Zach Friedley

Born without his right leg above the knee, Zach is an adaptive trail runner motivated by his love for nature, freedom of movement and desire to make the sport more accessible to adaptive runners around the world. Zach is much more than an adaptive athlete though. He’s sponsored by On and an advocate for adaptive runners, organizing events for disabled athletes through his nonprofit Born to Adapt.

A life-long athlete, Zach grew up playing football, baseball and was part of his high school wrestling team. In his 20s, he was introduced to the world of track and field. It was this path that led him to realize his love for running and, eventually, helped him find his way to the trails. 

Zach races around the world and his results include finishes from Sierre-Zinal, UTMB’s 40km MCC race, the Val d’Aran 15km Skyrace, and the Tarawera 21K trail race in New Zealand. 

He has also spent time in Ashrams in India, climbed 6000-meter high peaks in South America, and speaks on disability access issues at panels around the world, including a panel addressing members of US Congress.