Sparta Chicks Radio: Mindset | Confidence | Sport | Women

Stacey De Bono grew up in country Victoria and, by her own admission, hated riding bikes as a kid and used to wag the school cross country carnival.

Fast forward a few years and she discovered triathlon quite by accident.

A friend convinced her to sign up for a race. She did, but without checking the details and couldn’t work out why the race was so expensive.

It turns out the first triathlon she signed up for was Ironman Melbourne, just 10 months later.

A few years (and several triathlon seasons) later, a broken finger from a bike accident forced Stacey to step back from her training and work.

This gave her time to reflect on her lifestyle, her health and her goals - and it was during this difficult period she heard about Epic 5, an iconic race consisting of 5 Ironman-distance triathlons over 5 days on 5 different Hawaiian islands.

The seed was planted, Stacey eventually voiced the idea out loud to her coach and the goal was set to participate in Epic 5 in 2020, some 3 years later.

That race date has been pushed back to 2021, meaning she will have been working towards this race for 4 years by the time she stands on the start line.

What is unique about Stacey’s approach to Epic 5 is that she has decided not read or listen to anything about Epic 5 for the next 2 years until her race in 2020 (which is the complete opposite to what most of us do!).

Get the full show notes for the episode here.

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Lou discovered trail running at 43 and went onto win both her 1st 100km race and her 1st 100mi/160km race.

Then earlier this year, Lou finished 2nd at the prestigious Ultra Trail Mt Fuji; the largest 100mi/160km race in the world!

In this conversation, Lou and I discuss:

- how she developed a passion for rock climbing in her early 30s and what prompted her to focus on running in her early 40s,

- why she thinks she was able to develop relatively quickly in the sport,

- why she doesn’t always look forward to training.

- why she prioritises sleep and will do a shorter session or even miss a training session if she thinks she hasn’t had enough sleep,

- how she mentally prepares for a major race, including turning pre-race nerves into positive energy,

- her experience with the Imposter Complex (and why she doesn’t like the word ‘imposter’), and

- her experience at Ultra-Trail Mt Fuji and why she describes the result as “bewildering”.

Get the full show notes for the episode here.

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Follow Lou on Instagram: instagram.com/loumclifton

Mel Nicholls was a healthy, fit and active 22 year old when, in 2001, she was struck down by a stroke.

7 years later, her 3rd stroke left her with permanent paralysis and limited function primarily in her left side.

4 years later - and just 15 months after taking up wheelchair racing - Mel was selected to represent Great Britain at the 2012 London Paralympic Games in the 100m and 200m.

After representing Great Britain for the second time at the Rio Paralympics in 2016, Mel moved away from track cycling and back into endurance events, including the New York and London marathons.

Looking for a new challenge to feed her adventurous spirit, Mel combined her love of adventure and her competitive streak and set the goal to break the World Record for handcycling the length of Britain - from the south to the north along a route known as Lands End to John o’Groats (or LEJOG). It’s a journey of 874mi/1,400km.

Not only did Mel break the record, but she also smashed it!

Get the full show notes for the episode here.

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Sarah Davis joined me on the podcast almost two years ago to share her plans to become the first woman to paddle the length of the Nile river.

A journey of 6,853km / 4,200mi from the source of the Nile in Rwanda, all the way to Alexandria on the Mediterranean coast in Egypt, at the time we first spoke Sarah had anticipated the expedition would start in January 2018 and take 7 months.

(You can find the show notes for that episode here)

So Sarah returns to the podcast this week to share how it unfolded!

Spoiler alert!

Things didn’t all go according to plan and two key decisions meant that Sarah wasn’t able to achieve her original goal to paddle the length of the Nile.

However, she has become the first woman to lead an expedition along the Nile.

In this conversation, we discuss:

- how she made the decision where to start her expedition; a harder decision with more options than you might think,

- what she felt visiting the source of the Nile in Rwanda after 3+ years of planning,

- the very angry hippo tried to flip and then bite a hole in their inflatable raft just 6 days into the expedition,

- how she was arrested and detained for 3 days in Burundi,

- the point at which she (and her team) decided to catch a ferry on Lake Victoria which meant she wouldn’t achieve her original goal to paddle the entire length of the river (and how disconnecting from ego and exploring her ‘why’ made the decision somewhat easier),

- why she cried in a hotel restaurant the day after she finished her expedition, and

- whether the expedition feels like unfinished business.

Get the full show notes for the episode here.

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Follow Sarah on Instagram: instagram.com/paddlethenile

Madhu Tamilarasan is a GP (general practitioner doctor) now living in a regional country town in New South Wales who discovered triathlons in her mid-30s and has since fallen in love with cross (or off-road) triathlons and mountain biking.

She’s competed in (amongst many other races) both the Australian Cross Triathlon Championships as well as the ITU World Cross Tri Championships.

A proudly gay woman, born in England of Indian descent, she brings a unique and insightful perspective to the podcast.

This is a fun and broad-ranging conversation. We discuss everything from coming out to her parents through to why she never let the fact she swam breaststroke in triathlon races for years stop her from competing.

Get the full show notes for the episode here.

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Follow Madhu on Instagram: instagram.com/mvt550/

How do you achieve the seemingly ‘impossible’?

That’s the core of my conversation with return guests Sarah Anne Evans and Pippa Lyon from the InternationElles this week on Sparta Chicks Radio.

On a mission to raise the profile of women in cycling and to fight for equality in the sport, the InternationElles (alongside a French women’s cycling team) rode every stage of the 2019 Tour de France - one day ahead of the men’s professional race.

A journey of 3,640km over 21 days with 53,000m of climbing (with just 2 rest days).

Sarah Anne and Pippa joined me a few months ago on the podcast to discuss the project - including how on earth they were preparing to ride the “most mountainous route” in the 106 year history of the Tour de France!

5 weeks after the ladies rode into Paris, Sarah Anne and Pippa return to Sparta Chicks Radio to share how the experience unfolded.

Get the full show notes for the episode here.

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Follow the InternationElles on Instagram:instagram.com/internationelles

Michael Scragg is an experienced endurance athlete in his own right.

After breaking his neck in a downhill mountain biking accident in the early 2000s, Michael made the switch to road cycling and ultimately into triathlons.

Since finishing ‘dead last’ in his first Half Ironman, Michael has gone onto finish 9 Ironman triathlons as well as multiple 24-hour mountain bike races and ultra-marathons.

He is also married to 2x Sparta Chicks Radio guest and ultra-endurance athlete, Melissa Urie!

(Mel was on the podcast in 2017 to share her experience at the Epic 5 LINK and again early in 2019 to discuss competing at the Ultraman World Championships).

Over the last few years, Michael’s racing career has taken a backseat while Mel pursued her ultra-endurance goals, which have included Ultraman races in Canada, Australia and at the World Championships in Hawaii, the Epic 5 as well as her upcoming race at Uberman.

So in this episode, Michael and I discuss what it’s like to be on the flip side; how to crew for, live with, support and encourage the endurance athletes in your life.

And this topic isn’t complete also without discussing why it’s important for the athlete in the household to be aware of the impact their sport has on the family (in ways you may not have anticipated).

This is a very different conversation from the ones we’d usually have, but it is I think just as important.

Get the full show notes for the episode here.

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A 2x Ironman finisher, Ashley Wiles’ struggles with mental health and body image over the years inspired her to launch Sole Girls, an innovative empowerment program that shares, with girls aged 5 to 12, the tools they need for a confident, happy and healthy life.

And she joins me on Sparta Chicks Radio this week.

In this conversation, we dive into Ashley’s story including:

- the ‘kilometre club’ at her elementary / primary school that laid the foundation for her love of being running,

- how she manages her mental state if she can’t run due to injury,

- how she discovered triathlons (and more recently, boxing and parkour), and

- why she says running saved her life.

Plus we dive into broader issues, including:

- the importance of role models,

- the impact a lack of role models has on the number of girls who drop out of sport,

- the role of sports as “playtime” for kids and adults alike,

- why running (and the body awareness it creates) is fantastic for dealing with anxiety or an overactive brain (how do you get out of your head?), and

- why her focus is now on finding her ‘happy pace’.

Get the full show notes for the episode here.

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Follow Ashley on Instagram: instagram.com/evaruns

Nicole Bradley joined the Australian Army at 20 and served for 22 years. And admits she ‘lost’ herself in the process.

However after leaving the Army, and at the age of 42, Nicole discovered the sport of powerlifting - and life hasn’t been the same since.

Nicole progressed quickly and set her 1st Australian Masters Record for the bench press (she now has 3 records) in her first competition!

Injuries acquired during her service in the Army meant Nicole was eligible to compete (and was selected) to represent Australia at the Warrior Games in the United States and in the 2018 Invictus Games held in Sydney.

And the honour didn’t stop there; much to her surprise, Nicole was appointed the co-captain of the 2018 Australian Invictus Games team! 

In this conversation, Nicole and I discuss:

- why children need to see adults participating in sport,

- why she turned down the first invitation she received to attend an Invictus Games training and selection camp,

- the challenge associated with shifting identity from ‘Army Officer’ to ‘civilian’,

- what prompted her to take up powerlifting at 42,

- how the application process for the Invictus Games caused her to doubt whether her service was significant enough, her injuries were “bad enough” or if she was the right ‘fit’ for the team,

- the lack of appreciation for non-visible injuries,

- the importance of being happy with doing your best on the day, even if it’s not your best performance of all time.

Get the full show notes for the episode here.

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Meredith Quinlan and Jess Baker are two of Australia’s best ultramarathon runners with a string of victories and records to their name.

In recent years, they have begun exploring what lies beyond organised races.

In 2018, their love of travel and running took them to Iceland where they ran the length of Iceland - from the northern tip to the southern tip - and set a Fastest Known Time (FKT) in the process.

The ‘Iceland Traverse’ was a self-supported journey of around 580km which took them 7 days and 13 hours to complete.

In this (laughter-filled) conversation, we discuss:

- how they each discovered running,

- whether there was any sense of rivalry between them,

- why Meredith doesn’t fear failure,

- Jess’ experience with the Imposter Complex and why she says it can be helpful at times,

- where the idea to traverse Iceland came from,

- how Iceland’s rich history of strong women inspired them, and

- the logistics involved in a self-supported crossing of Iceland, which included being powered by chocolate biscuits and slabs of chocolate for a 100km stretch and a 300km section where there were no resupply options,

Get the full show notes for the episode here.

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