Meet STAMINAPRO Ambassador Nate Brooks! When he is not competing in Spartan races or trail running, Nate is working as a general contractor. Outside of his career, Nate has a passion for camping and a desire to teach others how to be self-sustainable.
"My favorite part of teaching is getting to know different people that may have never camped before and seeing how excited they get to learn little things."
Tell us a little about yourself.
I'm Nate Brooks and I’m a general contractor who works in construction. Outside of that I do a lot of trail running and Spartan races. In 2021 alone, I ran 25 Spartan races — which is the biggest obstacle course race company in the world.
How did you get into Spartan racing?
I was working for a headband company as a tour team manager and traveling around. At one time, I was working at a Spartan event and they said I could run the race for free, which I did but later regretted because I couldn't walk for about 5 days after that!
It was in Lake Tahoe and it was a half-marathon with 35 obstacles. Super brutal race.
That's amazing! What advice would you give someone who wants to begin doing Spartan races?
Just start. Sign up for one and that'll get you motivated. The shortest Spartan race is the Sprint. It's a 5K and you can just sign up for an open heat and make it a fun run. Whether it takes 2 or 3 hours, just take it easy and see how you like it.
You see people of all different ages! There was an 80-year-old man who was doing 8 trifectas for his 80th birthday. It’s pretty impressive!
Besides obstacle courses, are there any other hobbies you like to do?
I do a lot of camping! I actually have an outdoor survival brand called Strength Through Nature. I take people out camping and teach them basic survival knowledge like foraging for wild plants and how to build a fire without a lighter and matches. I’ve had classes in Arkansas and Colorado.
I usually just take a small group so it's real intimate. This makes it easier to teach and better to learn in. The one I did in Arkansas was a canoeing and camping trip. We canoed on the river, fished, found edible wild mushrooms, wild plants and cooked up fish that we caught. The one in Colorado was a 2-day backpacking and foraging trip where we built our own shelter and stayed in it too.
What got you into wilderness teaching?
I had been honing in knowledge for years, but COVID made me want to teach people how to be more self-sustainable; to find their own food and plants. At the time it felt like we could get left in the dark one day and have to fend for ourselves, so I wanted people to be able to do these things on their own if it came down to it.
My favorite part of teaching is getting to know different people that may have never camped before and seeing how excited they get to learn little things.
Why has STAMINAPRO remained a staple in your routine?
They truly work! I use them to recover after long runs and whenever I have lower back pain. When I wear STAMINAPRO during races I can always tell I’m not as sore afterward.
I recommend it for anyone who wants to recover faster from strenuous activity. If you are taking a few days to recover from a big exertion, give STAMINAPRO a shot!
Check out Nate on his Instagram!
