Kia ora e te whānau. As a young man Rob Hutchings found joy in the suffering of triathlon. A manner to escape an increasingly unhappy and violent upbringing. Choosing his own suffering, on his terms, relishing the pain that it caused him, and reveling in the savagery of competition. Years later, Rob had an epiphany after a spectacular feat of self destruction during an ultramarathon. His love of suffering during competition was an attempt to control the pain he was experiencing in his other life, in this case, a fruitless and frustrating journey to adopt children. So Rob stepped away from the suffering of organized events and into the wild outdoors. We speak to Rob about his love of massive adventures, from swimming the 256km Clutha River, to multi-day, multi-sport events which take in a combination of trail running, swimming, and cycling. We discuss his book, Downriver Nomad: A Triathlete's Adventures and Adversities into the Rapids, which details his life of adventure, discovery, and heartbreak. Rob’s story is full of twists and turns, like any good adventure, and right to the end is filled with surprises. This is a worthwhile conversation for trying times with a singular individual . Enjoy! 

Episode Links 

Buy Downriver Nomad

Rob Hutchings on Instagram 

How to Swim Down Rapids 

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