Adirondack Sports October 2023

20 Adirondack Sports
ATHLETE PROFILE
Andy
Williams
AGE: 61
RESIDENCE: Saratoga Springs
ADDICTED TO
ICE CREAM!
FAMILY: Four children and four grandchildren
OCCUPATION: Founding partner of
Muench Photo Workshops
PRIMARY SPORTS: Bicycling, equal parts
road and mountain biking, plus
“anything in the water”
SECONDARY SPORTS: Fat biking, winter
hiking with ice spikes and snowshoes
DAILY 5K RUN.
ALASKAN BEAR AND FOX.
By Dave Kraus
Exercise has made a world of difference
in Andy Williams’ life, and
he’s now enjoying that difference
all over the world. As one of the founding
partners of Muench Workshops,
he takes guests – and his own fitness
routine – on photography-centered
tours to locations including Alaska,
Madagascar, Kenya, Cuba, Slovenia, and
the Galapagos Islands.
In his 20s, Andy participated in cycling
and long-distance swimming and rode
his bike 6,000 miles around and across
the country. “That changed my life,” he
remembers. Then is his 30s and 40s he
lived what he calls “the good life – too
many heavy meals, too much junk food,
and no activity” that left him overweight
and out of shape. Finally, in January of
2020 he took his wife’s advice at age 58 and
started to get serious about healthy living.
He ended up losing over 100 pounds over
the next 18 months and now religiously
follows a fitness routine that he adapts to
his trips to guide workshops around the
world. Sadly, he lost his wife Nancy to cancer
in August 2020 before she could see
the final results of his efforts.
“I still eat a tremendous amount, but I
eat better – my plates are 75% vegetables
and a handful of carbs and protein. I don’t
try to over think it, but I eat a lot of calories
because I’m working out a lot.” He does
admit to being “addicted to ice cream”
and often plans his bike rides to include
an ice cream stop.
Andy has been a photographer since
age nine, starting out working at a local