The Unlikely Triathlete

In this episode of The Unlikely Triathlete, co-hosts Coach Rob and Coach Matt take a nostalgic look back through their personal racing histories. Leaving behind the formal coaching guidelines for a moment, they share the raw, unedited, "good, bad, and ugly" stories from their first major athletic endeavors. From battling high-surf ocean rescues on a borrowed steel bike to running through 95% humid...

In this episode, Rob and Matt sit down with the incredible Christine Grosart for a completely unfiltered conversation about reinvention, grit, and endurance. Christine’s path to triathlon is anything but conventional. Going from a horse obsessed kid to a Cave Diver, Paramedic, and Offshore Medic, she eventually found herself battling severe weight gain due to the grueling, unhealthy realities of o...

Today, Rob & Matt are joined by Janine East, a "classic South African" whose inspiring journey proves that ordinary people can do extraordinary things. In just nine months, Janine went from never having run before to taking on a 50km ultra run. We explore the pure joy of her very first 2km run , the mental health benefits of trading bad spaces for outdoor training , and why you might want to turn...

In this episode, Rob and Matt dive deep into the most feared and misunderstood discipline of triathlon: the swim. Based on listener data and coaching experience, swimming—specifically in open water—consistently generates the most questions and anxiety for first-time athletes. The duo shares brutal and hilarious "war stories," from losing expensive dental work mid-race to seeing world-class athlete...

In this milestone episode, Rob welcomes Matt Davies back to the show—this time as a permanent co-host. Matt shares his transformation from a "fat banker" to a full-time endurance coach, explaining how finishing his first Ironman acted as a "cheat code" that gave him the confidence to leave the corporate world and start his own business. The duo discusses the rebranding of the podcast to reach a br...

Hey there sports lovers, on todays episode of The Unlikely Triathlete Rob hosts a "family affair" featuring his oldest daughter, Michaela Hardstone, and her best friend and fellow chiropractic student, Celeste. Moving away from the world of elite age-groupers, this conversation focuses on the "everyday athlete"—two busy university students in Durban, South Africa, who decided to trade their textbo...

Hey there sports lovers, In this emotional and inspirational episode, Rob Hardstone sits down with his sister, Brenda, to discuss her successful completion of an Ironman 70.3 in Busselton. Brendar’s journey is the definition of "unlikely," having trained for a year while managing diabetes, a thyroid condition, and recovering from the surgical removal of her gallbladder just six weeks before the ra...

Hey there sports lovers, In this episode Rob sits down with Stephan Weyers, a former sports lawyer and corporate executive who transitioned into a high-performance triathlon coach. Stephan shares his "unlikely" journey from being an out-of-shape professional weighing 115kg (18 stone) to founding Wingman, a global coaching business specializing in helping busy midlife executives conquer the Ironman...

Hey there sports lovers. In this episode of The Unlikely Triathlete, Rob sits down with Jake Bird, a marketing consultant and fitness enthusiast who has recently taken the social media world by storm with his transparent, "warts-and-all" journey into triathlon. Jake is the founder of a marketing consultancy for health and fitness brands, but he admits he is very new to the world of swim, bike, and...

Hey there sports lovers, on todays episode of The Unlikely Triathlete Rob sits down with Stuart Walker, the founder and event director of World of Triathlon Life. Stuart shares his remarkable transformation from being "nearly 18.5 stone" (approx. 117kg) and unable to swim to becoming an avid triathlete and industry leader. The conversation dives into Stuart's "trigger point" during a mountain trek...

Hey there sports lovers, on todays episode Rob sits down with a true heavy-hitter in the multisport world: two-time Xterra World Champion and professional triathlete, Bradley Weiss. The conversation explores Bradley's transition from broken collarbones on the rugby pitch to winning multiple 70.3 titles and course records on the road. Bradley opens up about his "technical soul," explaining why he f...

Hey there sports lovers, in todays episode Rob sits down with Brenda Goulter, an "unlikely triathlete" from Perth, Australia. Brenda shares her incredible journey from being a 50-year-old inspired by a friend's Ironman to battling serious health complications and ultimately training for her first 70.3 in Busselton. Key Takeaways Take the First Step: The hardest part of any journey is the decision...

In this episode, Coach Robb sits down with Stuart Wade, a high-performance mindset coach, clinical hypnotherapist, lifelong martial artist, and four-time world champion. Stuart shares the pivotal childhood moment that shaped his resilience, the psychology behind limiting beliefs, and how anyone — regardless of background, body type, or starting point — can unlock extraordinary potential. Whether y...

Welcome sports lovers, Today we talk to Paul Bradford about his incredible journey from a childhood spent in the world of bodybuilding to becoming an Ironman World Championship competitor in Kona, Hawaii. Paul shares the story of a devastating accident that became the catalyst for his greatest athletic achievements and his philosophy on mindset, goal-setting, and never quitting. Key Takeaways From...

In this opening episode, Rob introduces the vision behind The Unlikely Triathletes — a podcast celebrating ordinary people who achieve extraordinary things. He shares his life journey: growing up in tough conditions in Durban, navigating Afrikaans boarding schools, enduring brutal military training, and eventually finding his way into commercial saturation diving, one of the most dangerous jobs on...

Welcome sports lovers to this episode of The Unlikely Triathlete! Today we sit down with Mel, one of my athletes and a former NHS physician associate whose career path has taken more twists than a hilly bike course. From working as a postwoman, to retraining in medicine, to battling through the chaos of COVID on the ICU frontline, and now stepping into a completely new world as a Human Factors Eng...

Welcome sports lovers to this episode of The Unlikely Triathlete! Today we sit down with Matt, a former “fat banker” who transformed his entire life, became an Ironman, and now coaches athletes around the world through the TriDot platform. If you’ve ever thought triathlon was only for “other people,” Matt’s story will flip that belief upside down. We dive deep into: How one moment in the mirror tr...