Grit2Greatness Endurance

A successful season starts before the first training block. Coach Kristin Overton joins Rich Soares to explain how to choose the A race that matters most, give B and C races a clear purpose, account for work, family, sleep, and recovery, and identify the two or three limiters that deserve attention first. Listeners will leave ready to bring one possible race and one real-life constraint to the Nov...

Triathlete Robina Waterman tells the story of her triathlon career, from her first World Championships to the brain hemorrhage that stopped her. She talks through her recovery and how it changed the way she saw herself and her future. She also explains how she started to measure progress by more than HRV and recovery numbers. Then she takes us to the start line of her return to Worlds. We also tal...

Returning from injury involves more than rebuilding physical fitness—it can challenge an athlete’s confidence, identity, and willingness to trust the process again. Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Paul Hunziker joins Coaches Rich Soares and Kristin Overton to explore fear, meaningful progress beyond training metrics, and how athletes can talk openly with coaches and loved ones. They also di...

Durability is more than cardiovascular fitness—it is the ability to absorb training, build strength, and keep doing what you love over time. Dr. Jamie Bovay joins Coaches Rich Soares and Kristin Overton to explain how metabolic data, strength work, and load capacity can inform better training decisions. They also examine how athletes can evaluate FST, cupping, shockwave therapy, dry needling, and...

Durability is more than cardiovascular fitness—it is the ability to absorb training, build strength, and keep doing what you love over time. Dr. Jamie Bovay joins Coaches Rich Soares and Kristin Overton to explain how metabolic data, strength work, and load capacity can inform better training decisions. They also examine how athletes can evaluate FST, cupping, shockwave therapy, dry needling, and...

Kristen Keane returns to share the next chapter of a story shaped by loss, hope, endurance, and transformation. After rebuilding from a miscarriage and training for a 70.3, Kristen carried her rainbow baby while continuing to train and complete endurance events—including a marathon. She joins Coach Lauren Brown for an honest conversation about adapting goals, listening to a changing body, allowing...

Triathlon coach and author Alison Freeman shares how newer athletes can replace overwhelm with clarity and confidence. Discover how to choose a goal that fits your life, develop skills alongside fitness, build consistency without chasing perfection, adapt when training gets disrupted, and practice the fueling, pacing, equipment, and mental habits needed to arrive on race day ready to execute. Conn...

Mike Murphy and pilot Harrison Devine take listeners inside the demanding work of building a high-performance tandem partnership. From the trust, communication, and split-second decisions tested at Track Nationals to the training benchmarks ahead, they explain how two athletes combine power, skill, and accountability while pursuing the long-term goal of LA 2028. Vespa Sponsor Ad Read This episode...

Coach Lauren joins the show to share hard-won tips for tackling back-to-back Ironman races. We dig into training block design, recovery between events, fueling strategy, pacing across the swim/bike/run, and the mental game of stacking two full-distance races close together. Whether you're eyeing your first double or looking to sharpen an existing plan, there's something in here for you. Sponsor: T...

What does a 70.3 World Championship reveal about preparation, confidence, and resilience? Coach Kristin Overton brings nearly three decades of triathlon experience, a sports-medicine background, and the perspective of both athlete and coach to this championship conversation. Discover how focusing on controllables, adapting when race day challenges the plan, and reflecting honestly afterward can he...

Jim Logan’s pursuit of an IRONMAN finish changed profoundly after repeated setbacks and a stage 4 colorectal cancer diagnosis. James joins Coaches Rich Soares and Lauren Brown to explore how discipline, faith, gratitude, family, and purpose can sustain athletes when the original plan is no longer possible—and why courage, relationships, and personal transformation may matter as much as the finish...

What happens when a strong athlete’s body suddenly changes the plan? Five months after debilitating sciatic pain made it difficult to sit or stand, competitive triathlete Paul Hunziker returned to racing and earned first place in his age group at the Bonney Lake Triathlon. Paul joins Coaches Rich Soares and Lauren Brown to discuss athletic identity, patience, ownership, and the mental work behind...

Many athletes slow down after 60. Annamarie Beaulieu decided to speed things up. After successfully stepping up to the 70.3 distance at 59, Annamarie is now preparing for the biggest challenge of an already inspiring endurance journey: IRONMAN Lake Placid 2027. In this episode, Coaches Rich Soares and Kristin Overton explore how Annamarie balances training with a demanding healthcare executive car...

Many athletes slow down after 60. Annamarie Beaulieu decided to speed things up. After successfully stepping up to the 70.3 distance at 59, Annamarie is now preparing for the biggest challenge of an already inspiring endurance journey: IRONMAN Lake Placid 2027. In this episode, Coaches Rich Soares and Kristin Overton explore how Annamarie balances training with a demanding healthcare executive car...

What does it really mean to pursue greatness without losing yourself in the process? In episode #555, Sue Reynolds, author of Across The Line , shares lessons from a remarkable journey that includes losing 200 pounds, becoming a world champion masters triathlete, and studying the drivers of elite performance. Together, we explore coaching relationships, overtraining, resilience, and how athletes c...

What if one bike ride could change the entire trajectory of your life? In Episode #554, Coach Rich Soares sits down with Bill Plock, Ride Director of Colorado's Ride, and Zed Pitts, Founder of Veloflow Projekt, to explore the unexpected ripple effects of endurance sports. From life-changing friendships and new opportunities to veteran recovery, purpose, and community impact, this conversation reve...

What does true transformation look like? In Episode #553, Coach Rich Soares sits down with Chris Sjothun to explore a journey defined by persistence, growth, and resilience. After multiple setbacks with the 70.3 swim, Chris refused to quit. Through consistent training, mindset shifts, and belief in the process, Chris turned a long-standing weakness into one of the greatest victories of the athleti...

What does it take to keep moving forward when life delivers its toughest challenges? In this inspiring conversation, Lucy Zate shares a remarkable journey from competitive athletics and Ninja Warrior events through injury, personal loss, and ultimately becoming an IRONMAN at Lake Placid. Along the way, Lucy discovered that resilience is not something we're born with. It is built one decision, one...

What does it really take to become an IRONMAN? In this inspiring episode, Coaches Rich Soares and Kristin Overton sit down with Lauren Brown to discuss the months of preparation, the setbacks, the breakthroughs, and the unforgettable moment she crossed the finish line at IRONMAN Lake Placid. This is not a race recap. It is the authentic story of perseverance, consistency, and personal transformati...

Think race day is all about fitness? Think again. The difference between a smooth, confident performance and a chaotic morning often comes down to one thing—your pre-race routine. In this episode, Coaches Rich Soares and Kristin Overton walk you through how to stack the odds in your favor with a repeatable system that covers everything from race rehearsals and fueling to transition setup and menta...

Race day is supposed to showcase your fitness—but too often, it exposes execution gaps instead. In this episode, Coaches Rich and Lauren break down the most common race-day mistakes that sabotage performance, from pacing errors to fueling missteps and mental breakdowns. You’ll learn why execution beats fitness, how early discipline sets up a strong finish, and practical strategies to protect your...

Think you need more time to train? Think again. In this episode, Coaches Rich and April flip the script on the biggest excuse in endurance sports and show you how to thrive inside a full calendar. You’ll learn practical strategies like the A/B/C workout system, habit stacking, and energy-based scheduling so you can stop chasing perfect weeks and start building consistent ones. If your life is busy...

Running well off the bike is one of the biggest performance separators in triathlon—and one of the most misunderstood. In this episode, Coaches Rich Soares and Lauren Brown break down exactly why the run feels so hard after the bike, from neuromuscular fatigue to fueling mistakes and pacing errors. You’ll learn the most common reasons athletes blow up, how to avoid them, and the key strategies to...

In Episode #546 of the Grit2Greatness Endurance Podcast, Coaches Rich Soares and April Spilde sit down with legendary endurance coach Bobby McGee to break down the essentials of run mechanics. Known for coaching Olympic medalists and world champions, Bobby shares how to simplify complex concepts into practical cues that any athlete can apply. From improving efficiency and reducing injury risk to u...

In this episode, we take you inside the world of elite bike fitting with Ivan O’Gorman, a world-renowned fitter based in Niwot, Colorado who works with top professional triathletes and cyclists. We break down why a professional fit is one of the highest ROI investments you can make—impacting comfort, power, aerodynamics, and injury prevention. Ivan shares his approach to assessing athletes, the te...