Simon Ward, The High Performance Human Triathlon Podcast

"Being paralysed in a bike accident has given me some amazing opportunities” - Para Triathlete Bret Crossley

Have you watched the Paralympics? What about when you are taking part in or volunteering/spectating at  a running event or a triathlon? Have you ever observed the wheelchair triathletes? For them, it’s swim, to hand cycle, to racing chair. Everything is about the upper body, and I’ve always been curious about how they take care of their shoulders, and what constitutes a rest day.

 

Today I’m chatting with Bret Crossley, a paratriathlete who lives in the Leeds area. Bret has been involved in triathlon since a motor bike racing accident in 2006 damaged his spine. He has been part of the British Triathlon talent programme, raced triathlons up to half Ironman distance, and competed in the London Marathon many times.  This is an inspirational conversation, and I hope you enjoy it. We chat about:

 

• Motor bike racing days and competing in the Isle of Man 
• The accident, and how he coped in the immediate months after knowing he would never walk again.
• Finding wheelchair sport 
• Gaining inspiration from those worse off than yourself
• Bret's training and racing schedule
• Some challenges you might not have considered for chair racers and hand cyclists

 

To find out more about Bret and follow his progress, follow him on

Twitter (X) - @BretC22

 

In the conversation Bret mentioned how he had raced at the Isle of Man. If you want to get a sense of the absolute concentration needed to race on the island, take a look at this video of Peter Hickman setting a fastest ever lap with an average speed of almost 137mph.

Peter Hickman - Fastest ever lap of the Isle of Man TT

 

Bret also mentioned the Yorkshire Ability Triathlon that he is involved with.

Watch a truly inspirational video HERE.

 

Challenged Athlete Foundation who have provided Bret with funding for some of his equipment.

 

To contact Beth regarding Life Coaching, please visit her website at BethanyWardLifeCoaching.uk.

 

Sports Nutrition questions - if you have a sports nutrition question that you would like answered on the podcast, please email it to me via Beth@TheTriathlonCoach.com.

Join our SWAT/High Performance Human tribe using this link, with a happiness guarantee! You can watch a brief video about the group by going to our website here, and join our SWAT High Performance Human tribe here.

Purchase a copy of my High Performance Human e-book featuring more than 30 top tips on how to upgrade your life.

If you would like to help offset the cost of our podcast production, we would be so grateful. Please click here to support the HPH podcast. Thank you!

Visit Simon's website for more information about his coaching programmes. Links to all of Simon's social media channels can be found here.  For any questions please email Beth@TheTriathlonCoach.com.

Balancing training and racing with the menstrual cycle and menopause * Dr Natalie Brown

The female monthly cycle and how it impacts training and competition is a conversation that athletes and coaches should have. The reality is that it can be awkward for both parties, so to avoid awkwardness it usually gets pushed aside. Which means that female athletes can feel isolated in navigating this part of their life. We should also include perimenopause and menopause in that conversation as it will affect most females at some point.

 

As a coach I do believe that we need to have these conversations, and that they should not be awkward.

 

Education is a big part, so to help us better understand the ways in which training and competition can be managed, I have invited Dr Natalie Brown onto the show as a guest. Natalie is a research assistant for the Welsh Institute of Performance Science. She works predominately with Sport Wales, leading on research with female athletes and the impact of the menstrual cycle on sport participation and performance. In this conversation with Natalie we talk about:

 

• To truly understand the patterns of your monthly cycle, track it for at least 3 cycles
• Lifestyle factors have a huge influence on the severity of your monthly cycle
• Carbohydrate supplementation prior to HIT sessions might mitigate some symptoms
• Menstrual cycle apps are good, but listening to your body is better
• Perimenopause is ‘chaos’ but healthy lifestyle factors can help
• How to arrange your training during the menopause
• HRT for females? It depends!
• Some guidance for coaches on how to open a menstrual cycle/menopause conversation with their athlete

 

To find out more about Natalie Brown and her work please visit these channels:

Instagram Optimal.Period 

Website www.optimalperiod.com, 

 

You can find some other really good resources at the following links:

Podcasts The Female Athlete, 

For continued education please check out Menstrual cycle online coaching modules:

UK Coaching resources

 

I also asked Natalie to recommend a book. This is her choice:

Good for a Girl Lauren Fleshman

 

To contact Beth regarding Life Coaching, please visit her website at BethanyWardLifeCoaching.uk.

 

Sports Nutrition questions - if you have a sports nutrition question that you would like answered on the podcast, please email it to me via Beth@TheTriathlonCoach.com.

Join our SWAT/High Performance Human tribe using this link, with a happiness guarantee! You can watch a brief video about the group by going to our website here, and join our SWAT High Performance Human tribe here.

Purchase a copy of my High Performance Human e-book featuring more than 30 top tips on how to upgrade your life.

If you would like to help offset the cost of our podcast production, we would be so grateful. Please click here to support the HPH podcast. Thank you!

Visit Simon's website for more information about his coaching programmes. Links to all of Simon's social media channels can be found here.  For any questions please email Beth@TheTriathlonCoach.com.

Tri coach Jim Vance on why he wants you to have the right start line mindset for the best race day performance

My guest today is Jim Vance  There are few individuals in the world with the teaching background, elite athlete experience, and coaching experience with elites, amateurs and juniors, as well as knowledge of training and a passion and understanding of tech. Jim has been the coach to US pro triathlete Ben Kanute for 8 years. He has also written 2 triathlon books (details of which you can find in the show notes) and is a consultant to several tech companies in the Multisport space including 80/20 Endurance and Velocity, a software programme for cycle coaching.

 

Jim and I have a great chat about the rapid advancements in technology and their impact on triathlon coaching. We get into the weeds on the physical toll of triathlon racing for pro athletes, given the ever increasing intensity of the races especially when racing in extreme heat.  Finally, and I think most importantly for you, the listener, we discussed the significance of personal harmony and relationships in achieving optimal athletic performance, and the crucial role of mental and physical preparation in triathlon. 

 

Topics include:

18:14 Athletes need to learn to trust themselves - "I care more about athlete mindset on the start line than I do about training."

28:25 On harmony in your relationships - "We've got to really enhance our world. That brings more stability to it, that reduces stress."

56:41 On how to get the best recovery and stress levels - "So what affects that recovery cycle? Home life, stress outside of it, nutrition, sleep, all those things probably come back again to relationships in your daily life."

1:17:35 On the power of showing vulnerability - "David Warden kept getting all these questions. And he kept saying, 'Well, I don't know the answer', and  afterwards it became this crazy thing, where all these coaches just came up to him."

 

 

To find out more about Jim please check out his Instagram page @coachjimvance

The most popular blog post he ever wrote: https://www.trainingpeaks.com/blog/10-things-endurance-athletes-need-to-stop-doing/

Other cool stuff:

80/20 Endurance Coach Certification and community, with Matt Fitzgerald

Book recommendation for coaches, is a book called, "Motivational Interviewing in Sports", it's a game changer! 

 

Some of the coaches Jim mentioned have been podcast guests. You can find links to their work in the show notes for their respective episode:

Bobby McGee

Matt Pendola

 

To contact Beth regarding Life Coaching, please visit her website at BethanyWardLifeCoaching.uk.

 

Sports Nutrition questions - if you have a sports nutrition question that you would like answered on the podcast, please email it to me via Beth@TheTriathlonCoach.com.

Join our SWAT/High Performance Human tribe using this link, with a happiness guarantee! You can watch a brief video about the group by going to our website here, and join our SWAT High Performance Human tribe here.

Purchase a copy of my High Performance Human e-book featuring more than 30 top tips on how to upgrade your life.

If you would like to help offset the cost of our podcast production, we would be so grateful. Please click here to support the HPH podcast. Thank you!

Visit Simon's website for more information about his coaching programmes. Links to all of Simon's social media channels can be found here.  For any questions please email Beth@TheTriathlonCoach.com.

Sleep walking, nightmares, and freezing temperatures . . but still a 3rd place finish in the 268 mile Winter Spine Challenge * Lucy Gossage

Lucy Gossage has been around on the long distance triathlon scene for a long time, and she's instantly recognisable with her blue Erdinger kit and infectious smile. If you don’t know Lucy, she has 14 Ironman victories to her name including IMUK, IM Wales, IM Lanzarote and Patagonman (basically all the toughest ones). In 2019 she stepped back from IM racing to focus more on her work as an Oncologist in Nottingham. You’ll get a sense of how Lucy likes to challenge herself with that race resume, and today's conversation is all about another of those challenges. And they don’t really come much bigger than The Winter Spine Challenge - 268 miles on the Pennine Way in the depths of winter.

 

It’s a non-stop event requiring participants to be self sufficient. The temperature barely gets above 0ºC, with knee deep snow and blizzards at times, and as if that's not enough the sleep deprivation can literally be a nightmare. We chat about:

 

• Weekly power strength yoga - "I just knew that I had to get as strong as I could"  
• The benefits of commuting to work and keeping it fun
• Walking poles in ultra racing - "As soon as I got them, I was like, oh my god, these are a game changer."
• Sleep walking - "The most terrifying discombobulating experience I've ever had."
• Shoe selection - "I went with Hoka Speedgoats, which many say is crazy for that terrain. But they were so comfortable."
• Sleep deprivation and cognitive function - "I could see the red lines on my Garmin where I'd gone off the course and I was like bloody hell I am actually sleepwalking."

 

To find out more about Lucy please use these channels:

Twitter @lucygoss Insta @lucygossage

 

 

Link to topics we covered in the show

NHS Blog posts

Lucy and I talked for quite a bit at the start about the NHS and she mentioned some blog posts she had written. You can find those HERE.

Lucy’s favourite book Shantaram:A Novel - by Gregory Roberts “It’s a long book but an incredible read."

Developing an Iron Mind

This is the podcast I recorded with Lucy, Helen Davis and Helen Gorman

Developing an Iron Mind -

How to access the Iron Mind course - https://www.thinkbelieveperform.co.uk/iron-mind/

 

Green Runners

Lucy talked about the The Green Runners  eco running group formed by Jasmine Harris and Damian Hall

 

To contact Beth regarding Life Coaching, please visit her website at BethanyWardLifeCoaching.uk.

 

Sports Nutrition questions - if you have a sports nutrition question that you would like answered on the podcast, please email it to me via Beth@TheTriathlonCoach.com.

Join our SWAT/High Performance Human tribe using this link, with a happiness guarantee! You can watch a brief video about the group by going to our website here, and join our SWAT High Performance Human tribe here.

Purchase a copy of my High Performance Human e-book featuring more than 30 top tips on how to upgrade your life.

If you would like to help offset the cost of our podcast production, we would be so grateful. Please click here to support the HPH podcast. Thank you!

Visit Simon's website for more information about his coaching programmes. Links to all of Simon's social media channels can be found here.  For any questions please email Beth@TheTriathlonCoach.com.

From elite LD triathlete to sailor * The weird world of Emirates NZ America's Cup Cyclor Dougal Allan

Triathletes like to call themselves multi-sport athletes. In a manner of speaking, they are. They have generally mastered 3 disciplines and combine them all in one single race.

Today's guest, Dougal Allen, is a true multi-sport athlete of the highest order. He’s won the NZ Coast to Coast twice (run/kayak/MTB), had many victories and top 10 finishes in both IM & Challenge events, and completed many multi-day adventure races around the world. As well as running and cycling, these events have included, kayaking, rafting, inline skating, horse riding,  as well as rope work for climbing and abseiling.

 

Dougal is a very strong cyclist and in the last 2 years he has put these skills to good use with a complete change of direction. He is now a Cyclor on board the 8 man crew defending America’s Cup for Emirates Team New Zealand. And if you're wondering what a Cyclor is, you can find out HERE.

 

In this episode we chat about:

• Building a team and racing without ego
• Training to race, or racing to train. Which are you?
• Over-racing and losing fitness
• Boring high performance habits to ensure best performance

 

If you’d like to find out more about Dougal Allan please visit the following sites:

Website - http://DougalAllan.com

Instagram: dougal_allan 

Facebook: Dougal Allan

Dougal Allan Mini documentary

Trials for the role of Cyclor on board Emirates team New Zealand

Dougal at the 2019 NZ Coast to Coast event

YouTube video of NZ Team Emirates Cyclor’s

 

Dougal is an ambassador for Precision Fuel and Hydration. He has written many articles for them which you can find HERE, including:

How to balance training, work, family and life

The art of gut training

How a pro athlete strategically uses caffeine

 

To contact Beth regarding Life Coaching, please visit her website at BethanyWardLifeCoaching.uk.

 

Sports Nutrition questions - if you have a sports nutrition question that you would like answered on the podcast, please email it to me via Beth@TheTriathlonCoach.com.

Join our SWAT/High Performance Human tribe using this link, with a happiness guarantee! You can watch a brief video about the group by going to our website here, and join our SWAT High Performance Human tribe here.

Purchase a copy of my High Performance Human e-book featuring more than 30 top tips on how to upgrade your life.

If you would like to help offset the cost of our podcast production, we would be so grateful. Please click here to support the HPH podcast. Thank you!

Visit Simon's website for more information about his coaching programmes. Links to all of Simon's social media channels can be found here.  For any questions please email Beth@TheTriathlonCoach.com.

In the short term, lighter might mean faster, but we must consider longevity * Talking about RED-S with Alex Vendittelli

"The RED-S project is a club for sustainable performance. And sustainability to me brings up a few different words, I think about fueling and enjoyment. And no, no process is sustainable unless it's enjoyable. And for me, if I was to get close to a recreational race, and I started to think about race weight, that wouldn't tie in with enjoyment for me."

 

In this week's episode of the High Performance Human, our guest is Alex Vendittelli, a RED-S Ambassador and a recreational runner. We discuss the prevalence and impact of RED-S Syndrome in athletes, emphasising the need for education and support. We also explore the intricate relationship between health and performance in sports, highlighting the importance of prioritizing overall well-being rather than solely focusing on athletic performance. We chat about the challenges of navigating unrealistic body ideals and performance pressures in sports, and the need for a more balanced approach to fitness and body image. Alex shares his personal experience of feeling pressure to conform to a certain body type after reading one specific book, and how another book rescued him from the mire. Even elite athletes with support services can get it wrong, with some openly admitting to health problems caused by an overemphasis on body image.

• Lighter might mean faster but it isn’t always healthier
• Sore legs and fatigue are not the norm when training for endurance events
• Should we be focussing on a sustainable approach to nutrition rather than a specific race weight?
• Coaches need to work on changing the mindset of athletes
• Giving yourself permission to enjoy life

 

Alex doesn't have a social media presence. He is an ambassador for RED-S Project and you can find out more about RED-S project HERE.

 

Some other links you might be interested in:

 

Some RED-S articles:

Pro Cyclist Jonas Abrahamsen - Gaining weight to achieve greatness

Cyclist Jackson Long - When the power to weight ratio bottoms out

Two articles related to pre-conceived ideas about how we should behave, look and live our lives to meet these 'elite standards' - examples of how trying to be what we're not, can lead to a slippery slope

Niamh Bridson-Hubbard - A Runner’s Body

Are athletes supposed to look a certain way? The Athletic Aesthetic - 

 

Great LinkedIn Post by Mental Performance Coach Aaron Walsh

The Dark Side of High Performance - can you distinguish between mastery and perfectionism?

 

Matthew McConaughey video - Don't ask for permission

 

Research papers:

Carbohydrate fear, skinfold targets and body image issues: Perceptions of the nutrition culture within elite female soccer - McHaffie et al 

 Includes specific examples of things coaches have been heard saying to players etc. relating to food. 

 

Nutrition for Female Soccer Players—Recommendations (Dobrowolski, Karczemna, Włodarek)

 

Alex's book recommendations:

Seven Deadly Sins: My pursuit of Lance Armstrong - David Walsh 

Steve Jobs - Walter Isaacson - Beautifully written book about Steve Jobs and how his personality was the reason for his success but also his ill health. It highlights how our behaviour and decisions will always have a knock on effect in later life. 

 

To contact Beth regarding Life Coaching, please visit her website at BethanyWardLifeCoaching.uk.

 

Sports Nutrition questions - if you have a sports nutrition question that you would like answered on the podcast, please email it to me via Beth@TheTriathlonCoach.com.

Join our SWAT/High Performance Human tribe using this link, with a happiness guarantee! You can watch a brief video about the group by going to our website here, and join our SWAT High Performance Human tribe here.

Purchase a copy of my High Performance Human e-book featuring more than 30 top tips on how to upgrade your life.

If you would like to help offset the cost of our podcast production, we would be so grateful. Please click here to support the HPH podcast. Thank you!

Visit Simon's website for more information about his coaching programmes. Links to all of Simon's social media channels can be found here.  For any questions please email Beth@TheTriathlonCoach.com.

Data rich, insight poor * How AI can help you to become a better athlete or coach * The Prof Paul Laursen

Artificial Intelligence, or AI, is gaining more traction in our lives. It's been here awhile, but the launch of Chat GPT has really accelerated our awareness of how it can simplify our lives. AI will be a part of our athletic lives as well, certainly for the way we plan our plan, analyse, and adjust our training to get the best results.

 

Will this benefit athletes and coaches alike? I don’t have enough knowledge on the subject to answer that but today’s podcast guest does! Prof Paul Laursen will be familiar to regular listeners of this show. He’s spoken on this show before about High Intensity Interval Training and we spoke about AI back in 2021. Since then there have been a lot of advances in AI and with his own platform Athletica.ai.

 

If you are a self coached athlete, AI has the power to save you a lot of time with planning and improve your training prescription. Coaches can benefit too, as they'll be able to analyse much more data and improve their decision making for a larger number of athletes. Whether you're an athlete or a coach, AI will have some impact on your work, training, or data analysis. 

In this conversation we chat about:

 

• Some of the latest gadgets that Prof is testing out
• How Athletica works for athletes and coaches
• Threats and opportunities for athletes and coaches 
• Garbage In Garbage Out (GIGO) is so relevant, and why athletes need some personal responsiblity 
• Coaches will never be redundant

 

To find out more about The Prof please visit these channels:

 

Athletica: https://athletica.ai/ 

HIIT Science: https://hiitscience.com/ 

Twitter - @PaulBLaursen

Click the link to get hold of a copy of Paul’s book, Science and Application of High Intensity Interval Training

 

New links we spoke about on this podcast were:

Respiratory training System - https://isocapnic.com/ forget Powerbreathe. This take breath training to a new level.

Fourth Frontier Heart rate monitor this HRM not only measures heart rate, it also tracks HRV and provides a continuous ECG during exercise.

Strength, Power & Movement testing  If you’ve ever perform a measured vertical jump, this device makes everything a whole lot easier. In fact, you can measure the velocity of many movements.

 

Endurance Training - Science and Practice This is the latest book by sports physiologist and coach Inigo Mujika and which features a chapter written by The Prof.

 

To contact Beth regarding Life Coaching, please visit her website at BethanyWardLifeCoaching.uk.

 

Sports Nutrition questions - if you have a sports nutrition question that you would like answered on the podcast, please email it to me via Beth@TheTriathlonCoach.com.

Join our SWAT/High Performance Human tribe using this link, with a happiness guarantee! You can watch a brief video about the group by going to our website here, and join our SWAT High Performance Human tribe here.

Purchase a copy of my High Performance Human e-book featuring more than 30 top tips on how to upgrade your life.

If you would like to help offset the cost of our podcast production, we would be so grateful. Please click here to support the HPH podcast. Thank you!

Visit Simon's website for more information about his coaching programmes. Links to all of Simon's social media channels can be found here.  For any questions please email Beth@TheTriathlonCoach.com.

How to build and maintain healthy shoulders * Tim Stevenson

A lifetime in sport inevitably leads to injuries, especially if you play contact sports. Rugby was my game until my mid-twenties, by which time I had dislocated both shoulders at least once and broken my collar bone once. Minor concerns compared to some players, but nonetheless it's these injuries that caused me to take up triathlon more seriously. I broke the other collar bone more seriously in a bike crash in 2015 (so much for avoiding injuries!). It’s fair to say my shoulders have had their fair share of injuries. I’ve managed to get by without surgery but it’s always a matter of doing lots of work to make sure they stay stable and relatively pain free.

 

For most endurance athletes, shoulders are not as troublesome as those other joints but they still take a lot of hammering. Countless metres in the pool, the occasional impact from falling off your bike or while running, and not to mention the daily postural challenges from everyday living.

 

Tim Stevenson is this week's podcast guest. Tim runs a business called Dynamic Shoulders. He's a strength coach who started on the specialisation journey like many folks - overcoming his own shoulder problems. He then worked as a strength coach with para swimming. If you have shoulder issues or want to keep them healthy, this episode is a must as we chat about:

 

• The shoulder complex and its interaction with other joints
• Shoulder stability and how to achieve it.
• Bust some common myths around training shoulders  
• Influence of modern living and how it can lead to poor shoulder health
• How we can look after our shoulders
• Benefits of ground based exercises 
• Specifics for swimmers and triathletes

To find out more about Tim please visit the following channels:

 

Social:

Instagram: @dynamicshoulders

This is where he posts most content so if people want to get a feel for who Tim and his team are, this is a good place to start.

 

Website: 

www.dynamicshoulders.com

 

Please also check out these links:

 

Test Your Shoulders

"We currently have a ’test your shoulders’ programme available which is free and will give you an ‘audit’ of your shoulder stability and strength. It will help you to identify the weak links which, when addressed, will increase shoulder health and performance potential".

 

Book a FREE call

"We offer free consultation calls so if anyone wants to book in some time to chat through their shoulder issues or performance challenges and get clarity on their next best steps they can do that using the above link."

 

BASE

"Our 6-week BASE online shoulder training programme draws from our experience and knowledge of building high performing shoulders and can be integrated into any training programme as it takes a minimal effective dose approach."

 

Tim’s Book Recommendation:

 

Think Again - Adam Grant

"Learning to rethink is the most important skill in today’s culture.”

 

We also talked about

Gymnastic Rings - These are from Wolverson

 

A couple of videos you might like to watch:

 

Executing a handstand

Minimum Effective Dose - Tim Stevenson style

 

To contact Beth regarding Life Coaching, please email her at Info@BethanyWardLifeCoaching.uk.

 

Sports Nutrition questions - if you have a sports nutrition question that you would like answered on the podcast, please email it to me via Beth@TheTriathlonCoach.com.

Join our SWAT/High Performance Human tribe using this link, with a happiness guarantee! You can watch a brief video about the group by going to our website here, and join our SWAT High Performance Human tribe here.

Purchase a copy of my High Performance Human e-book featuring more than 30 top tips on how to upgrade your life.

If you would like to help offset the cost of our podcast production, we would be so grateful. Please click here to support the HPH podcast. Thank you!

Visit Simon's website for more information about his coaching programmes. Links to all of Simon's social media channels can be found here.  For any questions please email Beth@TheTriathlonCoach.com.

The way of the W.O.L.F. with Scott Hill

As you continue your journey as an endurance athlete you might occasionally think that life is messing you about. There are always obstacles to be navigated - work and family challenges, illness, injury, world events beyond your control. It may even cross your mind that these only seem to happen to you and that other folks have smooth paths to their chosen events.

 

Rest assured that everyone has challenges, including today's podcast guest, Flight Sergeant Scott Hill from the RAF Regiment. As you’ll hear in the podcast, Scott wears many hats in life. He is a father, husband and career military man. In the last year he’s been effectively doing 2 jobs at work, while battling a long term back injury. On top of that, he qualified as a British Triathlon High Performing Coach to enhance the work he does in his private coaching business and as head coach of the RAF Tri team.  Not only that, he is also an excellent age group triathlete, having qualified for the Ironman World Championship twice. He's also an ambassador for my favourite tri clothing brand, Raceskin. Today we talk about:

 

• What does W.O.L.F. stand for?
• Being comfortable saying NO!
• Making the most of opportunities 
• The gift of dyslexia
• Dealing with injury
• Making time for yourself

 

 

To find out more about Scott please visit his Instagram and website:

Instagram coaching @triwolfcoach 

Instagram personal @ironhill83

Website Triwolf.co.uk

 

Scott recommended the following book which helped him to answer a few questions about being dyslexic:

The Gift of Dyslexia - Ron Davis

 

Raceskin Wetsuits and Custom designed cycling gear - Scott is an ambassador for Raceskin and chooses them for his own training and racing kit as well as for his TriWolf garments. Check out Raceskin wetsuits and custom kit HERE.

 

To contact Beth regarding Life Coaching, please email her at Info@BethanyWardLifeCoaching.uk.

 

Sports Nutrition questions - if you have a sports nutrition question that you would like answered on the podcast, please email it to me via Beth@TheTriathlonCoach.com.

Join our SWAT/High Performance Human tribe using this link, with a happiness guarantee! You can watch a brief video about the group by going to our website here, and join our SWAT High Performance Human tribe here.

Purchase a copy of my High Performance Human e-book featuring more than 30 top tips on how to upgrade your life.

If you would like to help offset the cost of our podcast production, we would be so grateful. Please click here to support the HPH podcast. Thank you!

Visit Simon's website for more information about his coaching programmes. Links to all of Simon's social media channels can be found here.  For any questions please email Beth@TheTriathlonCoach.com.

"If you can’t beat them, outlast them!" 41 consecutive years in triathlon with Mark Kleanthous

Since we started the podcast, I've introduced many of the UK triathlon legends, ranging from our Olympic champions to coaches who helped them there, and the folks who were around right at the start of triathlon in the UK.

Today's guest, Mark Kleanthous, competed in UK triathlons since the very first event in June 1983. And he has kept on going for 41 consecutive years.

Completing an impressive 535 triathlons in more than 20 countries, including finishing the Hawaii Ironman World Championships, as well as 48 Iron distance, double Iron, and 1 x triple Iron triathlon.

Mark has also finished 71 marathons under 3 hours.

Over the last 41 triathlon seasons Mark has calculated that he's covered more than 12,000 miles swimming, 198,000 miles cycling, and has run more than 61,000 miles (totalling 271,000 miles) in training and racing. That's more than 11 times the distance around the world, or more than the distance to the moon! 

In this conversation we chat about:

• Keeping calm under stress, and problem solving
• How he still gets satisfaction from each event
• Why pacing gets better with age
• The secret to Mark’s athletic resilience and longevity
• Mark the Innovator - homemade elastic laces & aero water bottles 

To find out more about Mark K please visit the following channels:

Triathlon Coaching website 

Ironmate- Triathlon information website 

Instagram: openwaterswimcoaching & ironmate_coaching 

Twitter X: @ironmatemark 

Face Book Mark Kleanthous

LinkedIn Mark Kleanthous

 

Some videos you might be interested in watching:

Mark's highest elevation and coldest triathlon: Ironman Lake Tahoe 2013, bike had 9,000 feet of climbing

30 Years of Triathlon t-shirts. 

How to smash your ironman transitions. 

 

Research Papers

Mark took part in various studies during Ironman Sweden for ultra endurance athlete and scientist Beat Knechtle

 Changes in body composition in triathletes during an ironman event. 

 Nutrition & diets for endurance triathletes. 

The Age-Related Performance Decline in Ironman 70.3

 

Mark's 3 favourite books

Gold in the Water by P.H.Mullen. Two friends and swimmers who train to compete in the 2000 Olympic games. 

Training Essentials for Ultra Running by Jason Koop- Everyone from first timers to elite can benefit from this evidenced based book on going long.

Gold Rush Michael Johnson. His honest and open insight on how to be the best and beat the rest”.

To contact Beth regarding Life Coaching, please email her at Info@BethanyWardLifeCoaching.uk.

To leave a review of the podcast on Apple podcasts CLICK HERE.

Sports Nutrition questions - if you have a sports nutrition question that you would like answered on the podcast, please email it to me via Beth@TheTriathlonCoach.com.

Join our SWAT/High Performance Human tribe using this link, with a happiness guarantee! You can watch a brief video about the group by going to our website here, and join our SWAT High Performance Human tribe here.

Purchase a copy of my High Performance Human e-book featuring more than 30 top tips on how to upgrade your life.

If you would like to help offset the cost of our podcast production, we would be so grateful. Please click here to support the HPH podcast. Thank you!

Visit Simon's website for more information about his coaching programmes. Links to all of Simon's social media channels can be found here.  For any questions please email Beth@TheTriathlonCoach.com.