Due to overwhelming demand, we have paused ticket sales to assess availability. Please use the “waitlist” button above to indicate your interest in purchasing tickets. Mission 34 will reach out should additional tickets become available.
"Toughness can take on many different forms based on the scenarios at hand. For me 'A New Type of Tough' is the ability to decipher what type of toughness is needed for a certain scenario and being able to ask for help, dig deep to persevere, or make a decision that leads to change. A combination of some, if not all three, is often required in most scenarios, but the one thing in common for them all is that teamwork can make all three easier."
Carson Clough is a Charlotte, N.C., native who at age 30 has already overcome more adversity than many face in a lifetime. Just five years after a boating accident left him with a below-the-knee amputation, Carson qualified to compete for Team USA in the 2024 Paralympics and won the silver medal in the PTS4 Triathlon. Born with natural athletic abilities and a positive spirit, Carson never let his injury slow him down. He has seized every opportunity to continue his life as a high-level athlete and now finds himself on the world stage.
Carson competed in his first-ever triathlon in 2022, only two years after learning how to walk again. It was tough. Carson only had a few weeks of official training and he didn’t have a running blade yet so he used his walking prosthetic. When he finished, he felt on top of the world. It was the start of an incredible journey. During his first three seasons, he finished more than 15 sprint-distance triathlons in eight countries. Carson competed in the 2022, 2023 and 2024 World Championships and qualified for his first Paralympics. Triathlete.com called him “the newest emerging star of the U.S. paratriathlon scene.”
Before his one-legged life began, Carson competed at the D1 level in lacrosse at UNC Chapel Hill and graduated with degrees in biology, chemistry and business entrepreneurship. He earned an MBA from Florida Tech with focuses in entrepreneurship and finance. In 2020, he co-founded The Giddy Goat Coffee Roasters, a Charlotte-based coffee business with three locations and more than 40 employees.
In 2023, Carson began sharing his story with schools, sports teams and organizations, hoping to motivate others to accept the inevitable challenges that life brings and to continue pursuing their dreams. At the start of 2024, he formed a team to bring his story to life through a documentary. In his spare time, he enjoys surfing, singing karaoke all over the world and messing around with his real estate investment properties. The Charlotte Checkers, a pro hockey team, gave Carson a mobility-assistance service dog named Calder, who now serves as his full-time babysitter and travels by his side everywhere he goes.
“I have always been super competitive and goal oriented. When I awoke the morning after my accident, there was no time for ‘Why me?’ or grieving. It was time to learn how to stand, walk and then run again. I definitely didn’t foresee swimming and biking coming into the picture, but I had the opportunity to put on a USA jersey and represent my country, so I went for it. Thank you to everyone who has supported me and been by my side!”
What was the first concert you attended?
Long time family friend and basically local to Charlotte, The Blue Dogs were probably my first concert I attended alongside my family, the Houck Family, the Davis Family, and multiple other families in Charlotte.
Who is your favorite rock star?
My favorite Rock Group--and they are all my favorite Rock Stars--are the Red Hot Chili Peppers!
We're on a mission to eliminate the stigma surrounding mental illness through awareness, education, and ambassadors.
A New Type of Tough
