MMA Fighter Turned Trail Runner Beats Brain Tumor to Come Back Stronger Than Ever
By Page Triola | Runner’s World | October 30 2019
If you think that running 60 miles in three days over punishingly steep mountain trails is no easy feat, imagine doing it just nine months after brain surgery.
Dietz, at center, finishing the Goodr Stage 1 of TRR with teammate Raymond Hailes (left) and fiancee Kelly Kruse (right).
Kyle Dietz, an Under Armour-sponsored trail runner and former MMA fighter, did just that when he completed three of the six stages of the TransRockies Run in August after having a large brain tumor removed back in December. The picturesque yet grueling mountain race is set in Colorado’s rugged backcountry, where runners tackle seemingly endless climbs and struggle to keep their footing on the rocky descents.
For Dietz, 33, it felt like a return to normalcy. “It was amazing, being back out there, doing what I do,” he says.