1.7M
Downloads
259
Episodes
Step into the realm of resilience, endurance, and achievement with ”The Greg Bennett Show.” Hosted by Greg Bennett, an Olympian, former world number one triathlete, and one of the most prolific figures in Triathlon, this podcast embodies Greg’s career-defining mantra, ”Success comes to those who endure just one moment longer.” On ”The Greg Bennett Show” Greg blends his wealth of 27 years of professional experience, having won over 100 international races from 500 starts and held the title of the world’s number 1 ranked triathlete for three consecutive years, with profound, insightful dialogues featuring the world’s leading athletes, coaches, entrepreneurs, and high-performers. These conversations traverse sports, business, entrepreneurship, and entertainment sectors, providing a rich tapestry of stories about the relentless pursuit of success, mental resilience, and the art of endurance. A balance between Greg’s remarkable career and the inspiring journeys of his guests, ”The Greg Bennett show” serves as a beacon of inspiration for those daring to strive, persist, and endure just one moment longer in their pursuit of greatness.
Episodes
Monday Oct 31, 2022
Monday Oct 31, 2022
Show Sponsor
AnyQuestion - https://link.anyquestion.com/Greg-Bennett
Support the show at
"The Greg Bennett Show"
In this episode of The Greg Bennett Show, Greg is joined by an absolute Triathlon legend.
Rob Barel has a triathlon career spanning 18 years, including six Dutch National Championship titles, seven European Championship titles, the Nice Long-distance World Championship title in 1994 at the age of 40, four top five finishes at the Olympic-distance World Championship and two fourth place finishes at the Hawaii Ironman. Of the 245 triathlons competed, he has raced in 31 countries around the world and has won 113. Rob’s final competition was at the Netherlands 2000 Summer Olympics, securing forty third place, before taking retirement at the end of the Games at age 42.
Rob is now working as a marketing consultant, coaching in various capacities and to no surprise, still racing and training, albeit in a more low-key fashion.
We raced each other several times in the late 90s and I can honestly say that to have him join me on the show is just such a privilege and an honor.
Timestamps
2:23 - Interview starts
4:06 - After 40 years in the sport of triathlon, Rob is still very fit and still races, albeit as an ametuer in the senior categories. Greg and Rob discuss how his age group colleagues think about an ex-pro athlete competing against them as an amatuer.
8:02 - This is the mountain bike tours Rob mentions in this episode. https://www.vasasport.nl
9:15 - Greg and Rob discuss the 2000 Sydney Olympics and his appearance as a 42 year old.
... You didnt know what you had started when you went into the sport back in 1982 ...
14:03 - 40 years ago, September 4th, 1982, Rob claims to be the day that his life changed forever. He discusses how he found the sport and how his passion developed in those early days. A true legend of Triathlon.
22:44 - Rob shares the 'highs' throughout his career. An amazing insight into the early mechanics, the early growth of the sport of triathlon. Rob's story around the boycott of Ironman Kona and how they went and raced in Nice instead as a show of support for professional athletes is a timely reminder of how the pioneers of the sport encouraged the prize money that we see today.
27:18 - Rob's top 3 career highlights include his first win in Nice in 1988. Nice again in 1994. Rob recounts a hilarious story mid race against Lother Leder from Germany.
35:26 - Rob discusses the 'lows' of his career and reflects on how many times he has raced other people rather than focus on racing himself. Competing against his best ... something he never mastered until he became an 'age-grouper'.
38:50 - Rob reflects on how the sport has changed over the past 40 years. From the events, to the athletes, to the technology, to the training, to the safety within the event. Rob and Greg discuss the entry fee changes between the 80's ... to current day.
46:59 - Rob abd Greg discuss the changes in equipment and nutrition. From the first spaghetti bars on bikes, to the current aero dynamic helmets, wetsuits, and running shoe enhancements.
51:05 - Rob gives us his Greatest of All Time Women's, and Men's athlete in the sport of Triathlon.
54:41 - Greg and Rob discuss thei predictions for the Men's and Women's races in Kona 2022. You'll be able to compare their views on the actual results from last weekend.
59:43 - Rob still competes and is about to head to Kona, and also coaches a variety of athletes across different sporting disciplines, while also taking people on mountain bike tours.
1:02:08 - Conclusion
Monday Oct 24, 2022
Monday Oct 24, 2022
Show Sponsor
AnyQuestion - https://link.anyquestion.com/Greg-Bennett
Support the show at
"The Greg Bennett Show"
In this episode of The Greg Bennett Show, Greg is joined by pro Triathlete Sam Laidlow.
Sam is leading the next generation of super-star Triathletes. Finishing 2nd at the Kona IM World championships 2 weeks ago in a time of 7.42hr, shattering the previous course record by 9 minutes. And setting a new bike course record of 4.04hrs. Elevating him to #4 in the world rankings.
Sam races without fear, and with controlled aggression.
He knows who he is, he knows what he wants and he’s in control of his life.
He has an incredible team around him and he’s been steadily improving for years. But it was this year that the world took notice, with his incredible performances at the PTO US and Canadian opens where he was 4th and his 8th place at the IM StGeorge IM world championships.
Timestamps
1:57 - Interview starts
Kona is the only currency of triathlon
3:39 - Have you had a chance to decompress since the race?
Everything was going my way
8:18 - Greg and Sam reflect on his performance in Kona 2022. Sam explains why Kona is so important to him.
14:59 - We all get caught up in what we are 'supposed' to do ... Sam pressed reset on this myth and is running a plan that is 'his' own path.
20:25 - Sam is an aggressive racer, however his 'control' of that agregession is what sets him apart. Sam explains how he views his aggressive nature and how he channels it when it comes to racing.
22:43 - Sam describes the bike transition in Kona and his mindset as he focussed on his watts.
26:58 - There appeared to be a lot more penalties in Kona this year. Greg and Sam discuss who and what was going on.
28:07 - Being decent at maths is an advantage in the middle of racing. Understanding how much energy you have left and what are the time caps can have your mind calculating all sorts of figures to determine where you are and what you have to keep on doing.
31:25 - Sam explains how he felt when he'd heard the splits and the moment Gustav caught and passed him.
32:41 - Greg asks Sam if there was any moment in the race that he feels he should have done differently?
34:47 - Greg asks Sam where he sees he can tighten his performance moving forward.
Bike for show ... run for dough
37:13 - Sam describes the final leg of Kona and how loud the crowd were and some of the emotional joys he felt having had Kona as a race goal for many many years.
40:26 - Greg and Sam rewinds his clock and how his early years formed his love for sport and then triathlon.
47:55 - Sam is not a big believer in 'ability' however he explains how his mindset has helped him along his long journey to Kona.
53:27 - Greg and Sam start a session of Rapid Fire Questions:
-
The worst subject at school? (hint - it's the country he currently resides)
-
First car?
-
Favorite Netflix/ streaming shows everyone should watch?
-
Most inspiring performance you’ve seen in the sport of Triathlon?
-
3 people (not family) you’d want a meal with?
-
How many episodes of the Greg Bennett show have you listened to?
-
Best training location?
-
Best decade of music? (a tough question for a 23y/o)
-
Best movie of all time?
-
If a movie was made about your life, who would you want to play you?
56:45 - What's next for Sam Laidlow?
1:02:08 - Conclusion
Links
Find Greg on social media:
Check out Sam Laidlow at:
Website: https://samlaidlow.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/samlaidlow
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/laidlowsam/
Monday Oct 17, 2022
Monday Oct 17, 2022
Show Sponsor
AnyQuestion - https://link.anyquestion.com/Greg-Bennett
Support the show at
"The Greg Bennett Show"
In this episode of The Greg Bennett Show, Greg is joined by the current Ironman World Champion - Chelsea Sodaro. Eight days ago Chelsea took the world by storm. She was 'under the radar', but as the race progressed Chelsea started to come to the forefront. And by the time the marathon started her name started rising to the top.
But no one wins on debut, right? Wrong!
On her 2nd ever Ironman, she came to Kona and demonstrated a performance with no weaknesses and showed weapons across the board, especially her run. To win in a time of 8.33 (2nd fastest of all time) and a 2.51 marathon off a 4.42 bike and 54 min swim, is incredible. Add to this the fact she gave birth to her daughter 18 months ago and it makes this story even more remarkable.
She’s one of our favorite experts on the AnyQuestion app and in her short career, Chelsea Sodaro has quickly ascended to the top of levels of elite triathlon.
Chelsea Sodaro grew up in Davis, California — Bike City, USA. She swam, biked, danced, and played competitive soccer as a young kid. In high school, Chelsea discovered an affinity for running and began competing in cross country and track.
After a successful high school track campaign, she was recruited by several top Division 1 programs and decided to take her talents to UC Berkeley. During her senior year she became a Four Time All-American. She was the captain of the cross country team and helped lead the Golden Bears to their first appearance at the NCAA Cross Country Championships in thirty years.
In only her 4th 70.3, Chelsea placed 4th and as the top American at the 2019 Ironman 70.3 World Championships in Nice, France and is considered one of the biggest up-and-comers in the sport.
Links
Be sure and check out bennettendurance.com
Find Greg on social media:
Twitter Greg Bennett Show
Instagram The Greg Bennett Show
Find Chelsea Sodaro on social media
Instagram: instagram.com/chelseasodaro/
twitter: https://twitter.com/chelseasodaro
website: chelseasodaro.com
Timestamps
3:06 - Interview with Chelsea Sodaro begins
8:34 - Chelsea and Greg discuss her decison behind changing coaches only 2 years ago and working with Dan Plews (previous guest) and how they plotted and planned her journey to Kona.
18:52 - The path to Kona not only included a coach change, Chelsea & Steve (her husband) became parents 18 months ago. Skye was born in March of 2021. Chelsea opens up and discusses her tough journey through the pregnancy and return to training.
I wasn't handing the training that well
26:08 - Chelsea came second in her debut Ironman in Hamburg and she explains how that helped pave her confidence pathway into Kona. After a swim session with Paul Newsome, Chelsea made some changes to her technique and was able to apply it to her swim in Hamburg. She breaks down the race and how she was measuring her times throughout the race.
30:35 - It was after Hamburg that Dan and Chelsea realised she had something special going on. However the up's and downs post childbirth were well and truly still challenging. Chelsea explains how she was questioning herself, but was pulled back into focus on Kona.
I was a hot disaster
34:32 - After Hamburg, and after the Collins Club Chelsea got sick and was hitting a low point. She discusses how she was feeling prior to her committment to get to a training camp in Hawaii. "The only reason I got on the plane was because Steve told me if my training didn't come around, I could at least have a Hawaiian vacation on my own."
37:46 - Steve (Chelsea's husband) is a firefighter in Reno, so they have a challenging rhythm of life between Chelsea's pro career and Steve's career. Chelsea discusses how her schedule looks day to day while also managing her motherhood duties for Skye.
It's been really really hard and I have wanted to quit so many times
40:37 - Moving onto the pre-race week in Kona, Chelsea explains how 'flying under the radar' was a real help to her preparation. Having no media committments will change for next years event though!
43:18 - Chelsea breaksdown her race morning feelings and how things didn't work out to the plan. However as soon as she got in the water, she was at peace and ready.
47:23 - Breaking down the race, Chelsea and Greg discuss her Swim - Bike - Run. From her transitions to her mantra's, to her stats and nutrition. "I'm just sticking to my plan, riding my power, taking care of myself - I didn't play anyone elses game."
It's just about putting the pieces together at the right time
54:15 - Jumping off the bike, Chelsea explains how she didn't stick to the plan at the start of her run, and how she settled into her 10k pace. "You know you're having a good day when you're telling yourself to slow down." Chelsea explains her technique for staying cool and how the media was critisizing her performance.
57:52 - Chelsea explains her mantra's to keep her mind focussed during the run and the moment when she finally allowed herself to feel that she might have it in her to finish on the podium.
1:00:37 - Having spent so much of the race not alowing herself get emotional, Chelsea explains the last few moments of her race prior to crossing the finish line - how she took it all in ... then received the "best hug of her life".
1:07:24 - Interview ends.
Monday Oct 10, 2022
Monday Oct 10, 2022
Show Sponsor
AnyQuestion - https://link.anyquestion.com/Greg-Bennett
Support the show at
"The Greg Bennett Show"
In this episode of The Greg Bennett Show, Greg chats to Dr. Dan Plews. Dan is one of the most requested guests. Elite coach Dr. Dan Plews.
Just days after coaching Chelsea Sodaro to her debut Kona in 8:33, Dr Dan joins Greg to dissect the process of how Chelsea went from having a baby 18 months ago, to winning Kona this past weekend.
Dan discusses the training prep, nutrition, and heat adaptations, plus the mental prep that he and Chelsea went through prior to her amazing debut.
Dan Plews is an Applied Sports Scientist, Researcher and coach.
As a Sports Scientist (specialising in the area of Physiology) Dan has worked closely with athletes who have won more than 25 world and Olympic titles in the sports of rowing, kayak and triathlon. Athletes include Mahe Drysdale, Lisa Carrington, Eric Murray and Hamish Bond.
As a researcher, Dan completed his PhD in the area of applied heart rate variability (HRV). This work focused on implementing and validating methods regarding the application of HRV to track training adaptation in elite athletes.
Since then, Dan has gone onto having more than 21 peer-reviewed publications in the area of applied sports science.
Dan is seriously passionate about endurance sport, particularly Ironman triathlon, where he has coached 3 athletes under the 8-hour barrier. He lives and breathes it, and is a competitive Ironman athlete himself. In 2018 he broke the amateur course record at Ironman New Zealand by more than 10 minutes in a time of 8 hr 35 min.
Dan thrives on continuous learning and being on the cutting edge of applied sports science. He often throws himself into the depths of new science, measurements and self-quantification to find out first hand the effects that they have on training adaptation.
He’s one of the world’s greatest minds in endurance sports. He has the practical and personal experience, and he has the science. Check out his website - https://www.endureiq.com/
Timestamps
2:28 - Interview starts
5:36 - It's been a challenging year for one of Dan's star athletes - Javier Gomez. Dan describes his perspective on the 'highs & lows' of professional sport for a coach.
8:08 - Dan holds the course record in Kona @ 8:24. Greg and Dan discuss how fast the race is getting.
14:52 - Dan and Greg discuss at what point in the race he felt Chelsea was going to win.
19:17 - These types of wins are lifechanging for an athlete. Dan explains how he feels Chelsea can go on and win further within the sport plus also to be able to grow and deal with the success at this level.
Success breeds Success
23:26 - Dan and Chelsea met only2 years ago ... right before she had her baby. The story from that interview is extraordinary.
28:50 - Chelsea was the first athlete Dan has coached through pregnancy. So he applied his sports science knowledge and got to work on studying what he need to do coach Chelsea back to racing form.
32:46 - Chelsea chose to only take 6 weeks off from training after giving birth. Her frist goal was to get to The Collins Cup. Dan explains her training program and the path to Kona.
Chelsea's dedication to race in The Collins Cup is an inspiring story.
36:33 - Chelsea's swimming power was holding her back so they called in Paul Newsome to help and guide her.
42:33 - Dan explains the point at which he and Chelsea decided to focus on Kona.
44:48 - Greg probes Dan on his heat-adaption process for Chelsea and Kona. But do we get the full details? usually Dan is so open in sharing his wisdom.
46:51 - One of the hot topics in endurance sports nutrition at the moment is ‘carbohydrate periodization’. Dan explains his view on training to improve Chelsea's ability to make use of fat as a fuel source during exercise.
52:21 - Greg asks Dan on his views on hydration in race mode. We know that better performance can come from those who lose more body fat lose over the course of a marathon.
55:49 - On race day, what did Dan advise Chelsea in terms of keeping cool?
57:49 - Dan and Greg discuss the mental and emotional preparation for Chelsea prior to the race.
Is what I'm doing now, positively affecting the last part of my race
01:09:35 - Interview concludes
Monday Oct 03, 2022
Monday Oct 03, 2022
Show Sponsor
AnyQuestion - https://link.anyquestion.com/Greg-Bennett
Support the show at
"The Greg Bennett Show"
Timothy O’Donnell is one of the world’s most successful and experienced American long-course triathletes.
As a professional, he has earned 50+ podium finishes including over 22 wins at major events throughout the world. Along with the ITU Long Distance World Champion (2009) title, his other wins include nine Ironman 70.3 victories, two IRONMAN wins, and six Armed Forces National Championships.
One of only 4, and the only American to go under 8 hours at the Kona IM World Championships. But more than that, he is the man who at the ripe age of 40 had a near-fatal heart attack on the Miami speedway race course, in March of 2021 and still finished the race in 11th.
And just over a year later he was back racing, and not only racing he is on the podiums at both Ironmans and 70.3s and has his eyes set on another Kona Ironman world championship where he has been on the podium several times. In fact, the last time he raced in 2019, the last time the race was on, he finished 2nd and went sub 8.
We discuss Tim's near-fatal Heart attack then move onto discussing his prep and predictions for Kona Ironman.
Timestamps
3:57 - Interview with Timothy O'Donnell begins
I was probably about two-thirds through the bike…when it basically happened ...
11:31 - The Heart Attack - What Happened in Challenge Miami - 80% block in his Led "called the widow maker" - Pain in the chest and lockjaw - Leaving the party - Just suffering - Tim wasn't aware of how bad it was - There was one point that Tim, thought it was is this the point of dying? Tim continued on in the race, though commentators noted he seemed to be struggling. He crossed the finish line in 11th with a time of 2:44:57.
trying to get my mind in a space where I could focus on racing ...
13:16 - Building his mental confidence back up and training hard, Timothy discusses the journey back to racing.
17:08 - Greg and TO chat through the Des Moines Ironman and how he felt going into the race and throughout the course.
23:39 - When is it a heart attack ... and when is it fatigue? The mental tools have been added to TO's kit and he is ready for Kona.
26:40 - You're always trying to improve as an athlete. Greg and Timothy discuss his changes in nutrition since the heart attack and his prep for training and racing. Ketones have helped TO in athletic performance, imrpoved cognition and focus, and his general health. Tim mentions Delta G - click here to access their website (non-sponsored)
35:08 - Greg and TO share their views son Kona - starting with The Women's race. Who's going to podium?
41:10 - Timothy explains how he'd like the race at Kona to unfold. There's an old guard of experienced Kona competitors that know how to perform well, but as TO explains, often it's the Island that defeats, not another athlete. So what is it about the Kona energy?
47:02 - Having a massive 'why' going into Kona, TO has done everything to get himself ready. It's all about belief from this point.
50:40 - Tim's affirmations during a race.
52:23 - What's after Kona?
54:56 - Interview ends.
Links
Find Greg on social media:
Find Timothy O'Donnell on social media
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tointri/
twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/tointri
Monday Sep 26, 2022
Monday Sep 26, 2022
Show Sponsor
AnyQuestion - https://link.anyquestion.com/Greg-Bennett
Support the show at
"The Greg Bennett Show"
In this episode of The Greg Bennett Show, Greg has a delightful conversation with Javier Gómez-Noya.
These last ten months have been a little rocky but overcoming adversity is what makes this man such a legend. He was fortunate to even have a career, to begin with. Just after he started the sport of Triathlon the High Council for Sports in Spain revealed a cardiac anomaly. That finding led to a six-year battle between him and the sporting administrators in Spain to allow him to race internationally.
Since winning that battle, he has raised the standards of the sport for his entire career. Just as impressively, he’s also been able to reinvent himself whenever new pretenders have looked set to take his mantle.
He’s a man who has won more Triathlons than anyone else in the history of the sport. A career that has spanned almost two decades with 10 world titles over various distances and formats, including 5 ITU World Championships titles, 2 Ironman 70.3 World Titles, an ITU Long course world title, and an Xterra Off-road world title. Add to that a silver medal at the Olympics.
But he’s far more than a champion athlete, he’s one of the best men I know. We’ve lived and shared some epic training sessions together, and battled on the racecourse numerous times. And I’m honored to call him a friend.
Timestamps
2:52 - Interview starts
4.10 - Having a year with set-backs and where things don't go to plan is not new to Javier. He dissects the past 12 months with Greg.
7:38 - With 10 World Titles and an Olympic silver medal, Javier explains how proud he is of his career to date.
11:18 - Teaming up with Coach Dr. Dan Plews shortly after the Olympics, Javier and Greg discuss the deeply personal relationship that exists between athlete and how Dan's coaching has improved his performance.
18:02 - Javier is determined to come back and get healthy for the 2023 event program.
Racing is not only about the great times and winning
19:55 - Having a coach with a sport science slant is exactly the difference Javier was searching for. Greg and Javier discuss the training regime he has been working hard on.
30:27 - Javier and Greg discuss the recent Collins Cup and the amazing new talent in the sport at the moment including Colin Shatier.
31:42 - KONA 2022 - Greg and Javier discuss their view on the athletes, both Men & Women for this years event.
44:13 - Javier discusses his rehab and plan for getting back to racing.
47:00 - Javier's race 'bucket-list'.
Stay calm and keep working and eventually you'll be back
52:09 - Interview concludes.
Links
Find Greg on social media:
Find Javier Gomez Noya on social media:
Monday Sep 19, 2022
Monday Sep 19, 2022
Show Sponsor
AnyQuestion - https://link.anyquestion.com/Greg-Bennett
Support the show at
"The Greg Bennett Show"
In this episode of The Greg Bennett Show, Greg is joined by one of the greatest Ironman Triathletes the world has ever seen, Patrick Lange. A two-time Kona Ironman World Champion and the first man ever to break the elusive 8 hours on the Big Island with a time of 7:52:39.
Patrick's weapon is the marathon. Consistently going under 2:40 off the bike and holds the fastest marathon time in Kona of 2:39:45. Add to that his wins at Challenge Roth, IM Texas and IM Tulsa and the list goes on, and you can see why I rate him as one of the greatest ever.
I have been wanting this man on the show for several years. Not only because of his athletic achievements and prowess but because he is one of the best men I’ve had the pleasure of meeting and I wanted this opportunity to share his story and his journey.
Timestamps
2:53 - Interview starts
7:16 - From a shoulder injury from a nasty crash, to a second bout of COVID, it's been a challenging year to prepare for Kona 2022.
... really not the way I wish my training camps to an end.
14:42 - On the 23rd of February (he's wife Julia's birthday) Patrick crashed badly while training in Spain with a pro buddy, and faced an extended spell on the sidelines. He talks through the accident and his recovery and how he conveyed his vision to race again with his doctors.
19:12 - Patrick's 2019 swim in Kona was spectacular, and he talks with Greg about the training and strategy he put into play.
28:18 - Patrick is now the sub 2:40 marathon specialst, and he explains how he wworked hard behind the scenes to deliberatly achieve the results he has become known for.
30:32 - Leaving a coach can be a massive decision. Greg and Patrick discuss how Patrick has gone about changing his coaches throughout his pro career.
34:58 - Greg rewinds the clock with Patrick and they discuss his childhood, his early inspirations, through to his current pro career and personal life.
my endurance passion was awake from that time
36:32 - One of Patrick's early desires was to become a Formula 1 driver. Ironically, many Formula 1 drivers are into Triathlon.
39:42 - Patrick describes how his early passions lead him to triathlon, through mountain bike racing, to go-carting, to learning the history of triathlon.
47:47 - Patrick's Kona journey ... in detail. The record for the fastest marathon in Kona and how he feels around the pressure of racing Kona.
-
2016 3rd at Kona ... Germans 1,2,3, Marathon record 2.39.45
-
2018 Kona win 7.52.39, 1st time under 8, then proposed to his fiance (now wife) Julia at the finish line.
1:01:14 - Patrick describes the highs and lows of his career to date. He talks openly about his mother's cancer battle and the last words she left him with, and how those words fuelled his determination and 'why' to win.
1:06:12 - Patrick's opinion on this year's Kona and how he loves to 'fly under the radar'. The Quiet Assasin.
1:10:27 - The year ahead doesnt exist as Patrick describes how he and his team are completely focused on Kona 2022.
1:12:57 - Conclusion
Links
Find Greg on social media:
Check out Patrick Lange at:
Website: https://www.patrick-lange.org
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/patricklange1
Monday Sep 12, 2022
Monday Sep 12, 2022
After almost 30 years in the sport of Triathlon, Nicola Spirig completed her final rae this past weekend and we wanted to celebrate the incredible career of Nicola Spirig. In today’s episode (recorded in November 2021), Greg is joined by his wife Laura, and they talk with Nicola about her career and pull apart specific races and moments.
Nicola Spirig is a Swiss professional triathlete. She is a five-time Olympian, the 2012 Olympic, and six times European champion in women's triathlon. Nicola is married to fellow retired athlete Reto Hug, has three children, and during her athletic career completed a law degree.
As the conversation kicks off, Greg asks Nicola to reflect on this past year in the sport. She has been training and her next large goal is to complete an IronMan race in under eight hours. Even if a goal sounds impossible, she says it’s important to try, especially when the intention is to inspire others to follow their dreams. Nicola isn’t an extrovert who loves being in front of others, but she does love working with young people and is glad her status as an Olympian has given her this platform.
Going into the Tokyo Olympics, Nicola was ready. She was able to prepare without injury, compete in and win other good races like the European Championships, and beat some of her own personal best times. On race day, even though everyone had prepared for a hot day, it was raining, which for Nicola wasn’t a problem and she placed sixth. Today, she says she’s happy with her performance and wouldn’t change anything even though she didn’t get the medal she was aiming for.
Nicola grew up with parents who were sports teachers and had the luxury of trying many different sports. For a long time, she didn’t think of triathlon as a career, but rather as something she loved to do. She only considered herself a professional athlete for about two years, despite being involved in the sport for much longer. Her preparation around the London 2012 Olympics was nearly perfect and her at a professional level. She won the Olympic Gold medal just ahead of Lisa Norden, with their times being the same, and only a photograph was able to be used to separate their crossing the finish line.
For the Rio Olympics, things were different. She was injured, the defending Olympic champion, and she’d had a baby in the years since her Olympic win. She took home the silver from that race and says the experience was much different than the London Olympics, but she was still very happy with her performance. She reminds listeners that while yes it takes a lot to get a medal in the Olympic games, it also takes a lot to finish fourth, sixth, or tenth.
Laura and Greg then ask Nicola rapid-fire questions covering everything from TV and movies to household chores, to her taste in music. They wrap up the episode with Nicola sharing what her day-to-day life is like these days.
Show Sponsor
AnyQuestion - https://link.anyquestion.com/Greg-Bennett
Support the show at
"The Greg Bennett Show"
Links
Be sure and check out bennettendurance.com
Find Greg on social media:
Twitter Greg Bennett Show
Instagram The Greg Bennett Show
And check out Nicola Spirig at:
Monday Sep 05, 2022
Monday Sep 05, 2022
Show Sponsor
AnyQuestion - https://link.anyquestion.com/Greg-Bennett
Support the show at
"The Greg Bennett Show"
In this episode of The Greg Bennett Show, Greg has an insightful conversation with one of the consistent and most diversified professional Triathletes in the world, Aaron Royle.
Winning, and podiums at major events from the WTS super sprint mixed relay, to non-drafting Olympic and U23 World Title, to Ironman 70.3s and middle distance events. Aaron’s always at the pointy end of the race and making others chase.
Aaron, nick-named “Bugs”, made his Olympic debut at the 2016 Rio Games after he secured Australia’s first Triathlon quota spot having finished 6th at the 2015 Rio Test Event.
A multiple Olympian from Australia, he is preparing to marry Non Stanford who in her own right is an Olympian, World & European Champion - together making up the ultimate power couple in the world of Triathlon.
Check out Aaron Royle at:
Website: www.aaronroyle.com
Twitter: twitter.com/ARoyle90
Facebook: facebook.com/AaronRoyleTriathlete/
Instagram: instagram.com/aaronroyle/
Timestamps
2:11 - Interview starts
8:03 - With a solid win at The Collins Club recently, Aaron is definitely in form. He explains where he feels he is at within his strengths and fitness.
13:35 - Super League v. PTO v. Ironman - who's doing it best?
15:22 - At the age oof 32, Aaron's experience in endurance is now combining with his speed. Greg and Aaron discuss how Aaron feels at this stage of his career.
18:23 - Greg rewinds the clock with Aaron and the lads discuss Aaron's upbringing and how he first found his love for triathlon.
25:47 - Travelling around the globe and competing as a young athlete with his mates can create many great moments, and many wonderful life stories. Aaron describes this time in his life.
28:29 - Aaron describes his greatest highlight in his career so far.
This is what I need to do to win
34:00 - Learning how to win can take some specific preparation and laser-beam focusing on the process.
37:23 - Very few poeple leave an Olympics happy. Greg & Aaron discuss how achievements and disappoinment can often 'define' an athlete.
38:36 - Injuries. If we push our bodies as hard and as often as elite athletes, injuries are inevitable. Aaron describes some of the more serious and troublesome injuries he has had throughout his triathlon career.
49:52 - Races on his bucket list that are driving and inspiring Aaron.
59:02 - The boys conclude with some fun Rapid fire questions.
1. Best and worst subjects at school?
2. What are you currently watching on Netflix?
3. First car you owned.
4. Two most-used apps on your phone?
5. What time of day are you most productive?
6. First job?
7. Who does most of the chores around the home?
8. Who would you want to play a movie of your life?
9. Which decade of music is the best?
10. Where is somewhere you haven’t been, you’d like to go?
11. Greatest movie of all time?
1:05:23 - Conclusion
Monday Aug 29, 2022
Monday Aug 29, 2022
Show Sponsor
AnyQuestion - https://link.anyquestion.com/Greg-Bennett
Support the show at
"The Greg Bennett Show"
In this episode of The Greg Bennett Show, Greg has an insightful conversation with one of the world's greatest
Strength & conditioning coaches for endurance athletes.
Matt Pendola has decades of experience helping runners get ahead of their injury cycles by building strength.
Matt has been in this field for over 20 years. He’s worked with beginners, to the worlds greatest elite athletes including Olympic and World Champion medalists Kevin McDowell and Ben Kanute, to name a few.
He has a list of credentials in the areas of Run coaching, strength training, wellness, massage and everything else in between. He is truly one of the worlds leading bodywork and movement experts.
Matt Pendola has several professional qualifications including a running coach, S&C coach, licensed manual therapist & wellness coach and works with several Olympic athletes. He has also personally achieved a tonne of impressive running achievements including winning the Elite Spartan World Championships Masters Division (2015) & Qualified for Duathlon World Championships 3x.
Today Greg and Matt talk about the 3 C's of running. Connected, Cadence, and Compact. Bobby McGee and Matt Pendola have put together 4 pillars so you can optimize your running potential. Dynamic Mobility Drills restore and optimize your running movement and propulsion potential. Banded Dynamics maximize your running strength, power, balance, and stability. Form Drills maximize your mechanical running efficiency. Loaded Mobility Drills restore and optimize tissue and joints and continuing gains.
Ben has kindly offered 10% off his Run Form program for all Greg Bennett Show listeners.
enter: GregBennett10 at the checkout.
Start your 12 week course for a lifetime of better running! You'll get a set of movements to do before and after all of your runs to improve your mechanics. Find out more at https://www.pendolaproject.com/
Timestamps
1:21 - Interview starts
5:39 - Matt discusses his view on coaching towards the longevity of an athlete. from a young athlete to a more senior.
8:34 - Matt started strength training originally as a hotshot in Flagstaff. That was just kind of what you did, you had to be in shape for the job. One day, a tree fell on him fracturing his back. After that he was forced to slow down and learn how to train smart so he could get back to running again.
This injury led to Matt's guiding principle: FIT, which stands for Focused Intentional Training. It really is about helping people gain function through training. Matt started Pendola Training in 2001.
I was able to gain strength without doing a bunch of heavy lifting.
– Gwen Jorgensen, 2016 Olympic Gold Medalist
14:27 - Around 2011, Matt was coaching high school cross country, and saw that he could use what he had learned about strength training to prevent injuries in endurance athletes. Matt met Bobby McGee in 2015 and his approach to training has evolved incredibly since then.
"When I started working closer with elite athletes I was forced to take my learning to the next level. At a certain point I realized with a brick and mortar business I could at most affect 40 people at a time. I built R3 so that I could make everything I’ve learned over the last 20 years available to any runner at any level."
Each and every movement you'll do is designed specifically to help you run stronger.
23:34 - So what is RunFORM - and how can it help you to run faster with less injury?
Based on four pillars developed by the #1 running coach in the world, Bobby McGee, and Matt Pendola - Form Drills, Dynamic Mobility Drills, Loaded Mobility, and Banded Dynamics. This easy to follow progression builds week by week adding the perfect mix of adding new movements to your schedule combined with movements you mastered the week before. The time commitment is low, the benefits are high, and the better running you'll achieve will last a lifetime.
33:47 - Matt describes some his biggest highs over his career working with all kinds of athletes.
38:32 - We all have tough times. Matt explains one of his lowest career moments.
Keep showing up ... and doing it with intent
42:09 - Strength training can be a bit of an after-thought. Matt explains why strength training is important for the elite/endurance athlete, and how they can best fit it into their busy schedule.
49:38 - Matt lays it all out ... Do your quality run first, recover within about 8 hours, then strength train later that same day.
52:54 - Matt has his LMT licence and explains why and how he utilises massage within his coaching of athletes. In the United States, massage therapists who hold a state license to practice are typically known as LMTs, whereas Canadian counterparts are known as registered massage therapists or RMTs.
59:02 - The future for Matt Pendola. What and who are the professional athletes he is working with? What’s next for Matt?
1:07:25 - Conclusion