Everyday Ironman Podcast

In this episode, I speak to Kostas Lozanas who recently released a documentary about his experience at Ironman Waco in October 2021. The documentary titled Keep Moving Forward is currently available on YouTube.Kostas is a husband, father of four girls and owns two Greek restaurants in the Dallas suburb of Rowlett, Texas. He shares that his athletic background consisted of performing early morning PT at a South Texas boarding school and competing in bodybuilding competitions which led him to win Mr. Teen Texas in 2007.After retiring from bodybuilding, Kostas focused his attention to business and his dream of owning his own restaurant. He opened his first restaurant in 2013 and his second recently, during the Pandemic. He admits that having completed two 70.3 races in the past did leave him with a feeling of unfinished business and this year found himself in a position to dedicate the time to completing a full distance race.Kostas acknowledges that he officially started training for the full distance race only 3 months in advance of race day. His coach, while hesitant as first, soon realized that Kostas was willing to put in the necessary work. They focused on getting him to the starting line fit and injury-free. Trusting his management team, Kostas was able to reduce the hours that he spent on the business and make Ironman training his full time job.We spend a few minutes talking about how he got his start creating YouTube content and his passion for filmmaking. We discuss the format for his documentary, and he gives me a quick lesson on the importance of the story arc in filmmaking.We spend some time discussing the Waco course and Kostas’ experience. He acknowledges that he embraced the fact that you only get one time to experience your 1st Ironman and wasn’t concerned about his finish time. We compare our approaches to bike training and breakdown some last minute advice his coach gave him the night before the race.We talk about his thoughts on being social during the run and he gives advice on how to leverage other athletes to help with pacing. We compare stories on how easy it is to “forget” that you have to run all 26.2 miles of the marathon. And Kostas gives a little glimpse into his previous experience hiking/backpacking in Ruidoso, NM.And of course, we talk bikes! Kostas explains that he had to buy a bike during the height of the bike shortage and was lucky to find a bike in his size that would suit his needs. We round out of conversation talking about what is on the horizon, Kostas shares that he would love to complete in Ironman Florida in 2022. I announce that I will be participating in Ironman 70.3 Texas in Galveston, next April, as part of a relay team and have plans to serve as a volunteer after completing the swim portion of the relay.If you haven’t already, click the link below to view Kostas’ documentary Keep Moving Forward.https://youtu.be/1kvDRywhY-MYou can follow Kostas and his adventures on Instagram @kostastxSupport the show

In this episode I speak to Endurance Athlete Brandon Hozack. Brandon lives in Vancouver, Washington with his wife and son. Previously a firefighter/paramedic he currently works as a tattoo artist.While claiming to not have an athletic background, Brandon got introduced to the sport of triathlon in 2014 where he started competing in local sprint and Olympic distance races before making the move to Half Ironman. In the summer of 2021, he completed Ironman 70.3 Washington. Brandon is currently training for a 50K trail run in April of 2022 and has his sights on completing the full distance Ironman in Alaska in 2023. Brandon shares that he lives with an autoimmune disease called Ankylosing Spondylitis, which is a rare form of arthritis that targets the spine and ribcage. Brandon explains how AS effects the body, some of the 1st symptoms, and what he deals with daily. Even through adversity, he believes that this disease has changed his life for the better.Brandon is passionate about living his life in a way to prove to his son and others that you don’t have to be limited by AS. Taking the words of both his doctor who said “…we can’t let these diseases push us around” and his wife who reminded him that “an object in motion stays in motion” Brandon is determined to continue and push forward by staying active.We talk about some of the things that Brandon has been able to accomplish including his favorite race to date. We have a good time analyzing how he could have improved 59 seconds in a Sprint Triathlon that would have yielded him 3rd place in his Age Group, and he vows to return to the same venue next year to improve his finish position.Brandon shares how he has gone from a feeling of anger to acceptance and is beginning to share his story in the hopes to inspire others dealing with a similar situation. You can follow Brandon on Instagram @do.as.is to see daily accounts of life with AS. He believes that with perseverance and the right mind set someone doesn’t have to be limited by this disease.We talk about the 50K race he has coming up, our thoughts on being social on the run, he shares a story of how he “paced” another athlete to the finish line and we, of course, talk about bikes.Support the show

In this episode we hear Travis Coffey’s incredible story. Travis is the father of Brookelyn Coffey who was my guest in episode 20. In 2019, Travis suffered a traumatic injury that forever changed his life.Having completed Ironman Louisville in 2018, Travis was not going to accept the diagnosis of his doctors and not only knew he would walk again but that he would race Ironman once more.Travis shares his story of the day he suffered the injury, what he remembers of the days following and his and Brookelyn’s training as he rehabbed his way back to the starting line.We talk about training and racing before his injury including his experience at Ironman Louisville in 2018 and his experiences this year at Ironman 70.3 Ohio and Ironman Indiana.Travis’ personal motto is “Never Give Up” and he definitely plans to live by that as each takes each day as a gift.If you are struggling to overcome an obstacle in your life, we hope that you will be inspired by Travis’ story. As athletes we have been told to “listen to our bodies” and to heed our doctor’s advice but what do you do when those don’t necessarily line up. It’s an incredible story of perseverance. I am honored to have meet Travis and excited to see what he accomplishes in the years to come.Support the show

In this episode, I speak to Rob Hutchings. Rob is currently living in New Zealand and has recently published a book titled Downriver Nomad: A Triathlete’s Adventures and Adversities into the Rapids.His book chronicles how he got introduced to the sport of triathlon as a teenager in Newfoundland Canada, discovered marathon swimming shortly after, received his degree in Chiroptic care in England, meet and married his wife in Australia and eventually became the 1st person to ever swim New Zealand’s Clutha River.Rob shares some of those stories and more as we breakdown a few of the details that went into his journey to swim the full length of a 256 km river. Rob self-produced a documentary with video that he and his support team collected during his 4.5 day journey. To view that video click the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WeIW6ioSHZA&t=162sThinking about putting your open water swimming skills to the test? Rob has you covered with a light-hearted instructional video: https://youtu.be/SuWhwPv6ipYTo purchase Downriver Nomad: A Triathlete’s Adventures and Adversities into the Rapids and read Rob’s full story search your favorite bookstore, your favorite source for e-books or click the Amazon link below: https://www.amazon.com/dp/047358834X/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_795757QBERP6SYT7F4KZSupport the show

In this episode, I speak to 19 year old Brookelyn Coffey who recently completed Ironman Indiana. After establishing her athletic background, Brookelyn shares how she got started on her Ironman journey. To keep her dad company while he recovered from a stroke in 2019, they trained together to be ready for the 2020 season.Brookelyn confesses that she had wanted to join her parents and train for a triathlon with them but didn’t want to hold them back, after her dad’s injury she realized that she would be able to build fitness with him and he recovered. They had originally signed up to race Muncie 70.3 in 2020 when she would have been 18 years old. After the crazy that was 2020, her dad, her mom and Brookelyn all registered for and completed both Ohio 70.3 and the inaugural race of Ironman Indiana just a few weeks ago. Brookelyn explains how she was 1st out of the water for family bragging rights and that since they has sequential race numbers, she and her mom where able to hang out in T1 to make sure that her dad, Travis, made it safely out of the water before heading out on the bike course as a family during 70.3 Ohio.For Ironman Indiana, it was everyone for themselves as they all decided to race their own race. Because it’s a loop course with a few out and backs they did get to see each other several times, in passing, on both the bike and run courses.We breakdown her finish times for all 3 disciplines and talk about the advantages and disadvantages of a multi-loop course can be. Additionally, we agree that there are so many fun people that you meet on the run course when you’re a “back of the packer.”After completing Ironman Indiana, Brookelyn was able to get the M-Dot tattoo. She explains how her tattoo has more meaning than just completing a 140.6 mile endurance race.We talk about what she has planned for next year and she shares some advice that she was given.Support the show

In this episode, I speak to one of the few finishers of the Texas Two Step. In October 2021 Waco, TX  hosted both the full and ½ distance Ironman race on the same weekend. James is married with 3 adult children and works 60-70 hours per week as a Podiatric Surgeon. When he is not saving his patient’s feet, he is beating his own up on the racecourse. James has completed 16 full distance Ironman races and too many sprint, Olympic and half iron-distance races to count.James and I discuss how he and his training partner signed up for both distances on the same weekend and James acknowledges that his middle son completed the 70.3 but took 10 minutes longer than he did, leaving Dad with bragging rights.We discuss the logistic of handling all the things needed to participate in both races and recognize the incredible job by the Ironman staff and Volunteers. James and the less than 20 other athletes, who participated in both races, were given the VIP treatment that they deserved.While I only raced the 70.3, this was a unique opportunity to breakdown the race into phases and discuss both how James' race experience on the course was different from one day to the next as well as how it was compared to my own personal experience.I improperly acknowledge @scottflathousephoto for the awesome race photos that are posted on Instagram.James talks about the advantage of his @diamondbikes and his positive experiences with their Customer Service and onsite race mechanic.You can follow James @noriega1Support the show

In this week’s episode we hear from Angie Jackson. Angie recently completed Ironman 70.3 Atlantic City and is on her quest to become an Ironman in 2022.Angie gives us an overview of her background and what compelled her to start her journey to becoming heart healthy. Angie is part of a very supportive group in her current town of Fayetteville, NC called Black Girls Run. It was through that group that she was introduced to the sport of triathlon. Angie admits how during her 1st Super Sprint she used the lane ropes to “pull” herself across the water to complete the swim leg.Not learning to swim as a child, Angie signed up for adult swim lessons at her local YMCA. She tells us what that experience was like and confesses that she had to take the class a second time.We talk about how a 1.2 mile swim needs to be respected and Angie recommends a book that has helped her. Angie is targeting Ironman Maryland 2022 for her 1st full distance race. Her new motto is “Wanna be a Crabbie.” She explains what drew her to that venue over the others she had to choose from.Just after completing the 70.3 in Atlantic City, Angie accompanied a friend to Augusta Georgia to perform Sherpa duties and served as a race volunteer. Angie gives one of the best “pro tips” ever: Volunteers can go everywhere. She tells a very funny account of how she guided the swimmers to the Swim Finish. From there she worked the bike and run courses and was even handing out medals at the finish line. She even gets me to commit to volunteering at a race soon.When asked how she balances training, work, and family; Angie provides a very honest response. She describes how a date with her “significant other” looks and we agree that while delicious, corn dogs and funnel cakes from the State Fair and not part of Ironman training.We discuss how Angie came to name her bike Hurricane. After telling the story of my bike again, Angie casually provides what my bike will be called moving forward.Angie gives some very good advice for anyone that is just starting out or struggling to maintain focus: have an accountability partner. It’s often easier to give up on yourself than it is to let someone else down.I look forward to following Angie’s journey over the next year and am sending her all the positives vibes in her training for Ironman Maryland 2022.Support the show

In this special episode, I give a detailed account of my experience in Waco for the Ironman 70.3 race.I explain how check-in went, share some advice I was given and acknowledge a few individuals that made an impact on me over the last few days.Support the show

After much fanfare and anticipation, it’s finally time to race. In this week’s update episode, I breakdown the last 2 weeks of training and what the next 2-3 days will look like.I give a detailed account of my nutrition plan and admit that I bought yet another piece of training equipment.Look for a special Race Report episode early next week and be sure to check out my interview with Angie Jackson next Friday.Support the show

In this episode we hear from Amanda McDonald. Amanda is a 3 time Ironman finisher and recently complete 2 full distance races in 6 days. Amanda got her competitive spirit as a child as she trained as a gymnast before suffering an elbow injury that caused her to pursuit a different sport. She discovered Rugby in college. She even became the captain of her Rugby club while living in China.After moving back to the USA, Amanda’s interest turned toward triathlon. She decided that if she could complete a Sprint distance, she could complete a full Ironman race. She chronicles her race progression from Sprint to Olympic to ½ Ironman to Full Ironman. We discuss whether the sight cord in Mirror Lake is actually an advantage when racing Ironman Lake Placid.Amanda talks through how she ended up registering for 2 full distance races 6 days apart from each other. She completed Ironman Wisconsin on Sunday September 12, 2021, and Ironman Maryland on Saturday September 18, 2021!She is honest about her lack luster training at the start of 2021 which lead to her DNF at St. George 70.3 and that her performance lit “fire under her bum” into June and July. In the middle of July, Amanda had to undergo an emergency appendectomy which prevented her from swimming during the next few weeks.Amanda gives a lot of credit to her coach for keeping her motivated during her recovery. She shares the thing that her coach helps her focus on more than any other. She shares how she got the nickname Badass Panda and how she loves to spread joy to others on the racecourse. We talked about what she has planned for next year and she revealed that being a “guide” is something that she is looking into.Because she is working her way to finishing 12 full distance races with the goal of racing in Kona, she shared her thoughts on the decision to hold the next Ironman World Championships in St. George, Utah next May.You can follow Amanda on Instagram @thefriendlyironmanSupport the show