Chaz KABANUCK

Bib number 850, Chaz, lives in Texas but grew up on a farm in North Dakota, USA. He is first generation military and says, “the military was my outlet out of North Dakota to go seek adventure. When I was younger, my dad did a lot of traveling overseas, so I had a picture of my dad on some camels, so I guess that’s why I love the desert.

An air force pilot and flight instructor at the Loften Air Force base in Texas, USA, Chaz explained, “before I got into ultra, I had testicular cancer in 2010, and they tried to keep me from being a pilot, so I used ultra as a means of making a statement.”

 “I started running 100 milers, and they just became an outlet for every bit of frustration and disappointment that people can give me, I can battle back with running 100 milers, nobody can tell you that you can’t run, you can’t be good, nobody can tell you that you can’t be number one when you’re racing.”

Chaz went on to explain, “the military was my outlet out of North Dakota to go seek adventure, it has also lived up to its’ name and exceeded expectations. I love my job actually, I still love my job, everyone asks me when I’m gonna be done, because I’ve been in for more than twenty years, but I’m not done, I’m not done yet, my bosses keep letting me do these things, so I owe a big thanks to my bosses, many bosses, who’ve let me do cool things, and live without me for a couple of weeks, so I’m thankful. “

Discussing his impressions of the MdS, Chaz said, “I would say that any race can be the hardest foot race, as hard as you want it to be, but I would say that this one lives up to its’ name; if you race this race at your best, then you’re gonna get what you paid for, for sure, it will meet and exceed your expectations, it’s the ever present sand and wind every day and the heat, no relief, so it’s good.”

When asked about his physical condition, he smiled slightly and said “I’m straight blessed, no significant issues, sore like every other person here, but no significant issues.”

He closed by saying that he was here to test himself, as he’s done lots of 100 milers, in a linear format, “but an event like this is just seven to nine days of just straight in it, and I needed something that was a little bit more of a challenge, to see how the 100 milers play compared to this.”

Air Force pilot, cancer survivor, ultrarunner, Chaz is a man that has proven time and again that he is capable of facing challenges head on.