Seasoned Athlete

This week, we talk to 47-year old Kim Cole. Kim is a wife, mother of two, veterinary tech and competitive Spartan Racer out of Boise, Idaho. In 2018, Spartan introduced a competitive age group category and Kim made a huge mark over the course of the year, landing on the 40-49 women’s age group podium for every single race she ran. Kim earned thirteen first place finishes, three second place finishes and one third place finish. She finished the season winning the Spartan US Championship Race series in the 40 to 49 women’s age group and she placed Second at the Spartan World Championships. All of these impressive stats sealed Kim’s status as the Spartan 2018 Age Group World Series Champion. In addition to obstacle racing, Kim has also been a Crossfit athlete for the last ten years and in 2018 she placed second in the world in the 45-49 age group at the Crossfit Open. Kim shares her story about how she got involved in Spartan Race and her quick rise to success as a 40-49 age group athlete, as well as filling us

We are back with a brand new season and an incredible story of overcoming obstacles in life and eventually in sport. We kick off our new season with 66-year old Bob Ashcraft of Allentown, Pennsylvania. Over the last 40 years of his life, he has faced a number of trials – from major accidents to devastating illness. And yet, thanks to a commitment to physical activity, Bob has stayed resilient, become stronger, and improved his stamina to the point that he is now running Spartan Races. Bob’s is a story of survival, healing, and overcoming. In our conversation, Bob goes in depth about the multiple traumas he endured over the course of his life (showing his wicked sense of humor along the way) and talks about how his life has completely changed in recent years thanks to a determined focus on health, nutrition and fitness. SEASONED ATHLETE STATS - BOB ASHCRAFT Age: 66 Sport: Spartan Race Quote: “Don’t listen to other people.” Contact: Facebook.com/robertashcraft.16Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/

 In this episode, we talk to Ginny Maccoll – dancer, actor, swimmer and American Ninja Warrior. Ginny is the mother of stuntwoman and American Ninja Warrior Jessie Graff. At age 63 she took up strength training and it changed her life. In the last couple years Ginny has become a notable ninja competitor in her own right – appearing on American Ninja Warrior Seasons 9 & 10 and competing in regional ninja meets across the country. Ginny is living proof that it is never too late to get started! SEASONED ATHLETE STATS - GINNY MACCOLL Age: 67 Sport: competitive ninja athlete Quote: “Strength is Ageless!” Contact: Instagram.com/ginnymaccollSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/seasoned-athlete/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

For our 50th episode, we’re going BEAST MODE! This episode features an interview with Sue Spencer of Vancouver, British Columbia…also known as Beast Mode Grandma! Sue is a late in life athlete who has found mental and physical wellness, health and strength through competitive Olympic weightlifting. Since she began competing at age 61, Sue has earned multiple age group and provincial records and has had the opportunity to compete in her home country as well as internationally. Sue now seeks to inspire others through her business Lift You Up Coaching where she works with people to make positive life changes both emotionally and physically. SEASONED ATHLETE STATS - SUE SPENCER Age: 64 Sport: Olympic weightlifting Quote: “Don’t be afraid to step up and try.” Contact: liftyouupcoaching.com Instagram.com/liftyouupcoaching Instagram.com/beastmodegrandma Twitter.com/liftuupcoaching Facebook.com/liftyouupcoaching Facebook.com/Beast-Mode-Grandma-900360386739564/  Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/seasoned

This episode includes the final interview from the 2018 Spartan Podfest that took place at the 2018 Spartan World Championships at the Squaw Valley Resort in Lake Tahoe. This interview features world-renowned endurance athlete and current World OCR President Ian Adamson. A little background on Ian - he started his athletic career as a young age group cyclist in 1973. From 1996 to 2006 he accumulated 10 world championship wins, 22 world championship podium finishes and Gold, Silver and Bronze medals at the ESPN X-Games. He is a three-time Guinness world record holder for endurance kayaking and has competed internationally in adventure racing, triathlon, canoeing, kayaking, orienteering and sailing. He was also a founder of Team Nike, the world's most successful adventure racing team, and was featured on the Eco-Challenge and other television shows from 1995 through 2007. And Ian continues to participate in obstacle course racing and endurance sports as an age group athlete – something we talk about in our

This episode features a Seasoned Athlete first: this is the first time a guest is featured on this show for the second time! This week we talk to 73-year old Spartan Racer Marla Sweeney. We first featured Marla in a short Everyday Seasoned Athlete segment in 2017. This time around, she sat down with us for a full interview. Marla ran her first Spartan Race at age 70, and from then on she was hooked on racing. In 2018 alone, Marla completed 19 races, including 11 Spartan Races. She earned the coveted Spartan Trifecta – which is the completion of their three different race lengths in the same calendar year. Scratch that, she earned THREE Trifectas in 2018. Marla was recently featured in Runners World, she’s become known as an inspirational figure within the Spartan Race community, and is a fixture at West Coast races. In this interview, Marla catches us up on what she’s been up to, goes in depth and gets a bit emotional about what living an active life has done for her, and talks about a big step she was taking

In this episode, we bring you a new interview from last September’s Spartan Podfest at the Squaw Valley Resort in Lake Tahoe - featuring 68-year old Olympian Rod Dixon. Rod Dixon is a legend in the running community. He’s an Olympic Bronze medalists and won the 1983 NYC Marathon in one of the most dramatic finishes the race has ever seen. Rod’s additional triumphs include: winning the national 1500m titles of New Zealand, France, U.S.A, and Great Britain; running the fifth fastest 1500m of all time 1974 at the Christchurch Commonwealth Games;  a fourth-place finish in the 5000m at the 1976 Montreal Olympics; victories at the Philadelphia Distance Classic in 1980 and 1981 in course record times; victories at the Examiner Bay to Breakers Road Race in San Francisco in 1982 and 1983 in course record time; and a 10th place finish in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics marathon. What’s interesting and different about this interview is that Rod doesn’t talk much about himself at all. Instead, he shines the light on his cu

This week we offer another interview recorded at the Spartan Podfest last September in Lake Tahoe. And this time we’ve got double trouble for you. Our latest guests are race directors, ultra runners and adventurers Johnny Waite and Luis Escobar. Johnny Waite is a race director for Spartan Race Canada, and a man of many great soundbytes, including the motto he lives by, which is “a lifetime of adventures of a lifetime.” Luis Escobar is a long-time runner, photographer, experienced race director possibly best known for the Born to Run Ultra Marathon Extravaganza near Santa Barbara, California and now co-director for the new Spartan Trail series launching this year. These guys took opposite paths to eventually find each other and build an enduring friendship over common threads. And they both have an amazing perspective on how to live your best Seasoned Athlete life. SEASONED ATHLETE STATS - JOHNNY WAITE Age: 50 Sports: ultra-running, Spartan Race, Death Race, just living adventurously Quote: “Always have someth

Audition Template: 1 Mono Host track (with Speech Volume Leveler), 1 In this episode, we get to know Steve Mittleman of Long Beach, CA. Steve is a husband, father, weightlifting coach at Mo-Mentum Fitness in Huntington Beach AND he’s a competitive Highland Games athlete. Steve is a member of the Orange County Highlanders, a group that practices in Orange County and competes at Scottish Festivals throughout Southern California, and he recently earned first place as a Masters 50+ athlete at a tournament at the Ventura Highland Games last October. Additionally, Steve has competed as a powerlifter, winning a California championship, two state records in the squat and the deadlift and a national championship. SEASONED ATHLETE STATS - STEVE MITTLEMAN Age: 50 Sports: Highland Games, powerlifting Quote: “Find something you love that’s hard…do something hard almost every day.” Contact: Email: steve@mo-mentumfitness.com Gym: Mo-Mentum Fitness.comSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/seasoned-athlete/donations

This episode comes to you from the Spartan Podfest at last September’s Spartan World Championships, and features Willie Banks. Willie is a former World Record Holder and Olympian, President and CEO of the ANOC World Beach Games and President of the US Olympians. Much of Willie’s fame comes from his innovative approach to sports and his exuberant personality that he brought to track and field competitions.  He is the originator of the now common hand clapping that takes place during many track and field events, which he talks about in true Willie style during our conversation. In 1999, Willie was inducted into the USA National Track and Field Hall of Fame and he still continues to compete to this day. WILLIE BANKS SEASONED ATHLETE STATS Age: 62 Sport: Track and Field - Triple Jump Quote: “Go out and try something unique. If you’ve never danced dance. If you’ve never run…run. You never know…you’ll surprise yourself.” Website: hsj-j.jp Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/willie.banks2 Instagram: @williebanks  Su

t’s a New Year and we’re back with new episodes of the Seasoned Athlete Podcast! For many of us, a new year signifies an opportunity to look within, reevaluate and reset our goals. But often times, we don’t stick with those goals, or get stalled out even before we get started. The mind is a powerful tool – it can work for you and help you do amazing things, or it can tell you lies about yourself and act like a saboteur. In the spirit of the New Year, new aspirations and new energy, we’re doing something a little different with today’s episode. For the first time, we are featuring someone who is UNDER age 40. Again, in the spirit of the New Year, today’s guest can serve as an amazing resource for those who have struggled with starting or maintaining a fitness routine, or have convinced themselves that they aren’t capable or worthy or bold athletic and fitness goals. Today’s guest is Dr. Lara Pence. She’s a Licensed Clinical Psychologist and has spent the last fifteen years working with individuals as they peel

As has become tradition here at the Seasoned Athlete Podcast, on host Robin Legat’s birthday every year, she turns the tables and answers listener questions. On this episode, recorded the day Robin turned 44, Robin talks about her year in racing, including successes and shortcomings, shares her experience as a budding competitive obstacle racer, and gives advice to listeners who are working on accomplishing their own health, fitness and race goals. CONTACT: Instagram: @robinlegatsgx Facebook: Facebook.com/robinmlegat RobinLegat.comSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/seasoned-athlete/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

This week, we talk to 67-year old Helen Leeds of Bullhead City, Arizona. Helen is a mother of three, grandmother of seven and she has one great grandson. She’s a retired Senior Accountant, a golfer, a bowler and a competitive soccer player. Helen medaled twice in the Bullhead City/Laughlin Senior Olympics in 2017 and recently competed with the San Diego Soccer Women Global Goals team in Norway, playing alongside women ranging from 41-77 years old - and her daughter. Helen’s passions also include Zumba, motorcycle riding, camping and birdwatching. In this episode, we learn how Helen was able to return to the soccer field in her sixties after a long absence, what other sports she enjoys or would like to pursue, and learn the advice she has for others who would like to be as active as she is in their sixties. HELEN LEEDS SEASONED ATHLETE STATS Age: 67 Sport: Soccer, bowling, track and field Quote: “The medal is the road getting to that first step on the field.”Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/

Jimmy Choi, 43, is a husband, father, runner, cyclist, obstacle racer and American Ninja Warrior. After being diagnosed with early onset Parkinson’s Disease at age 27, and spending years in denial, a life changing incident was the catalyst that led him to make a change to lead a more active life. Since his first 5K in 2012, Jimmy has literally hit the ground running and has run countless road races, numerous 50+ mile bike races and two seasons of American Ninja Warrior - all the while representing Team Fox and raising $250,000 for the Michael J. Fox Foundation. Jimmy has become an inspiration to the Parkinson’s community and beyond, and lives his life with a positive mindset, passion and dedication to helping find a cure for Parkinson’s. Contact/Follow: https://facebook.com/jcfoxninja https://instagram.com/jcfoxninjaSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/seasoned-athlete/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

On Friday, September 28, 2018, John Witzing, Josh Chessman and Brian “Tosh” Chontosh entered individual shipping containers and spent 24 hours running on Trueform Runner human powered treadmills. They did this in the dark, isolated from the outside world. No communication, no music, nothing but their own thoughts and iron will pushing them through. The goal? Run as many miles as possible in 24 hours. Known as the Locked and Loaded 24 Hours of Isolation Challenge, they were doing this in support of mental health, veterans and first responders. Although their individual goals were to run more miles than their competitors, to them, true victory was to help those suffering in silence. We had the opportunity to speak with John, Josh and Tosh at the 2018 Spartan Podfest, just hours before they stepped into the shipping containers to embark upon this extraordinary challenge. In this episode, they talk about the origins of this challenge, how they each trained, the benefits of youth vs experience (and vice versa) and

It’s Spartan World Championships Week. And this week we talk to two Spartan World Championships competitors with completely different stories! We start by debuting our new Seasoned Firsts segment. This segment features people who are stepping outside their comfort zones to try new challenges for the very first time. Whether it’s a race, event, competition or new sport, we want to know what drives these people to challenge themselves in this new way. Today we introduce 48-year old Julie Jensen, who is competing in her very first Spartan Race at the notoriously difficult Spartan Race World Championships in Lake Tahoe. In our main interview, we talk to 43-year old Rachel Cosgrove of Santa Clarita, California. Rachel owns and operate Results Fitness, named one of the top ten gyms in the US by Men’s Health Magazine. She’s the best-selling author of The Female Body Breakthrough and Drop Two Sizes. In 2012, Rachel earned the title of IDEA Personal Trainer of the Year. She has competed as a triathlete, a powerlifter,

This week, we meet 61-year old Helen Fritsch - a flight attendant, published fitness model, IFBB Bodybuilding Pro and Certified Wine Specialist who believes that age is irrelevant to pursue goals, dreams and desires. To that end, she started competing in bodybuilding shows when she turned 55 and consistently placed in the top 5. When Helen turned 60 last year, she won a national championship and earned her pro card. Four years ago, Helen was diagnosed with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia, but that didn’t stop her from pursuing her athletic goals. Helen has been featured in Oxygen Magazine, D’Fyne Magazine, Center Stage Magazine and she writes a column in Max Sports and Fitness Magazine called Forever Young. In this episode, we discuss Helen’s journey to becoming a competitive bodybuilder in her sixties, how she was able to stay disciplined with her nutrition while traveling for a living, and what she credits with keeping her cancer from advancing. SEASONED ATHLETE STATS - HELEN FRITSCH Age: 61 Sport: competitive

This week, we talk to 55-year old Charlie Engle of Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Charlie is a husband, a father, a writer, a runner and a recovering addict. He’s run across deserts, summited ice-covered volcanoes, swam with crocodiles and even served a stint in federal prison. But Charlie’s greatest challenge is the daily challenge of sobriety. Instead of trying to kill his addictive nature, Charlie instead channels it into positive, purpose-filled pursuits, and those pursuits have literally had him running all over the globe. He’s been clean and sober since 1992, his running pursuits have been the subject of multiple documentaries, and in 2016, Charlie released his first book aptly titled Running Man. Charlie is, as he describes yourself, an addict who runs and a runner who writes. In this episode, Charlie candidly talks about his struggles with addiction and how that opened up a new path for him as an ultra-endurance runner. He also shares some remarkable stories, including the hilarious way he stumbled into

his week we talk to 66-year old Masters Runner Tom Bernhard of Castro Valley, CA. He currently holds four men’s 65-69 American age group records - 1 Mile, 5000m, and 10,000m on the track along with the 5K record on the road.  Tom is a four-time Road Runner of the year in your age group: once in 55-59, once in 60-64, and twice in 65-69. And he's won the Masters LDR Grand Prix two times: once in 2015 in the 60-64 age group and once in 2017 in the 65-69 age group. In this episode, we discuss how Tom has managed to work through various injuries and how he continues to be able to race at a high level.  SEASONED ATHLETE STATS - TOM BERNHARD Age: 66  Sport: Masters Running Quote: "Find your passion and pursue it with enthusiasm." Learn more about masters running: http://therunningprof.com EVERYDAY SEASONED ATHLETE - STEPH ELDORE Each week, we start our show with our featured EVERYDAY SEASONED ATHLETE. In this segment, we shine the spotlight on athletes over age 40 from a variety of backgrounds and skill

This week we talk to Alene Nitzky of Fort Collins, Colorado. She’s an oncology nurse turned health coach that specializes in helping cancer survivors and their families. She’s a writer, blogger and author and she recently published your first book Navigating the C: A Nurse Charts the Course for Cancer Survivorship Care. On the Seasoned Athlete side, She’s an ultra runner, and one of her great accomplishments came when you turned 50 and ran 112+ miles in 24 hours with an overall win at the Cornbelt 24 Hour run in Iowa. She recently took some time off running to concentrate on her business and writing, and now she’s getting ready to return to racing with a goal of running the Across the Years 48 hour race in December. In the episode, we discuss her early experience with road running, the advantages of training and competing in such grueling races as an older athlete, and what advice she would give to people who feel like they could never become an ultra runner as well as her advocacy work. SEASONED ATHLETE STAT