John Mix is the founder and CEO of FINIS, the swim product company that makes snorkels, goggles and swim-aid tools that make swimming easier for triathletes worldwide. FINIS sells over 10,000 snorkels every month now but business didn't start out as easily as you'd expect from such a large company. In the early days, John worked full-time in another job while FINIS was just starting in his garage, where they made early prototypes from sprinkler hoses. In this Triathlon Taren podcast, Taren and John discuss how FINIS went from its struggling early days to one of the largest swim product companies in the world. LINKS: FINIS Circuit Goggles FINIS Agility Paddles FINIS website

Laurence Delisle is a professional half-ironman 70.3 triathlete who is an NCAA All-American swimmer from UCLA and an Olympic Trials competitor. Laurence is competing in 2018 as a pro triathlete for the first time under Matt Dixon and the Purplepatch team. She just finished her first race as a pro in half-ironman Galveston 70.3 where she was first out of the water by a significant margin swimming faster than many of the pro male triatheltes. Laurence is very open, friendly, and accessible which shows by her Tip Tuesday swim videos on Instagram, she's friendly and easy going but also incredibly determined with an amazing work ethic and love for high performance that drives her to arrive at the pool 10-20 minutes early for every single swim workout. Topics discussed in this triathlon podcast: Laurence Delisle Instagram Laurence Delisle Website Laurence Delisle Facebook Purplepatch website

Jeanni Seymour and Justin Metzler are professional Ironman and half-ironman 70.3 triathletes who are a couple that are known around the Universe as #Metzlemour they're a worldwide sensation really. Jeanni Seymour is one of the highest ranked Ironman 70.3 triathletes and Justin had an amazing 2017 of half-ironman racing cracking the top five multiple times in dramatic fashion. In this interview on the Triathlon Taren podcast Jeanni and Justin talk about the challenges of being in a relationship with a fellow pro triathlete, Justin's harrowing two weeks of racing in Oceanside 70.3 and racing without a saddle, and how Jeanni barely does speed workouts and focuses on lower intensity strength runs and brick workouts. Topics discussed in this triathlon podcast: Jeanni Seymour Facebook Justin Metzler website Justin Metzler Instagram Jeanni Seymour Instagram

Matt Chrabot is a professional Ironman distance triathlete who a lot of triathletes don't know about but should. With multiple Ironman and Ironman 70.3 triathlon wins to his resume, and a top tier career in ITU triathlon racing Matt has been one of the best triathletes on the scene for a lot of years. In this triathlon podcast with Matt Chrabot, Triathlon Taren and NTK talk about Matt's history as a lifeguard and open water swimmer, his bootleg beer-making hobby in college, and what his outcome goals are in Ironman racing for 2018. Topics discussed: Matt's website Matt on Instagram Matt on Facebook

Susan Lacke is the author of a new book called "Life's Too Short To Go So F*cking Slow; Lessons From An Epic Friendship That Went The Distance", where she details the story of how a co-worker encouraged her to get into triathlon and how his coaching and friendship changed the course of her life. In this episode of the Triathlon Taren podcast, Taren's wife and regular podcast co-host NTK (No Triathlon Kim) takes the reigns for the interview with Susan, which is done in format we've never done before. Topics discussed in this podcast: Susan Lacke's book

Lauren Brandon is a pro Ironman triathlete who has just weeks before this interview quit her job and committed full time to pro triathlon racing. Lauren is a former NCAA All-American swimmer and is so talented in the swim that even when starting five minutes behind the pro men's field will swim past some of the pro male triathletes. In this triathlon podcast interview with Lauren Brandon we talk about how she got into triathlon through her husband Barrett Brandon, who is also a professional triathlete, how she stays motivated to train after a lifetime of competitive swimming, how she finally made the jump from full time employment to full time pro Ironman triathlon racing, her performance in the Ironman World Championship in Kona, and her race plans for 2018. Topics mentioned in this podcast with Lauren: Lauren Brandon website Lauren Brandon Instagram Lauren Brandon Twitter BASE Performance Ventum Bikes Lauren's sponsors

Dr. Michael Greger MD is likely one of the worlds leading proponents of eating a whole foods plant based diet. He is an author of five books on the benefits of plant based (vegan, however not necessarily 100% vegan) diets, he speaks around the world about the dangers of diets like the Atkins diet, the Keto diet, the Paleo diet, and the primal diet. Dr. Greger is also the founder of Nutritionfacts.org which is a science-based, non-commercial website which is entirely self-funded and discusses the healthiest ways for people to eat. Topics discussed in this interview (included affiliate links): Nutrition Facts How Not to Die Book How Not to Die Cookbook Dr. Greger's Daily Dozen App Dr. Michael Greger on Twitter

Steve Fleck has been in the triathlon industry as a competitor, marketer, and now race announcer since 1981. Steve raced one of the first triathlons ever held in Canada in 1981 and lays claim to a 9:04 Ironman personal best, doing so at a time when he claims triathletes "Had NO idea what they were doing." He then moved on to the business side of triathlon landing a job in marketing with Sugoi. Today he's a full time freelance endurance industry consultant and announces races all over the world. Topics discussed in this interview: Steve Fleck on Twitter Steve Fleck blog Steve Fleck and his dog Gravy on Instagram Thermal Bodum French Press for Travel (affiliate link) Bose Soundlink (affiliate link)

Jesse Kropelnicki is the Head Coach and Founder of QT2 Systems training Ironman triathletes such as: Linsey Corbin, Angela Naeth, Jeanni Seymour, and Justin Metzler. Jesse is an engineer by trade and has approached triathlon coaching with an engineers mindset, creating systems, processes, tests, protocols, and calculators to systematically identify the primary areas holding each individual athlete back from excellent triathlon performance so that training can be designed to overcome those limiters and create a better athlete. Topics discussed in this interview: QT2 Systems OutRival Racing The Core Diet The Run Formula Race time prediction calculator Field work Nutrition The Cycling Formula

Antoine Desroches is a vegan pro triathlete from Montreal, Canada who's finished as high as fifth in several Ironman 70.3 races. In this podcast interview Triathlon Taren and Antoine talk about what life is like for most pro triathletes who aren't "celebrity pros", how pros with real jobs or are in school find the time and money to compete in pro level Ironman and ITU races through sponsorships, coaching, and saving every possible penny. Topics discussed in this triathlon podcast: Antoine J. Desroches on Instagram Antoine's Triathlon Magazine Canada articles Antoine J Desroches on YouTube TheNowPodcast interview with Triathlon Taren Vegan Krono Bar Argon 18