Endure
How to Work Hard, Outlast, and Keep Hammering
byDavid Goggins, Cameron R. Hanes, Joe Rogan
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Summary
The wild heart of the Oregon wilderness beats in sync with Cameron Hanes, a man who lives to test the limits of human potential. In "Endure," Hanes doesn't just recount his journey from average Joe to elite bowhunter and ultramarathoner; he ignites a fire within anyone seeking to transcend their perceived boundaries. Through the relentless pursuit of his passion for bowhunting, Hanes has forged a path of discipline, resilience, and unwavering belief in one's own capabilities. This is more than a memoir; it is a rallying cry to shatter mental barriers and embrace the extraordinary possibilities within. With each run through mountainous terrains and every drop of sweat shed in the gym, Hanes exemplifies that true endurance is not just physical but a testament to the human spirit's unyielding drive to excel. If you're ready to abandon the comfort of mediocrity and chase your ultimate potential, "Endure" offers both the inspiration and blueprint to embark on that transformative journey.
Introduction
In the pre-dawn darkness of Oregon's mountains, while most people sleep peacefully in their beds, Cameron Hanes is already grinding through his daily twenty-mile run. By the age of fifty-three, this small-town warehouse worker has transformed himself into one of America's most successful bowhunters, completing hundred-mile ultramarathons and inspiring millions through his relentless pursuit of excellence. His journey from a broken childhood marked by divorce, alcoholism, and loneliness to becoming the "Ultimate Predator" represents more than just personal triumph—it embodies the raw power of obsessive dedication to overcome seemingly insurmountable odds. Hanes didn't inherit athletic gifts or financial advantages. What he possessed was something far rarer: an unbreakable commitment to outwork everyone around him. His story reveals how a passion discovered in young adulthood can become the foundation for complete life transformation. Through his experiences, readers will discover the brutal honesty required for genuine self-improvement, the importance of finding mentors and communities that elevate rather than diminish us, and the profound truth that average effort inevitably yields average results. His philosophy centers on a simple yet demanding principle: if you're not obsessed with your craft, you'll remain mediocre forever.
From Suffering to Purpose: The Early Years
Cameron Hanes entered this world destined for struggle. Born into a family that would soon splinter, he spent his earliest years watching his parents' marriage disintegrate under the weight of his father's alcoholism. By age four, he witnessed his father's damaged car in the garage after yet another alcohol-fueled accident, a scene that would repeat itself throughout his childhood. The divorce that followed left young Cameron shuttling between two broken homes, never quite belonging fully in either. His mother, Linda, worked at the phone company and was often absent, leaving Cameron as a classic "latchkey kid" who let himself into an empty house each afternoon. His behavioral problems at school reflected his inner turmoil—cutting up screen doors, throwing rocks at neighbors, and even writing profanity on the classroom chalkboard when the teacher stepped out. The "red light, green light" program at school became a daily reminder of his inability to fit into normal expectations. Meanwhile, his father Bob, despite being a legendary athlete at South Eugene High School and the first inductee into their athletic Hall of Fame, remained a distant figure whose absence created a void that no amount of athletic achievement could fill. The introduction of his stepfather Greg only deepened Cameron's sense of displacement. Greg was undeniably tough—a ranch-raised man who would later run hundred-mile ultramarathons at age seventy—but his drinking problem mirrored that of Cameron's biological father. The physical confrontations between stepson and stepfather became inevitable, culminating in kitchen floor wrestling matches that left emotional scars deeper than any physical wounds. Cameron's fierce loyalty to his absent father prevented him from accepting this new male figure, even when his younger brother Pete began calling Greg "Dad." Yet within this chaos lay the seeds of Cameron's future strength. The pain of abandonment taught him self-reliance. The constant upheaval forced him to develop problem-solving skills and mental toughness that would serve him throughout his life. Most importantly, the deep longing for his father's approval would eventually transform into an internal drive that required no external validation. The broken boy was unknowingly forging the mental armor he would later need to endure hundred-mile races and weeks alone in unforgiving wilderness.
Finding the Path: Bowhunting as Salvation
At twenty years old, Cameron Hanes was adrift in the most dangerous way possible. College football dreams had evaporated after a brief stint at Southern Oregon State, leaving him working at a warehouse for $4.72 an hour and drinking away his weekends with friends at swimming holes. His life had settled into a pattern of mediocrity punctuated by reckless behavior, including a drunk driving accident that totaled his truck and could have easily claimed his life. He was, by his own admission, "basically a small-town loser" with no direction and even fewer prospects. The call that changed everything came from Roy Roth, a grade school acquaintance known as "The Guru" for his deep knowledge of wildlife. Roy's simple invitation—"Dude, you need to bowhunt"—seemed innocuous enough, but it would prove to be the most important words Cameron ever heard. After months of Roy's persistent encouragement, Cameron finally purchased his first bow in 1988: a $200 Golden Eagle Super Hawk that he spray-painted with ferns to create his own camouflage pattern. The bow was set at ninety pounds, far heavier than most hunters could handle, foreshadowing the extreme approach that would define his entire career. Opening day of archery season in 1989 provided both triumph and humiliation in equal measure. Hunting with Robbie Dunson, whose family held world records for Roosevelt elk, Cameron encountered a massive six-by-seven bull at forty yards. Despite months of practice, his first shot at a living animal sailed wildly behind the target—a seven-foot miss that he would forever remember as "shitting the bed." The failure ignited something primal within him. Rather than quit in embarrassment, he hunted for eighteen consecutive days until he finally arrowed a spike bull on September 13, 1989. That first success created an addiction more powerful than any substance. Cameron had found his purpose, his calling, his reason for existing. The challenge of bowhunting—with its ten percent success rate and demanding requirements—perfectly matched his need to prove himself worthy through extreme effort. Unlike his athletic failures or academic struggles, bowhunting rewarded dedication over natural talent, persistence over privilege. It was the first arena in his life where average would never be acceptable, where only obsessive commitment could yield results.
Building the Beast: Physical and Mental Transformation
The transition from recreational hunter to ultimate predator didn't happen overnight. For years, Cameron approached bowhunting with the same casual attitude that characterized the rest of his life—drinking on weekends, practicing sporadically, and hoping natural ability would somehow compensate for lack of preparation. His early successes, including a significant mule deer and several respectable bulls, were more fortunate than they were deserved. It wasn't until he began studying the habits of elite athletes that he understood the fundamental truth: champions in every field share one common trait—they prepare with an intensity that their competition cannot match. The physical transformation began with running. What started as simple conditioning for hunting gradually evolved into something far more ambitious. Cameron progressed from struggling with three-mile jogs to completing marathons, eventually tackling ultramarathons that pushed human endurance to its absolute limits. His first hundred-mile race, the Bighorn 100 in Wyoming, nearly broke him completely. After twenty-nine hours of suffering through snow, mud, and elevation changes that left him questioning his sanity, he crossed the finish line with a new understanding of what his body and mind could endure. This revelation extended far beyond running. Cameron developed what he called his "Beast Mode" philosophy—a comprehensive approach to preparation that encompassed every aspect of performance. He began lifting weights not just for strength, but for the mental discipline of pushing through failure. He shot his bow every single day of the year, accumulating over fifteen thousand practice shots before each hunting season. Most importantly, he learned to embrace discomfort as his competitive advantage, seeking out the most challenging conditions and refusing to accept any excuse for substandard effort. The mental transformation proved even more significant than the physical changes. Cameron discovered that his greatest weapon wasn't superior technique or expensive equipment, but his willingness to suffer more than anyone else. While other hunters looked for shortcuts and easier paths, he deliberately chose the most difficult routes, hiking deeper into wilderness areas where few others dared venture. This psychological edge—the absolute certainty that he had prepared more thoroughly than any competitor—became the foundation of his unprecedented success rate in the mountains.
Legacy of Endurance: Becoming the Ultimate Predator
By his fifties, Cameron Hanes had achieved something unprecedented in the bowhunting world: a near-perfect success rate in one of the most challenging pursuits known to mankind. His transformation from warehouse worker to internationally recognized hunter and motivational figure represents more than personal achievement—it demonstrates the extraordinary results possible when someone commits completely to excellence in their chosen field. His influence extends far beyond hunting, inspiring millions of people to examine their own relationship with effort and mediocrity. The statistics tell only part of the story. Cameron's ability to consistently harvest elk with his bow, when the average success rate hovers around ten percent, speaks to decades of fanatical preparation. His completion of multiple two-hundred-mile ultramarathons, his daily workout routine that would exhaust professional athletes, and his unwavering commitment to shooting his bow every day of the year regardless of weather or circumstances—these achievements compound into something approaching the superhuman. Yet Cameron insists that his success stems not from exceptional talent but from exceptional commitment. The tragedy that claimed his best friend and hunting partner Roy Roth in 2015 tested every lesson Cameron had learned about endurance. Roy's death in a mountaineering accident on the same Alaskan peak where Cameron had harvested his first Dall sheep created a grief that no amount of physical training could prepare him for. Yet even in his deepest sorrow, Cameron found the strength to continue, honoring Roy's memory by maintaining the standards they had established together and passing those lessons on to a new generation of hunters and athletes. Perhaps Cameron's greatest legacy lies not in the animals he has harvested or the races he has completed, but in the community he has built around the concept of relentless self-improvement. Through social media, podcasts, and personal appearances, he has created a movement that celebrates hard work over natural ability, consistency over sporadic brilliance, and character over comfort. His partnership with Joe Rogan has introduced millions of people to ethical hunting practices, while his friendship with ultra-endurance athletes like David Goggins has helped legitimize hunting within fitness communities that previously viewed it with suspicion.
Summary
Cameron Hanes embodies a fundamental truth often forgotten in our comfort-obsessed culture: extraordinary achievements require extraordinary sacrifice, and the person willing to endure the most will ultimately prevail. His journey from broken child to ultimate predator proves that background, natural talent, and financial resources matter far less than the decision to pursue excellence with fanatical intensity. Every morning at 4:55 AM, when he laces up his running shoes and heads into the Oregon darkness, he reinforces a philosophy that has transformed not only his own life but the lives of countless others who have discovered that their limits exist primarily in their minds. The most powerful lesson from Cameron's story is that passion, when combined with obsessive dedication, can overcome virtually any obstacle. His willingness to hunt alone for years, to risk his financial security pursuing expensive opportunities, and to endure physical and emotional pain that would break most people, demonstrates that success belongs to those who want it most desperately. For anyone seeking to escape mediocrity in their own lives, Cameron's example offers both inspiration and a clear roadmap: identify your true calling, commit to it completely, and never accept anything less than your absolute best effort.
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