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Are you being called for more? Finding strength at any age with Spartan race champion Gwendolyn Bounds
Welcome to another episode of Hears How! I was inspired to talk to Gwendolyn Bounds — or Wendy to her podcast friends like you and me — because I love her story. As she writes in her book, “Not Too Late: The Power of Pushing Limits at Any Age,” Wendy, now 53, went from the kid being picked last for dodgeball in gym class to a journalist glued to screens all day.
At a dinner party in 2016 she overheard a man ask a young girl what she wanted to be when she grew up.
“And she rattled off all these incredible things, and his eyes kind of glazed over,” Wendy, says on Hears How. “I think he was sorry he asked. But it really stuck with me, hearing her rattle off all these things that, at age 45, no one was ever going to ask me that anymore. And more importantly, I'd stopped asking myself. And that is what led me the next morning to wake up and Google, ‘What are the hardest things you can do?’”
Which led her to the world of obstacle course racing. To date she’s participated in more than 50 races and in November finished in fifth place for her age group at the 2024 Trifecta World Championship held in Sparta, Greece.
Wendy says she doesn’t know exactly why she searched that particular phrase, “but clearly there was a feeling inside that something was left in my tank, something I hadn't tapped.”
And that is why it is so important that you listen to this episode, so you can answer the question Do you hear a whisper or feel a push telling you there’s more?
In this show:
1:06 The entire point of this podcast episode: Is there more left in your tank?
3:21 From journalist to athlete
5:52 The dinner party revelation
9:33 The first steps in training
15:28 Facing challenges and overcoming obstacles off the course
17:14 The hardest part of all: Mastery and the plateau
26:56 Wendy’s advice for aspiring racers
28:09 Final thoughts
More:
To learn more about Wendy, visit her website and read her book “Not Too Late: The Power of Pushing Limits at Any Age.” You can also follow her on Instagram.
Be sure to subscribe to the Hears How podcast so you don’t miss an episode!
View all episodes
By Erin JensenWelcome to another episode of Hears How! I was inspired to talk to Gwendolyn Bounds — or Wendy to her podcast friends like you and me — because I love her story. As she writes in her book, “Not Too Late: The Power of Pushing Limits at Any Age,” Wendy, now 53, went from the kid being picked last for dodgeball in gym class to a journalist glued to screens all day.
At a dinner party in 2016 she overheard a man ask a young girl what she wanted to be when she grew up.
“And she rattled off all these incredible things, and his eyes kind of glazed over,” Wendy, says on Hears How. “I think he was sorry he asked. But it really stuck with me, hearing her rattle off all these things that, at age 45, no one was ever going to ask me that anymore. And more importantly, I'd stopped asking myself. And that is what led me the next morning to wake up and Google, ‘What are the hardest things you can do?’”
Which led her to the world of obstacle course racing. To date she’s participated in more than 50 races and in November finished in fifth place for her age group at the 2024 Trifecta World Championship held in Sparta, Greece.
Wendy says she doesn’t know exactly why she searched that particular phrase, “but clearly there was a feeling inside that something was left in my tank, something I hadn't tapped.”
And that is why it is so important that you listen to this episode, so you can answer the question Do you hear a whisper or feel a push telling you there’s more?
In this show:
1:06 The entire point of this podcast episode: Is there more left in your tank?
3:21 From journalist to athlete
5:52 The dinner party revelation
9:33 The first steps in training
15:28 Facing challenges and overcoming obstacles off the course
17:14 The hardest part of all: Mastery and the plateau
26:56 Wendy’s advice for aspiring racers
28:09 Final thoughts
More:
To learn more about Wendy, visit her website and read her book “Not Too Late: The Power of Pushing Limits at Any Age.” You can also follow her on Instagram.
Be sure to subscribe to the Hears How podcast so you don’t miss an episode!