Who is Cameron Hanes?

Cameron Hanes: An American Icon

​Cameron Hanes is a well-known American athlete, podcaster, influencer, bowhunter, and brand owner.  Born on October 22, 1967, in Eugene, Oregon, Cam still lives near there and works for the Springfield Utility Board. So how does a small-town guy become this larger than life motivational icon? In today's article, we aimed to find out. 

At first, I was shocked to hear that he still worked a 9-5 job, and I'll explain the reasons why in a minute. I had first heard about Cam back in 2016 when he appeared on the Joe Rogan Podcast.  ​

"I had some direction in high school, and that was through sports. I wanted to work hard and be the best athlete I could be." -Cam Hanes

At that time, Cam had developed somewhat of a cult following around bowhunting. In fact, he was an Under Armour sponsored athlete, and they even made a boot for him called the UA CH1 Gore-tex hunting boot (which is no longer for sale). On January 11, 2022, Hanes and Under Armour split after a 17-year run together. It appeared from this Instagram post that the separation was on good terms. 

As the world was about to find out, Hanes wasn't just a bowhunter. He was running the equivalent of a marathon distance and lifting everyday, all while working his job and continuing to bowhunt. How is that even possible? Let's take a look at a day in the life of Cameron Hanes. 

A Typical Day

Hanes gets up around 2:45am for a distance run. He starts work at 9am and then typically runs another 8-10 miles over his lunch break. He'll often head back to the mountain after work. 

When he returns in the evening, he lifts, shoots his bow, and then still finds time to stretch and get the kinks out of his body so he can do it all again tomorrow. 

With that type of rigorous routine, a lot of people assume that Hanes served in the military. While his son, Tanner, has served (2nd Ranger Battalion, Army), Cam himself never did any military service (and no, he was never a Navy seal).

The Cam Hanes Diet

Cam takes us through his diet in the video below. In a nutshell, he eats 4 eggs and toast for breakfast. At 8am, he slams a protein shake. For snacks, his "go to" is any type of mixed nuts or cashews. As he says, the key is to find a snack that's high in protein. 

Because he's running such long distances, he has a carb-heavy lunch of spaghetti with bread. He explains that he's not looking to cut down body fat but to properly fuel his body so he can perform. 

At 5pm when he leaves the office, he has some apples with peanut butter. This is done to fuel up again before more distance/trail running. 

Dinners feature a lot of lean meats, including elk, venison, and turkey, as well as some leafy green vegetables. 

What you'll notice in the video is that Cam is prepared: he brings a bag full of food to work each day so he's not in a position to make bad choices. One of the best things any athlete can do is prep food in advance so that the decision is already made. 

Last, Cam's diet isn't overly restrictive. He's not eating to lose weight but rather to fuel his daily active lifestyle. 

The Endurance Athlete

Not many people run 27 miles a day just for fun. Cam has leveraged that training to complete various ultra-marathons, including the renowned Moab 240 Endurance Run and the Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run. Today, he's helped organize virtual races and is also hosting the Lift Run Shoot Experience this summer in Eugene, Oregon. 

For Hanes, running is about more than physical conditioning; it's a way to build mental toughness and cultivate resilience and discipline. This "endure" mindset has helped him overcome tough situations in various facets of his life. 

The Bowhunter

Living in Oregon, at a young age, Cam and his friends fell in love with bowhunting. As they got older, it was all they wanted to do. Having friends that shared that same passion was really a blessing. Today, Cameron still actively takes part in hunting expeditions, often pursuing challenging game such as elk and mule deer in the rugged terrain of the western United States. His bow of choice? The Hoyt Torrex Compound Bow LH 70# Blackout. Broadheads? 100 grain ramcat broadheads. 

Why Does He Do It?

Cam's dad died of liver cancer and kidney failure a few months before Cam's 43rd birthday. As someone that loved and admired his dad, losing him was a really tough time for Cam. But, according to his mother, she believes his drive to push physical and mental limits are a tribute to his father. 

Per Cam: "There's no secret to it. It's punching that time clock and putting in work every single day. The sooner you realize that, the quicker you're going to get to the path of where you want to go." 

The Keep Hammering Collective

Today, Cam hosts a famous podcast called the Keep Hammering Collective, where he interviews (and often hosts in Oregon) some of the most bad-ass men and women on the planet. 

Politician Tulsi Gabbard, CrossFit champion Rich Froning, BPN Supplements founder Nick Bare, and David Goggins have all made the trip to Oregon to spend a day with Cam. Here is some footage from Cam's time with David Goggins. 

Partnerships

Cam also partners with brands such as MTN OPS, Kill Cliff, and Black Rifle Coffee. My favorite Cam Hanes product? His MTN OPS whey protein. ​

Buy On Amazon

Books

Before we forget, Cam has written two books. The first one, Bowhunting Trophy Blacktail, was published way back in 1999. 

Buy On Amazon

His new book, Endure, is excellent and made our list of best motivational books. 

Buy On Amazon

Cameron Hanes' Son

Cam's son, Truett Hanes, has become famous in his own right after he broke David Goggin's world record of most pull ups in 24 hours. Goggins did 4,030 pull ups back in 2013. Ten years later, Truett was able to knock out 4100 reps! 

Recently, Truett ran the Austin Marathon shirtless in jeans, capturing national media attention. 

Final Thoughts

Cam is one of those guys whose actions allow him to speak. When you've been getting after it as long as he has, he knows a thing or two about discipline, mental toughness, and how to overcome obstacles. If you get a chance, I'd strongly recommend you check out the book! 

For more motivational books, be sure to check out our favorites here.