S6E10 -- UMWC Athletes in Profile -- Mark Moody & Keri Mandell

Happy Thanksgiving USA!

When Thanksgiving rolls around 515 athletes know that it is time for the Ultraman World Championships.

In this episode I speak with two athletes who will be competing in this year’s race.

Mark Moody is an EMT from Bellevue Washington who holds the 60+ age group record at Ultraman Canada.  He has crewed numerous times at 515 races around the world and is now ready for his own adventure on the island.  He doesn’t take things too seriously when at these events, except for trying to win the Kokua award.

Keri Mandell is a yoga entrepreneur who has raced at both UM Arizona and UM Florida (completing the McVeay double).  She has competed in ultramarathons up to 100 miles and  completed the World Marathon Challenge.  These events have inspired her to write a book based on the experiences.  If you are interested in attending one of Keri’s yoga retreats – check out her website : https://empoweryoganj.com/

Keri’s Youtube

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• UM Arizona
• IM Louisville
• C26 Triathlon
• UM Canada
• UMWC
• Crew Jort (patent pending M.Moody)
• UM Australia
• F2C Nutrition
• Challenge Penticton 
• Yakima  River Canyon marathon
• Issaquah ski and cycle
• Moab 240
• World Marathon Challenge
• emPOWER Yoga
• Power Vinyasa
• Yoga Alliance 
• Sydney Marathon
• Limitless : What I learned from running the world in seven days. – Book
• Ultraman Florida

Shout outs and mentions in this episode:

• Shane Duffy (S4E5)
• Dan Attard
• Bobby Soos
• Gail Laux
• Bill Justus
• Shannon Callie
• Eric Streng
• Ray Schroeder
• Randy Latza
• Jen McVeay (S2E8)
• Christine Boscoff
• Simon Cochrane (S4E8)
• Steve King (S1E1) (S1E2) (S1E3)
• Fiona Siemelink
• Tom Price 
• Bob Dolphine
• Julie Moss
• Wayne Allen 
• Matt Special K
• Dan Mandell
• Petr Vabrousek (S2E2)
• Makoto Hoshino (S1E2)
• Richard Donovan
• Billy Rickards
• Steve Keller (S2E10)

Show Contributors:

Host : Larry Ryan
Contributing Raconteur : Steve King
Announcer : Mary Jo Dionne
Production : 5Five Enterprises
Music  :  Run by 331

For show notes and past guests, please visit the Podcast Website: https://515theultrapodcast.buzzsprout.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/515TheUltraPodcast
Insta : 515theultrapodcast
Email : 515Ultraman@gmail.com

Transcript

Intro

SPEAKER_02 0:00

I don't know about the flow.

Larry 0:52

Ultraman World Camping. Happy U.S. Thanksgiving.

Ohana Guest Mark Moody

Larry 1:01

Today's athlete in profile for the World Championship holds an age group record at the Ultraman Canada for 60 to 69. He has also competed in 32 Ironman races and recently completed the rim-to-rim to rim at the Grand Canyon. He holds a streak of 25 consecutive outings at the Yakima River Canyon Marathon. Joining me from his home in Bellevue, Washington, it's Mark Moody. Hi, Mark. Howdy, howdy. Just so people understand a little bit about uh where you are, because you're not far from me. I'm in Vancouver. You're kind of close to Seattle, Washington in the United States. Where exactly would we tell people Bellevue is in relation to Seattle?

SPEAKER_02 1:45

Basically nine miles east of Seattle, just the other side of Lake Washington. There are two floating bridges that leave Seattle, and Bellevue is on the east side of Lake Washington.

Larry 1:56

Well well, Mark, I mean, you and I met uh a couple years ago now, back when Shane Duffy was on his quest to complete six 515 distance races in a 12-month period. I jumped in at Ultraman Arizona and and met you and him and and the rest of the crew with Dan and Bobby Seuss, Dan Atard and Bobby Seuss was there. Um when when was it that and how was it that you got hooked up with Shane? Like I I know that you were at many of his races, and and how'd that all start for you? Because I I'm not sure that you necessarily he didn't have a Ohana connection to begin with. How did you do that?

SPEAKER_02 2:40

Well, he accrued he didn't crew actually, he volunteered at Louisville, Iron Man Louisville in 2018, I believe. And um, I was there doing the Iron Man, and I was with a group called C-26, and he was uh taking bikes as people came in off the bike, you know, and putting them into transition. And uh so he reached out to C-26 and said, Look, uh, I need a crew, I'm going to do the Ultraman in Penticton. And I was already kind of interested in it anyway, so I just I kind of put my hand up and said, Yeah, I would definitely come and crew for you. And uh, so I met Shane and Gail and me and Bill Justice. That's when we met. That was the genesis of our um, you know, we became a band, so to speak.

Larry 3:37

Yeah. Uh and that's Gail Locke's the uh extraordinary masseuse that Shane brought over from Australia.

SPEAKER_02 3:47

Yeah, don't get me going because I'll start crying. She is, yeah, she is everything.

SPEAKER_04 3:54

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 3:55

But it was so much, it was actually so much fun, and uh, you know, and just the whole I used to kind of crack up, but I mean this the whole Ohana, the whole idea of just you know, everybody's rooting for everybody, and we're gonna get through this. And and you're in Penticton, and uh, you know, riding, riding through the Cascades in Canada, and it's just uh one of the most beautiful experiences I've ever had. So I was uh so that, anyways, that's how that started. And then I just kind of followed him around. I went to Florida and crewed for him there, and then uh Arizona, where I met you, and then and and I thought I knew what brewing was all about until you kind of jumped on board, and I still have uh a video of you, and and I don't people understand exactly how uh uh when when uh especially on the bike, when you're coming through and uh you have your crew van there and you have somebody running alongside you handing bottles, and uh um man, it's textbook. And uh, if I ever become a crew coach, I will use that video. I hope you don't mind, as uh just how to get it done. Because you were running, you're you're you're a track coach, right? Yeah, yeah, and it shows in this particular video, very clean, crisp handoff. And if you remember, um, it was really windy on top of everything else, and that early part of that uh the bike leg. Yeah, so yeah, that was uh you kind of remember those moments, and uh it's not like uh it's not like any other kind of race because it's three days and it's two nights, and uh you know, you're you're spending a night in Princeton, um, you know, and then I don't even know what to expect so much in uh in in the Ultraman because I was there crewing for Shannon Callies and uh the the volcano hit, so they changed the course. Which is uh talking about the first time you crewed now. Yeah, the f first time I crewed for Shannon. So, you know, and this was uh this you know, this is Kona, so which is a completely different uh cookie. Yeah. I think I've I think I've crewed in Florida four times.

Larry 6:15

And I I for people listening that are looking for crew members, I gotta say, you were one of the hardest working men on a crew I've ever seen. Like you did not stop from the moment you get up at 3:30 in the morning until the moment you went to bed at 1 a.m. the the next night. Like you were working all day long, cleaning stuff, putting stuff, reorganizing, getting stuff, going shopping. Like if anybody needs a crew member and and Mark's willing, he's a he's an awesome crew chief.

SPEAKER_02 6:47

Oh well, thanks. Like I said, I learned that work ethic. I thought I had a work ethic until I met you, but you know, it's really that that's what it's all about. And to think that uh, you know, this may sound a little corny, but being the athlete is almost the easiest job because there are so many things that the crew does, and to pretend like it's not a team race is is kind of silly. It is a total team race, and uh, you know, I've had people ask to crew for me, and I said, No, I got my crew. You know, I've got uh uh my my crew chief Eric, who I've known for over 30 years. We were both in the Marine Corps together, and we both work together side by side as the EMTs in uh in the Puget Center in the Seattle area, and then Ray, who has been a critical care nurse for over 40 years, and then another retired critical care nurse um that I've worked with. Um, that's my crew, and I I wouldn't change any part of it.

Larry 7:46

Yeah, yeah, no, and and that's an important part. I mean, people that know you as well as these guys do, and that you work with in stressful situations. Um, yeah, I mean, I think that's probably an important part of your connection as well. I know there's a story of when we were in Arizona, and right in front of us there was an accident at the intersection, and a truck got flipped over, and you pulled into the middle of the intersection in our in our minifan and uh turned your flashers on and you went into total EMT mode right there. Uh and we got to see what it what it looked like. Like you were amazing in that situation.

SPEAKER_02 8:28

It was kind of bad though. I'm like, I'm wearing my uh crewing jorts, and if you don't know what those are, I'm surprised because I'm surprised they haven't taken off yet. I'm gonna start my own line, but their bib overalls cut off very short, and I'm wearing flip-flops, and I'm walking through the middle of this total carnage of this car crash. Kind of and and when the cops pulled up, they were just like, What is he doing?

Larry 8:54

Yeah, and it was four or five lanes in each direction. It was a major intersection we were on.

SPEAKER_02 9:00

Yeah, it was pretty crazy. It was kind of funny too, because we're we were like five or six cars back, and I just kind of pull into oncoming traffic and go right into the middle of the air intersection, yeah. And jump out of the car, and and Shane's like, What are you doing, mate?

Larry 9:17

Oh man, yeah, but I mean, and then we are all like hopping out and pulled the windshield out of that truck and got the guy out of there. And um yeah, and it was a it was a good story, it's a good uh good cruise story to a little bonding for us before the race.

SPEAKER_02 9:34

Oh, absolutely.

Larry 9:36

Well, you were talking about your uh your getup that you wear while you're crewing, and I definitely think you should put those out as a line as well. Um, maybe I'll put a photo as one of the advertisements of that. Um you do kind of like to dress up a little bit and have some fun with it, kind of like Randy Latza does. Um when when did it when did you take that part of having fun with the race? Like you've been doing this since 2018. You said were you doing that right away, or is that something you picked up along the way?

SPEAKER_02 10:07

Well, no, no, no, no, no, no. This this is Gail. Oh, this is Gail. This is all Gail. Yeah, and Gail has a vision and it involved uh me in a pink wig. And we didn't even know each other, but she already had this stuff. She already had this stuff picked out. I don't know what she got the idea that I was gonna wear it, but I don't know if you you know how you get a uh you get a buff, you know what a buff is?

SPEAKER_04 10:31

Yep.

SPEAKER_02 10:32

So the I wore I wore the Ultraman buff as a mini skirt with absolutely nothing underneath, and a coconut bra with uh a pink wig and ran down the highway towards Shane, and he's on the bike, and uh yeah, the rest is history. I think that there's a video about that. But no, this is all this is Gail's vision of me for me, and it and it kind of I don't know. It's like I why she sees that in me, I don't know, but yeah, it just took off from there. And she wasn't even at Arizona, and she had three outfits, one of one of which involved a uh a green derby hat because remember in at Arizona it's uh it was St. Patrick's Day Patrick's Day, yeah. So I'm wearing a green frock coat for lack of a better word, derby hat with I can't I won't go into detail about the garments that I was wearing underneath, but uh I think even is it Randy? Randy, yeah. Yeah, he was even appalled because you know he dresses up and he does it smartly, he doesn't wear G strings, he wears underwear, you know, he he's not disgusting like I wasn't, and you know, I remember seeing Jen and she just looked at me and just kind of looked away, like okay, I can't. I can't I can't look anymore. Yeah, but uh so anyway, that's how that started, and and uh it was uh it was interesting. You know, because I uh is to to do just to dress normally. So the last time I crewed, I I didn't have to wear any women's clothing. So I came home and wore them when I got home, uh though with the collection that I have here.

Larry 12:19

Yeah, well that you know, like that was one of the things that when I came in in Arizona, I I'd only interviewed Shane for the podcast. I hadn't met you and I hadn't met Dan, but immediately it felt like a bunch of guys that like went to school together and we were all ribbing each other and having a good time, and yeah, it just meshed really quick.

SPEAKER_02 12:40

And then did we brought we brought we brought on a ringer that the kid I he looked like he was from Beck. Yeah, Bobby Seuss. Yeah, but and then you know I'm here, I'm running alongside of uh I'm running alongside of Shane doing the best I can, you know, and and then you uh it's almost like when the manager walks out in the well since I'm watching the World Series, he walks out into the field and he points to the bullpen, you know. So you point to Beck and make bad go Beck gets to go out and run in the up and the out and back up to the top of the hill and back with Shane, you know, and finish the race with him.

Larry 13:14

So well to to be fair, Bob Bobby Seuss was uh an Olympic athlete. Yeah, yeah. He he was uh was an 800-meter runner, I believe it was. Yeah, yeah, whatever.

SPEAKER_02 13:26

And he looked good too. I mean, the guy was like six, six, three, 180 pounds. Yeah. So it looked a lot better than lardass Moody, you know, running alongside Shane. It just doesn't look good. It's not a good look.

Larry 13:42

Oh, it was fine, it was good, it was all good. Um just getting back to when you got into this, then it was 2018. Is that and you went to Hawaii first to crew? Is that correct?

SPEAKER_02 13:55

Well, I I I crewed for Shannon Cali's uh 2017 and 2018, and so I can't remember if we went to Kona in 18 or it was 19, it could have been 19 when we went to the uh to Kona. So um, yeah, she was the you know, she was the inspiration for me ever wanting to even attempt an Ultraman. And you know, she's the kind of person that uh she lost count of how many Iron Man she did, somewhere around 50. Uh you know, she's uh she doesn't even know how many times she's climbed Mount Rainier. And she's the kind of person that would I don't know how well you know Mount Rainier, but she would pull up to paradise in the parking lot at five o'clock in the morning, summit, and come back down and be in the parking lot of paradise at two o'clock in the afternoon, do these speed ascents up to the top of Rainier. Turner, um, her best friend at the time, Christine Boscoff, who's now long gone. She died in uh uh an avalanche in uh China. But so I was always inspired by her and uh and then decided uh that I wanted to try to do Ultraman Canada, and that's how uh that's why I went up and crewed that first year.

SPEAKER_04 15:14

Right.

SPEAKER_02 15:15

In fact, that's when I met you. Um you were handing out, if you remember, yes, you were handing out uh freezes. What do you call those otter pops? Freeze, they were freezies, freezes, yeah. And at the most, I mean at the most hellish time on the run, you know, you run it, it's hill after hill after hill after hill after hill in Canada, you know. And then here's a guy handing out otter pops at the top of the you know, one of the last hills. And Shane recognized your voice, and I had no idea, you know, I had no idea who this guy was, but that was totally cool.

Larry 15:48

Yeah. Yeah, that was good. And then so eventually you do Ultraman Canada yourself. That was the same race where Shane then came over to crew for Simon Cochran. So I guess I your your dream of being the champion of Ultraman Canada maybe subside it once you found out about that.

SPEAKER_02 16:09

Well, no, I told I I I told this story. I don't you may have may not have been at the uh the after party.

Larry 16:16

I was not at the after party for sure.

SPEAKER_02 16:18

I had made an arrangement with Simon that uh I would go ahead and let him win the race. Oh, good. If he wouldn't interfere with me getting the uh the Kakua award, the Ku Award. Oh yes, and then that way he would get some prize money and I would get some money, and then I found out that that wasn't gonna happen.

Larry 16:37

But you know, so and there's never any money involved in in Ultraman.

SPEAKER_02 16:42

And I thought, you know, I was excited about being on the podium and and there's no podium, no podium, no prize money. Oh, yeah, just yeah, just a lot of love.

Larry 16:51

Yeah, yeah. But you you did get the the age group record for 60 to 69.

SPEAKER_02 16:59

I'm kind of thinking, I'm kind of thinking I'm the only person dumb enough at age 60 to attempt this. I don't think there's any because I was like, who are the list of people to look for?

Larry 17:10

I didn't see a list of anybody else. Well, Steve Steve King has that list. I I I know that you broke the record. There was a record previous.

SPEAKER_02 17:19

Oh, yeah. Well, I was kind of I thought it was kind of funny because I'm running with uh I'm running by and um and Stephen uh the golden voice of Stephen King, you know, is talking about uh Mark Mooney shattering this record, and I'm like, what are you talking about? I and so after that, I just every time I ran by him, I just put my hands over my ears because I and I go, uh because I didn't I don't want that, I don't want any pressure. I I yeah, I just want to finish the race, I'll be happy with that.

Larry 17:48

Yeah, you know, so well, um just just so the listener knows, you did have a time of 30 hours, 36 minutes, and 39 seconds, which was fifth overall. So that was that was a good run uh at that race. Um you were just a a double marathon behind Simon. He finished in 20 hours, which is like your day uh two or yeah, your day two time, and he was already done his double marathon by that time.

SPEAKER_02 18:18

But hey, it was hard for me to let him go like that, and just to let it just to let him gain that time on me. But you know, for 10 hours, yeah. Yes, yes, look away. This guy took an ambient. That was the only way I was gonna get through that. But uh he's yeah, you know, what an incredible guy and his family, and just the nicest guy in the world. And uh, you know, it's so funny to watch this world-class athlete be Insta Dad in two seconds, you know.

SPEAKER_04 18:48

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 18:48

And uh God, I love that stuff. Yeah, that's the beauty of Ultraman.

Larry 18:53

Yeah, and and you had the opportunity to um hang around with him a little bit before the race. You guys were all hanging out with Duffy and and all that and Gail. Yeah. So you did get a chance to get to know him because like we said, you didn't see him on the race course, but at the finish line each day.

SPEAKER_02 19:12

Well, you know, Justice was kind of you know, I don't know if you know Bill Justice, but he was kind of making sure I kept my distance from Simon. Oh, you know, because he didn't want him kind of didn't want him to get to know me too well. And I think Justice was trying to kind of move in with his own agenda. So yeah. I've forgiven him for that though.

Larry 19:31

Okay, oh yeah. I know Bill listens, so uh but he'll he'll probably have a uh a little bit to say about that as well.

SPEAKER_02 19:40

I don't know if you've seen him lately. You can't you won't even recognize him. He looks like uh lumberjack, convict, serial killer, uh you know, full beard, mustache. Oh yeah. Yeah, he's he's gone off the deep end.

Larry 19:56

Um well having traveled around the world now to these various 515 races, um, you've you've you've crewed at the at the Ultraman series. You even went over to Australia for Shane's sixth race that year. What do you think you've learned to prepare yourself for racing in Hawaii this year?

SPEAKER_02 20:20

Well, let me just say, man, I was blown away. First of all, that Shane would uh help me come down. He would actually pay my airfare to fly down there. And uh and just the way that race is run and the course is oh my god, it's so beautiful. And the Australian people are just awesome. You know, they're just it's funny. They're it's like it's like Canada in a way, because uh they have no idea just how bad they are, you know, like just badass people, you know, they do all kinds of stuff and don't even bat an eye. And uh and they're just polite and friendly. But anyways, I loved Australia. But what have I learned? Um nothing that's gonna really help me because uh I'm just pathetic. And uh I I I just uh you know, it's kind of uh I'm already kind of freaking out about the the swim, you know. So I'm gonna be there a couple of days early just so I can kind of get out there and and uh you know get used to uh swimming open ocean and with waves and all that good stuff. So um yeah, I think that the the most important thing is nutrition, and uh and it starts I I it starts days before the race.

unknown 21:31

Right.

SPEAKER_02 21:32

And and uh I mean your conditioning is just kind of there's always you know when you're getting ready and you're training on the bike, the swim or the run, there's always some niggle, there's always something that's kind of holding you back, but you compensate by working harder in other departments, and then it just all just kind of seems to gut come together. But uh, but nutrition takes some planning and uh and you kind of you you kind of set a you you you almost have to kind of set a a Schedule and you gotta kind of stick by it. And it's that's that that seemed to be what helped me.

SPEAKER_04 22:05

Right.

SPEAKER_02 22:06

Because when I kind of deviated from the path, things got nasty, you know, things weren't working right. So um, yeah, I like a shout out to F2C Nutrition with a Canadian company that uh um, you know, they they they bend over backwards to kind of help help you understand what you need and what's gonna what what's gonna help propel you forward, what's gonna get you ready for the next day. And so yeah, it's it's it's uh so much about preparation, but then we're going to Kona and you know who knows what's gonna you there's so many variables, you know. How bad is the wind gonna be? How bad are the waves gonna be? On and on and on. And and uh you're just gonna have to wait until you get there.

Larry 22:52

Yeah, and and every race and every racer is gonna have a different experience based on just what's happening for them on that day.

SPEAKER_02 23:01

Yeah, I know that uh when we did in 2000, I it's either 2019 or 2018, there was the volcano. Yeah, so they changed the course. And I found out later from listening to your podcast, I can't remember who the woman was, that I think uh she was the women's uh champion that year, that they had uh that there would actually been quite a bit of distance and elevation added to the bike as a result of having to augment the course because of the volcano. And uh I remember uh I believe it was Fiona that crossed the line. She was the last person to cross the line before they shut off the clock.

SPEAKER_04 23:38

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 23:39

And it was heartbreaking because Shannon uh was the next person to cross the line two minutes and 36 seconds after they had turned off the clock on day two. And uh we were coming down, we were just coming up to Havee, and her uh her bleep box broke. We didn't know that at the time, but that's that's the uh the box sends the signal to the front and rear derailleur so that you can shift. We didn't know what the hell the problem was. So we ended up just I told Shannon, look, you can be in the big ring or the small ring, and you're just gonna have to stay in this gear, and you've got, and I can't remember now, I think it was 32 minutes to go 12 miles and from the from the base of you know to to get up to Javi to where you turn down into that state park. So uh, and she did the best she could. I mean, she was pushing so hard in the big ring. Of course, she's a big ring girl, and uh it was just so heartbreaking. It's like to this day, I can't, it's hard to even think about. You know, yeah. So I don't want to be that person. I you know, I I want to be that there are like I said, there are no guarantees, especially in Kona.

Larry 24:53

Right, yeah, especially with that swim. You know, if you're if you're later in the swim, you can get some some really bad action.

SPEAKER_02 25:01

Hopefully, I'll do well in that in that department. I you know, I I just started swimming a couple weeks ago, you know, I'm really starting to put in the time.

SPEAKER_04 25:09

I'm joking.

SPEAKER_02 25:10

I I uh you know, it's it's I think that's just kind of uh one thing that I think that we can all do, that we can you can kind of uh can you can't do enough of it. It generally you don't get injured too badly from you know, like, oh I swam too much and I can't walk, yeah, as opposed to like a bike crash or a running injury, you know, or a bike, you know. So um yeah, I'm kind of excited about that. And uh and I can't wait to get there and just swim in the ocean a little bit.

Larry 25:41

Yeah, I know that the the other athlete that were doing the athlete and profile on Carrie Mandel's going into to train right from the beginning of November up to the race. Um I mean not everybody has the the luxury to be able to take their work with them to Hawaii. Oh yeah, uh yeah.

SPEAKER_02 26:03

No, that's a good deal. I'm you know I'm gonna I'm trying to get there as early as I can, but I uh but no, and in fact, I didn't know that. So I'll have to look her up when she's there. Maybe we can do some rides together or something like that. But there's something about that, the you know, there's something very beautiful about Kona as opposed to some of the other islands. And yeah, I just can't wait to hear that. Kind of Kona wind, Kona Ocean, Kona. Every beach you go to, there's a there's a uh a you know, green turtle sitting there waiting for you. And uh there's cats meowing and chickens running around.

Larry 26:36

And yeah, I love it. Were you were you watching the uh Iron Man uh this past weekend?

SPEAKER_02 26:43

You know, I couldn't do that, I couldn't watch it. I have a real hard time lately. I'm a little ticked off at uh WTC World Triathlon Corporation because they they walked away from Penticton and don't even get me started on this because I'm so stinking mad. Oh, actually, I was gonna I was gonna ask you about that. So tell me. You know, I I started uh I think I I want to say that I went to Penticton 2002, spent the night on the grass so that I could sign up the next morning for 2003. And there's a lot, there was already a line 400 yards long, and there were tents set up.

SPEAKER_04 27:21

Yep.

SPEAKER_02 27:22

And I'm like, who's in that tent? Because uh I don't don't think that you can just set up a tent there and that's gonna save your spot in line. And somebody, somebody spoke up and said, dude, the guy that's in that tent or all these tents that you see, they're out racing right now, and they're getting they're gonna get in line to sign up for next year. I mean, that's how coveted this race is. Yeah, and it's you know, it's just God, I can't believe that they would walk away from something so beautiful. And and just the tradition, you know, you walk into the park there, and all those, all those rings with all the contestants that have won the races over the years. I mean, who walks away from something like that? I I don't get it. So it's really heartbreaking. And I, you know, I don't know from the fiasco here this last because you know, I I was there to do the race.

Larry 28:13

You raced the last one, so yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 28:16

And you know, they canceled the swim after the storm the night before, and you know, you wake up and it's this beautiful pen ticked in morning, yeah. You know, and granted it was a little cold, but hey, once you get in that water and start swimming, you're gonna be fine, you know. But they can uh they cancel the swim. I just could not believe it.

Larry 28:36

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 28:37

So, anyways, I I finit you know I did I did well. I did fine. I had some GI issues that I, you know, do you if you really want to go into it, I could love to go into detail. But uh, you know, I I made it through the race and and it's tradition. And you know, it's funny. I stay at the same slumber lodge every year. Oh, Ray Tuck the Beach. Yeah, yeah. And so it used to be so funny because you would come there, and on Saturday before the race, the hotel manager would come up and say, Do you well, would you like to stay here next year? And you would make a deposit, right? And everybody in the hotel made a deposit. So the exact same people were in the exact same room every year. And uh, because you know, back then getting a hotel room wasn't easy in Penticton, it still kind of really isn't. Still, yeah, it's probably harder now.

SPEAKER_04 29:28

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 29:29

If you want to be close to the venue, you know, if you want to be close to everything. So but yeah, that was heartbreaking. You know, I was gonna say one thing. Uh I'm I'm gonna throw this out to to build justice, but work work, I'm gonna do the peach classic this year. I'm coming up to Penticton because I just man, it just bugs me so much that they would walk away from that town. And uh, you know, I'm gonna support that uh the city of Penticton and do the Peach Classic, which I've always wanted to do, but this time it's on my schedule, on my radar.

Larry 30:02

So are you calling out Bill to do it with you? Yeah, I want Bill to come and do it with me.

SPEAKER_02 30:06

Yeah, and we could we could be the odd couple. People people see us coming and they'll be clothes on, please. No, I promise, I promise. And then like I said, I no, I I'm I'm it's I I'm a different person now. That that was the old me. This is yeah.

Larry 30:26

Yeah, well, you I mean, you do well as an age grouper, you've had a number of top ten finishes. Um and with the Iron Man Canada being in your backyard, even though it's over an international border, um yeah, is is that is that your favorite, or do you have another favorite out there um as far as different Iron Man races you've gone to? And maybe not for your result, but for just the the charm of the race.

SPEAKER_02 30:55

No, hands down, Penticton, hands down, and then you know, I liked Court Alane too. And Courtle Lane's a friendly town, and it's a nice and it's a great course too. But uh that there was just something about uh Penticton from from the start, and you know it's kind of funny. You and you decided to interview me, and you know I'm a blabbermouth, but this goes back to when I started decided that I wanted to even do a triathlon, and I was gonna get a triathlon bike. And I go to Issaquaski and Cycle, and there's a guy there, his name is Tom Price. And uh at that time he had been in a bad accident, and he he wasn't he didn't look like a triathlete at all, and he was recovering from a pretty bad accident that included a head injury anyway. So I get to talking to him, yeah. You know, I I think I want to try a triathlon and someday maybe do an Iron Man. And he's like, Oh wow, good for you. And uh, and he he you know, he I was well, I need to get a tri-bike. He goes, you know what? No, I think you should get a good road bike and start with that, you know. So down the road, I eventually buy a tri-bike and I go to another tri store. I'm trying uh I'm trying to remember the name of it. Uh anyways, it was a triathlon store at Lush Eye Lake Waterfront. And I walk in and there's Tom Price. And uh wow, I go, hey Tom, wow, you look great. You know, he could, you know, he goes, Yeah, I'm I'm a lot better than when you first saw me because you know he'd been healing from all this. And so I all these customers are walking in and they're talking to Tom Price and like on and on and on and on and on, just like, oh my god, yeah. Okay, well, thanks, Tom, so much. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Never once did he tell me that he was a champion, that he had won that race.

SPEAKER_04 32:39

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 32:40

Until I actually went up there to Penticton, and it wasn't that I saw his plaque in the circle with all the champions of, but it was other people talking. And they were laughing because they were like, dude, you didn't know. And you know, he uh I don't know if he won Ultraman Canada, but I'm sure he wouldn't surprise me one bit if he did.

Larry 33:02

Tom Price was the the first winner of Ultraman Canada in in 1993. So um that race had eight people in it, and uh he he he won that race. So yeah, you you you were getting good advice.

SPEAKER_02 33:19

Yeah oh god, I know it cracks me up to this day as just a crack up. I was gonna say, when did Stephen King do Ultraman Canada? What year was that?

Larry 33:27

Uh Steve King was second at the second Ultraman Canada in 1994, and he was 45 at the time. So um and he and he had the run record at that time. Wow. So I I know for a lot of people Steve King is like an important part of their uh triathlon history and and having him call a race, like even if he just says your name as you're crossing as an Iron Man before he knows you as an ultraman athlete. What was it like for you that when did you first realize that Steve King knew who you were? Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 34:10

Well, you know, it's funny because uh remember when challenge came to Pentikton? Yeah, I think it was just one or two years. And he was, of course, MCing for that. And uh I saw him carrying his own DJ system, whatever you want, his sound system. Yeah, and I'm helping him carry it back to his van, you know, and we're chatting a little bit and stuff, and uh, you know, I told him who I was, and he goes, Oh, yeah, I know who you are. And I'm like, How could you possibly know who I was? You know, but he but he he knew who I was because Shannon was doing the challenge raid. So he just knew that I was, you know, her husband at the time. But yeah, just in it just funny.

Larry 34:53

Maybe we can talk about some of your other uh events that you've done. Um because I this one nobody's gonna know unless they live in your neck of the woods. The Yakima River Canyon Marathon. Yeah, now you've done this for 25 consecutive events. Like why do you keep going back to that? What is this?

SPEAKER_02 35:14

Well, it started in Y2K. So I mean, this could have been, you know, this was uh the year 2000, and uh the race directors were the two oldest raked race directors in the United States, Bob Dolphin, who had ran close to 700 marathons. Uh, they they decided to uh take on this uh you know, as the race directors. And basically you run from Ellensburg to Yakima through the Yakima Canyon. It's a very beautiful canyon. The Yakima River kind of runs through it. And uh so uh even when they canceled the race two years, I still went there and uh just ran it by myself. Oh, yeah. And uh and I made sure that there was nobody, in other words, like I was thinking, I was thinking to myself that I wouldn't be the only person showing up on race day, even though they had kind of had to officially cancel it because of COVID. You know, I understood that, but I figured that still there would be people showing up, but nobody I didn't see anybody else show up, but I still ran it those two years, so this will be the 25th year, even though it's 2024.

Larry 36:18

So that makes sense, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 36:21

Yeah, so I guess I'm kind of a guy that likes tradition. I I think uh since 2003, maybe even 2002, I've done at least one sprint, one Olympic, one half, one uh fall Iron Man every year. And then the and then the marathon that I've been doing since 2000. And even then uh a couple of years before that Yakima Canyon race, I was I did a couple of marathons before that, the Seattle marathon.

Larry 36:50

Yeah. So if you've been doing this many events for this many years, um, what do you do for training these days? Like, have you have you tailed it back? Is it just like you have your base or are you still a training animal where you're out there all the time?

SPEAKER_02 37:10

I yeah, I've never been a training animal, but I've always kept myself busy. And like part of like, for instance, the rim to rim to rim to me was kind of uh I you know I was talking with one of my co-workers, and I and we were kind of I was going, you know, I want to do something, but it doesn't necessarily have to be uh you know, just something to get me ready. And uh and so we came up with this rim to rim to rim, which I had no idea was a thing. And uh it's a very popular thing. And then he's already planning this other deal where you start at uh Furnace Creek, you know, the bad water, basically it's the bad water, but you do it on a bike, and then when you get to the Mount Whitney porthole, you run up to the top of Mount Whitney. So we're already planning that for next October. And I think you're gonna see me kind of wander away from Iron Man just because unless it's uh like a local local gig or something like that, you know. I I uh I've had a couple opportunities to go cone in. I never, for personal reasons, just couldn't take the slot. But and I was a dream of mine because when I was stationed in the Marine Corps in Oahu, I watched Julie Moss cross. And I was like, man, somebody, somebody needs to help her. You know, I mean, not I I watched it on the news, but I was stationed there at Kaneoye Bay Marine Corps Air Station. And uh like, you know, I was just like so blown away by that. And um, and so that that kind of planted the seed, you know, and I'd heard officers talking about this Iron Man and how it started in Waikiki, and you know, that uh so it was always the seed had been planted, but uh I just never became a reality and and uh until you know many years later.

Larry 38:56

You were you were kind of glanced over your your rim-to-rim-to-rim experience there. Maybe I can just take you back there for a second. Um who did you end up doing this event with? What was the gentleman's name? His name is Wayne Allen, and he's a coworker.

SPEAKER_02 39:14

And he's actually was actually uh a British Royal Marine who came to the U.S. that he met a uh um a girl in Seattle, and so now they're they're a fan, you know, he has got kids and he lives in Seattle, and we're he's a coworker, and he has done some crazy things as far as you know, trail running and and uh endurance challenges. And um between him and another guy, I call him Special K. His name is Matt, and I forgot his last name starts with a K, and he's gonna be at Kona. Um he's another, he did the Moab 240. Oh, yeah. I mean, this is the class, this is the class of people that I kind of want to start hanging out with. And and I don't know if it's wise for me to start doing these super long distance things, but um running from the south rim of the Grand Canyon to the north rim of the Grand Canyon and then running back was so much stinking fun, even though I a part of me died, a part of me will never be the same, you know. It's like, oh, it killed me, but it was so beautiful and it was so fun, and you know, it's 85 degrees at the bottom of the canyon, you know, and then you're running up to the north rim and it's cold as hell, and you can't wait to get back down into the canyon to get warmed up again, and then you know, you're doing the last umpteen hours in the darkness, you know, going up this south rim. And um, yeah, highly recommended because uh logistically you can do it pretty easily. There's plenty of water stops, there's places to camp if you get in trouble. You can get emergency services down there. There are people back and forth on the trail, so it's not like you're you know, it's not like you're in the middle of nowhere.

SPEAKER_04 40:52

Yeah.

Larry 40:54

Yeah. And and how long did it take you guys to do it? Did you time it? Yeah, you know, I yeah, in my mind, I'm thinking, okay, we can do this 14 hours.

SPEAKER_02 41:04

We did it in 17 hours and 20 minutes, and and uh it was kind of funny because you know, we stopped and we talked and we changed clothes and we did this and we did that. And you know, as emergency medical technicians, we were actually kind of concerned about a few people, you know, and we'd stop and talk and make sure that they were getting water and making sure that that they knew what they had to do if they needed emergency services. And you know, there's helicopters flying in there taking people out, and that's just a crazy place. But yeah, so, anyways, I I would definitely try it again and and and and uh knowing what I know now, I think I could be more focused and probably do a little bit better time-wise.

Larry 41:42

Right.

SPEAKER_02 41:43

But yeah, it's uh bring your lunch, it's an all-day thing.

Larry 41:47

All day plus. Oh, yeah. Well, hopefully, uh in Hawaii, you are you know not just getting her done and grinding it out. Hopefully you're you're in that race and and having a good time and and and getting the time that you deserve for for what you're putting into it, and that you have a great time with your crew um while you're there in Hawaii as well, because I know it's it's not just the three days of racing, it's it's the six, seven, eight days of hanging out with your buds. So enjoy the race, do well, and uh I'll check back in with you after the race and see what you thought of it.

SPEAKER_02 42:26

Yeah, well, you know, my daughter's gonna be there, so I'm kind of excited about that. Kind of the first time that she'll ever see me finish a race, I think. But that's awfully that's uh you know, that's saying a lot right there. Just you know, you don't take that stuff for granted. Yeah. So yeah, I'm excited. I can't wait. And uh um, I think I'm in a pretty good position.

Larry 42:47

Excellent. Yeah, and maybe maybe another age group uh record coming up, hey? What the who knows? Don't even well, Mark, thanks a lot for for joining me. Um especially when you have to get into a 24-hour shift tomorrow.

SPEAKER_02 43:04

Okay, well, thank you so much, Larry, for calling me. I really appreciate it. It's kind of humbling that uh that uh you would take the time out of your day to talk to a guy that can't really decide what uh you know what he's gonna wear one from from one day to the other. But it's um it's funny how we uh people get pulled together.

Larry 43:26

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 43:27

And uh, you know, if there's like Shane said, you know, when we first met, he goes, Well, the universe brought us together. So I say the same thing to you, Larry. The universe brought us together. And uh good luck with your uh teaching and your track coaching and and you know all the things that you got going on there.

Larry 43:44

All right, Mark. Well, the next time I'm down in Seattle, I'll uh I'll hit you up. We'll have to we'll go out. Okay, careful what you want. But yeah. Thanks,

How to support the Podcast

Larry 43:55

Larry. Hello, listener. I love getting your feedback and suggestions. Questions for the podcast, keep them coming at 515ultraman at gmail.com. For those that want to help me promote the show, I suggest that you tell friends to listen to. Word of mouth is a great way for podcasts to get enlisted. And if you don't mind publishing your feelings, a free way to support the show is by leaving a five-star rating and review on your podcast app. It's a chance to tell me what you love about the show, and it helps others discover it too. Finally, if you're so inclined, you can show your appreciation for my work by clicking the support link at the bottom of the show notes to go to my Buy Me a Coffee page. Thanks for all of your feedback and support. Now back to the show.

Ohana Guest Keri Mandell

Larry 44:51

Next in my athletic profile for the Ultraman World Championships is a woman from Princeton, New Jersey. She's a yoga instructor, an ultra runner, and a two-time Ultraman finisher. She has completed the World Marathon Majors and the World Marathon Challenge of seven marathons on seven continents in seven days. Today she's joining me from Kona, Hawaii, as she has begun her final preparations for the Ultraman World Championships. Welcome to the podcast. Carrie Mandel. And I'm excited to have you here and hear about some of these fantastic events they've uh taken part in in your lifetime. There's so many things there in the opening that would be great jumping in points. But I think to start the conversation, I would just like to ask you a little bit about your hometown, Princeton, New Jersey. Uh, you know, most people, myself included, probably will recognize it for the university, but I'm wondering what that town is actually like. Is it is it all built around the university? Is it a suburb of a larger community? What's it like there and and why have you chosen to call it your home?

SPEAKER_00 46:03

Um, so Princeton, it's kind of like its own little entity. It almost feels like a city in itself because yes, a lot of things do revolve around the university. I live just kind of outside the university off the train station. Um, and actually, I ended up there mostly for my dad. I grew up in North Jersey and then moved to Massachusetts, uh, where I met my husband. And then when we were transitioning back, um, we had a family business. My dad became ill, um, was sick with cancer, and he needed someone to run the business. And the business is right next door Princeton and to in South Brunswick. So um my husband and I moved back, and that's kind of how we landed there. Um, it's a beautiful area. I feel very lucky to be there. Um, but that's ultimately how how I got, you know, how I ended up in Princeton.

Larry 46:46

And what what kind of business was he running?

SPEAKER_00 46:49

So we actually um our family owns a mobile home park, which is kind of interesting. So we have about 300 families that live um on the property that now my husband runs and manages, um, and he takes care of uh, you know, all that. So and I kind of do the the parties. I'm kind of like the party planner for the park. We do a lot of you know special events and holiday celebrations with um a lot of the residents, and that's kind of my job.

Larry 47:13

Okay, yeah. And I also mentioned in the in the opening that you're a yoga instructor as well, but that probably doesn't do justice to your yoga career. Can you tell us a little bit about what it is that you do for a living at Empower Yoga?

SPEAKER_00 47:29

Yes. So I developed Empower Yoga in 2018 when I moved to New Jersey. Um I started, you know, I found my yoga practice while living in Boston during a very difficult time in my life. And um, yoga really kind of I say it often like saved my life in many ways. And um so when I moved, I was originally working as a school teacher, school administrator, but I was a little disenchanted with public education. And I started, I made the decision to quit my job and wanting to focus more on a career and fitness. And because yoga had done so much for me, I wanted to be able to give back to a community that had given me so much. So when I lived in Jersey and Princeton, there was no hot power studios, and that's what I had kind of come accustomed to in Boston. So I was like, well, if you don't have one, why not create one? So that's kind of how it started.

Larry 48:14

What is the exact type of yoga that you do then?

SPEAKER_00 48:18

Yeah. So we are a heated power yoga, so it's a power of vinyasa. So what that means is it's about synchronizing movement and breath. Um, so I kind of it's kind of athletic based. Um, oftentimes, you know, in yoga classes, um, the heat is really nice because it kind of you can kind of get deeper into some of the stretches. Um so you kind of have that nice component to it. It also creates like what we call tapas, so it's kind of opens you up spiritually to your fullest potential. Um, so it's it's you know, it's music and energy and excitement, and it's, you know, we don't do a lot of, you know, when people think about yoga, there's so many different types, and often people think about sitting and stretching and you know, chanting, but um, this is vastly different than that. Um it's a lot of fun and it's you know super energizing.

Larry 49:02

And I know of bikram yoga as like hot yoga. Is that is that like a brand of the same thing, or how are they different or the same?

SPEAKER_00 49:12

So they all kind of fall under the umbrella like Hatha yoga. So there's different kinds of um types, right? So bikram was developed by a gentleman, you know, who who kind of coined it and he coined it was like 26 postures. So it's taught very systematically, um, the same way every time. So if you go to a Bikram class, it's 90 minutes, it's always 105. Um, there's mirrors, there's certain things that um make a Bickram class what it is, where we're slightly different, where we are, you know, moving more. So it's not, we're not sitting and holding postures like in in Bickroom that would, you know, Bickroom classes do. Um we're connecting it more. So yes, we do some sitting um and some stretching, but a lot of it's more movement-based and it varies depending on the teacher. So each of my instructors bring their own personality to the classes that they create, um, which is really kind of fun and unique. We follow a similar format for our classes, but um, everybody has the like flexibility and freedom to design their classes as they like.

Larry 50:09

Oh, that's that's cool. And then I guess each one of those instructors then has their own kind of following of people that like the way that they do it and they come to their classes, but probably try out the other ones as well.

SPEAKER_00 50:20

Yeah. I always tell folks to, you know, certain people you're gonna resonate with more than others. Um, we're very fortunate where I do feel like we have, and I'm not just saying that, you know, but I feel like we do have a really talented group of instructors. Um, you know, it's taken me many years to develop the team, and we've and we've been a solid team for for several years now. And um, you know, some people move a little bit slower, a little bit faster, but we try to use the same language. Um, you know, and how I mentioned with the formatting is kind of similar. So you know what to kind of expect when you go to the class, even though it might vary from teacher to teacher, but there's a lot of this overlap, um, you know, which is important. So we kind of create that continuity.

Larry 50:59

And early on in your answer, you were saying that yoga kind of saved your life from the point you were at at that point in time. What kind of job were you doing then and what was going on where yoga's made that big a difference for you?

SPEAKER_00 51:12

Yeah. So it's funny, when I when I first met Dan, I had uh told him I did yoga, but I lied. I was really only wearing Lululemon yoga pants and you know, pretending to do yoga and drink. We always joke, he reminds me of it. He's like, Oh, you you know, drank wine in yoga pants, you didn't actually do yoga. So um, you know, when Dan and I got married, right after about a couple months after our marriage, um, I ended up getting cancerous cells in my cervix and I had surgery to remove it, but I got really sick post surgery, um, out of work for several months, and um developed pelvic inflammatory disease, which um is just an infection in the body. And what it does is you can treat it, but it does damage to the female reproductive organs. So as a result of that, I wasn't able to have kids. And that was really hard for me during that time because you know, here I am, we're newlyweds. I'd always envisioned, you know, three kids, that, you know, house with a white picket fence. And, you know, we had imagined and talked about what our life was gonna be. So when that was kind of taken away from me, it was super hard. And I became super depressed and um contemplating suicide. Um, because I, because Dan, you know, said he'd figure it out and we'd work on this together. And I just felt like, you know, he wasn't gonna give up on me, but I knew how important having a family was for him. So I was in my mind at that time, it was like, well, if he's not gonna leave me, if I leave, then that kind of forces him to move on and potentially have a family with someone else. And the day I actually like about the day before I was, you know, had this plan and was gonna act on it, my friend was like, hey, why don't we go to a hot yoga class? And it was kind of the best and worst thing that happened to me, you know, in my life, you know, in a way, because I was like, what is this? And then also I was like, wow, I needed more of that. And I felt, you know, amazing after. I felt like I had this new clarity and purpose. Um, so yoga really showed me how strong I was, and from there it became about what my body could do versus what it couldn't do anymore.

Larry 53:08

Oh, that's great. Yeah. And and and a day within a day, like that's fantastic that you found that when you did.

SPEAKER_00 53:19

Yeah. It was, it's kind of crazy um to think about and and to think about like, you know, where I am today and how far I've come from that, you know, that person and that girl. Um, you know, how much stronger I've been. And you know, it's yeah, it's been uh it's been quite a journey because I wasn't very much into fitness prior to that either. And then it just became this like obsession with like, and in a good way, like, you know, what can I do? I never started, I didn't know how to run, so I started running and how to swim. I started swimming and got into trathlons and it just you know evolved and helped me become with the person I am today, which you know I'm grateful for. And I think in many ways my life is bigger than it would have been if you know I had kids. Um and I'm grateful for that.

Larry 54:02

That's fantastic that you found that. Uh now with your yoga practice, you also you kind of teach people to teach it, you do retreats. Where does all this come from? Because uh previously I guess you you had some background in uh teaching and organizing. Tell me, tell us about that. And and what do you do in addition to just uh yoga classes at your studio?

SPEAKER_00 54:28

Yeah. Yeah, so um it was really important, you know. I when I moved to New Jersey and um I wanted, you know, was practicing yoga. I found a studio and I decided that I wanted to teach. So growing up an early age, I always kind of played school, went to school, and you know, went to become a teacher, a school administrator, kind of carried on. So yoga teaching kind of came naturally to me. But then when I opened the studio and developed it, you know, it's a business and you know, which the goal business is to be able to make some money and be able to support the studio and the students, you know, and all that stuff. So I was looking for other avenues and revenue sources so I could kind of stay afloat and keep the business open um and and have a bigger outreach, right? So, and being able to take my yoga certification and learning more about it and being able to teach was incredible. And um, I wanted to be able to do that for other people as well. So I developed a yoga school, worked on a curriculum that got approved through yoga alliance, which is kind of like the governing yoga body. And um, that was really kind of fun. We've had like over a hundred students that have come through the program that have now teached. Some teach at the studio, some moved on. Um, in addition to that, like I love to travel. So I developed, you know, these retreats. Um, we do, you know, a retreat in May every year that's actually just for women, women specific. Um, and you know, we do a lot of hiking and yoga. And then other times throughout the year, we do yoga and fitness. So there's I was a CrossFit coach for some time, and so was, you know, Dan was in athletics. So we kind of, you know, do that. And it's just kind of fun because it's a cool way to see the world and uh get people outside their comfort zone and um, you know, just have that opportunity to to meet new people, to get people together and and you know, celebrate one another, I guess.

Larry 56:05

Yeah, that sounds fantastic. And is that mainly done through your clientele that you already have at the yoga studio, or do you bring in people from all over that somehow hear about this?

SPEAKER_00 56:17

So it's actually we have more people from all over versus the studio. We have a couple clients that come, and then so the few clients that came told their friends and their relatives, and then it became this like it just kind of grew and evolved. So I've been trying to get more people to, you know, from the studio to come. Um, but so we've been slowly getting more, but we've had such a high retention rate, like 80% of our clients keep coming back, which is kind of fun because you know, last year we were in Italy, we had 25 guests. This year we're going to Majorca. We have 25 in the in the June retreat, um, 25 guests coming. And a lot of them have been, you know, past guests. So it's kind of like a reunion. So everybody's like, oh, how was your year? They come from all over the country, you know. Um, so it was kind of cool and special, you know, to do that. Um, and I've been offering doing more offerings, try to offer, you know, you know, that doesn't work, or we sell out really quick. So now we're going to Cartagena. I have an African safari retreat. So I'm working on expanding the retreat business because um I think it's fun to travel and um people who are really active, like myself, you know, it having things kind of done for them, like you give an agenda, you can do as much as you want, but like let's go, you know?

Larry 57:24

Yeah, kind of cool.

unknown 57:25

Yeah.

Larry 57:26

So yeah, it brings a lot of like-minded people together. And for them, it's easy, it's it's all organized. And for you, you get to bring these people together and and and meet them from around the world, and then you probably get some new ideas. They probably bring some new ideas to you as well.

SPEAKER_00 57:41

Yeah, yeah. And I'm always like, where do you want to go next year? So uh we're working on Croatia 2026. So it's kind of fun, you know.

Larry 57:50

So so you you're already planning that far ahead. That's that's amazing.

SPEAKER_00 57:54

Yeah. I always try to have the retreats planned before the next one is up too. Uh, because I open it up for you know current guests um to sign up and register and then open it up to the public. I was just gonna say that I also, one of the things you know I do for clients too is um create retreats for them. So if you came to me and you said, hey, Carrie, I want to go on a retreat with a bunch of my friends, you know, this is what we're thinking, I can help create and organize that for you, find a place, you know, find a location, um, chefs, all that kind of stuff. So that's a new aspect of the business that I've been doing now is kind of helping others create their own retreats or even just like gatherings with their friends. So I've worked with other female business owners, um, supporting them and developing their retreat businesses and doing some consulting as well.

Larry 58:39

Oh, that's excellent. Just ever expanding layers of of the business.

SPEAKER_00 58:44

Yeah, why not, right?

Larry 58:46

Well, that explains why you're able to get into Hawaii a little bit early and get your your training going because you're you're able to do this, a lot of this work, I'm assuming, through your computer.

SPEAKER_00 58:59

Yes. A lot of the stuff can be done remotely, which is great. Um, I also have a wonderful manager who takes care and oversees the studio while I'm gone, you know, in my absence during this time. So um I'm very fortunate to have that flexibility, um, which was really important to me, which is kind of why I wanted to get an education to begin with. I wanted, you know, more opportunities to, you know, do a little bit more outside of, you know.

Larry 59:20

Oh, you don't have to tell me. I'm a teacher, and uh my my only holidays are those summer months.

SPEAKER_00 59:27

Right.

Larry 59:27

It's very long.

SPEAKER_00 59:28

And you know how expensive it is to travel during those months too? I always have that teacher anymore. I'm like, I'm gonna travel when there's not the school holidays, so I can save a little bit of money. For sure. It's excited hard.

Larry 59:41

Yeah. Well, you said one of the things that you you wanted to start doing was learning how to run and learning how to swim. So you obviously like the running part because you've done the the six world majors. Um, so I guess the first question I got to ask you is have you yet completed the Sydney Marathon? Because now, as I'm sure most people know, there's a seventh one, or is that gonna be on your 2025 calendar?

SPEAKER_00 1:00:08

You know, I haven't done Sydney. Um as part of the World Marathon Challenge, we did Perth, but not Sydney. But um, it is on my radar. I will probably 2025, I think, is gonna be crazy. Um, I think too many people are gonna try to get in. I'm thinking more 2026, but I definitely want, you know, would like that. That's definitely something that I'm interested in. And um, as you mentioned, I also have the you know, the world marathon challenge. So you have the the majors, the continents, and I'm my eyes are on the north pole to get that grand slam medal.

Larry 1:00:38

Right. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:00:39

So I have a couple of things in the works maybe for 2026.

Larry 1:00:42

Okay, nice. Yeah. I, you know, previously I had Peter Verbruzek on. He's from the Czech Republic. He's the only other person I know that's done the world marathon challenge. And I I know that um Makota Hostino also was like one of those guys that's like, I gotta check off certain things. And once you get to that level, I guess it's like, okay, I did South Pole, I gotta do North Pole. It's like um, you gotta find all those. When when you're doing the World Marathon Challenge, um, tell us a little bit about that event. Because people that haven't listened to the previous episode might not know, but it's seven marathons, seven continents, seven days. Tell us where are the races um and what it was like for you.

SPEAKER_00 1:01:26

Okay. It's highly hard for people to understand and really like get it because oftentimes I get like it wasn't seven days. Like, how'd you do that? So it is an organized event, and Richard Donovan was the first race director that created it. He has since sold the company, um, sold the rights to someone else who has taken it over. We started in 2015. So our year in 2020 was you know, the fifth year running, and there was about 164 people total who've ever finished it as of that date. Um, so typically the World Marathon Challenge starts in Antarctica because the weather is so unpredictable. But our particular year, the weather was really bad. So we kind of kept pushing the start off. But um, you know, Richard was like, we need to really get this thing going because it kind of, you know, with pushing the start off, kind of pushed the other races off. And he had everything lined up and other people waiting and volunteers and things going on. So we ended up starting in South Africa, uh Cape Town. Then we flew over to Antarctica. Um, and then from Antarctica, we came back to South Africa to switch planes because you need a special plane to get on to land safely on the ice, especially in the conditions that were you know happening. From there, we went to Perth, Australia, um, Dubai, Emirates, um, Fort Lisa, no, excuse me, uh, Madrid, Spain, Fort Lisa, Brazil, and then we ended in Miami, Florida, Florida.

Larry 1:02:45

And you did that in seven days.

SPEAKER_00 1:02:48

Seven days. And it's funny because the last few of them were really like the last three were really over like, I don't know, like 40, less than a two-day period. Um, everything kind of got really clumped together at the end that in order to make it through the 168 hours, we were just like, oh my God, like we have to run. Originally, you know, everybody had eight hours for the marathon, but towards the end, just because of delays, like we were flying into private airports and we had a private, you know, chartered plane, which is nice. There were still delays and there were still other things going on, like a barrier, you know, the baggage carousel broke and this happened and that happened. And you know, so we were like, oh my God, it was like you you have five hours, like get off the plane, like go run, get back on the plane, and you know, travel five hours to the next place. So it was kind of a whirlwind. Um, yeah, it was it was wild. I would definitely do it again though.

Larry 1:03:36

And what was it like trying to recover on the airplane? You're flying at altitude, like you don't get that chance to go sleep in a hotel or anything like that. It's like on the plane, off the plane, on like how was that?

SPEAKER_00 1:03:51

I probably slept like I don't even know, maybe 14 hours the whole week. Uh, maybe I got like two hours each day. It's wild. Um, it's because like when you're on the plane, you have a you have to do a couple things. It's like you got to eat, you got to take care of yourself, you got to address any you know issues with your feet or legs. You know, I um had my rapid reboots, my hypervolt, like you're trying to do recovery things. Um, so there's a lot, like there's so much going on. So you kind of have to prioritize what's the best. Um, and when you're sharing a plane with other people, they weren't like luxury laydown seats. Like we were still, you know, it kind of tilted back a little bit, um, maybe 45 degree angle. Um, it wasn't very comfortable. So I struggled to really get comfortable. And and the plane certainly, um, the altitude was kind of crazy, just up and down. I get very swollen. Um, you know, my feet swelled, my hands swelled, uh, I retained a lot of water. So it was it was super uncomfortable, um, certainly. And there wasn't a lot of food options, which made it even more challenging. Um, so that part was, you know, not my favorite, but it's part of the if it's part of the challenge, right? It's you know how you're gonna adjust and adapt to these situations.

Larry 1:04:59

Absolutely, yeah. And uh did you put on any yoga classes while you were in flight to help everybody get limbered up?

SPEAKER_00 1:05:06

I did do some yoga. We did do some yoga in Antarctica on the uh the we took a Russian military plane over to Antarctica. It was called the Illusion. Um, and it's funny because this plane is not meant to carry people. This usually carries waste, you know, back and forth. Um, because Antarctica, they're very careful about like what they bring, and you're not really allowed to have any outside things. Um, it's you know, it's desert. It's all so you have to be sure everything's like cleaned off when you get off. And um, they live in really like 18-mheelers, like you know those like truck, um, 18-wheel trucks, those cargo, whatever. That's like what they made houses out of. Right. Um, and they're not really heated that warm. There was like maybe it was like 50 degrees in there and it was, you know, negative 20 outside. Um, but it's it was just wild. So anyway, so on the illusion, which we kind of had like these jumper seats, um, we had some space. So we're doing some yoga there. I did some yoga in South Africa. Towards the end, I tried to get people to do a little bit of stretching, but if they were like, no. We're done. We're not having this. Oh my God. But I um I ended up camping in the back of the plane because if your legs are swollen, one trick is putting your legs up the wall. So I kind of made my own little bed in the back and did that for myself to try to help with the circulation and the blood flow.

Larry 1:06:16

Yeah. Yeah. And so you've done all the world majors. You you did this event. Um, do you have a favorite run that you've done out of those?

SPEAKER_00 1:06:29

I really love Boston. Um I think it's just super special. Um, and I think part of the reason is because I lived there for so many years, and that's where I met my husband. And um Boston's you know, really important to me and it has a special place in my heart. I consider Boston home. So I think that's one of my favorites for sure.

Larry 1:06:46

Yeah. And all of this running has spawned another project. Uh as if you're not doing enough creating your your business and teaching people yoga and teaching them how to teach and coming up with all the courses and retreats. Uh, can you tell me about this other project that you're gonna start work on?

SPEAKER_00 1:07:05

Oh, so yes, I decided I I wanted to write a book for a while now and I kind of had it as a goal. Um and I was going to write a book, you know, after my my experience with the World Marathon Challenge. Um, and I started writing it right as like the world kind of shut down in 2020 and kind of left it on the back burner. And then finally, you know, I it was like last year I said, I really need to do this. So I picked it back up and and I'm like, I, you know, set this as a goal. I'm very goal-oriented, goal-driven, and I'm, you know, was kind of disappointed in myself that I kind of just let it kind of fall through the cracks. Um, every time I tried to do it, I always kind of found other things to take in place. You know, it's like, oh, I'm gonna write today. But then it was like, you know, talk to this client or that. And and I said, finally, I'm gonna make it a priority. So um last winter I did. I hired a book coach because I think, you know, I just needed someone that was gonna hold me accountable to keep me on track, um, to keep me in line, to support me. She's been editing and we're we've been working together. It's really, really awesome. And it's coming together. We're kind of wrapping up the first draft. Um, we've asked people to kind of read it, get some feedback. And you know, now it's gonna be in a second draft. And my goal, you know, in the new year is to um send it out to to publishers um and hopefully get picked up because I'd like to be published by fall. That's kind of what I'm trying to manifest.

Larry 1:08:21

So and and and what is the the basis of the book? You say it's kind of inspired by the the running and and things like that. So what's what's the through line of your book?

SPEAKER_00 1:08:32

So it's entitled Uh Limitless, What I Learned from Running the World in Seven Days. Um, and it's not only about the race itself, but each race talks a little bit of an element of my life. Um, like there's certain anecdotes about, you know, how I grew up, how I lived, how I got to be the person that I am today, things that have happened. Um, you know, how it's about resiliency and grit, and it's about never giving up and, you know, keep pushing forward um, you know, in the face of adversity. So it's kind of, you know, it's about the world marathon challenge, but it's not. There's, you know, there's a lot of different things going on. And I hope it resonates with a lot of people. And I hope that um, you know, someone who reads it can feel like, you know, they can do, but you know, their own world marathon challenge. It doesn't have to be, you know, the seven marathons, seven contents, whatever that means to them. So I hope it can kind of empower and support people in that way.

Larry 1:09:20

That sounds excellent. Well, uh, let's get a little bit into your Ultraman experience then, since you're joining me today as an athlete in profile for the Hawaii race. Uh, for listeners, the the race is going to be starting tomorrow. Uh I'm releasing this episode a day early so that they can hear about Mark Moody and yourself before the race actually starts. And here's some of this information so they have more reason to follow. Um You and I met at Ultraman Arizona when Mark and I were both crewing for Shane Duffy. So the whole Ohana kind of comes around in circles here. That's kind of created our connection. Um, but you have that playing out even a stronger connection in Hawaii. Can you can you tell us about that?

SPEAKER_00 1:10:05

So going back, so yes, so yes, you and I met um with Mark and Shane while you were crewing for him. And you know, when I met Shane immediately, like I hit it off. Like I was really nervous. I remember going to the practice swim, and he was there, and and he was probably more nervous about the swim than me. And we kind of you know connected about that. And then afterwards, he's like, Hey, you want to go for a bike ride? So him and I have been friends ever since, and just kind of, you know, seeing what he's done and and um, you know, what he's faced and how he did like, you know, six of them in a year, you know, we've been in contact. So I think it's really cool and special. He he said to me that time in Arizona we met, he said, if you ever do Ultraman World Hawaii, um, I will come and crew you. And I was like, Well, I'm gonna hold you to that because I plan on doing it. So um I kind of held him to it. I was like, okay, so what are you doing in November of 24? Um, and he's like, uh crewing for you. And I was like, correct answer. Um, so it was kind of cool, you know, and before Ultraman at worlds, I, you know, I did Florida as well just to kind of get another one under my belt. Um, because I don't think you can ever have too much practice with this distance and this, you know, sport.

Larry 1:11:12

Yeah. And I understand you didn't have the greatest lead up to to the race in Florida. Um what happened, what happened there?

SPEAKER_00 1:11:21

It was super challenging. I um I've had a lot of health things going on, you know, and I think they kind of came to a head in the fall, right before, you know, Florida occurred in February, that really kind of derailed me from my training. Um, I ended up hospitalized uh with borderline sepsis um and was sick for for some time. Took me a little, a long time to recover. So, you know, it was like I've been doing so well, felt so strong, and then I got kind of you know pushed back and I had to, it was almost like starting over. So similar to what you know, what I did in Florida with with Hawaii, you know, coming out here a little early to kind of, you know, um do those final preparations is what I did for for Florida as well. I was like, okay, I have, you know, like I've done it before, I know I can do it. Um, you know, I'm pretty fit, try to take good care of myself. This is a setback, it's not exactly what you know wanted to happen. But my goal was to just go out to Florida early and just kind of, you know, hit some really important training blocks, um, you know, and see what I could do and then give it my all. And um, it was very challenging, but um I was able to, you know, persevere through that. So um it's amazing. Now my coach, you know, now says, you know, well, had some health stuff before this as well. And he's like, well, we at least know that you can get ready in a short amount of time. So you have that going for you. So I was like, okay, we'll see.

unknown 1:12:42

Yeah.

Larry 1:12:42

So how how's the lead up been to this one then? Are you are you feeling confident that you're you're gonna be ready to go on race day?

SPEAKER_00 1:12:49

So yeah, I um, as I just mentioned, I got a little sick. So um in September, I ended up getting the flu and COVID at the same time. And I am an asthmatic. I get severe upper respiratory infections. I get it's chronic for me. So I take, you know, Moisan like kind of I take steroid inhalers and um albuterol inhalers and you know, my nebulizer. So that was really challenging. Um, so that kind of set me back a little bit. So I kind of that was really hard because you know, I was feeling really strong and confident. And then I kind of went through this dip and um, you know, I'm kind of crawling my way back out, but it's all about mindset, right? Um you know, we are what we think we are, or we are, you know, so it's like whether we think we can or you know, we think we can't, we're right. So I think for me, it's just about I know I have the fitness, um, I know I'm capable, I know I'm strong, I know I have it's I know I can do it. It's just, you know, believing in that and continuing. So I came out here early. The conditions are definitely way more challenging than I had originally anticipated. So I'm very grateful because I think if I were to just like roll up and try to do the race, um, I would be really setting myself up, you know, for failure. Um, being able to see the course, to ride the course, to experience the hills, to experience the wind, to experience the chop in the water. Just said mentally prepare yourself. I'm hoping that will have certainly have helped me have an advantage over some of the other competitors.

Larry 1:14:16

Yeah, it's definitely a different type of course. And you go through all the different regions and weather and everything is it's an extra challenge up there.

SPEAKER_00 1:14:27

For sure. And the funny thing is, is you know, um, so Billy, who is also a HANA, who you know, uh Billy Records, um, who lives out here, who's crewing for me as well with um with Shane, he, you know, he him, he, he crewed me last, you know, last week, whatever for the day one um bike ride. And he was like, you know, Carrie, like any given day, next time you can have a tailwind the whole time, and it could be totally different. Like you don't know what to expect. You really don't know at any given moment because the weather kind of changes on a dime around here. Um, but what I've never experienced in my life is going downhill. Like you you think you're going, you're zooming downhill, you want to hit like 30 miles an hour or whatever, and you're doing like 11 because the headwind is so strong. I've never had that. And I was like, wow, this is some serious wind when you can't even go downhill fast. Yeah, it's like almost easier to go uphill, the tailwind.

Larry 1:15:18

Um, and and I know you've been getting some coaching from Steve Keller as well.

SPEAKER_00 1:15:23

Yes.

Larry 1:15:23

Uh Steve was on the on the podcast previously in season two, episode 10, and he has a ton of Ultraman experience. He was the champion in 2020 at Ultraman Florida, champion in 2022 at the inaugural Arizona. He's got some of the best bike times in each of those races. He's a fast runner. Um, what what has he given you that's giving you some extra confidence to work at the Ultraman level?

SPEAKER_00 1:15:50

Yeah, he's super, he's definitely a stellar athlete. Um, what I appreciate about him is he's kind of no BS, like he kind of says how it is and kind of tells you what you need to do. He's super um, super supportive, but he he's given me so many details. And we've talk a lot about race strategy and how to attack different parts of the course and what to do. And he's um super organized and just like knows everything about every little turn, every little spot, what to do, what not to do, what to have your crew do. So he's been essential in kind of that preparation. Um, I'm not going in blind, I know what to expect, you know, and and we constantly are talking about those things, it's just really cool. Um so I'm lucky, I feel lucky to have him because he's, you know, being the athlete that he is, I feel much stronger on the bike after having worked with him now since um you know the spring. Um, you know, trying to do work in O Iran and the swim. And it's just been it's been awesome to be able to kind of pick his brain too with this.

Larry 1:16:52

And I from the sounds of it, that he's not going to be coming to be part of your crew though?

SPEAKER_00 1:16:57

No, unfortunately not. He um with between family and work life, he he wasn't able to get away.

Larry 1:17:03

But but he'll be on the phone each night.

SPEAKER_00 1:17:07

Yes, hopefully, yeah. It's kind of wild. I'm still adjusting, you know. It's been wild kind of adjusting to the time difference because um, well, now with the the they don't do daylight savings here, so it's only five hours versus six hours on the East Coast. So it's just kind of it's it's strange because like I'm still it's still like midday, and everyone else I know at home is like eating dinner and getting ready for bed, you know. It's kind of wild.

Larry 1:17:29

Well, Carrie, I I want to thank you for coming on the podcast and and sharing about some of your stories. And I, you know, definitely want to highlight the people that are doing these races, and it was great to be able to connect you and Mark in this episode because I met both of you at Ultraman Arizona. Uh, best of luck in your race tomorrow.

MJ 1:17:50

As it goes, I appreciate it as it goes now.

Larry 1:17:53

Um, and uh I look forward to trying to dig up those stats and see how you're going and uh hearing after the race how uh how it all went for you.

SPEAKER_00 1:18:02

I appreciate that very much. Thank you. Means a lot to me.

MJ 1:18:06

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