Is there a solution to the housing crisis gripping mountain towns? What’s the best ritual for aprés skiing? What winter gear should you put on your holiday wish list? These are just some of the topics featured in Wednesday’s debut episode of The ���ϳԹ��� Show, our new weekly news and discussion program covering the world outdoor adventure. The show premieres tonight at 8 P.M. Eastern on . You can .

Every week hosts Maureen Beck, Noah Collins, and Zoë Rom will offer their hottest takes and smartest analysis of the most pressing stories in outdoor recreation. Beck is a Paraclimbing world champion, Collins is an elite cyclist, and Rom is the editor in chief of TrailRunner.com. Plus, celebrity guests will drop by to take viewers inside their worlds. Editors from across the ���ϳԹ��� network will also offer insight on the latest trends in gear, food, and outdoor culture.

, and be sure to tune in to ���ϳԹ��� Watch at 8 P.M. EST on Wednesday, November 29 for the launch.

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Thomas Eller is on a mission to become the world’s first deaf-born person to complete all six of the World Marathon Majors prestigious races: Berlin, Boston, Chicago, London, New York, and Tokyo. When someone runs all six, they become a Six-Star Finisher. 

Eller was born deaf into a supportive hearing family in Essen, Germany. His mother was protective, especially because she knew how difficult it would be for a deaf child to live in a hearing world. But Eller was particularly resilient, and went on to take speech therapy three times a week and learn to speak and sign in three languages.  

He was always an excellent runner, and in 2018, Eller’s friend Dr. Rafael Lochowslo convinced him to take on his first marathon, the Petra Desert Marathon in Petra, Jordan. Although he was hesitant to compete at first, Eller placed fourth overall, and hasn’t stopped running races since.  

A teacher at David-Ludwig Bloch School in Essen, a popular school for deaf people, Eller was motivated to become a Six-Star Finisher to show his students that deaf-born people can go out into the world and follow their dreams without fear. To this day, he hopes to build a bridge, through running, to connect the hearing and deaf community. 

The Six-Star Stories episode takes us through Eller’s final days of training for the final Six-Star Finisher, the Tokyo Marathon. He was coached by Olympian Petra Kurkova, who is also deaf. Eller notes that he was lucky to find a coach like her, because team sports are often more popular in the deaf community compared to individual sports like running. 

“They feel separated, so they protect themselves and stay in this circle,” he says in the documentary. “I left the circle to run marathons all over the world. I want to show the deaf community that it’s possible to make connections with the hearing community.” 

When he arrived in Tokyo days before the marathon, Eller had a reunion with all the runner friends he’d met over the years. He was especially excited to see Kevin Hii, who Eller met while running the Berlin Marathon in 2019. The two share a close bond and would run the race side-by-side, becoming Six-Star Finishers together. Eller says that the special thing about Hii is that he doesn’t care about his disability.

“I was first and foremost impressed by his ability as an athlete before anything else,” Hii says. “For somebody who ran his first marathon close to four hours, to then improve by almost an hour, I thought, This is an exceptional athlete.” 

People approached him at the start line to offer words of support and thank him for being an inspiration. During the race, he thought of his family, his students, and the people who supported him—it all came to a head when he crossed the finish line and broke down, becoming emotional over the idea that he had just made history. 

“Hellen Keller once said, ‘Blindness separates people from things, but deafness separates people from people.’ I don’t think I agree with Helen Keller. I’m living proof that Helen Keller may be wrong.” 

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September 21, 2023, the first episode of The Road Less Eaten will be available on ���ϳԹ��� Watch. In this five-episode series, recreational cyclist and chef Biju Thomas visits his friends – athletes and celebrities alike – in cities across America to learn about their outdoor passions and enjoy hometown flavors.

“I wanted to go to middle-America cities that people don’t often think of as outdoor destinations,” Thomas says. “Greenville, SC is a perfect example. For years, it seemed like no one went downtown to hang out. But when they started cleaning up bike paths and trails, it became a hotspot for families walking and cycling.”

In the series, Thomas visits Vail, CO, Nashville, TN, Greenville, SC, Bentonville, AR, and Wimberley, TX. At each destination, he’s met by an old friend who shows him the ropes, leading him through their favorite activities (like cycling, HIIT, and drumming), and dining at hidden gem restaurants.

“We’re showing off these destinations, peeling back a couple of layers,” Thomas says. “And showcase what everyday Americans are doing to elevate their quality of life.”

Beyond highlighting these cities, The Road Less Eaten hopes to show those living athlete-inspired, healthy lifestyles that they have permission to enjoy good, delicious food. Thomas founded Base Camp Canteen, which supplies food for outdoor recreation and endurance sports, so he’s a firm believer that nutritious food can still be flavorful and fun.

“These friends I visit on the show are famous athletes and high performers,” Thomas says. “We show that they’re just normal people who try to enjoy food when they can. Even high achievers are willing to be silly, enjoy good food, and try out something different.”

Thomas hopes The Road Less Eaten encourages people to get out and explore not only the cities featured in the show, but to examine their own hometown behind a new lens.

“You can carve out a little bit of time everyday and enjoy something right in your own community,” he says. “You don’t have to go on these big cruises or expensive vacations, because you can find something amazing and fulfilling in your own neighborhood.”

Biju’s Favorite Bites From The Road Less Eaten

Key Lime “Pie”

| Edwards, CO

This deconstructed pie is made with key lime filling with coconut and pineapple jam, topped with toasted meringue, a ginger crumble, and lime zest.

“We’ve all at some point had that clawingly tart and over-sweetened version of key lime pie with the bright notes of fake lime juice and entirely too much of everything else,” Thomas says. “This, by comparison, is light and rich, with just the notes of crumble you want with each bite, an airy key lime creme. The pineapple jam with toasted notes of coconut and meringue ties it all nicely back to the tropical and sunny roots of South Florida and the Keys.. a lovely surprise in the heart of the rockies!”

24 Hours Beef Short Rib

| Vail, CO

A tender short rib simmered in a sherry black garlic glaze and served with Colorado grits, ancho mole, avocado puree, and charred scallions. How it’s prepared rotates, so sometimes you might get short rib with celery root, roasted carrot, and gremolata.

“This dish captures all the things for me. The notes of really long, slow braised meats that are just a bit ‘sticky’ from the hours it takes to render down the fat and collagen, to meld in marrow and wine for that perfect bite that is rich but flavorful and.. craveable,” Thomas says. “The combination of textures and flavors from the grits, scallions and ancho chile’s wraps the dish up nicely with a few surprising, yet very CO flavors.”

The Sasquash

| Greenville, SC

A fan-favorite at Swamp Rabbit Cafe is this roasted squash sandwich, stacked with a mushroom medley, pepper jack cheese, pesto, and a roasted red pepper hummus on toasted french bread.

“Traveling through the southeast, you get used to seeing squash on menus everywhere –  squash soup, squash casserole, roasted and baked squash, all the many variations of last minute sautés and grills,” Thomas says. “But this was the first time I’d ever had it on a sandwich, and I was blown away. The texture and dense flavors of summer squash mellowed and softened from roasting, layered onto fresh baked bread crusty on the edges, soft and pillowy everywhere else, the mushroom medley and red pepper hummus that perfectly accented it all.”

Smoked Fish Toast

| Nashville TN

This unexpected dish is made with grouper that’s been cured and smoked, drizzled with sunflower puree and lemon, and topped with kalamata olives, parsley, dill, fennel, and braised radicchio.

“The chef found a way to focus in on the highlights of a recipe her father made when she was growing up – simple ‘sardines on toast – on make this wonderfully balanced, light, flavorful, and delicious grouper with layers of flavor from sunflower, lemon, fresh herbs, and just a touch of kalamata olives,” Thomas says. “It’s a nod to a far away time and place, and is a beautiful fish I could eat everyday.”

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In “The Game Show,” the new cooking series from ���ϳԹ���, chef and butcher Elias Cairo combines his love of the outdoors with cooking wild game—often over an open fire. From rabbit and quail to venison and turkey, he clearly explains butchery and whole-animal cooking where nothing goes to waste.

Based in Portland, Oregon, Cairo grew up in a Greek family outside Salt Lake City. His dad, who immigrated from Greece when he was in his twenties, brought his Old World lifestyle with him. “My dad did his darndest to turn his property and house into a green village,” Cairo explains. “We raised all of our own meats, had gardens, preserved everything, kept bee hives, harvested glue, made our own wine and liquor, and had two restaurants” And they would venture into the surrounding mountains and hunt and fish.

Some might call Cairo a maker or a man who lives close to the land. Cairo would say he’s just following in his late dad’s footsteps. “I grew up with what people now call DIY; most folks like my dad just called it ‘life,’” he writes in the introduction to , the cookbook that serves as an ode to Cairo’s .

Cooking as a Way of Life

Everything Cairo learned about food and the land came from how he grew up. When his father was cooking or gardening or hunting or fishing, Cairo was right by his side. His father passed away when Cairo was 15 but he has chased and honored his legacy ever since. This is something Cairo is especially aware of when he ventures into the wild to hunt and fish. “I realized hunting is just a pastime for some people, but it was in my dad so deep.” And for Cairo, it isn’t just the end result, it’s the experience and the time spent in the woods, the grasslands, and the open air. “It’s physically demanding and there’s the solace and peace of mind that comes from nature,” he explains.

Cairo, who learned the art of charcuterie when he apprenticed and worked in Switzerland, has since become the face of American salumi. He is also a huge proponent of hunting and cooking wild game. Case in point, in 2018, he appeared in a video series with Bon Appétit detailing a pheasant hunt, complete with animal butchery and cookery. “It was the first time the magazine had ever shown what it really means to have meat on a plate,” he says.

If this sounds potentially chest-thumping and testosterone-infused, you’re wrong. Cairo is down-to-earth, knowledgeable, and even funny. The reverence for the animals he hunts and subsequently cooks and eats, is front and center, and that deep respect informs his meat-eating philosophy. “As a meat maker that owns a meat company. I think the vegetarians are right: The current way we make meat on a mass scale is horrible,” he explains. But when it comes to hunting, “it’s very hard to find a more positive impact than getting a year’s worth of meat from an animal like an elk. And your only carbon footprint is getting to and from the hunting ground.”

During the course of “The Game Show” the show, Cairo offers readers tips and tricks—try serving whipped cream over stew instead of sour cream; insert your knife here for an easy cut; use duck fat instead of butter or oil for a natural, delicious, and keto- and paleo-friendly alternative, for example. Most importantly Cairo wants you to get outdoors, cook something new, and lean into the process. “Every time I get the opportunity to cook outside, ”he says with his characteristic smile, “I kinda get to cheat because I know ambience is one of the best flavors in the world.”

With small exception, recipes on “The Game Show” are simple, and even if you’re not the hunting or butchering type, you can still make many of the dishes with store-bought proteins. Or better yet, befriend someone who is a hunter and promise that, if they share a little bit of the wealth, you’ll make them an Elias Cairo-approved dinner.

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For running influencer Alexandria Williams, becoming an Abbott Six-Star finisher was the culmination of a two-decade-plus running journey.

, she shares the ups and downs of achieving this accomplishment and how representation has been central to it all.

In 2016, Abbott introduced the Six-Star Medal as an award for runners who completed all six of the World Marathon Majors, which include the Berlin, Boston, Chicago, London, New York City, and Tokyo Marathons.

Williams, 39, first started running in 2001, but didn’t get bitten by the marathon bug until running the 2014 Dallas Marathon in her hometown. Now based in Baltimore, Maryland, Williams didn’t set her sights on the World Marathon Majors challenge until running her first of the races with the 2017 New York City Marathon. She followed New York up with Chicago in 2019, and then put her plans on hold when the COVID-19 pandemic put a halt on nearly all large races for much of 2020 and 2021.

In 2022, Williams finally picked back up and checked the Berlin Marathon off her list, following it up with London a week later due to its postponement from its typical spring race date in April.

“London has been my favorite of the Majors because I was not expecting to have such a great day after not feeling my best in Berlin,” she says. “It ended up being my second-fastest marathon and totally restored my heart and purpose for running.”

A Challenging Road to Six Stars

For Williams, running the international World Marathon Majors also served as the first time she traveled overseas, which she viewed as a unique opportunity to see the world. After checking off Tokyo in March of this year, followed by Boston in April, she officially became a Six-Star finisher.

But the road to getting her Six-Star medal wasn’t without its challenges, with the biggest one being meeting finish time limits as a self-described six-hour marathoner. In her first attempt at Boston in 2018, which was recognized widely as the severe weather year, Williams dropped out at the 10K mark with hypothermia. In 2022, she finished the race but missed the cutoff to finish in under six hours, making for a bittersweet moment of pride.

Boston 2023 was actually the first time Williams started the race and “officially” finished. Becoming a Boston Marathon finisher on her third try also reaffirmed that her purpose in running isn’t just related to collecting the medals, but rather boosting representation of runners who don’t fit the mold of the majority of athletes you see at large races and completing challenges like the World Marathon Majors.

RELATED: New Study Highlights Critical Steps Toward Equity in the Running Industry

“Very few times have there been people who are plus-sized or Black and Brown,” Williams says in the documentary. “I’m a back-of-the-packer, but I make sure I put in the work no matter what, and I’m crossing that finish line. If you ever look at the end of a race, you’ll see all kinds of people finishing. The truth is, to be a runner, as long as you’re putting one foot in front of yourself, you’re a runner.”

Available Now on ���ϳԹ��� Watch

As a running influencer who works with a variety of brands, including Adidas, Garmin Fitness, and Pacers Running in Baltimore, Williams describes her niche as being all about diversity and inclusivity within the running community, emphasizing that minority groups shouldn’t be left behind and ignored. She also serves as a director on the board for the , whose mission is to celebrate Black Boston Marathon runners and connect them with each other.

“Black women are definitely…trendsetters,” she says in the documentary. “I’ve heard from other six-hour marathoners who say they don’t think they could even try to do one star, but they now saw a piece of themselves or whatever they were afraid of and they now are changing their mind. That’s the part that I’m glad I’m vulnerable and honest about because it means I’ve been able to help other people literally reach for the stars, pun intended.”

For Williams, completing the Six Stars will serve as a form of semi-retirement from the marathon distance, as she continues to work through health challenges from having long COVID, as being on medication and using an asthma pump have made it extra-challenging to run.

“Ending this 10-year journey allows for me to now set the stage for a new foundation and a new Alex and who I’m going to become,” she says. “I’m so grateful to all of my friends and family who have always been supportive of this journey and my goals.”

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“Most people know me as Mo Farah, but that’s not my name or my reality.”

Prior to 2022, if you’d asked any British citizen who Mo Farah is, they likely would have listed off the facts they know about one of the most accomplished athletes in Britain: He made a name for himself as a kid who arrived in the U.K. as a Somalian refugee, worked hard in track and field, and eventually won gold in the 5,000- and 10,000-meter races in the 2012 London Olympics. He was even knighted by Queen Elizabeth, making him Sir Mo Farah.

Except Farah kept a secret for years.

In 2022, Farah revealed that he’d been lying about who he really was. All the stories he’d told during press junkets and interviews—that he arrived in the U.K. with his family as an asylum seeker—were lies. Even his name was a lie. Mo Farah was really Hussein Abdi Kahin.

RELATED: Mo Farah Opens Up About His Tortured Past

‘The Real Mo Farah’ Documentary

The BBC produced a documentary about Farah’s story, now available for the U.S. audience on ���ϳԹ��� watch.

In , we hear the real tragic story of how at nine years old, Farah—then called Hussein—was taken from his mother during the Somali Civil War and illegally trafficked into being a domestic servant. He took on the identity of a young boy he’d met from Somalia, whose name was Mo Farah, and made it his own.

Although Farah was moved into a safer home environment after a few years, he continued to live as “Mo.” At thirteen-years-old, he placed ninth in the English schools cross-country championships and the following year won the whole thing. After years of securing championships and records in the 3,000 meters and 5,000 meters, Farah was selected to run for Team Britain in the World Athletics Championships at the age of 14.

And, as most people know, at the London 2012 Olympics, Farah solidified his legendary status by winning two gold medals in the 10,000 meters and the 5,000 meters.

The Real Mo Farah depicts the weight Farah felt living under false pretenses through all of this success, and the guilt he constantly battled over taking the real Mo Farah’s name.

In the film, Farah asks , a Rights Lab’s Health and Wellbeing Programme Trafficking Expert, “What’s the long term effect of this? Do you ever get over it? Or will it always just…be there?”

“I think the very fact that you’re starting to think about these things 20 to 30 years after they’ve happened shows that it’s a long and complicated journey,” Garbers responds. “And sometimes with potential victims, they feel guilty as well, because they feel like they were part of it.”

In the documentary, Farah is asked if he is worried about what people will say in regards to his past.

“People who love me, who care, like my mom and Kinzi, told me it’s OK to say my real name,” Farah says. “I’m starting to understand me. Me. not Mohamed Farah. Me. Hussein Abdi Kahin.”

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