Episode 87: Man Up Monday Podcast Episode #87- "Fastest Pastor" Don Wickstrum

Man Up God's Way- Jody Burkeen

Don’s Bio,

From the time he was born, the odds seemed stacked against Don Wickstrum. He was always fighting. Always scratching and clawing. He was the perpetual underdog. That took on new meaning when he got the worst news possible: cancer.

At that moment, he was forced to confront the question, “What would you do if you had a year to live?” How Don answered that question led to a whole new life – a life he only dreamed of since a young age. Today, he’s telling that story all around the world in a captivating way, both in person and through the dramatic documentary of his life called “Chasing Hope.”
From the age of eight, Don had a vivid dream: to make it to the top of one of the most well-known mountains in the continental United States while going as fast as he could in a race car. He never envisioned the nightmare of a cancer diagnosis would make his childhood dream a reality.
In 2018, Don heard the words that so many people dread: “You have cancer.” As someone who had struggled with anxiety and depression in the past, his colon cancer diagnosis and especially the subsequent fight took its toll. But as he and his family prayed and created a game plan for treatment, something else started emerging: resolve.
As he stared down the real possibility of death, Don remembered something that had always been on his bucket list: his childhood dream of racing to the top of Pike’s Peak, one of Colorado's famed “14ers.” Drawing on his newfound resolve as well as his strong faith in Jesus, he decided to pursue the Pike’s Peak International Hill Climb, considered one of the deadliest races in America. It took everything he had just to attempt it – let alone complete it.
After several failed attempts, in 2022 he tamed the full mountain – with its 156 turns over a 12.42-mile course – all while battling cancer. His spiritual convictions and racing prowess earned him the nickname, “Fastest Pastor.” That’s ironic, considering Don spent much of his young life identifying as an atheist, which gave way to his belief in Jesus after he fully pursued the evidence.
His life story, as well as his racing legacy, was captured in the 2022 I Am Second film called “Chasing Hope.”
Before Wickstrum – born in Illinois and raised in Wisconsin – became a racing legend, though, he was a successful entrepreneur, building and leading one of the biggest robotics integration companies in the country. That journey started when he got an engineering internship in college, which he admits he had no business getting. He sold his booming business after his cancer diagnosis to pursue his dream of racing and reaching people with a message of hope.

Today, Don is passionate about bringing that message to whoever will listen as he travels the country speaking. He draws on his life experience to show that overcoming your past is possible through the help of Jesus Christ. Those experiences include being told by his doctors he would not make it after birth, surviving multiple sexual assault attempts, dyslexia, the death of a close family member, mental health struggles, building a multi-million dollar business, creating a ministry, being a family man, his own failures, and even family betrayal.

Don resides in Monroe, WI, with his wife, Mary, and their five children. While not racing and speaking, he serves as the associate pastor of Grace Church in New Glarus, WI.

You can read more about Don’s current work at fastestpastor.com.