A man is at a track on a hot summer day. It’s over 90 degrees outside, he wasn’t feeling optimal this morning, and there were several other reasons why it would have made perfect sense to skip the workout.
The issue is you don’t become elite by skipping workouts, and John Edward Heath knows no other way than the elite way.
“Your work will speak for itself when you cross the finish line or stand on the podium,” Heath says.
Heath is one of the faces of the adaptive athletic community, specializing in track and field but excelling in other aspects of sports as well. He grew up knowing that he could be successful at anything he set his mind to. His passion was athletics, and he was rising through the world of Olympic lifting. He could see himself standing on the biggest stage in sports—the Olympics. That dream got derailed after he lost his left leg below the knee in 2021. The initial injury in 2016 itself was not what caused him to lose his leg, but the numerous surgeries trying to repair the injury would culminate in that result.
“By the time I was 12 surgeries deep, COVID happened, and the decision had to be made,” he explained. “I was advocating for amputation long before 2021.”
John Edward Heath had made that decision because of former NFL quarterback Alex Smith, who had suffered a similar injury to Heath’s and was sharing his wisdom from that experience. His pastor and other mentors counseled him on the decision as well. It was a matter of his doctors accepting that there was no other course of action before it finally happened.
A NEW BEGINNING
Despite the amputation, Heath was focused on moving forward. Overcoming setbacks is nothing new to him. John Edward Heath grew up in the child services system as a survivor of abuse in the D.C. and Maryland area. He found his way out of that environment by joining the Marines and serving 10 years in the military. Sports and fitness have been a big part of his life for a long time as well. He was very good at track growing up, but he also was very committed to powerlifting, bodybuilding, and Olympic weightlifting, which he found served him well.
“Weightlifting and a barbell has been my escape and what I found at a very young age.”
He wanted to get back to the barbell and resume his pursuit of excellence in fitness after the amputation. He would have to literally re-train his body, but he could see a path forward thanks to successful people around him like former NFL wide receiver and track and field athlete Devon Allen, who Heath said drove him to the hospital.
“While he was in trials preparing for Tokyo, he was sitting in my hospital room, and there was no time to think about losing my leg,” he shared. “The conversation was ‘how do we get you back on the platform?’”
The problem was that the platform for Olympic lifting was not an option because that does not exist in the Paralympics. So, Heath would find himself training in CrossFit. It took time for him to learn certain aspects such as gymnastics and cardio, but he saw himself dominating the sport as he could see himself excelling in Olympic lifts prior to his amputation.
“And that is what happened.”
In 2023, Heath was one of many lower extremity athletes taking part in that sport. At the WheelWOD Games (the Adaptive CrossFit competition), he ended up in the top three. Not only was he in the Adaptive CrossFit Games, but he also began using a running blade prosthetic and started running sprints on the track. Within a year, he was running alongside Olympians like Sha’Carri Richardson. He would travel to other places and share fields and training space with other elite athletes. Where others may feel intimidated to be around those forms of greatness, Heath was right at home.
“All of these pros began circulating around me, and eventually I became one of the faces of adaptive sports,” Heath said. He embraced that position because he credited a higher power for the way things turned out to him.
“That was orchestrated by God.”
“Carbon Fiber John” has made great personal commitments to serve as an advocate for change in the adaptive community as well, and with that comes a crazy schedule and lots of tasks. Just as he benefited from the guidance of his mentors, Heath has paid that forward by mentoring kids, fellow athletes, and even NFL players.
Beyond that, he founded Adaptive Athletics of Maryland, which he hopes to help make his home state the first in the nation to be all adaptive. Other groups he has been involved with in recent years include WHEEL WOD, Angel City Sports, Move United, and others. He has also helped change laws in Maryland so the Adaptive community could be better served and use fitness to improve their own health and well-being. This isn’t just something Heath feels like he should do. He wants to.
“I have an ability and opportunity to create change and mentor young people that have not been through a third of the things I have been through.”
John Edward Heath has made great strides in running over the last three years both on and off the track, and he is even more optimistic about the future both for himself and the people he works to make a difference for. Based on his past track record of commitment and results, it would not be wise to doubt him.
John Edward Heath’s Favorite Workout
Heath’s love for the barbell continues to this day, which is why one of his favorite CrossFit workouts is an all barbell session: BEAR COMPLEX.
“Perform five rounds for load. Perform each exercise in order. Complete seven sets of each movement without letting go of the barbell,” he said. Once you complete seven sets of the circuit, that is one round. Increase the load while resting between rounds.
- 1 Power Clean
- 1 Front Squat
- 1 Push Press
- 1 Back Squat
- 1 Push Press
Follow Heath on Instagram and his nonprofit, Adaptive Athletics
