May 01, 2024

Sleep walking, nightmares, and freezing temperatures . . but still a 3rd place finish in the 268 mile Winter Spine Challenge * Lucy Gossage

1 hour 16 minutes

Lucy Gossage has been around on the long distance triathlon scene for a long time, and she's instantly recognisable with her blue Erdinger kit and infectious smile. If you don’t know Lucy, she has 14 Ironman victories to her name including IMUK, IM Wales, IM Lanzarote and Patagonman (basically all the toughest ones). In 2019 she stepped back from IM racing to focus more on her work as an Oncologist in Nottingham. You’ll get a sense of how Lucy likes to challenge herself with that race resume, and today's conversation is all about another of those challenges. And they don’t really come much bigger than The Winter Spine Challenge - 268 miles on the Pennine Way in the depths of winter.

It’s a non-stop event requiring participants to be self sufficient. The temperature barely gets above 0ºC, with knee deep snow and blizzards at times, and as if that's not enough the sleep deprivation can literally be a nightmare. We chat about:

Weekly power strength yoga - "I just knew that I had to get as strong as I could"

The benefits of commuting to work and keeping it fun

Walking poles in ultra racing - "As soon as I got them, I was like, oh my god, these are a game changer."

Sleep walking - "The most terrifying discombobulating experience I've ever had."

Shoe selection - "I went with Hoka Speedgoats, which many say is crazy for that terrain. But they were so comfortable."

Sleep deprivation and cognitive function - "I could see the red lines on my Garmin where I'd gone off the course and I was like bloody hell I am actually sleepwalking."

To find out more about Lucy please use these channels:

Twitter @lucygoss Insta @lucygossage

Link to topics we covered in the show

NHS Blog posts

Lucy and I talked for quite a bit at the start about the NHS and she mentioned some blog posts she had written. You can find those HERE.

Lucy’s favourite book Shantaram:A Novel - by Gregory Roberts “It’s a long book but an incredible read."

Developing an Iron Mind

This is the podcast I recorded with Lucy, Helen Davis and Helen Gorman

Developing an Iron Mind -

How to access the Iron Mind course - https://www.thinkbelieveperform.co.uk/iron-mind/

Green Runners

Lucy talked about the The Green Runners eco running group formed by Jasmine Harris and Damian Hall

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By Simon Ward

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