Matt Hanson - Professional Triathlete and Coach 5x Ironman/5x 70.3 champion Owner of MHRacing

Today I am joined by one of the greatest Ironman athletes in the world. He’s currently ranked 8th on the PTO World rankings and has been steadily making his way up this list for many years.

Dr. Matt Hanson is a professional triathlete and coach for triathletes, cyclists and runners. He has an extensive background as an athlete and is highly-educated in all things sports-related.

He’s quietly gone about the job of winning major Ironman's, including 4 North American titles. Combine that with his multitude of half-Ironman wins and you start to see the incredible foundation he has built.

As an athlete, Matt comes from a wrestling background, but running has always a been a passion of his. In 2014, his first year as a pro, Matt set 3 run course records and won Ironman Chattanooga. He has since tallied 10 professional wins. He also owns the fastest ever marathon off the bike with a 2:34.

With his background as a Professor of Sports Science, his natural ability to run a fast marathon in an Ironman, and his discipline and determination, I have him on course to become one of the true greats.

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Timestamps

0.0 - Introduction to show and advertising

5:56 - Altitude v. Humidity when it comes to training and racing.

7:52 - 2022 has been a solid year - Matt talks us through this year after having a quiet year in 2021 where he came 2nd to Bart Aernouts in 70.3 IM Florida and ran out of real estate and 4th at Clash Daytona.

16:04 - Matt explains how after a bought of heat stroke in Kona he now loses over 20lbs during a race. The challenge is to stay hydrated to ensure his sweat rate is maintained.

18:11 - The Champions Mindset of Matt realises that he has to improve to keep up with the math of performance. Greg and Matt discuss where the numbers sit currently, and how they have changed in the past decade.

21:25 - There's no place to be when it comes to giving up time ... the fella's talk how running shoes have played a significant part to performance.

24:58 - Greg and Matt 'rewind the clock' and discuss Matt's early connection and inspiration in sport. How he set 50 goals and developed his passion for triathlon. Surprisingly, owning a monkey came close to triathlon on Matt's set of goals.

31:57 - Matt explains the moment when he decided to go 'all in' on triathlon, effectively giving up his tenure as a Professor. Academic tenure is a system of strong job protection that virtually guarantees a university professor will never be fired.

43:09 - Matt is coached by Julie Dibens and Matt Botchel. He explains the training process and schedule in Boulder.

45:40 - Matt talks through his pre race training schedule, including how he test his nutrition plan going into a race.

47:22 - The hard lessons learned.

54:04 - Who can stop the Norwegians?

58:50 - Rapid fire Q&A;

1. Best and worst subjects at school?

2. What are you currently watching on Netflix?

3. First car you owned.

4. Two most-used apps on your phone?

5. What time of day are you most productive?

6. First job?

7. Summer or winter?

8. Who would you want to play a movie of your life?

9. Which decade of music is the best?

1:03:01 - What is instore for Matt Hanson in 2022 and beyond?

1:04:33 - Interview concludes.