The Triathlete Hour

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Ep. 52: Aaron Scheidies sees things differently Apr 14, 2021

Show notes

This week we’re talking with many time para tri world and national champion, Aaron Scheidies. Aaron’s vision has been deteriorating since he was a kid and he now estimates he has about 10% vision—but he’s still one of the fastest guys out on the race course. He was the first blind athlete to break two hours in an Olympic distance race. He’s won seven world titles—but he’s never raced in triathlon at the Olympics.

He’s hoping to finally get that chance this summer, if everything goes according to plan. But as you’ll learn from Aaron’s story, nothing every goes according to plan for him. You can read his whole up-and-down journey to being a Paralympic cyclist in Rio here.

He tells us all about what it’s like to race with a guide, some of his crazier adventures as a para-cyclist, how he found triathlon as a kid, and how paratri has evolved over the years.

Listen to our chat with his guide and former pro, Ben Collins.

And before that we’re talking with our Laura Siddall for Sid Talks. Laura’s actually preparing to serve as a back-up guide in Tokyo for a blind British athlete, and she tells us a little about it from that side. Plus, we dissect all the racing now that racing has finally started again in the U.S. Is every field going to be stacked this year?

Listen to the transcript of the episode here.

Ep. 51: Laura Siddall won't die wondering Apr 08, 2021

Show notes

Welcome back to the Triathlete Hour. Hopefully, you enjoyed our re-airing of old episodes for the end of Women’s History Month and hopefully you also found the beginner’s episode from our training & gear podcast, Fitter & Faster, useful.

To get all of our gear & training episodes, subscribe to Fitter & Faster:

Today we’re back with another one of our favorite female athletes, our very own Laura Siddall.

Usually you hear Laura analyzing the latest tri news from around the world as part of her segment Sid Talks, but today we talk to Sid about Sid. How she quit a corporate engineering job in her 30s to chase the pro triathlon dream, moved across the world to the U.S. with a bike and suitcase, and has won five iron-distance races since then. Plus, what it’s like to live the nomad life, how she’s coping with one injury and setback after another, and why the British women have gotten so good. Read our story on Beth Potter's world 5K record.

You can find the transcript of this interview here.

Women's History Month: Rach McBride Mar 31, 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.

For our last revisit of an old episode, we're going back to our conversation with the Purple Tiger, Rach McBride. Rach tells us about why they picked triathlon over genetics counseling, playing the cello, or working in sexual health—all of which were options. We also talk about why ADD might be good for triathlon and whether a GPS PR for a 1:20 half-marathon goal counts or if you have to run it on a certified course. And next weekend, Rach will head to the self-organized Canadian Pro Championships.

In the second half of the episode, we spend a long time talking about why Rach came out as gender non-binary earlier this year, at the age of 42, and how the decision made them feel like they finally didn’t feel out of place anymore. (FYI: This means Rach goes by the pronoun ‘they’ and so we’ll refer to them that way throughout this episode.)

We have a long talk here about what gender non-binary means and why it was important for Rach to be honest about who they are.

Here’s the story we did on Rach’s decision earlier this year. And, as mentioned, here are some additional resources and articles about what gender non-binary means:

Understanding Non-Binary People (The National Center for Transgender Equality)
‘The Struggles of Rejecting the Gender Binary’ (NYT)
Model Policy on Non-Binary Athlete Inclusion (Athlete Ally)

Women's History Month: Chelsea Sodaro Mar 30, 2021

Show notes

Today we're re-airing our episode with former pro runner (and 10K national champion) Chelsea Sodaro. A few years ago, after many injuries and a disappointing 2016 Olympics run, she made the switch to triathlon—and has already seen success, winning multiple 70.3s and taking 4th at the 70.3 World Championships this past fall.

Chelsea talks about why she’s having fun now, what she’s learned, why she decided to stop chasing the Olympic dream and move to 70.3 (hint: it has to do with staying close to her family), and how she’s evaluated her big goals during this stressful time.

Despite a few internet issues, this is an insightful conversation and full of great information. Bear with us! Plus, you’ll want to hear what her running PRs are…

And first we talk to Jeff Sankoff, an ER physician, triathlete, and coach who runs TriDoc coaching and puts on the TriDoc podcast.

He answers some key questions athletes have right now about their health and safety.

Women's History Month: Sika Henry Mar 29, 2021

Show notes

Today we're going back to our episode with Sika Henry, who is trying to become the first female African-American pro triathlete. How did she end up with that goal and why hasn’t there been someone before her?

Last year, Sika also had a horrific crash and doesn’t remember anything before waking up in the hospital. How do you get back on your bike after that? Plus, she still balances a full-time job and a full-time training load, even with her big goals—something a lot of us will appreciate. And she tells us why she almost turned down the chance to do Kona as her first Ironman last year.

First, though, Triathlete senior editor Chris Foster talks to us about Lubbock 70.3 this weekend—which is scheduled to be the first large triathlon since the COVID-19 pandemic started. What will it look like? And if you don’t have races on the horizon, like most of us, then what are your options for putting on a self-supported triathlon? If you’re looking for more information, here’s our story about the race.

Read more about how to do a self-supported triathlon.

Women's History Month: Holly Lawrence Mar 28, 2021

Show notes

In our fifth episode we talked with 70.3 World Champ Holly Lawrence, who explained how coming back from a devastating injury helped prepare her for uncertainty during this COVID-19 pandemic.

She talks to us from her house in LA about why she doesn’t ride in the rain, how the World Championships in Nice stressed her out, and if she thinks pro triathletes can be a little boring. Plus, she was preparing to do her first Ironman in St. George — what now?

Senior editor Chris Foster joins us first, though, to help figure out if too many triathletes are getting quarantine injured, why, and what they can do about it.

Women's History Month: Heather Jackson Mar 27, 2021

Show notes

Today we're re-airing our episode with Kona podium finisher and multi-time Ironman champ Heather Jackson. Known for her constant smile, Heather tells us how she stays so positive and what the deal was with the bananas when she won Ironman Lake Placid.

A former hockey player, Heather was a high school teacher after college and an age-group athlete when she decided to move to San Diego and go pro. Now she’s one of the fastest women on the circuit. She tells us how she changed her perspective and what she thinks are the most common mistakes age-groupers make.

Plus, coach Marilyn Chychota talks to us about what athletes are struggling with right now, how to stay motivated, and what her biggest tips are. She talks extensively about figuring out what your motivations are. Here is the worksheet she mentions that you can go through yourself to evaluate your own motivation.

Ep. 15: The Beginners' Guide to Triathlon Mar 26, 2021

Show notes

In episode 15, we're bringing you the beginners' guide to triathlon, giving you the lowdown on all you need to know to get started in tri. With three sports to balance, a ton of gear to figure out, races to select—and plenty more—it can be hard to know where to begin.

In this show, we chat with coach and author Matt Fitzgerald, who gives us his advice on how to get started with training, how to fuel well, how to prevent and avoid injuries, as well as some of the things he learned from his first race more than 20 years ago. We also hear from coach Morgon Latimore, who has welcomed a lot of novices into the sport and really enjoys helping athletes master their mindset.

And we wrap up the show with our Gear Up! section with Triathlete's senior editor and resident gear guru Chris Foster who talks through all the gear you need to get started in tri—as well as all the stuff you don't. He shares his experience on helping beginners select the best kit for them and tells us some of his favorite brands when looking to bargain shop for a sport that can be expensive.

Be sure to check out some of our resources too:

Read the transcript of this episode here.

Women's History Month: Flora Duffy Mar 26, 2021

Show notes

Today we go back to our second episode with Flora Duffy, who joined us last year from South Africa, where she was in lockdown and stuck in the house.

The Xterra and ITU World champ talked to us about what it’s like to be an Olympic favorite and now not have an Olympics to go to, growing up in Bermuda, coming back from injuries, and how it took her a decade to become an overnight sensation. Plus, she’s got her eyes on 70.3 Worlds this November and she shares some things she learned from her first 70.3.

Kelly also chats first with Brad Culp about the triathlon landscape, how pros are making a living through all this, and they get into some speculation about what could happen with Kona.

Women's History Month: Sarah True Mar 25, 2021

Show notes

Today we're re-airing our very first episode with Olympian and Kona 4th place finisher Sarah True.

Sarah tells us about what it’s like right now dealing with the financial uncertainty of being a pro athlete during the spread of coronavirus, why she decided to race in Campeche 70.3 before travel restrictions went into effect, and how she’s focusing on family for the next few months.

As part of the Olympic Selection Committee, Sarah also gives us the inside scoop about the triathlon Olympic selection criteria. And we talk about her ongoing heat issues in races, which led to a series of devastating DNFs in 2019. Can her brain recover and bounce back?

Plus, a quick game of ‘would you rather.’

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