The Triathlete Hour

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Women's History Month: Gwen Jorgensen Mar 24, 2021

Show notes

For the last week of Women’s History Month, we’ll be re-sharing some of our favorite episodes from the badass women who make up our sport. We’ll be re-airing here in our feed one episode every day for the next week and then we’ll be back with new episodes the first week of April.

Enjoy these old episodes from Gwen Jorgensen, Sarah True, Flora Duffy, Heather Jackson, Holly Lawrence, Sika Henry, Chelsea Sodaro — who has since had her baby, and on the last day of the month we’ll hear again from our only gender nonbinary pro Rach McBride.

Today we're re-airing our episode with Olympic gold medalist Gwen Jorgensen, who talks to us about why she left triathlon behind to pursue a running career—and why she doesn’t listen to the online forums telling her she can’t do it. She believes in herself.

Gwen was a swimmer growing up and left swimming to pursue running—and left running (and her accounting job) to pursue triathlon after a whole lot of convincing from other people. She then found herself at the Olympics 18 months later. She tells us what it took to win gold, how her now-husband went all-in on supporting her for that goal, and why she left it all to go after a marathon medal.

She’s now trying to make the Olympics in the 5K or 10K and has been training with the Bowerman Track Club. We get some details about what that’s been life, how she came back from surgery last year, what her plans are post-Tokyo, and why she’s gotten more involved with social justice issues. Will we see her come back to triathlon?

Ep. 50: Chris Mosier wants to be a role model for trans kids Mar 17, 2021

Show notes

This week, we’re talking to Chris Mosier, the first trans athlete to represent Team USA, which he did in triathlon, and the first trans athlete to compete in the Olympic Trials, which he did in race walking oddly.

Yes, we talk about how someone gets into race walking in the first place—Chris jokes it was harder to come out as a race walker than as a trans man. He also talks about what running meant to him when he was trying to sort out the question he had around his gender identity, how he navigated triathlon, and how he’s trying to be a role model for other trans kids now. He also gets into many of the questions people pose him and why he's worried about the attack on trans kids and trans athletes right now.

Chris is always interesting and thoughtful, and you'll enjoy this conversation as much as we did.

Transcript available here.

Ep 49: Gabriela Gallegos wants to bring triathlon to everyone Mar 11, 2021

Show notes

On this week's Triathlete Hour, we’re talking with Gabriela Gallegos, who serves on the USA Triathlon Board and on the World Triathlon board (formerly the ITU). She gives us a breakdown of what that even means, how someone ends up on one of those boards, and why she started a triathlon series in her hometown of El Paso, Texas—plus what she learned going from lawyer to race director to public health advocate.

This episode was recorded two weeks ago, before the most recent USAT vote on the updated bylaws. One note: We did go back and ask Gabriela for some clarity on those proposed changes.

Like we mention, you can read all the changes here on the USAT site. And if you're a current USAT member, you should have gotten an email with a link to vote by the end of the month.

But we promise the rest of the conversation is more interesting than bylaw changes!

And first, we chat with Laura Siddall again for Sid Talks in advance of Challenge Miami this weekend. Get all the details about how to watch (and who to watch for) here.

Transcript for this episode available here.

Ep. 48: Kathryn Bertine fights the good fight Mar 04, 2021

Show notes

You may heard of our guest this week, Kathryn Bertine, because she spearheaded the successful campaign to get a women's Tour de France race—now a one-day event called La Course—which she also raced in. She produced the documentary Half the Road. She's been an editor for ESPN, writing their popular column on trying to make the Olympics—in any sport, any country, just go out and make it happen. Something she tried too.

She's written three books, about that experiment, about her years as a pro figure skater, and now she's here with her newest book, Stand—about how to be an activist and the behind the scenes story of the toll it took on her personal life as she fought for equality in women's cycling.

But what you might not know about Kathryn is she started out as a pro triathlete before switching to cycling and she tells us what it is she still loves about triathlon, some of the details of how she worked to make change, and what it was like having a massive crash mid race that left her nearly dead in Mexico. And coming back from that. It's an interesting conversation because Kathryn is always an interesting person. You can also buy her book here.

We're also back with Laura Siddall for Sid Talks. One note: we mention Ironman New Zealand, but we recorded this last week before the race was canceled! We also talk about who gets to race during COVID and what we think about indoor racing.

If you want more tips on indoor cycling, be sure to go check out this month's episode of our gear & training podcast, Fitter and Faster—all about indoor cycling this month.

Transcript for this episode here.

Ep. 14: How to Make the Most of Your Indoor Cycling Feb 26, 2021

Show notes

In episode 14 of Fitter & Faster, we dive into all aspects of indoor cycling—from the pros and cons of training inside, how to set yourself up for success in virtual racing, as well as all the gear and equipment you need to maximize your experience. We chat with professional triathlete and Ironman champion Meredith Kessler and hear from Joe Friel and Jim Rutberg, endurance coaches and authors of the book Ride Inside. We close out the show with our Gear Up! section with Triathlete's resident gear guru and senior editor Chris Foster.

Indoor riding has undergone a huge evolution in recent years and is no longer considered something athletes do just because of adverse weather outside. It's a legitimate form of training that can lead to significant boosts in performance and can considerably help when time is tight and you're looking to balance training alongside work, family, and social commitments. Friel and Rutberg give us some insights into how they think indoor riding can work in a triathlete's training program, as well as some of the advantages and limitations of only riding inside. Kessler, a self-proclaimed "promiscuous Zwifter" who won the latest Zwift Pro Tri Series (Series 3) tells us how she's currently doing 100% of her riding indoors—and gives us some helpful tips for when you do return to riding outdoors again. She also gives us the rundown of her "She Shed"—the name she's given to her pain cave where she rides and runs throughout the winter.

Our gear guru Chris Foster runs us through all the gear you need to ride inside—and it's not a short list, what with smart trainers, rolling tables, fans, waterproof earphones, and more—but if you're going to be spending significant amounts of time riding indoors, it's an investment well worth making.

Ep. 47: Josh Hageman Has Collected *Every* Zwift Badge Feb 24, 2021

Show notes

This week, we're talking to age-grouper Josh Hageman, who has collected every badge on Zwift. At least he thinks he has. It's a bit of a secret, bit hard to find out for sure—so if you know of a badge he doesn't have, he wants to know about it.

He tells us how he went down that hole, what tips he has for other indoor athletes, and why he started a marshmallow business. Plus, how you go about creating your own wacky challenges in real life. Hint: They usually start as bad ideas.

Transcript for the episode available here.

Ep. 46: Is Max Fennell the most interesting guy in triathlon? Feb 18, 2021

Show notes

This week, we're back with Sid Talks with Laura Siddall, who helps us dissect the 2020 prize money list—or lack of prize money—and the upcoming bombshell of a race in Miami.

And then we chat with Max Fennell, who we've dubbed 'the most interesting man in triathlon.'

Max is the only Black pro triathlete—and arguably the first, we discuss. He was also recruited for the TV show 'Million Dollar Mile,' and the televised Spartan Games earlier this year. Plus, he runs his own coffee company, ran for city council, recently co-founded an organization to get more athletes of color into endurance sports, and took up bow hunting as part of his 3-4 year plan to qualify for Kona.

And: Why you should try sleeping outside under a tree.

The Triathlete Hour: Ep. 45 - Sal Edwards is a pioneer of the sport Feb 10, 2021

Show notes

This week is all about women. We talk to triathlon pioneer Sal Edwards, one of the first women to ever finish an Ironman. Sal was a pro triathlete before pro triathlon was a thing. She helped found TriFed, which became USA Triathlon. She won Western States, she wrote some of the first books on triathlon training, she served as the last finisher at Danskin's popular series for decades, she sold Fleet Feet (the popular running store) before starting her own heart rate training company. And she's still going strong.

If you know Sal, then you know she doesn't hold back—and this interview is no exception.

And first, Sara Gross gives us the details on a new women's performance summit, and why it's needed NOW.

Get the details and link to register for the summit here.

Fitter & Faster: Ep. 13 - Everything You Need To Know About Training Zones Feb 09, 2021

Show notes

In this latest episode of Fitter & Faster, host Emma-Kate Lidbury goes all in on training zones: What are they? Why are they important? How do you establish your own training zones?

We start with the basics of training zones across all three sports (and how they differ), before diving deeper on the topic with coach and Olympian Ryan Bolton. Bolton shares his preferred benchmark tests, how to establish training zones from those tests, and common mistakes he sees athletes making when it comes to training zones. Bolton also answers questions from listeners.

Then, we’re joined by Triathlete‘s senior editor and resident gear guru Chris Foster, who talks through all the must-have gear for using training zones while running, biking, and swimming.

Be sure to subscribe to Fitter & Faster's new feed to get all our training & gear episodes:

The Triathlete Hour: Ep. 44 - Belinda Granger is mentally tougher than you (and more fun) Feb 03, 2021

Show notes

This week we're chatting with the only and only Belinda Granger. The 15x Ironman champ is 50 years old now and retired in 2015—though she still works out 20 hours/week. She shares with us what it was like to make a living doing what you love, and how she thinks she won so many races using what was "upstairs" not necessarily what was "downstairs." Could you still be successful in today's tri landscape just by working harder than everyone else?

If you know Belinda then you know this show could have gone on for hours, as she tells us stories of her crazy training camps and what she learned. Plus, a little gossip in her current role as the pro liaison for Challenge Family. And we put this would you rather to the well-known life of the party: Race Kona or Kona after party?

And first, Laura Siddall is back to talk the latest tri news: Can four superstars break 7 hours for the men and 8 hours for the women in the Iron-distance?

We've got all the details on this project, set for sometime in early 2022.

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