ECOXGEAR Ambassador Michael Coyne

Meet Michael Coyne

If you were to look up adventure junkie in the dictionary, you’d probably see a picture of Michael Coyne. Michael is not only an adventure-seeker, but has set many world records and firsts. Besides being the first person to reach the summit of a previously unclimbed peak in Alaska, and the first person to wakeboard the crocodile and piranha-infested Amazon River, he’s also sea kayaked and wreck dived Newfoundland’s Iceberg alley. And on top of that all, Michael holds the Guinness Book of World records for Highest Altitude Luge Run in Bolivia and the Highest Skiboard first descent. Suffice to say, Michael fits in perfect with an ECOXGEAR lifestyle.

Expedition Outreach and PTSD

Started in 1996 by Michael, Expedition Outreach is a group of environmentally conscious explorers and athletes who raise money for charity by taking the publicity they receive from their expeditions, races and events and focus it on education and awareness. Expedition Outreach is a charity which focuses on fighting heart disease and falls under the umbrella of the IronHeart Foundation’s 501Cs. Most of the people on the team have overcome some sort of adversity and have gone on to do great things. WildHeart Expeditions is a place where you can learn more about these explorers and athletes.

Michael is also a retired US Marine Desert Storm Veteran who suffers from PTSD and raises awareness of this epidemic through Expedition Outreach. “I would say that being extreme is a relative thing, for some it’s climbing the world’s highest mountains and base jumping off them, for others it’s just getting out of bed & facing a stressful day, moving forward with their life after trauma, taking care of their loved ones even when they are in pain”.

In addition to Expedition Outreach and WildHeart expeditions, Michael is currently spearheading WildHeart ReRun Mission in which their shoe provider, ReRun Shoes is donating shoes for the homeless people of Tanzania.

Michael’s Journey and ECOXGEAR

While on the job as a state trooper a few years back, Michael had a heart failure equivalent to two massive heart attacks. His cardiologist stated that he had a clot in his heart and an ejection fraction of only 15 with roughly 5 years left to live. Additionally, he was told he would never be able to climb to altitude or SCUBA again. Because of this, Michael had to retire early and commit his life to intense cardiac rehab training. Michael said, “Using death as my adviser I asked myself how should I live with heart failure and decided I would live today as I might die tomorrow but love as if I am going to live forever!”

After two years of unconventional training, Michael’s ejection fraction had improved to 40 and he decided to prepare to lead The Wild Heart-No Limits International Kilimanjaro Expedition. On Kilimanjaro, Michael will participate in an altitude study and if successful, will blow away all that we currently believe about living with heart failure and what is possible.

Michael needed a good sound system to get in the zone for manipulating brainwaves for sports performance, as he has found that music is perhaps the best performance enhancer. Because of the fact that he trains in all weather conditions, Michael wanted a sound system that was waterproof as well as durable and turned to ECOXGEAR saying, “I love ECOXGEAR, these tools have really helped me take my training to the next level!”

Check out everything Michael is involved in and his upcoming events here:

 The Wild Heart Virtual Race-A-Thon & Outdoor Adventure Raffle to fight heart disease & benefit The Ironheart Foundation: https://www.makeyeshappen.com/WildHeart

Wild Heart ReRun Mission: They will soon be working with Michael Aronson of ReRun Shoes to bring 4 duffels of shoes & sneakers to Tanzania to hand out at an orphanage & homeless shelter: http://www.rerunshoes.com/ 

Cheetah Girl: Racing to save the endangered Cheetah. Michael’s wife, Serenity dedicates all her races to save the most endangered of all the large cats by raising awareness & promoting the Cheetah Conservation Fund. http://cheetah.org/