Michael Murphy is a motivational speaker, paralyzed athlete, and writer. His journey began in April 2007 when he fell off a roof in college, shattered his spine, and was paralyzed. He was 21.

Michael then had to adapt to life in a wheelchair over a long rehab process to find his “new normal”, regain his independence, and return to school.

Despite his accident, Michael remained the competitive athlete that led him to play both football and baseball in college. In 2008 he found a new passion when he was introduced to handcycling and adaptive sports. His first race was The Marine Corps Marathon that year after he teamed up with The Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation to raise money for spinal cord research. Michael has since helped to raise more than $50,000 for a cure.

Today, Michael is a 12-time marathoner with Top 5 finishes in New York and Boston. He was also featured on NBC after completing two Tough Mudder competitions in 2012 and 2013 with the help of his teammates and an off-road handcycle.

Michael received a degree in History from Randolph-Macon College in 2008 and a Master’s in American Military History from George Mason University in 2012. He then accepted an Administrative Officer position servicing four labs at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

In 2015 he left the federal government to start his speaking career, write his story, and share his message.

A Northern Virginia native, Michael now resides in Denver, Colorado, with his fiancée, Casey, where he continues to pursue monoski racing and hopes to make the U.S. Adaptive Ski Team…and then the Paralympics.