Everyday Athlete Podcast Network

Everyday Athlete stories matter more than metrics.

In this Fireside Chat, I explore how the everyday athlete is redefining endurance sports beyond pace, distance, and data.

I discuss how Run Tri Bike views the everyday athlete beyond the counting stats. The reality is that we are evolving as endurance sports athletes and we want to see more authenticity.

I focus on identity, inclusion, and connection. We are highlighting athletes as people first and athletes second. These everyday athletes are parents, creators, and community builders, not just performers.

If you’ve ever felt like you didn’t belong in these sports, this episode will remind you that you do.

Being an everyday athlete means showing up as your full self, not just your stats.

Keep Connected:

• Join The Everyday Athlete Clubhouse
• Follow Run Tri Bike on Instagram
• Follow Run Tri Bike on Threads

And be sure to subscribe, rate, review and comment.

What does the strength of an Everyday Athlete look like when life goes off course?

In Enduring Minds Season 2, Episode 14, Evan Birch and I sit down with ultrarunner, coach, and filmmaker Sophie Grant for one of the most honest conversations we’ve had on the Everyday Athlete Podcast Network.

We put ourselves at the center of a Venn Diagram that includes ultrarunning, infertility, mental health, and the everyday athlete journey.

As of this recording, Sophie had recently finished third place at the grueling 268-mile Winter Spine Race, but our conversation goes way beyond race results. She opens up about her experience with infertility and IVF, the emotional toll of loss, and the courage it took to tell her story through her documentary Off Course.

We also discuss why women remain underrepresented in ultrarunning, the need for better pregnancy policies in endurance sports, and how vulnerability can become a powerful form of strength.

For the everyday athlete, Sophie reminds us that endurance isn’t just about the running metrics. Our endurance is born out of our resilience, honesty, and the courage to keep moving forward when life doesn’t go according to plan.

If you’re an everyday athlete navigating challenges inside or outside the sport, this conversation will resonate.

Listen now and join the conversation about strength, mental health, and belonging in endurance sports.

🎧 Tune in, reflect, and keep moving forward...one honest mile at a time.

• Don't forget to subscribe, rate, review and comment on the Everyday Athlete Podcast Network.
• Join the Everyday Athlete Clubhouse

Keep Connected

• Run Tri Bike on Instagram
• Run Tri Bike on Threads
• Evan Birch on Instagram
• Sophie Grant on Instagram

📸: Rich Gill

The Everyday Athlete story isn’t always told by the fastest runner. Sometimes it’s told by the people making sure those stories exist.

In this episode of Fireside Chat, I sit down with journalist and RUNHER Magazine founder Ashley Mateo to talk about women runners, print media, and why storytelling still matters in endurance sports.

Ashley talks about how repeated rejection from traditional outlets pushed her to create a platform celebrating women, trans athletes, non-binary runners, and diverse voices in running.

We also discuss the culture of running and what truly defines an Everyday Athlete.

Running is bigger than splits, Strava, or podiums. We are here to tell those stories of Everyday Athletes and prove that there is a spot at the staring line for everybody and every body.

🎧 Press Play And Enjoy The Show

Keep Connected:

• Run Tri Bike on Instagram
• Run Tri Bike on Threads
• Ashley Mateo on Instagram
• RUNHER Magazine
• Join the Everyday Athlete Clubhouse

Don't forget to subscribe, rate, review and comment.

What happens when musicians step off the stage and onto the movie screen?

In this episode of What’s In Your Earbuds?  Joe and I get into one of the most entertaining music debates yet: musicians who became actors in movies and TV shows.

The conversation starts with some big names. Lady Gaga, Mark Wahlberg and Ice Cube start the show but it doesn't end there.

The real fun happens when the Run Tri Bike community joins the discussion.

Listeners start firing off suggestions like Tupac in Juice, Queen Latifah in Set It Off and Living Single, Mos Def in multiple films, RZA in Ghost Dog, Dolly Parton in 9 to 5, and Olivia Newton-John in Grease.

I couldn't keep up.

We then talk nostalgia, pop culture, and even a ponder whether modern artists can reach the cultural impact of legends like Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin.

If you love random conversations about music, movies and television this episode will make your miles a little more fun.

Hit play, enjoy the laughs, and don't forget to smash that subscribe, rate, review and comment button along the way.

Keep Connected

• Join the Everyday Athlete Clubhouse
• Run Tri Bike on Instagram
• Run Tri Bike on Threads
• Joe Hardin on  Instagram

When endurance athletes run long enough, the brain stops thinking about splits and starts thinking about food. Real food. In this episode of Food Fight Friday at the Aid Station, Adam Lee and I dive into one of the most nostalgic food themes ever: ballpark food.

From Seattle dogs with cream cheese to Skyline Chili, helmet nachos, and the legendary Ghirardelli sundae, the conversation jumps around but it always brings back stadium memories. And because we are unscripted and just roll with it, the running humor and unpredictable energy of the RTB community is in full effect.

Then comes the signature Eat, Toss, Carry game. Imagine building an aid station at mile 58 of a 100km. Which ballpark foods do you eat immediately, toss aside, or carry for later?

As you know, the most serious running question is simple:

What ballpark food belongs at an ultramarathon aid station?

🎧 Press Play....And don't forget to subscribe, rate, review and comment on the Everyday Athlete Podcast Network.

• Join the Everyday Athlete Clubhouse

Keep Connected

• Run Tri Bike on Instagram
• Run Tri Bike on Threads
• Community Trail Running on Instagram
• Community Trail Running on Substack

What happens when someone decides to simply start moving?

In this episode of Beyond The Finish Line on Run Tri Bike, host Joe Hardin sits down with Rashad Clark, known online as Soul Runner, to talk about transformation, community, and the belief that running truly is for everyone.

Rashad began his running journey just months ago at over 300 pounds, walking laps at a local track while preparing for a friend’s wedding. A small commitment to movement became something bigger. Today, he’s 70 pounds lighter, training for his first half marathon, and already setting his sights on a future marathon.

Going beyond that point, Joe and Rashad talk about the power of running community, the importance of strength training and pacing for beginner runners, and how encouragement from others can completely change someone’s journey.

Whether it is on his TikTok channel or his Strava running club, Rashad has built a supportive space where hundreds of runners motivate each other daily.

Isn't there a beauty in that connection?

🎧 Press play and don't forget to subscribe, rate, review and comment on the Everyday Athlete Podcast Network.

• Join the Everyday Athlete Clubhouse

Keep Connected:

• Run Tri Bike on Instagram
• Run Tri Bike on Threads
• Joe Hardin on Instagram
• Rashad Clark on TikTok

People First, Runners Second Always

Spend enough time around endurance sports and you’ll realize something important: the miles are just the start. The real story is always the people.

In this episode of Fireside Chat, I chat with Julianna Coughlin, host of the Runnah Podcast and one of the leaders behind the Cape Cod Marathon. We start talking about running but quickly the convo becomes something bigger. We chat about community, belonging, and why runners are more than their race results.

Julianba shares how she discovered running in 2011 and why she believes we are people who run, not just runners. That philosophy shapes everything she does, from podcast conversations to helping build the welcoming atmosphere of the Cape Cod Marathon, known for its coastal views, passionate volunteers, and legendary apple cider donuts at the finish line.

The conversation also dives into inclusive running, adaptive athlete access, non-binary race categories, and partnerships supporting the LGBTQIA+ running community.

Living with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and ankylosing spondylitis, Julianna brings personal perspective to accessibility and representation in endurance sports.

This Fireside Chat reminds all of us that running isn’t just about pace or podiums.

It’s about people, stories, and creating a start line where everyone belongs.

🎧 Press Play and Remember that we are people first and runners second.

• Don't forget to subscribe, rate, review and comment on the Everyday Athlete Podcast Network.
• Join the Everyday Athlete Clubhouse

Keep Connected:

• Run Tri Bike on Instagram
• Run Tri Bike on Threads
• Julianna Coughlin on Instagram
• Runnah Podcast on Spotify

Every once in a while, a conversation reminds me that endurance sports aren’t really about endurance sports. They’re about being human.

In this episode of Fireside Chat, I sit down with Laura Birch, a nervous system regulation coach who discovered how something incredibly simple, breathwork, can transform mental health, reduce anxiety, and help people reconnect with their authentic selves.

Laura shares her journey through panic attacks, ADHD, and chronic stress, and how learning to breathe differently helped regulate her nervous system and change her life. We explore how shallow breathing keeps the body in fight-or-flight mode and how slow, intentional nasal breathing can help athletes and everyday people find calm and clarity.

But we also talk about more than breathwork.

We talk about authenticity in the social media era, the pressure to appear perfect online, and why showing up as your real self matters more than polished posts or filtered highlight reels.

And because this is Fireside Chat, we also wander into the fun stuff like debating pineapple on pizza, ranking Oreo flavors, and confirming that corner brownie pieces are elite dessert engineering.

Everyday athletes are more than splits, pace, or Strava stats.

If you show up and run, you belong here.

🎧 Press Play and remember that you are more than your finish lines.

• Don't forget to subscribe, rate, review and comment on the Everyday Athlete Podcast Network.
• Join the Everyday Athlete Clubhouse

Keep Connected:

• Run Tri Bike on Instagram
• Run Tri Bike on Threads
• Laura Birch on Instagram

What if running wasn’t about pace but about survival?

In this powerful episode of Beyond The Finish Line , Joe Hardin sits down with Tom Gillund, an 18-year military veteran who found healing through running. This conversation goes beyond splits and shoe choices. It dives into PTSD recovery, sobriety, and how endurance sports can become a mental health lifeline.

Tom shares how he started with walking, progressed to swimming, and eventually found ultramarathons. Along the way, running became more than exercise for him. It became a form of therapy. The solitude of long trail runs gave him space to process trauma, anger, and grief in ways traditional methods sometimes couldn’t.

They also explore the power of the trail running community which can be an inclusive space where first-timers, veterans, and back-of-the-pack athletes belong. Through organizations like Ainsley’s Angels and endurance challenges like the 4x4x48, Tom now uses running to serve others.

🎧 Press play. Start where you are.

• Don't forget to subscribe, rate, review and comment on the Everyday Athlete Podcast Network.
• Join the Everyday Athlete Clubhouse

Keep Connected:

• Run Tri Bike on Instagram
• Run Tri Bike on Threads
• Joe Hardin on Instagram
• Tom Gillund on Instagram 

In Season 2, Episode 13 of Enduring Minds, I sit down with Lace Coughlin for one of the most honest conversations we’ve had on the podcast. Lace is the first woman to join us on this show, and her story of sobriety, identity, and healing through running sets the tone in a powerful way.

Lace shares her six-year sobriety journey, the loneliness that followed quitting alcohol, and how running became more than exercise . During her time in law enforcement, three miles could reset her entire nervous system. She ran for survival and mental health.

We also talk about cultural identity, embracing her Native American heritage, motherhood, and learning to love yourself fully.

This episode explores running and sobriety, women in endurance sports, mental health, and the courage to keep becoming.

If you’re an everyday athlete navigating identity, growth, or healing, this conversation is for you.

🎧 Tune in, reflect, and keep moving forward...one honest mile at a time.

• Don't forget to subscribe, rate, review and comment on the Everyday Athlete Podcast Network.
• Join the Everyday Athlete Clubhouse

Keep Connected

• Run Tri Bike on Instagram
• Run Tri Bike on Threads
• Lace Coughlin on Instagram