Endurance Junkie Podcast

Jon Ackland is an internationally regarded exercise physiologist and sports performance consultant, who specialises in program design and planning for high-performance athletes. A former national rowing champion and Ironman triathlete himself, Jon has over 20 years of experience in helping athletes like triathlete Terenzo Bozzone, the New Zealand All Blacks rugby team and several America’s Cup yacht crews to achieve peak performance. The last couple of years, Jon and his team have developed the ARDA Coaching Engine, a virtual fitness coach that offers individual and personalised coaching, based on your wearable's data. In this interview we talk about: – Jon's sporting background and transition into coaching – How his own coaching philosophy has changed over the years – What to look for when choosing a coach – His coaching relationship with Terenzo Bozzone – ARDA, the virtual coaching software he is currently developing at Performance Lab

Kate Courtney is one of the top up-and-coming female cross-country mountain bike racers in the world. Sponsored by Specialized, Kate won the U23 Elite World Cup series in 2017 as well as the American National Championships in the Senior elite category. This year she will be making her debut in the elite category of the World Cup series and she has her sights set on Tokyo 2020. You can follow Kate on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. In this interview we talk about: – Kate's sporting background and progression in XC mountainbiking – Moving up from the U23 to the elite level in 2018 – The aggregation of marginal gains – Kate's favorite meal: her pre-race breakfast – Achievements, disappointments and ambitions

Alison Tetrick is one of America’s top female professional road racers who has been making a big splash in the Gravel scene as of late. She first showed up at the Dirty Kanza, where she put on a brilliant performance to take the victory in a two up sprint after 206 miles of racing. She kept the momentum rolling by going to Gravel Worlds and taking the victory there as well. You can follow Alison on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. In this interview we talk about: – Alison's sporting background and transition into road cycling – Racing the Belgian Classics like the Tour of Flanders – The gravel racing scene – Achievements, disappointments and ambitions

Originally from San Antonio, Texas, George Briones grew up playing soccer, basketball, football and ran track. He joined the Marines in 2007 and was a Reconnaissance Marine with deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan and was an Instructor at Basic Reconnaissance Course for three and half years. George left his military career behind to become the Head Coach at SOFlete HQ, where he prepares candidates for Special Forces Assessment and Selection. Today, George's focus is on the hybrid athlete, a unique breed who can excel simultaneously in both strength and endurance activities. You can follow George on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. In this interview we talk about: – George's sporting background and his military career – The difference between tactical fitness and regular fitness – His job as Head Coach at SOFlete HQ – Training the hybrid athlete

Angela Naeth is a Canadian triathlete who has raced professionally since 2009. She is known for her power on the bike and has multiple 70.3 titles to her name as well as two full Ironman distance titles. We didn’t see much of Angela in 2016 and the beginning of 2017 because she was having issues with a foot injury, but with solid performances at 70.3 Miami and 70.3 Bahrain, it looks like she is back in business! In her quest to give back to the sport that she loves so much, she created iracelikeagirl.com, a social community that gives her the opportunity to support other women in the sport of triathlon. You can follow Angela on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. In this interview we talk about: – Angela's sporting background and how she got into triathlon – Her interview with Kristian Manietta on the Fat Black Podcast – Dealing with the foot injury that sidelined her for 18 months – The idea behind her women only community Iracelikeagirl.com – Future goals and ambitions

Kristian Blummenfelt is a Norwegian triathlete who is currently ranked number three in the World Triathlon Series. Kristian made history in his country as the first Norwegian to compete in triathlon at the Olympic Games. At only 23 years of age, Kristian has already won two World Cup races and has become a regular on the podium with a couple of second and third place finishes. In 2017, Kristian also won the Super League event in Jersey in dominating style and he won his debut race at the 70.3 distance by outrunning Terenzo Bozzone in Bahrain. You can follow Kristian on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. In this interview we talk about: – Kristian's sporting background and how he got into triathlon – The triathlon scene in Norway, a typical wintersport country – How he went from a competitor on the ITU circuit to one of the top contenders – His 2017 season withn wins at Super League Jersey and 70.3 Bahrain – Future goals and ambitions

Adrian Ballinger is a big-mountain climbing rockstar who has thirteen 8000m+ (26,000 feet+) summits to his name, including 7 times Mt Everest. In 2017, Adrian summited Everest without the use of supplemental oxygen; a feat that less than 200 people in the world have ever achieved. As founder and head guide of Alpenglow Expeditions, Adrian has been guiding full-time for fifteen years and has led over 100 international climbing expeditions on 5 continents. Adrian is the only American who has skied two 8,000 meter peaks, was the first person to ski Manaslu, the 8th tallest mountain in the world, and in 2011 became the first person to summit three 8,000 meter peaks in only 3 weeks (Everest twice and Lhotse once). You can follow Adrian on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. In this interview we talk about: – Adrian's sporting background and how he got into big-mountain climbing – How to train (technically, physically and mentally) for big-mountain climbing – Differences between summiting Mt Everest with or without su

Mikey Sklar is a hardware developer, an ultrarunner and a biohacker. He uses today’s technology to gather data about himself in order to perfect his daily routine of eating, sleeping, working, and exercising and thus improving the overall functioning of his body for optimal performance. You can follow Mikey on Instagram. In this interview we talk about: – Mikey's sporting background and how he got into biohacking – DNA testing as a starting point – Training at 64% of VO2Max or Niko Niko pace (Slow Jogging) – Running 76 miles in 24hrs taking in zero calories – Why it's important to take a break from monitoring all your data

John Kelly is an ultrarunner with a triathlon habit. In April 2017, John became only the 15th person in history to finish the infamous Barkley Marathons. He finished in a time of 59h30m33s - only 27 seconds before the 60-hour race cut-off. 6 months later, John finished 61st overall at the Ironman World Championships in Kona, including a marathon run split of 3h00m42s. John gets a tremendous amount of joy, strength, and perspective out of both ultrarunning and triathlon. He has encountered many of his limits, both physical and mental, and then discovered that he could push them further than he ever thought possible. You can follow John on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. In this interview we talk about: – John's sporting background – His obsession with the Barkley Marathons – How he recovered from a 60hr race – His road to Kona 2018 – Triathlon and ultrarunning goals for 2018 and beyond

Terenzo Bozzone is a professional triathlete from New Zealand who races primarily in long distance, non-drafting events. He is known as the hardest-working man in triathlon, queueing up back-to-back races and seemingly getting better and better with each race. Since his best-ever finish on the Big Island (sixth) on October 14, Terenzo has been on a roll with a win at 70.3 Los Cabos, a very close 2nd place at Island House Triathlon, a 2nd place at 70.3 Bahrain and a succesfull defence of his Ironman Western Australia title. You can follow Terenzo on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. In this interview we talk about: – Terenzo's sporting background and progression in triathlon – His coaching relationship with Jon Ackland – A recap of his 2017 season and looking forward to (Kona) 2018 – What's left on his "must-do" list – How to recover from back-to-back 70.3 races

Ellie Greenwood is a British ultrarunner based in Vancouver, Canada. She is a two-time Western States 100 champion and course-record holder, a two-time IAU 100k World Championships winner, and in 2014 she added the prestigious Comrades Marathon crown to her myriad magical moments. You can follow Ellie on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. In this interview we talk about: – Ellie's sporting background and progression in running – Dominating ultrarunning from 2010 to 2014 – Working on mental toughness – Battling injury and the road to recovery – Achievements, disappointments and future goals

Nick Symmonds is a a five-time US 800m champion, two-time Olympian, silver medalist at the 2013 IAAF World Championships in Moscow and fifth place finisher at the 2012 London Olympics. He recently retired from track & field and is now focusing on further growing his business RunGum, a performance-oriented chewing gum with caffeine. You can follow Nick on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. In this interview we talk about: – Nick's sporting background and progression in running – Life as a pro track & field athlete – His 3h00m35s marathon debut – What he learnt on the track that he now uses in business – Achievements, disappointments and future goals

Alyssa Hawley is a professional obstacle course racer and member of the Spartan Pro Team. In her short career in the sport, she has become a serious threat to the old guard, bringing a unique blend of stamina along with the ability to out carry most in the field due to her strength. She ended a stellar 2017 Spartan season on a huge note taking 3rd at World Championships. You can follow Alyssa on Facebook and Instagram. In this interview we talk about: – Alyssa's sporting background and progression in OCR – Life on the Spartan Pro Team – What a typical training week looks like and why she just hired a coach – Setting up her own coaching business – Goals and bucketlist races

Mike Foote transformed from an average runner to elite ultra-distance trail and mountain runner when he was selected to run the Wasatch 100, one of the most grueling 100-mile footraces in the world, back in 2009. He started running higher mileage, signed up for tune-up races in Montana and finally ended up 9th at Wasatch 100. Since then, Mike has recorded a third place finish at UTMB in 2012, three second-place finishes at Hardrock 100 and multiple wins over various distances. In the past few years Mike has re-shifted his running focus to skiing in the winter months, exploring the backcountry and becoming a leader in the sport of ski mountaineering racing. You can follow Mike on Facebook and Instagram. In this interview we talk about: – Mike's sporting background and progression in ultrarunning – How he picks his races and sets up his training plan – Why he picked up Ski Mountaineering and how it has helped his running – Hardrock 2018 – Biggest achievement and disappointment

One month after Brian Boyle graduated from high school in 2004, he was coming home from swim practice when he was involved in a near fatal car accident. He died and was revived eight times on the operating table before doctors put him into a drug-induced coma. Thirty-nine months later, Brian crossed the finish line at the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii. His journey of courage and determination has touched the hearts of many and his story and the message it carries has been celebrated around the world. On December 2-3, 2017, Brian Boyle ran 100 miles for 100 blood donors to help raise awareness on the importance of blood donation. You can follow Brian on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. In this interview we talk about: – Brian’s sporting background growing up – The accident that changed the life of an 18-year old – His road from coma to Kona – Racing the Devil Dog 100 for 100 blood donations (video)

24 year old Ellie Salthouse has been doing triathlons since she was 11 and turned pro at 16. After racing the ITU circuit for a couple of years, stepping away form the sport, but coming back only six months later, she decided in 2016 to focus on non-drafting racing. This summer she won Ironman 70.3 Boulder and six days before competing at Island House, she won Ironman Miami 70.3. Coached by Siri Lindley, she is in fierce form and ready for Taupo 70.3 this weekend. You can follow Ellie on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. In this interview we talk about: – Ellie's sporting background and progression in triathlon – Why she walked away from the sport and why she made a quick comeback – Working with Siri Lindley – What she loves about the 70.3 format – Achievements and goals

Kriss Hendy  is a strength coach who specializes in injury rehabilitation and strength training for endurance performance. Kriss strongly believes that strength & conditioning is a commonly overlooked area of training within the endurance community, where the sole focus is on the sport in question, which may suffice in the short term but will ultimately result in long-term injury issues. You can follow Kriss on Facebook, Instagram and Youtube. In this interview we talk about: – The importance of strength training for endurance athletes – Common issues endurance athletes struggle with – Filtering the "fluff" information that's available on social media about strength training – The importance of a good warm-up – Some strength tips for athletes who are currently in off-season or early racing season

Stefanie Bishop is a US athlete who competes in ultra-endurance adventure and obstacle course races like the infamous Death Race (which she won twice) and World’s Thoughest Mudder (which she won in 2016). Stefanie was very active as a child and competed in a number of different sports growing up. She picked up triathlon in 2005 but got bored quickly and started looking at other endurance events and in 2009 came across the Death Race, which has now developed into the Spartan series of races. You can follow Stefanie on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. In this interview we talk about: – The injury that preventedher from defending her World's Thoughest Mudder title – Stefanie's sporting background growing up – The Death Race and the evolution of OCR – Training and nutrition – Goals, achievements and disappointments

Lucy Bartholomew hales from Australia and is one of the world's best young trail runners. Completing her first 100k race at the age of 15, Lucy's race credentials are nothing but impressive. She was Junior Skyrunning World Champion in Chamonix a few years ago, she won the YCC (the Youth event) at UTMB in 2016 and this year she won the Ultra-Trail Australia 100k on her 21st birthday and placed 5th at TDS - the wilder and more technical sister race of UTMB. You can follow Lucy on Facebook and Instagram. In this interview we talk about: – Lucy’s sporting background and progression in ultrarunning – How her training has evolved over the years – Her expectations going into Saturday's Ultra-Trail Cape Town – Her conscious decision to eat a plant based diet – Achievements, disappointments and some great advice

Ashleigh Gentle is an Australian triathlete who is currently ranked second on the 2017 ITU World Triathlon Series Ranking. Ashleigh started triathlon at the age of 14 and quickly ditched the team sports she was also doing to focus on swimming, cycling and running. She made her first Junior World Championship Squad at age 16 and hasn’t stopped improving since. Today, she is a regular on the Triathlon World Series podiums and has her sights set on Commonwealth Gold in 2018. Fueled by a sub-par performance at the 2016 Rio Olympics, Ashleigh will no doubt be a contender for a medal at the 2020 Tokyo Games. You can follow Ashleigh on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. In this interview we talk about: – Ashleigh’s sporting background and progression in the sport – The effect of switching coaches after the Rio 2016 Olympics – The difficulties of being in a relationship with another pro triathlete – Commonwealth Games 2018, Tokyo 2020 and beyond – Her thoughts on Gwen Jorgensen's move from ITU racing to marathon runnin