Carson Hampton Blazes a Trail Through the Ups and Downs

Carson Hampton peddled to the top of the hill and pulled off the trail to admire the landscape. He took a deep breath and visualized himself maneuvering down the winding dirt trail that traced the foothills. He remembers falling in love with mountain biking as a teenager in Boise, hungry for adventure and addicted to the thrill of speed. He enjoyed the pain and perseverance of going long distances to see how far he could push himself.

He was given a second chance at life and determined to enjoy it fully.

In 2019, Carson’s doctor found inflammation around his brain and spinal cord and diagnosed him with spinal meningitis and encephalitis. The severe inflammatory disease dragged him into a five-day-long coma. Although he can’t recall the events around his traumatic brain injury, he knows it was the lowest point of his life. Sitting in the hospital with frightened parents, questions about what would happen to him overwhelmed his family.

“It has changed my mental approach to life,” Carson said. “It has given me more of an appreciation just to live my life and go out there and live every day like it’s my last because now I know what it feels like almost to have everything go away in the blink of an eye.”

Physical therapy helped him recover and luckily he doesn’t experience any adverse, long-term effects. This trauma motivated him to be grateful for the little moments and to make time for the activities that feed his soul.

Training with joy

The Covid lockdown in 2020 was a blessing in disguise for Carson; there was nothing better for him to do than go outside and bike to his heart’s content. Growing up in a family of cyclists, his hobby grew into a passion. He had once joined a mountain biking club in high school and participated in six races per season. Now, he put in 20 hours of training a week to be race-ready.

For Carson, biking is like breathing. He pedals for pure enjoyment. But he recognizes that some people he races against view biking as a job they’re obligated to do —- which brings more pressure than he likes.

“They have pressure they put on themselves, or someone else has put on themselves to pursue it. And that’s never struck a chord with me.” he said, “I just, I do it because it’s fun living outside in nature and being able to go places that you couldn’t drive, or you just see all these cool locations.”

Competing through ups and downs

Nevertheless, Carson doesn’t shy away from a healthy dose of competition. In May 2024, he won the USA Cycling Cross-Country Mountain Bike National (an Olympic event of 5-6 laps on a six to eight-kilometer course) and the American National Championships – XCO – XCC (a 20-minute short track race) for his age group in Pennsylvania.

This was just eight weeks after he broke his clavicle (for the second time) in a mountain biking accident.

He crashed on a trail ride and instantly knew he had broken something. Eight screws and a plate in his clavicle later, he was forced to stay off his mountain bike to recover. As frustrated as he was, he wasn’t hopeless. The injury was an escape from the burnout of training year-round that had caught up to his tired body. Although trapped inside, he didn’t waste any time training for the national competitions on his stationary bike.

“I had no expectations going in. If I did well, sweet, and if I did bad, it wasn’t the end of the world,” he said. “It helped to be in a stress-free environment. I didn’t have to put any pressure on myself about needing to win or needing to take a top three.”

The medals he brought home from his races proved that his dedication to training had paid off.

Living a dynamic life

Carson hopes to be known as more than just a cyclist. He is a dynamic person who keeps himself active and joyful through diverse activities: basketball, skiing and surfing in the river.

He believes in having a balanced life of work and play and visualizes the aspects of his life as pieces of a pie: a school slice, a work slice, a social life slice and an outdoor activities slice.

The true Boisian loves soaking up the outdoors and exploring new trails. It’s what drew him back to his hometown after attempting a year and a half of school in Colorado. Boise always had his heart. He missed the roar of the football games at Albertsons Stadium that he remembered going to as a kid, the winding greenbelt that hugs sections of the Boise River and the endless trails of the foothills.

“The community has been the biggest help in making the transition easier,” he said. “It’s a very warm culture that’s very inviting.”

The sophomore studies biology with an emphasis in secondary education and hopes to share his love for nature with youth. Wherever life takes him next, he’s grateful that he transferred to Boise State in 2024.

“There’s so much available here at BSU and I think that’s what makes it so special. It has definitely helped me succeed and thrive in this environment”

Through the ups and downs of life, Carson navigates a path through transferring to Boise State, experiencing health barriers and balancing life’s activities. To him, a dynamic life is about enjoying the life he’s been given to the fullest.