April Athlete of the Month: Josh Stevenson

Congratulations Josh, you are our April Athlete of the Month!

Turning 45 this April, Josh is a Boulder native who basically treats “being active” as a full time personality. From competitive soccer and professional bike trials (yes, the weird no-seat, hopping-over-things kind) to marathons in his 20s and two decades of climbing. Along the way, Josh checked off a 5.14 sport climb in Rifle, met his wife Mary, and built a life that rarely involved sitting still. After a rough 2025 that included a serious mountain biking accident (and a neck fusion to go with it), he and Mary decided it was time to get moving again; this time at NoCoast. What started as a comeback has turned into a mix of humility, hard work, and discovering that wall balls are, in fact, still undefeated.

Age: Turning 45 on April 10.

Athletic Background:

I grew up in Boulder, so being active was always just part of life. I played competitive soccer through high school and got into bike trials—which is basically riding a bike with no seat and hopping over stuff. It’s as weird as it sounds. I ended up riding professionally for a bit.

In my early 20s, I got into marathon running and had some success in my age group—back when not many 20-year-olds were doing that.

The last 20 years were mostly about climbing. It took me to some amazing places, and it’s also where I met my wife, Mary. My biggest highlight was finishing a 5.14 sport climb in Rifle, CO before my daughter was born.

Seven years ago, my daughter Maya showed up and things shifted a bit. Climbing took a back seat, and I moved more into yoga and boot camp-style workouts that fit life better.

How long have you been at NoCoast?

I started last August after a pretty bad mountain biking accident—I broke my neck (C4–C5) in March 2025 and had to get it fused. I came pretty close to being paralyzed, so I’m lucky things turned out the way they did.

After about four months of very limited movement, I lost a bunch of muscle, put on some weight, and was just dying to get back to doing something physical.

At the same time, Mary had just gone through a full knee replacement—so yeah, 2025 was a rough one for us. We signed up for NoCoast together, partly because we’ve always watched the CrossFit Games and thought it looked “fun,” and partly because we just needed something to get us moving again.

How did you get into fitness?

Honestly, just growing up in Boulder—you’re doing something: climbing, biking, running. It just kind of rubs off on you.

Favorite movement:

Anything on the rig. Coming from climbing, everything I did was super static, so learning how to kip and move more dynamically has been fun (and humbling).I also like kettlebell carries—probably from years of hauling rocks as a stone mason—and I weirdly don’t mind burpees.

Least favorite movement:

There were a lot of workouts in those first few months where it was honestly pretty mentally tough realizing how much I had lost after getting hurt. Pull-ups were something I used to be really strong at, and suddenly I was dreading them. Overall fitness just wasn’t there, and I definitely found myself in some dark places at times.

Wall balls… for a long time. Especially coming back with limited neck mobility—they were rough. I’m slowly figuring them out. Barbell work and squatting are still tough with a bad knee and poor shoulder mobility, but that’s part of the process.

Most memorable NoCoast moment:

Probably one of my first wall ball workouts. I was still pretty fresh off the injury and just got absolutely worked—thinking “what is this?” the whole time.Also, watching Dan try to control the 10am chatty crew is always solid entertainment.

Nutrition & Recovery:

I did the nutrition challenge this year, and it was a good reset. I hadn’t tracked macros in a long time, and it made it very clear I need way more protein.At this point, being a dad and all, I try to keep it simple—more protein, less junk, and cutting back on alcohol when I can.

How has NoCoast improved your Wellness?

It’s honestly been exactly what I needed. It’s pushed me to learn new things again and get uncomfortable in a good way—mentally and physically. Plus, the community is awesome.

How has NoCoast impacted your family?

After the year we had, it’s been huge for both me and Mary. It’s something we started together that’s helping us get back to feeling healthy again—and hopefully setting a good example for Maya.

Advice to new members:

Just be consistent and try hard. That’s it. Nothing happens overnight, but if you keep showing up, it adds up.