If you were to ask Vancouver’s Gerard Charton, if he was a Canadian hero, he’d tell you no, but on Fitspeek 136, we’ll let you decide.

As an air force pilot, he has helped protect our country, keep peace around the world, and train a new generation of “Top Guns.” As a philanthropist, he has raised awareness and thousands of dollars for places like Covenant House and Canuck Place. As a triathlete, he was a trail-blazer on the Canadian scene in the 1980’s.

On Fitspeek 136, we spend close to an hour taking a mini-history lesson on Canadian triathlon, featuring Gerard’s adventures from the training grounds of Moose Jaw to the homes of grateful families in the Middle East to the roads of Death Valley.

Although Gerard’s competitive spirit has diminished, his passion and energy has matured. Now when you see him at a start line, chances are he won’t be gunning for personal glory but for a local charity instead. 1963 was a fine vintage indeed. Hear his engaging and inspiration story by pressing play below.

This week we have an in-depth conversation about all things triathlon with our guest, the editor of Triathlon Magazine Canada, Kevin Mackinnon. From the return of Ironman in Penticton, to Canada’s Olympic hopefuls to the shores of Lake Ontario, we cover it all.

Or… everything you wanted to know about Nick Patenaude but were afraid (or too slow) to ask.

What is in that water bottle?

Why so happy?

How did that MA make you a better/faster athlete?

All these (and more) will be revealed in Fitspeek 134.

Also on the show our Fitspeek Roundtable is back. Join Roy McBeth, Kevin Watt, and myself as we chat about some of the big local and international happenings in the world of endurance sports. 55 minutes of solar-inspired Fitspeek flows at the press of this button.

This week on Fitspeek we celebrate the number 3! It is our 133rd podcast and we have a 3 ring circus to entertain and motivate you this weekend. First off, ATC is back in business. We have head coach Mikey Ross in for his Top Five List. Mikey gives advice about how to adapt those workouts you are scheduled to do, whether the source is from your coach, an Internet – based source, or a training app like Training Peaks.

Up second on the podcast, is the first part of our conversation with one of the most colourful & charismatic folks in West Coast Multisport, Victoria’s Nick Patenaude. If you’ve ever been to a triathlon in BC and have seen the guy with the colour and crazy hair…. this is him. We Fitspeek about his transition from video game geek to duathlon dude, to representing Canada at the World Championships.

We leave the last word to Dr. E on Between the Ears. If you are one of those folks who can talk the talk, but sometimes can’t follow through, the doc has some tips on how to “git-er-dun.”

Do it now! 44 minutes of Fitspeek is here at the press of THIS button.

Although the authorities have said there is no travel between the different health districts in the province, Zoom knows no bounds, and neither does Fitspeek. In this week’s show the Abbotsford Triathlon Club’s head coach, Mikey Ross stops in for another Top Five List. He offers run pacing tips designed to help you go the distance.

And for our interview segment

We go the distance (in this case 50 minutes) with 2 of Canada’s age-group triathletes, Dave Matheson and Martin Caron. Although these guys were not your typical jocks growing up, after they discovered the sport of triathlon, they found their inner-athlete. We talk about their impressions on the new Ironman Canada course, how they spent the summer of 2020, and what they are looking forward to this summer. 60 minutes of Okanagan infused Fitspeek is available at the press of THIS button.

With the latest travel restrictions imposed by the provincial government, we can see just how wise most race directors in the province were by cancelling events for 2021. As of April, we are in a holding pattern, with numbers of Covid still at a serious level but with vaccination rates skyrocketing weekly.

There’s no bringing back a race, once it has been cancelled, but could you, would you, participate in a do it yourself event if travel restrictions were rescinded? That is the question we put to Fitspeek members Mikey Ross, Kevin Watt, & Roy McBeth. Hear the discussion question, as well as an update on the cycling and triathlon scene by pressing play below.

Join us for a very entertaining hour this week on Fitspeek as we interview Australia’s “man of all things painful” – Cam Wurf.

Talk about adaptability, this former Olympian rower, turned pro-cyclist (Ineos Grenadier), turned pro-triathlete, turned pro poop-disturber, turned father, is living in Andorra and making the most of the Covid 19 disruption.

In our chat, we Fitspeek about why is living in Andorra, his return back to pro cycling, his distaste for blending social media with training, the importance of rivalries in endurance sports. And we end of the interview with some advice for you, the age group athlete, after all he is the Kona bike course record-holder.

Also on this week’s show, if you prefer running by yourself, you are in good company and in Mikey’s Top Five List we here about why that ain’t necessarily a bad thing. Hear it all now by pressing that play button below.

and yes, Cam is talking Koalas here and not his competition in Kona.

We’re back with the second half of our interview with Mission’s Golden Boy, Brent Hayden. In this podcast we chat about his retirement from competitive swimming, his Swimming Secrets Program, and his not-so-secret comeback.

Also on the show this week, we are keeping it local and heading off to Maple Ridge for another CycloCentric conversation with Roy McBeth. The newsmaker this week, is the dedicated fella in the middle of this picture. And, oh yeah, we also talk about Lionel Sanders and Jan Frodeno.

The perfect thing to listen to on the trainer during an easy ride, or as a companion for that weekend commute to ____________, Fitspeek 129 delivers another Olympic-sized dose of information & inspiration. Get your dose by pressing play below.