This month, we catch up with Dad / Hubby / Race Organizer / Event Innovator Charlie Heggem…
Q: Congratulations, Charlie. You and your wife Kelly just had a baby girl, Hazel! I read somewhere that having a baby either cuts a man in half, or makes him twice the man he once was. Do you agree?
A: To be a father takes twice the effort, but so many things have come to light because of her…and it confirms that life is still not easy, but it is amazing. Waking up at five with the sound of a crying baby is a gift – a gift that demands attention, time, resources, money… and love. We all have an ideal image of what parenting can or should be… but when you hold those little hands and walk under giant trees and big sky you are humbled by the fact that love is all around you and dependant on you. I hope that Hazel grows up to simply appreciate the gift of life and that we get to play, travel and watch our world change together. Kelly and I have embarked on this great adventure with her…and we are all along for the long ride together.
Q: Charlie, you may be the Pacific NW’s most passionate (and busiest) ambassador for outdoor sports, racing, fitness… just all around outdoor FUN! Are you driven by a love of organizing events, or is it a sense of responsibility to “get the word out” to everyone who lives around here, to acknowledge and embrace the Way of Life that surrounds them.
A: That’s a loaded question. I was born and raised here then left and traveled for a decade I love and believe in the benefits of an active life. That lifestyle has taken me many places and has shown me the world. I believe that people need to open their eyes and their lungs and see what we have not only here in the NW but on this planet. There are a lot of amazing places in the world…and we live in one of them. Get out, get in shape, have some fun and experience it.
Q: Ahh, travel. Tell us a bit more about that, and in particular one defining moment or a trip that really affected your outlook on life.
A: Cycling is a common language of my travels. Vietnam, Europe, the Americas… all using the bike as the medium. One moment that always resonates and helped define me is one of my first rides in Los Angeles in 1996 with a blind cycling partner, Cara. We were riding a tandem (her on the back) near Santa Monica and she asked what I saw. I couldn’t just say what I saw… to what context was that? Her last memory of sight was the red shag carpet of her pre-school. So while riding, I took her hand from behind me and traced to our right, the contours of the mountains, the floating clouds and visible roadways crawling up the hillsides dotted with houses and ridge lines… and to our left the vastness of the sandy beaches, rolling surf, sun umbrellas and far off ships, the setting sun and a burning horizon… it was a moment that will never fade. Cara succumbed to cancer several years back during her 4th battle, but she changed many a life with her tales from the back seat of a bicycle.
Q: Your attention lately has shifted to include more on sustainability of our resources. Regarding your role in the PNW outdoor recreation universe, how far out does your vision extend?
A: Sustainable recreation and activity is a must. As with any business, it cannot succeed unless it’s done right in the right way… now more than ever. Recreation can have a huge negative impact on the environment if we are not careful. How many cars drive up to the ski area on a weekend? How many cars visit a weekend football game? Are we destroying the planet in order to enjoy it? I don’t see this pattern as a good one. We must learn to use more by using less. I hope to help ensure a legacy that keeps our mountains snowcapped, our waters clean and our lives fun. To make a difference takes many lifetimes of many people.
Q: You’re a gifted athlete, too, and one of the most sought-after “mercenary” racers for the Ski to Sea, in that you could be a top finisher in literally ANY leg of the race. Is that more attitude or physiology? And do you believe there’s an athlete in every one of us?
A: Having an athletic background in cycling and skiing has given me an amazing return on investment. And this county and region are home to some incredible athletes. But I definitely think it’s more psychology than physiology. Once you train your body to reach a certain level you can apply that ‘memory’ to achieve good results in many other activities. But training your brain to listen is what’s hard to do. Breaking through fears and limitations is hard, we all must learn to adapt to whatever challenge confronts us. There may not be an athlete in all of us, but there is the instinctual ability to move and breath and enjoy the world. We are too often caught up in the modern world and need to explore our true roots, our connection to the world.
Q: What do you read, Charlie?
A: I listen to NPR a lot and closely cover world news on the web. I’m not a huge reader but am learning to read more. I tend to read books on shamanism, National Geographic (not just the pictures) cover to cover, cycling and parenting magazines and we’re getting a good collection of cool kids’ books I can’t wait to read in the coming years.
Q: SSC just sent a garbage truck across your front yard and smack into your next door neighbor’s 2-story home. No one was hurt, but was there a “wake-up call” component to that incident, if you know what I mean?
A: Yeah… probably the scariest thing I’ve ever seen. I was walking with Hazel that morning on our trails below our house, heard a commotion and looked up to see a 20-ton blue streak barreling down the road. I initially thought it was heading for our house, which Kelly was inside of, but it instead it blasted across our lawn and destroyed our neighbor’s new home, literally knocking it 3 feet off the foundation. Amazingly, the owner walked unhurt out of the garage moments after it hit. We made eye contact as he emerged from the dust, with the siding still falling off, the natural gas pipe hissing, the truck settling… it was awful. I think often of the ‘what ifs’ in life. Being a new father, having hazel on my chest that morning and thinking, if only for an instant, that Kelly, my wife and Hazel’s mother, was going to be taken from us. What if? Fifty feet and this story would be very different.
Q: Describe the race and serious outdoor recreation scene in Bellingham 100 years from now.
A: I have many visions of events and what our world may be like in 100 years. What I’m doing with FESTIVAL 542 encompasses much of that passion and vision. Establishing a base camp that is truly created for all to access the great outdoors, to get outside, to learn, to explore, to experience, to have some serious fun. I hope that the great NW steps up to lead the country and the world in managing, promoting and producing invaluable sustainable recreation. We all have the chance to make real change, to set our future generations on the right path, to have a good time and live life to its fullest. You know the passion, Brandon. Let’s share more of it with others. There is so much of it to give!
