Adam Popp // Para-triathlon
Motto: “Every day is an opportunity to better yourself”
Combat Veteran and Paralympic hopeful Adam Popp is enjoying an exceptional 2022. In March he won the Americas Triathlon Championships for the second year in a row, and in April he was a presenter at the Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP) Southwest Regional Conference. In July and August he podiumed at World Triathlons in Montreal, Canada and Swansea, Great Britain, pushing his ranking to 3rd in the world. And in October he’s expecting a son with his wife Amanda, all while pursuing a second master’s degree in Sport and Performance Psychology from the University of Denver.
It’s been a long road to Paralympic hopeful, advocate for sport in mental health, and family man. In 2007 Adam was a 12-year combat veteran of the Air Force with deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan as an Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team leader. While working to disarm a roadside bomb (IED) in Afghanistan, Adam was injured by a secondary IED, resulting in the amputation of his right leg above the knee.
During the 18 months Adam spent recovering from his injuries, he saw the crucial role mentors play in helping his fellow patients rise to a higher level of function after trauma. “When you’re in your hospital bed or training for your first 5k, you really need elite para-athletes to show you what’s possible,” said Adam. By the end of his stay at Walter Reed Medical Center, Adam was determined to use his experience to help others overcome physical and emotional challenges and reach their maximum potential. Pursuing that goal, Adam completed a master’s degree in Rehabilitation and Clinical Counseling from George Washington University, and became a certified peer-mentor and peer-mentor trainer through the Amputee Coalition of America. He joined the Board of Directors of the EOD Warrior Foundation (serving for the past 13 years). And Adam continued his own physical rehabilitation, until he was able to compete as an adaptive athlete.
In December 2016, eight years after losing his leg and a year and a half after his first run as an amputee, Adam became the first above-knee amputee to complete a 100-mile ultramarathon within the 30-hour cutoff. He went on to lower his 100-mile trail PR to a blistering 18:52:12 at the 2021 Tunnel Hill 100-miler. Adam placed 2nd at the 2021 Boston Marathon’s inaugural Para Elite division (T61-64), running a world best time for the T63 category of 3:13:25. In 2017, Adam was the first-ever amputee to complete the JFK 50-miler, the first of five consecutive finishes at the JFK 50. Adam is not only first, but sometimes he’s also fastest: in 2019 he set the men’s overall course record for the trail marathon at the Colorado Kickers for Kids Endurance Run, finishing first against able-bodied athletes.
In search of more challenges, Adam began competing in Paratriathlon, and in 2018 won the ITU Paratriathlon World Cup in Sarasota, FL. In 2019, Adam finished 5th overall in the ITU Paratriathlon World Championship in Lausanne, Switzerland and 3rd at the CAMTRI America’s Championship. In his short ITU career, Adam has racked up nine podium finishes in 15 World Triathlon races and is currently ranked first among (North and South) Americans and third in the world.
Adam continues his high-profile sports and para-advocacy, serving on the VA Veterans’ Advisory Committee on Rehabilitation for the past three years, and as para-consultant for the Boston Athletic Association (parent organization of the Boston Marathon). He was guest speaker at the 56th Annual JFK 50-Mile Legends dinner, and the 2019 keynote speaker for the Hagerstown True Grit Awards (which recognizes individuals who have demonstrated the ability to overcome hardship). Adam assembled USMES teams for the JFK 50 (2017 and 2019) and Ski to Sea, and has represented USMES as an ambassador for the Navy Air Force Half Marathon. He has given numerous academic presentations on sport and mental health: besides the 2022 AASP Conference, Adam has presented at the 2018 American Counseling Association National Conference, and the 2017 Maryland Counseling Association Conference. His face was on the label of a major US whiskey brand, and he threw a football with Peyton Manning on the South Lawn of the White House — a big deal for a kid who grew up in Indiana. And Adam was featured in “Alive,” a documentary about wounded veterans healing emotionally and physically through sports. “Transitioning from the military can be difficult. After leaving the military following my injury, I didn’t have a strong community with a positive influence until I found running and triathlon” said Adam. “USMES combines the military-minded community that can relate to my service experiences with endurance athletes who are always finding ways to challenge themselves. This team is very unique and has been incredibly helpful.”