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We sit down with Ultraman Australia’s 2026 champions, Mark Thomson and Nat Dodd, to unpack how they manage 515 kilometers across three days in Noosa with calm pacing, tight recovery routines, and crews that never miss a beat.

Mark Thomson joins from New Zealand’s Coromandel Peninsula and breaks down how a first-time Ultraman athlete paces like a veteran: conservative swimming, steady biking by feel, and relentless fueling that protects day three. We talk crew roles, staying calm when the leaderboard is separated by seconds, and what it’s like to have a school community tracking you through a 515-kilometer endurance test. Then we get into the closer: his run plan and the mindset behind dropping a sub-7-hour double marathon after two days of racing.

Nat Dodd, also from New Zealand, shares the other side of the podium and the same core truth: execution beats drama. She explains the nutrition shift that finally solved race-day GI issues, her swim feeding routine with a paddler, and how her crew’s energy kept her from going dark. We also talk pacing discipline on the double marathon, her “lungefluencer” moment on course, workplace support, and what she’s considering next, from Ultraman New Zealand to a return to the Ironman World Championship.

Be sure to check out all the action from the YouTube Livestream.

If you’re into Ultraman, Ironman, long-distance triathlon training, endurance nutrition, or building a crew system that actually works, this one is packed with practical takeaways. Subscribe for more, share it with your training group, and leave a quick review if these champion-level lessons help you race smarter.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Hukuai Primary School
• No Code Events
• Pāuanui Trail Epic
• Blue Lake 24 hour Challenge
• UM New Zealand
• IM New Zealand
• Coast to Coast
• Taupo Marathon
• APAC Ingredients 

Shout outs and mentions in this episode:

• Matt Kerr
• Carl Read
• Simon Cochrane
• Sara Ryan
• Douglas Clark
• Anthony Elder
• Marco Ullrich
• Nev Thomson
• Matt Iggulden
• Craig Thomson
• Ray Zahab
• Craig Jackson
• Chris Dodd
• Jeff Morris 
• Tim Franklin
• Anna Londill
• Brittney Litton
• Greg Fraine
• Roy Sparey
• Harriet Steele
• Dawn Jackson

Support the show

Show Contributors:
Host : Larry Ryan
Contributing Raconteur : Steve King
Announcer : Mary Jo Dionne
Production : 5Five Enterprises
Music  :  Run by 331

For show notes and past guests, please visit the Podcast Website: https://515theultrapodcast.buzzsprout.com
Facebook: @515TheUltraPodcast
Insta : @515theultrapodcast
Youtube : @515TheUltraPodcast
Email : [email protected]