to the location of the wildfires they’re tasked with controlling. Out of the 400 smokejumpers across the country, only nine are female. Martha joins Payson to talk about the extreme physical and mental demands of her work, much of which takes place before they even reach the fire. From sewing their own gear to jumping from 3,000 feet into perilous terrain to hiking with 140 pound packs in all kinds of weather, smokejumpers have earned their reputation as being one of the most specialized and experienced tiers of firefighters. Martha talks about some of her most uncomfortable landings, why fighting fires in Alaska can sometimes be extremely wet, and the physical stamina required to work for 18 hours at a time on a fire that lasts for weeks. She also talks about some of the common misconceptions about wildfires, and what it was like leading an inmate crew.  In the six months of the year that Martha isn’t smokejumping, she’s pursuing other types of physical extremes. Not only is she a competitive CrossFit athlete, but she also runs 300+ mile ultramarathons (sometimes while pulling a sled in negative degree temperatures), ice climbs, and does Jiu Jitsu. In spite of all of this, however, her greatest claim to fame may be her multiple trophies in arm wrestling. She and Payson talk about all of this and more in this episode of The Adventure Stache. Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/theadventurestache/?hl=en" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@theadventurestache</a>

Martha Schoppe: Smokejumper

Martha Schoppe (pronounced Shop-pe) is no ordinary fire fighter.  She is part of a 20 person crew out of Durango, Colorado made up of 3 women and 17 men, part of the Department of Agriculture, US Forest Service.  They work 80-100 hours a week from April to October fighting wilderness fires.  Periodically they are called into help with structural fires but mostly they hike up and around mountains with 30-50 lbs of supplies (including shelter, food and equipment.)Once she joined the 20 person Hot Shot Crew, she started running 4-5 miles 3 times a week to meet the fitness demands until she decided to join her sister on a Half Marathon in Denver 2011.  She has never looked back since.  That same year, she ran the Moab Trail Marathon and fell in love with trail running. In addition to participating in Power Lifting, Cross Fit and Ju-Jitsu Competitions, Martha completed the Chimera 100 Mile Run 2013, Susitna 100 Mile (self supported) Run 2014. While away fighting fires, Martha decided to support a friend battling breast cancer by cutting and shaving her hair as she reached certain dollar amounts in fundraising.  Please support Martha’s efforts here: https://www.youcaring.com/nurseinneed

Martha Schoppe (pronounced Shop-pe) is no ordinary fire fighter.  She is part of a 20 person crew out of Durango, Colorado made up of 3 women and 17 men, part of the Department of Agriculture, US Forest Service.  They work 80-100 hours a week from April to October fighting wilderness fires.  Periodically they are called into help with structural fires but mostly they hike up and around mountains with 30-50 lbs of supplies (including shelter, food and equipment.) Once she joined the 20 person Hot Shot Crew, she started running 4-5 miles 3 times a week to meet the fitness demands until she decided to join her sister on a Half Marathon in Denver 2011.  She has never looked back since.  That same year, she ran the Moab Trail Marathon and fell in love with trail running.  In addition to participating in Power Lifting, Cross Fit and Ju-Jitsu Competitions, Martha completed the Chimera 100 Mile Run 2013, Susitna 100 Mile (self supported) Run 2014.  While away fighting fires, Martha decided to support a friend battling breast cancer by cutting and shaving her hair as she reached certain dollar amounts in fundraising.  Please support Martha’s efforts here: <a href="https://www.youcaring.com/nurseinneed" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.youcaring.com/nurseinneed</a>

Staying Fit, Fighting Fires and Supporting Friends with Martha Schoppe