Chris Koch was born without any arms or legs, but that never stopped him from thinking big and accomplishing his dreams.
"Growing up, my life was pretty normal. I was never raised as my mom and dad's boy without arms and legs. I was always just Chris," Koch explained when he met with KelownaNow.
"I did everything everyone else was doing. I got in trouble for all the exact same things everyone else got in trouble for."
Koch recently made headlines when he finished the Calgary Marathon in four hours 23 minutes 12 seconds while riding his longboard, which he considers his mobility aid. According to Koch, he wanted to take part in the L.A. Marathon with his girlfriend, Ally Iseman, but organizations of that marathon wouldn’t let him run because of safety issues.
"I get that they have to look out for the safety of other runners and safety of me as well, but they already have decisions for wheelchairs and hand cycles. I felt given my experiences with the long board, I didn't think it was going to be a big concession they would be making."
Not only is Koch a marathon runner, but he is also a motivational speaker. Koch’s cousin Virginia is the tour manager for If I Can, the Kelowna-based company Koch started to help share his story.
The 37-year-old from southern Alberta said when he talks to people about his story, he shares his life motto: “I’m way more afraid of regret than I am failure.”
"I love sharing my story. Mostly I love opening people’s eyes about what I can do and, in turn, opening their eyes to what they're able to do and accomplish."
Even though Koch has seen great success across the world and was even interviewed by the Oprah Winfrey Network, Koch has had an extremely hard time landing speaking engagements in British Columbia.
Virginia told KelownaNow that Koch has been across Canada, through the United States, addressed the National Rugby League in Australia and even spoken in Nepal, but has only appeared twice in British Columbia.
“Kelowna is the hardest market to get into,” Virginia said.
The hope is for Koch to land some speaking gigs in Kelowna in September. He mentioned how he’d love to speak at schools, businesses, conferences and to sports organizations like the Kelowna Rockets.
"My life has been far from triumph over tragedy. It's been a really fun ride and a lot of good laughs. My presentations really reflect that. I tell some funny stories and it's very upbeat,” Koch said.
When asked if Koch plans to run and ride more marathons, he mentioned the possibility of running the Kelowna Wine Country Half Marathon in September.
A dream, he said, would be to finish a marathon under four hours, which is the qualifying time to register for the Boston Marathon.
“Would Boston let me do their marathon? I don’t know, but it would be neat to at least say I have a qualifying time to get me to that point.”
To learn more about Koch and to book him, visit his website If I Can.
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