the flow state.

trail running and coffee roasting.

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photos by Gabrielle Galbraith (@whirlinggirl), Patrick Zelko (@pzelko), and Emma Meyer (@emmammeyer)

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I was born and raised in the flatlands of northern Indiana, where the woods are tame and the sunsets are big.

I’ve been training year-round as a runner, mostly, since the 8th grade (2008). From an early age, running was something I became monomaniacally obsessed with. I was committed to doing things alone and became a “lone wolf” in training. My passion led to performances that earned me athletic scholarships to the University of Southern Indiana (2013-14) and Valparaiso University (2015).

In the summer of 2013, even before stepping foot onto USI’s campus in Evansville, I found myself injured (posterior tibial issues) and was forced to take major time away from running. Despite using the bicycle as a fitness tool, I began to lose my way without the structured discipline that accompanied focused running. Even after a transfer to Valpo, my focus wavered. I developed bad habits and engaged in unhealthy relationships. Subsequently, my academic performance suffered. The light at the end of the tunnel began to shrink and my collegiate goals had all but disappeared.

Ultimately, I departed college altogether. However, it was an important chapter in my life, one I don’t regret. From mid-2015 to mid-2018, I settled back in my hometown of New Carlisle, Indiana, to reassess my life. I ditched the classroom and simply focused on pursuing my true passions: running and coffee. Infusco Coffee Roasters was where it all happened. Being a new face in a new community, meeting new people, and learning new skills was transformative. Working, training, and hanging around southwest Michigan was the consistent “rock” I needed.

Intermixed throughout the cycle of “train, eat, work, train, eat, sleep”, I became obsessed with solo exploration of far northern Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, specifically to train on the most rugged and beautiful trails in the Midwest and embrace the culture of the North. In the winter of 2016, I purchased a red Ford Ranger with a topper and outfitted it to be my mobile home for these trips.

After a three-year stint in the Adirondack Mountains of far upstate New York (November 2018 – 2021) and a yearlong term in the Upper Peninsula (June 2023 – May 2024), I now find myself back in southwest Michigan. The land of Michigan inspires me daily, and I yearn to fall more in love with its rich culture and history.

Currently, I’m the Director of Coffee / Head Roaster back at the place where it all started, Infusco Coffee Roasters in Sawyer. The process of roasting 1,500 – 2,500lbs of quality coffee on a weekly basis (among other tasks) is a grind, one that challenges me physically and mentally. Nevertheless, my job offers a good deal of autonomy and is extremely fulfilling.

In late November 2021, I met my beautiful wife, Hannah. In April 2023, we got engaged atop Hogback Mountain in Marquette. We married shortly after, in June 2023, before moving to the Upper Peninsula a handful of days later. Hannah is a woman of God and has a servant’s heart of gold. We have a German Shorthaired-Pointer, Murphy, who has logged thousands of training miles with me.

Despite my love of coffee, running will always be my first love. My competitive fire and dedication to trail and road running burns a fire in my soul. Day and night, it’s what I dream and scheme about. However, certain years, I will commit large chunks of training time specifically towards other distances and disciplines.

Through it all, I am conscious of this temporary existence. Though I fail every day, I am grateful for this earthly life.

“This is the story of the son of God, hangin’ on a cross for me.”

Cheers to many trails and tasty beverages aplenty,

-nick arndt-

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Fun Fact

In 2020, I was voted into the official Wiffle Ball Hall of Fame for a career that started when I was 10 years-old. My small hometown of New Carlisle, Indiana (and neighboring city of Mishawaka – and currently suburbia Chicago) is the nation’s mecca of Wiffle Ball.

A few of my career Wiffle highlights include leading Ballz Deep to a Final Four run in 2009 as a high school freshman, hitting a single-season ORWBL record of 110 home runs in 2012, and winning four Home Run Derby titles (2010-2012, 2014).

https://www.hometowncup.com/hall-of-fame

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My Running Heroes

Mike Fout

(2007 Footlocker High School Cross-Country National Champion)

I was in 7th grade when Mike was dominating my home state of Indiana (and beyond) in high school cross country. The stories of his training were legendary and left a mark on me. He lived about 15 minutes from where I grew up and went to rival LaPorte High School. Nonetheless, his photo hung on my bedroom door until I was 18 years-old. In 2007 at the New Prairie Invite (my alma mater), I approached Mike and shook his hand after breaking the famed NP course record (15:12 – hundreds of thousands of high school runners have competed on NP’s course since the 1970s). In total, I was able to watch him compete on four separate occasions that autumn at my hometown high school’s cross country course.

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Josh McDougal

(2007 NCAA Cross-Country National Champion)

A 2010 Running Times Magazine article detailed Josh McDougal “at a crossroads”. I printed, stapled, and thus, read the article before every race that track season. I learned about Josh’s childhood; the mega-mileage, his Christian values, work-ethic, and unorthodox journey to greatness (homeschooled in the rugged and sparsely-populated Adirondacks – the place I ended up moving to eight years later!). He inspired me to want to run and study at his alma-mater, Liberty University, a Division-1 school in Virginia, where he had recently been hired as the new head coach. Entering my senior year of cross-country, I shared a phone call with Josh. I can’t recall ever being more nervous. Ultimately, I was unable to meet the program’s performance expectations for athletic scholarship consideration and my journey led to the University of Southern Indiana.

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Anton Krupicka

(Trail Runner)

During a multi-year bout of stress-related inner tibial injuries from 2013-2015, I discovered minimalist trail running, thanks to Anton’s YouTube videos and uber-popular blog, “Riding the Wind.” Running in minimalist shoes allowed for a more natural running gait. Thus, I was able to temporarily defeat my shin issues. Anton also inspired me to build out my truck for dirtbag running trips. The rest is history.

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Training Log

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Fastest Known Times

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Personal Records