Kyle and Brent Pease: Improving the Lives of People With Disabilities Through Sports

When two worlds collide in the realm of endurance sports, extraordinary things happen. Such is the case with Kyle and Brent Pease, brothers who conquer Ironman challenges together despite the hurdles thrown their way by Kyle's cerebral palsy. Our conversation with them isn't just about athletic prowess; it's a profound narrative of inclusion, family bonds, and the tireless pursuit of breaking down barriers. Witness the Pease brothers transcending the expected, transforming the endurance sports landscape, and their heartfelt tribute to the legendary Hoyts, whose legacy paves the way for athletes with disabilities.

The Pease brothers take us behind the scenes of their meticulous preparations, from emergency simulations in the water to Kyle's tailored nutrition strategies. Their shared experiences, from childhood inclusivity to trailblazing roles within the endurance community, illustrate the power of unity and persistence. These narratives resonate with anyone who faces life's adversities head-on, offering a masterclass in resilience.

As we pivot towards the role of inclusion off the race track, the Pease Foundation's mission comes into focus. They're not just about supporting athletes during competitions; they're changing lives by providing financial empowerment for those with disabilities. And when the Pease brothers talk about the anticipation leading up to Disney races and the significance of amusement mixed with competition, it's clear that sport is more than just a physical pursuit—it's a celebration of human spirit and shared victories. Whether you're lacing up for your first marathon or simply cheering from the sidelines, this episode showcases the true essence of inspiration and determination.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:04

Welcome to 321 Go the Podcast. I'm John Pelkey.

Speaker 2: 0:08

And I'm Karissa Galloway, and we're bringing you stories from start to finish to keep the everyday athlete motivated to keep moving towards the next finish.

Speaker 1: 0:17

Alright Karissa. Today we have an absolutely inspiring and trailblazing duo that many of you will get to see at the 2024 Dopey Challenge Kyle and Brent Pease. Kyle has quadriplegia with spastic cerebral palsy, uses a wheelchair full time, has completed endurance events from 5K to Iron man World Championships with his older brother, Brent Karissa. This is kind of a full circle moment for us because one of our first podcast we talked about the celebrated Rick and Dick Hoyt.

Speaker 2: 0:47

I mean, and when you listen to the story and when you guys, when you are at Dopey those of you listening, please tell everyone to listen to that you guys can learn about the amazing two humans that you are going to see out there on the course. John, I did this interview. You were doing St Pete Run Fast, so I did this interview alone, but I just want to tell you that it there are parts of this interview, one story in particular, that still sits with me, that I think about all the time when I think about our adaptive athletes, our athletes with disabilities, and the magnitude of what Brent and Kyle Pease are doing. The other thing that I learned from this and I want you guys to go listen is how can we support our duo teams, what do they want from us and how much that person in the chair is a true athlete and work so hard to be at these events. So many goosebump worthy moments. And you also learn about how Brent and Kyle not only are they out there just doing these races because it's fun and they're really competitive. They love these opportunities, but their goal is to create opportunities of inclusion for every person with a disability, and so their foundation truly does that and we're going to learn about that as well. We're also going to open the mail bag to talk about the mental side of going 26.2 and talk about tofu in healthier use.

Speaker 2: 2:00

So, to all of you who are listening, thank you so much. Please keep doing that. Subscribe, share with your friends, give us a rating and, john, give a big fight on a four stars. Five stars how many stars do I have to give to Hyper Ice? I am loving my Hyper Ice Go and I know you are loving that Hyper Ice Venom 2 back brace that has the heat and the vibration. I might want to take it back because I am missing it. Can I have it? No, no, no, no, no, no, but they shipped them both to my house. All right, fine, you know what I need to do. I need to go to hypericecom and use the code 321GO and I'll get an extra special discount. I'm going to do that. While you guys do this, let's do it.

Speaker 2: 2:45

All right, johnny, I'm kicking off the chat today and you and I, about 10 minutes before we started taping, I went upstairs and we had an episode come out today. It was the episode with the hashtag run dopey group and I was listening to it and I was listening to our chat about San Antonio. I remember how Riley said the thing about like you can't teach chemistry and we made fun of him. Now you didn't say anything wrong, but you talked about how you didn't get to go to San Antonio and you were like it's one of the most disappointing things that's happened to me and so, listening to it back, I was like man, you were either extremely invested in San Antonio, are? You've had a pretty good life, john?

Speaker 1: 3:28

Well, all right. So I probably should have qualified, and I have. I've been very, very lucky, surrounded by really, really great people. Yes, I've been very, very lucky, but when I meant to say I should have said it this way is that all my opportunities to travel for work and I've had a lot of them it's been great. My biggest disappointment was that I didn't get to go to San Antonio, because I haven't really had things canceled last minute too often, and that was a city, again, that a lot of people told me this is going to be perfect for you. So so that's it. But yes, you're right.

Speaker 2: 4:01

I did laugh out loud listening to it because I knew what you meant and it was one of the things that I did. It was just funny because you know, sometimes you're funny, john, intentionally or or unintentionally, counting money my whole life. Well, when you know, on your tombstone out next to the Haunted Mansion never got to San Antonio.

Speaker 1: 4:20

Oh, that's. That's my autobiography. Never been to San Antonio.

Speaker 2: 4:24

It's not like a place you can't. It's not like Antarctica, you know we're supposed to go to. It's just it's too hard to get those. It's a two and a half hour Southwest flight away, john.

Speaker 1: 4:32

I know.

Speaker 2: 4:33

And DW is in Austin. Maybe you guys could meet up together. I don't know.

Speaker 1: 4:37

It's on the list. I know it's on the list, Well all right, you're welcome, San Antonio.

Speaker 2: 4:41

San Antonio just did not pay for this podcast, but it's a nice place here in central Florida. Johnny, cold outside in air, it was 48 this morning. What have you been doing? Have you been enjoying this weather?

Speaker 1: 4:55

I have been enjoying this weather, as you know. The endless yard work because we allowed our yard to get out of control Much nicer to go out. It reminds me of home, gives me a little bit of the feel this season out there in a sweatshirt. So yeah, I've been trying to do things outside of my house that it'll be much more comfortable doing now. Now, sadly, when it gets cold here, we don't have to cut the grass every 45 minutes like we do in the summertime. So I think after we wrap today, I think I might go out, put on the old, put on the old ear or put in the old, my new earbuds. I bought new earbuds I get them frequently it's kind of a thing for me and listen to new Peter Gabriel album that came out. So I'm very excited about that and I'll be cutting the grass.

Speaker 2: 5:39

So I was going to say are you just going to go stand outside and listen to it? Are you going to actually do something. I'm going to cut the grass, john's just going to go stand in this front yard, put in his earbuds and listen to Peter Gabriel standing outside.

Speaker 1: 5:49

That's a great idea. Pour myself a. Pour myself a little bit. We joined the naked wine club. You know naked wines are familiar with those because I get the GQ box every quarter.

Speaker 2: 6:00

Because, again, dandy counting soft hands blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

Speaker 1: 6:03

And we got a really good coupon for $100 off their original order of 12 bottles, and so I thought that's, that's, that's pretty good, because you get 12 bottles for about 90 bucks. So we have a little wine here and so, yeah, well, I don't think there's anything wrong with me standing out in my yard and enjoying the cold weather with a lovely Shebley or a Cabernet kind of a Cabernet sort of weather raving now, but I'm enjoying it. I tell you most we have a lot of friends down here I'm sure you have these people too or just wine, wine, wine, a different kind of wine about. Oh, I'm so cold, he's horrible, and I'm like shut up.

Speaker 1: 6:40

So the windows open, you get to, we all I don't care how great a shape you're in, we all look better in sweaters, people, let's admit it and we just don't get to wear them that often. So I'm very excited about I do actually dress up kind of around the house in my fall clothing, because I'm not really going anywhere and I don't get to. I don't get to do that very often, but I'm doing. I'm doing a corporate, another one of my corporate five case tomorrow, and this is going to be the first race I've done in a while where I have to go dig out my my warmer clothing for it.

Speaker 2: 7:10

Yeah, you have to bundle up and I was going to give you a little shout out. People might not realize that you and your wife dress very fashionably. You guys always, whenever we go out, whenever we come over and see you guys, we haven't no, alex, you've been busy. You guys always impressed with the wardrobes.

Speaker 1: 7:23

A bit of a bit of a dandy. A bit of a dandy. Shop the sales. I do, I will admit. I shop the sales. Don't buy a lot of things at retail because, just you know, in a, in a, let me tell you something people in a tourist town, you don't get hometown prices at much of your stores. You get the prices people will pay when they're not thinking straight because they're on vacation. So I try to look presentable and thank you for that and I'll pass along my that to my wife as well.

Speaker 2: 7:48

Yeah, she's funnier than you. Are not better dressed I'm, so you're equally well dressed. So there you go.

Speaker 1: 7:54

She, she, she has to. I pick out most of my stuff, but I do run it by her to make sure it's okay, because I do at times gravitate towards my old preppy 80s. Look, and she, she tries to get me to be a little, you know, a little more up to date.

Speaker 2: 8:10

I think I'm at that point where I need a massive refresh. Just because with kids like I don't go shopping, I'll grab things from Target and I know there's a lot of moms out there, so I need to. In the next couple of weeks I need to go to like Nordstrom Rack, you know, head over that way, maybe to the outlet, like the moment it opens, and and do a little refresh. We'll see.

Speaker 1: 8:27

Yeah, maybe the only problem with places like that is to see if you feel the same way is you kind of have to go to them consistently because they get shipments in all the time. So it's like if you went, I like lucky brand jeans and they often have those and I can get jeans, but you kind of have to catch up because other people like lucky brand jeans and when they get a shipment in, they go pretty quickly. So if you're going to shop smartly, people, here's my, here's my shopping advice. If you're going to stop shop smartly, don't, don't pay retail and, as opposed to going out and replacing your entire wardrobe at one time, it's probably better to replace pieces over a long period of time, and that is my fashion advice.

Speaker 2: 9:06

Thank you First one, first one here on the pod.

Speaker 1: 9:11

I miss buying sweaters. I used to have so many sweaters when I lived up north. Virginia's a great seasonal state. It is as you will shout out to our state. It's really great seasonal and particularly up in the Washington DC area, because you get the humid subtropical stuff but you also get cold enough weather that you can you can have more than one wool sweater in your closet.

Speaker 2: 9:31

And I have zero.

Speaker 1: 9:34

I think I have three, because I visit my mom in Pennsylvania from time to time.

Speaker 2: 9:38

All right, john, I'm going to give you two shout outs. In one chat I heard the people did like your Kennedy historical moment, so, and it was more than four. So wow, yeah.

Speaker 3: 9:50

There you go, Riley. Any one of those?

Speaker 2: 9:52

Riley, you know he doesn't listen.

Speaker 1: 9:54

Oh, that's a good point. You know he's very busy If we told him we were doing Kennedy assassination.

Speaker 2: 9:57

well, you should. We'll tell him that. We'll tell him in the trailer, maybe. Well, he's got time on the car ride, you know, maybe he'll listen to us, but you did enjoy. So if you would like more, if you have a historical moment you want us to talk about, for we'll start on the clock. Johnny can have three minutes. If you have a historical moment you want for Johnny's three minutes, email us 321. Go podcast at gmailcom. John's going to create a Gmail account just to fakes and stuff that he gets to talk about now.

Speaker 1: 10:20

I already have a Gmail account.

Speaker 2: 10:21

No, but like you have to have it someone else, so I don't. I know that you didn't send it, you know.

Speaker 1: 10:25

I understand. I understand it's not a bad idea. Actually, I'm going to start flooding the mailbox with just want to say how much John is the finest race announcer in North America. Maybe I can pick up one of these series of races that are being handed out to other announcers.

Speaker 2: 10:43

My goodness, oh gosh, all right, anything else to chat about, john?

Speaker 1: 10:47

No, I don't think so. I'm still really looking forward to getting my oven that doubles as an air fryer. And so it's now. We're planning wings and wine day, because we have all this wine from naked wine. That's right, and I really could do like a bunch of different wings with a bunch of different sauces.

Speaker 2: 11:03

Good See, there Sounds fantastic. And before we get to Britain, kyle, we want to make sure we give our sponsor a little shout out, right, john?

Speaker 1: 11:11

Yes, we want to give a special three to one. Go shout out to Sarah Acres with runs on magic If you want to experience some extra special magic during those run Disney weekends. Or if you're looking to get away and who isn't looking to get away on a cruise or anything else, sarah Acres with runs on magic can help.

Speaker 2: 11:28

That's right. You're going to get complimentary travel planning services, personalized itineraries specializing in run Disney universal cruise vacations, wherever you want to go. She's got. You find her on Instagram at runs on magic. Give her that three, two, one, go love and you can go to runs on magiccom.

Speaker 3: 11:44

Okay, civilians, it's time for the goods let's get on to the interview.

Speaker 2: 11:50

So I'm excited to be chatting with two amazing brothers who have changed inclusivity for so many athletes because of as you'll soon find out a competitive nature and an unbreakable brotherly bond. They have broken barriers as a duo at Ironman and the Ironman World Championships and they're getting ready for their next adventure at the dopey challenge. Please welcome to three, two, one go, kyle and Brett P. Hi guys, how you doing. I am fantastic For those who don't know where. Where are you guys?

Speaker 4: 12:23

We're in Atlanta, Georgia.

Speaker 2: 12:25

Always in Atlanta that's born and bred the whole. Thing.

Speaker 4: 12:28

Well, we've grown, born and raised here. We're certainly on the go a lot more these days, but today we are in Atlanta, where we grew up.

Speaker 2: 12:35

Awesome and you know Galloway team, galloway's big fans of Atlanta. I've listened to other podcasts with you and I love talking about hearing where you guys run, because every time we go to Atlanta it's like the same places little columns drive, action happening.

Speaker 4: 12:48

We've spent quite a few long days out at columns.

Speaker 2: 12:53

So the elder Galloway's live about 10 minutes from there, so when we visit that's, that's the place we go.

Speaker 4: 12:59

Do you do the trails or do you do the pavement?

Speaker 2: 13:02

How long we got to go. As you guys know, right, the trail is the preferred method, but then, once you kind of done that, you got to get out on the road.

Speaker 4: 13:12

That's right, that's right All right.

Speaker 2: 13:14

So let's start with something that is super exciting to me and I don't want to sleep on this one. You guys are getting set for the Dopey challenge at Walt Disney World in January of 2024. Kyle, where did that idea come from?

Speaker 3: 13:27

That's a great question. It came from just wanting to be prepared. It's just wanting to look at new ladies that we challenge both of us and really tip us up, such as that for the Dopey platform.

Speaker 2: 13:45

When you decided to do it? Did you know it started at 5.30 am for mornings in?

Speaker 4: 13:50

a row.

Speaker 4: 13:52

We definitely did not. We didn't really plan through that part of it, but I guess when the park's got to be open we got to get in and get out. No, we didn't think through that. But we love doing these big adventures and I know we'll get into it. But for a long time it was just the Iron man, because these really long events were super challenging to Kyle, and so much of what we do is how do we challenge Kyle? Because, with his physical limitations, sometimes just sitting in a chair for a 5K isn't quite enough to fill his cup. And so, looking at this, going hey, for the next four days you're going to do events over and over and over again, and you're going to do it at 5.30 in the morning and you're going to challenge yourself. By the time you get to that last run, the marathon, you're worn out and it's not easy. And so that really spoke to both of us as we set ourselves up for a big 2024, why not do it in probably one of the biggest ways possible?

Speaker 2: 14:46

Well, that's a really big, exciting way to kick your year off. We'll talk about that a little bit more, but I want to go back to the very beginning, because you guys have really maybe intentionally, maybe it just started off as a brotherly thing broke boundaries for inclusivity and endurance events. You've done so much and it really seems like it's something that kind of happened organically, the more you guys know about your story, as if it was destiny. But the seeds for that were planted really early on with your family, the way that you guys grew up, the way that Kyle was included. So, brent, can you share a little bit about growing up with Kyle and how you guys all just kind of played together? You were just kids and just brothers.

Speaker 4: 16:42

You know, the story that we've recalled and we remember recently was our.

Speaker 4: 16:48

The original house, the first house we remember had a living room with two steps to get into it, and that seems like nothing.

Speaker 4: 16:55

You know, even a, even a small little toddler or a baby crawling can navigate two little steps like that. But for Kyle it meant that he was kind of stuck, and so just from an early age I remember, you know, my parents bringing Kyle up and down the stairs wherever the kids were running to, and so you know, we learned just about including Kyle from a very early age and that grew into baseball and basketball and football and anything we could get our hands on, and we always found ways to include Kyle. I mean we we laugh now that in high school we made Kyle the water boy so he could be part of the football team with us, and so it was just figuring those things out, and I think that just gave us the lessons early on, both from our parents and just from our actions, that you know, sharing these experiences together could be really special and that grew into this endurance space and grew into so much more with, you know, all the athletes that that race with us and that that we support.

Speaker 2: 17:54

Kyle, I've heard a lot about your competitive nature. Brent already alluded to it, saying if 5K is just not really filling your cup, when do you really remember, you know, that first feeling of you feeling like I'm a pretty competitive guy, I want to win, I want to be the best, I want to just you know what was that and when did you start that?

Speaker 3: 18:12

I really came out where I was probably in middle school. I played wheelchair handball and it was basically like soccer, soccer and basketball put together. I guess I'll tell you wasn't that good, but it just really gives me up to be the best I can be and I think that really helped me to to set the foundation for where we are today.

Speaker 2: 18:50

I mean people talk about your brother. He's such a great athlete, but are you the best athlete in the family?

Speaker 4: 18:57

Without a doubt.

Speaker 2: 18:58

Yeah, I think so.

Speaker 4: 19:01

He was like it's funny now, like when he says that I remember these moments where you know we're playing basketball with these, like made up rules for Kyle to be able to play with us and he's like trying to run his wheelchair into us.

Speaker 4: 19:12

He's doing 360s to try and like knock the ball away and and you would see him get so angry and actually growing up too, like there was half of us were Georgia fans and half for Georgia Tech, and there would be like screaming and shouting and crying at the dinner table, talking about who had the better team and or whatever, and that like it was just so competitive and I don't think any of us really knew how to feed it or even thought we had to. I think we thought we just had to include Kyle. We never thought like gosh, like couldn't this be more fun if he felt like he was competing and that not to skip too many steps. That's the beauty of the endurance sports community is that it really feeds that and so many of us whether you're the person winning the marathon and and you know, at Disney or the person that's doing it in six and a half hours like we all feel like we're part of that competition and it's just the. It's the beautiful thing that Kyle gets to experience.

Speaker 2: 20:02

It really is beautiful. And you kind of kind of led me to my next question. Um, brett, you and I share a lot in common as, as you may know and how you may know, we both went to Florida state. We left Florida state as many Seminoles do a little off the path they intended, thanks to all the joys of Florida state, but that kind of led you. You graduated. You're like what do I need to do? You did an iron man and in that iron man it built something beautiful. So, kyle, can you take us back to Brent's first iron man? That was in around 2010, I believe 2010. Kyle, how did you feel watching Brent, and can you share with us what you said to him afterwards?

Speaker 3: 20:42

I did.

Speaker 3: 20:44

I was amazed that, not only what Brett did that day for the athletes, what they did to get to the finish line, and it really reminded me of my life, um, because there are so many ups and downs and so many things that I have to be concerned about that that everybody told me we had to think about all the time I did new stuff that I've been not on the time.

Speaker 3: 21:18

So it gets reminded me of my life and I want to be included. I'm willing to be the athlete and I need more there to be a wheelchair in front of a sport like wheelchair basketball, wheelchair soccer, and so I felt like this was something I could do, um, and so I asked Brett if people would really get to do an iron man, and he was very sure because he was very tired with on the day. So he really did it and he explained everything. He just said yes and we were off to the races. So, looking back, that was one of the coolest things, where we just sat down and I just started pedaling again with the home budget breakers and the last break was to keep people's wheelchair in the iron man.

Speaker 2: 22:23

And Brett, I think that anybody that's done a long distance endurance event, you finish it and I'm going to be as kind of as I'm going to retire and I'm never, ever going to do that again. Um, and then your brother asked you you know, can people in a wheelchair do it? Where did your brain go when he asked you that?

Speaker 4: 22:39

You know, I mean you mentioned the Florida state path and I think we could probably interview like 20 people. If we just put out a survey who's who's from Florida state doing the dopey challenge next year, we'd find a bunch. And so, you know, iron man really changed my life, I changed the trajectory of my life. Just that experience of training and, you know, living clean all of a sudden, and not, you know, drinking all day on a Saturday or whatever shamanic, and so we kept getting into and it just it was like this is what I want to do with my life. And I was even sitting there. I mean I was parking cars at the time when I was training for my first iron man. I mean it was, it was not a great place, you know I'd, I'd, I'd park cars to like 11 or 12 and then I'd get up at five and go to the gym. It's just I was still so happy doing all of that and I had already decided that I was going to keep doing this. And you know, so maybe there was that initial like finish the iron man and like let's go watch football now in the fall, let's go do nothing. But then I also had this lingering voice in in in the back of my head, going can people in wheelchairs do this? And you'd Christmas to just add one more piece to it.

Speaker 4: 23:48

You know, in 2010, social media wasn't quite what it is now, and certainly when we were growing up in the 90s there wasn't that. And so you know, we had heard the story of the Hoyts, we had seen what they did, but we moved to baseball or football. We kind of moved past it. Now you find these stories and you follow them and you stay captivated by it. But as we start looking at how to do this, we're like, oh, we remember these people, and so the conversation just never stopped, the training never stopped and eventually it grew into the space of there's people out there that have shown the way for people in wheelchairs to do this, like Kyle, and we're gonna keep following that path. And that you know, by 2011 and February, we were racing together already. So just you know, a mere five months after my Ironman, we were ready to rock with our racing career.

Speaker 2: 24:42

How close were you guys with the Hoyts as you started the process and, as you know, you became the second duo to ever finish the Ironman World Championships.

Speaker 4: 24:51

So I never I don't think we've ever like shared this. I mean, we shared this story with people that never out loud. I mean, they were always wonderful. One of the things that inspired us about them is that they said they responded to every message they got and we really try hard to do that, but it kept. So I talked to some people let that motorcycle go by. I talked to some you know people throughout the years and people connected with them and they helped us, you know, get in touch with them and we had all these opportunities to meet them, and every time we were supposed to meet them, kyle would get sick or something would happen, and so I met them on a few occasions, and then there was two amazing things that happened.

Speaker 4: 25:28

When we got into Kona, I get a call from a Boston number and I just, you know, these days we just screen the calls, we don't pick it up. I'm like this looks like something. So I pick it up and it's Dick Hoyt and it's September of 2018, you know, just a few weeks before we go to Hawaii and he says Brent, this is, you know, dick Hoyt. He's got that thick Boston accent and we talked for a few minutes. He wishes us luck. And I say, hey, dick, like what's the, what's the one thing you would tell me? Like what do Kyle and I need to know to finish this race? And he goes oh gee, I don't know, kid, you seem to be doing all right, just keep pushing the pedals. I remember getting off the phone and being like wait, that's Dick, that guy's a legend and that was all he had for me. I was waiting for the like the Vince Lombardi rah-rah. But, man, when we got to Hawaii and we were struggling, I just kept thinking to myself, gee, kid, just keep pushing the pedals. And if I can keep the microphone going.

Speaker 4: 26:17

The second one was with Kyle and in 2021, coming out of COVID, we went and did the Falmouth Road Race and Dick was there. Rick was sick, and we go and Kyle and Dick start talking and I step away for a moment and I come back and Dick has been asking Kyle about Hawaii and he's got you know, his eyes are a little red. And afterwards Kyle said you know what was that? I said, kyle, you were verbalizing, because Rick was nonverbal. I said you were verbalizing to him and experiencing it only one other person has had, and it was his son, you know, and he had never met you. And you know, dick died a year later and so I just we remember that moment because they really blazed a path for people like me and Kyle to experience things like Hawaii Dopey, and you know, there's race directors all over the country that are more open to inclusion because of people like the Hoyts. So we're incredibly honored at all those experiences we've had with them over the years.

Speaker 3: 27:16

Yeah, I think it's great because when people don't know me but what we do at the Kyle Peace Foundation, they call me Dick, they call me Rick and then just to honor you know, they really helped us in like, where they get over the doors for people like me and Rick to me. Honor to do this inclusive sport.

Speaker 2: 27:50

Kyle, that's amazing and what you said he verbalized what only you and his son could have ever experienced and have ever experienced, and that's just truly to God to be able to hear that. It's like a gift, right Like you gave him this amazing gift and he gave you and so many other people the gift of seeing. Like, okay, we can do this, we can figure this out, because to figure out an Iron man for anybody is logistically a lot. Can you guys talk us through your sort of Iron man, your process and basically the equipment, because it's again, not easy to do an Iron man and then you guys have this extra added layer on it.

Speaker 4: 28:28

We have a lot of help and we have an amazing team that helps us execute these things. I mean, our bike mechanic is one of the most important people on our team because we ride. Our goal was always for Kyle to ride on the front of the bicycle, not for me to tow him, for him to be an athlete. An athlete doesn't sit and get towed like mom or dad did when we were kids, right. So there's this huge, massive team that helps us execute this. But I think just the logistics of planning you're not just bringing your running shoes and a bike, you're bringing a running chair, the bike, a boat, all the equipment to tie the boat to me, all the equipment to make sure the bike works for both of us the logistics of just getting that stuff there. I mean, we've driven it 17 hours to race as we've flown it to Hawaii. So there's just all these extra steps that we have to take.

Speaker 4: 29:12

But we've been really fortunate over the years that people wanna support what we're doing and so, whether they're volunteers or now employees of the foundation, they found ways to support that and help us execute it and, quite frankly, they do a much better job than we ever did, I mean, in the early years we did it all. I drove the truck, I packed the truck, I was Kyle's caregiver or my dad was Kyle's caregiver we just drove around the country, racing, doing everything we could do to get our name out there and just to, really, more importantly, to experience it. But you just don't think through some of those things. I mean, like in Hawaii we had to bring a shower chair for Kyle so he could shower in the hotel because at home he's got the nice, accessible setup. But what do we do when you're staying in a holiday and express on the Elite E-Drive shameless flow.

Speaker 2: 30:00

Was that what you're gonna be saying? I guess I'm just kidding.

Speaker 4: 30:03

You're gonna be saying it's accessible and it's close. But yeah, so like there's all these things you don't think about, like the pads Kyle needs. The clothing matters especially for Kyle. I know the clothing matters to all of us tri-geeks and runner-nerds out there that love this stuff, but it especially matters to Kyle. I mean I've watched him get sunburns and burns on his body from the wrong clothing and irritation and shoulder pain and back pain and so it's just a ton of stuff I mean we built out for Hawaii. We had these notebooks that we passed out to our team. Our friend Danny made these for us and it was like 25 pages of instructions of like. Here's what we're doing on Monday. Here's when the equipment has to be delivered on Tuesday. Like every step was detailed out so that we removed any of those barriers to success on race day.

Speaker 2: 30:56

Well, kyle has a degree, I think, in sports management. So, kyle, do you help with these logistics? Do you put on that management hat?

Speaker 3: 31:05

Sometimes I'm not good at it at all. It overwhelms me. So now we have a key and phrase that we lean on. For all of that, they come through for advice, but when it comes to that stuff, I would just do that because they're much better at it. Chris, we can't mess with the talent.

Speaker 4: 31:29

You know, if I was the manager, we gotta keep him calm and comfortable, so we handle all of them. I know no one asks. You know Noah Lyles to pack his own gear, so you shouldn't have to do anything.

Speaker 2: 31:39

You're absolutely right. One of the most terrifying things for me when duos are doing an Ironman is the swim, because there's in general, the swim is terrifying. As an Ironman announcer, I think as an Ironman staff member, the swim is a scary part. Can you talk us through those first couple times of training? You know doing the swim. Were you ever scared, brent?

Speaker 4: 32:06

Yes, petrified. So we do this thing with anybody that does a half Ironman or longer, we do one triathlon with our foundation to 600 meter swim. You're never more than 200 meters from the beach the way the course orient. So we don't make them do this. But anybody that wants to do a half or longer, we take them to a body of water and we flip the boat and we put them in it. And we flip it because we need to know if something happens, if an athlete grabs onto it, if there's a wave crashing over you, if something happens.

Speaker 4: 32:34

How do we manage this? And the first time we did it with Kyle, he went face into the water. We gave him like just a second to watch his body. He thrashed, we grabbed him and he spit in water up. And in our mind we're going okay, like 15, 20 seconds, you know.

Speaker 4: 32:49

And so we get to our first race and it's St Petersburg, florida, st Pete, what is it? What was it called? St Anthony's? St Anthony's? Geez, it's been so long. And race morning they moved the swim down the beach because the water was so rough. And we're in this moment of intensity and our mom is like bawling her eyes out because all she's thinking about these waves that are crashing onto the beach head of destroying her son. And so that first swim I kept looking over my shoulder, like every five strokes. I would basically stop and turn and look at Kyle, and the whole time he was smiling and screaming. In fact, he screamed louder every time I stopped because he wanted us to keep going. So we've gained more confidence and we've gained more comfort, but it's just never a comfortable moment of the race because there's so much that can happen. But we buy boats that the kids can fall out of, we test it, we come up with a plan. I mean that goes into that whole logistics document of everything that people are supposed to know.

Speaker 2: 33:54

And you come from a swimming background. Is that correct? So swimming is something you have always been pretty good at.

Speaker 4: 34:01

Yeah, that definitely helps, but it doesn't help. It's kind of like when parents tell their kids they're like I'm not worried about you driving, I'm worried about the other driver, and that's so much about our experiences. Like, yes, I might be a decent swimmer, but what about the person who's nervous and they see a boat and they think it's a life-threatening. They just grab ahold of it? What about places like Hawaii where there's these big swells that can push boats around?

Speaker 4: 34:24

Or when we've been in Panama City and I mean we did a race in Panama City where it felt like we were in a washing machine and every time I looked at Kyle, the boat was in a different position and all that kept going through my head was this is the race that we're gonna walk through, this is the race that we're gonna watch him flip out of that boat, and not to mention like he gets really cold when he's wet. Even in Hawaii, it's just not like we have three outfits for the bike and the event Kyle gets wet, we have all these options of like we're gonna change him and make sure he's dry and comfortable. So, yeah, the swim's intimidating. It's never not been. I think our mom is probably the most nervous of anybody when we swim, but we do everything we can.

Speaker 3: 35:03

You know I think that we know you do something. I'm an engineer. It's gonna be a journey, right, but you just have to put your foot in there and get in there and do it and focus on one stroke at a time. Continue to get the whole day at the hundred point, point six. Focus on what you can do, whether it's working or not, and focus on what you can do, whether it's working, whether it's working, whether it's working. You mentioned 140.6 miles. You have 17 hours from the time you start. You guys have 17 hours. Everybody has 17 hours.

Speaker 2: 35:48

The rules don't change. That includes the time that maybe you're having to change clothes or anything you guys are having to do to change clothes and you have to change clothes, you have to change clothes, you have to change clothes, you have to do to change chairs, everything. So Kyle Iron Mandays are hard, they're really long. What do you like about that?

Speaker 3: 36:09

I like it because, well, I don't like it. I love it because it challenges me in a way that I never been challenged for. That includes the mental side of it too. I think that's what I love most about. It is the mental side of it, and I'll use a point of reaction to put it the way he did when I needed to get to me in our first Iron man, I wanted to get out there, to be out there. But now I'm a student of the game and play at the real time Me. You know to get to play it, then make sure that you're that you're, that you're hydrated. So I just love the process of Iron man and how you have to be prepared. You just can't go out there and expect you're going to do it in one day. You have to train and you have to love what you do, and that's what I love about it is the process of getting ready for the event.

Speaker 2: 37:24

Yeah, you can't. You know you can. Can you show up into a 5K? Can you show up into a marathon? Yes, it happens. Is it a smart idea? No, you cannot show up and do an Iron man, especially not at Kona Kyle. What is your training like for these? You know multi-day events, whether it's dopey or whether it's an Iron man. What are you doing for training?

Speaker 3: 37:43

Yeah, so normally we train together for a for Iron man, about 10 to 12 weeks out. I was doing bread on this, on the color of the rice, and we have breadcrumbs and sandwiches because you're not a lot of us. We put.

Speaker 4: 38:07

We put Kyle through the rigors of the training and we like 10, 12 weeks out. We're doing two hour runs, we're doing four, five, six, seven hour bike rides. We're getting in the open water at least once or twice, you know, because it's hard on his body, you know it. It, it is part of the fun. You can't see it. I guess you saw it when you met us in person. Kyle's wheelchair is perfectly contoured to every possible thing that he might deal with from a physical standpoint.

Speaker 4: 38:33

Iron man doesn't do that, disney dopey, that doesn't happen. You've got to go do what everybody else is doing and we want to be prepared for that. You know what's the point of doing this if it's just showing up on race day and go hey man, I trained my butt off for the last six months, I'm so ready. What about Kyle and the mental side of it? He mentioned it like man. We've had those training days. We all have right. You're out there for hours and hours and you just want to stop and you just you find ways to just keep going and it makes you better on race day. And Kyle's skill, while so much of it is just natural on him, so much of it he continues to sharpen because we put in those hours together and, like you said, it's that's as much fun as anything we can. We're a little bit more light and loose. It's not the intensity of a Iron man race day.

Speaker 2: 39:17

Yeah, what about nutrition, kyle, for you, you know, out there, maybe it's 15 hours, maybe it's going to be 14 hours, we don't know. We don't know, brent, what's going to be this this coming year in Kona. But what is your nutrition like when you're out there, kyle?

Speaker 3: 39:33

And normally. Normally is, I guess, which is the bread. Open up a red bush and then I'll eat with him normally. But now I have a cadence in my head when I need to eat and when I need to break, and I normally don't eat in many calories that's bread, but I still need to maintain my. My nutrition is literally on the high break. That's why I really step on my game during the week of the Iron man.

Speaker 4: 40:15

So I want to add one other piece because I think maybe this will help people listening in appreciate some of the other benefits. Like, we all have these things. You know, doing a marathon is great, it makes you fit, it makes you healthy. But there's these other things that happen because of what you're doing for yourself. And you know Kyle every day when he needs to go to the bathroom he's got to ask somebody to take them. But you know, one of the best things about racing at an Iron man is he just he doesn't have to ask anybody to just go. But it's really freeing, right. Like I'm in charge of myself today. I'm in charge of how this day goes, I'm in charge of my attitude.

Speaker 4: 40:49

So not only can Kyle take care of himself in Iron man, he can say I'm thirsty, I'm hungry. He can say, hey, I haven't eaten in an hour. It's time for me to eat. Our joke is he always hears the rappers that I'm crinkling and he's like hey, what are you eating? Can I have some? But he's in charge of himself that day. He doesn't have to rely on anybody else really for his care. For the race he needs me and I need him, but for his own self care. He's on his own, and when he's got to go, do your thing, buddy, we'll wash the bike later and we'll probably just throw your clothes out.

Speaker 2: 41:19

What's your preferred race day snack? Kyle, Do you have a favorite?

Speaker 3: 41:26

I like, I love Skittles, potato chips and guess what If I can get my hands on really.

Speaker 4: 41:38

Chicken broth.

Speaker 3: 41:39

Yeah, I'm a big fan of chicken broth and I also like the energy broth. I eat him all the time.

Speaker 4: 41:50

The clip shop blocks is what he eats. We start with kind of like the race fuel, and then it gets to a point where he's like just give me chicken broth and chips.

Speaker 2: 42:01

Well, Disney, I'll let you know they're not going to have any chicken broth or chips. You can, you can certainly bring your own. We're going to have some honey stingers, probably some sport beans, and at the end you get a little, a little food box.

Speaker 4: 42:11

So we'll try to take care of it. Plan on sport beans.

Speaker 2: 42:14

Yeah, I'm a big. I'm a big sport beans. I like the things I can have. I'm not a goo person. I like to have a few at a time. I like to slow my roll. You know, maybe every mile or so, kyle, how much you kind of alluded to it. How much are you and Brent communicating throughout a race, and what kind of communication is that?

Speaker 3: 42:31

I'm doing the race. It's a rather big code for me then, and so because I know what I'm going to say there and there are other times it gets whatever's going on I guess we'll try to echo again and think probably it's on the moment and whatever talent gets will play the best tackle and hit all together Together. So in the long run I think you can and then we can make a challenge for us. Sometimes we go to a college that you like why do you love me? And I'm like do you know? The race you can't talk about what's up at that time, you know helps keep keep us moving forward. So whatever it takes to get us to the bike, cut off at 10 and have an hour to red, that's a goal.

Speaker 2: 43:36

In terms of an Ironman. Is that your most challenging discipline, would you say, or what is your most challenging discipline of an Ironman? Absolutely yeah, team Liza, as I'm sure you guys know, came back to Kona this year, had a mechanical, unfortunately on the bike.

Speaker 4: 43:51

I had not talked to them. I didn't realize it was mechanical. So it was a mechanical.

Speaker 2: 43:55

So I was there. For those of you who don't know, team Liza is an amazing duo mother daughter duo and they finished in 2022, but they were over the 17 hours, but they did cross the line and then this year they didn't finish the bike because of a mechanical that they were unable to fix. So, guys, bring all those logistics and those notebooks. Those are good, right.

Speaker 4: 44:17

Yeah. So we had a cable snap the year we did Kona the Wednesday before the race and that's exactly why we bring a mechanic with us and because it's not like a walk into a bike shop kind of fix. Like, this is a bike made in Winnipeg, canada. This is a bike that was originally designed for people with disabilities to be active. We've designed it to be an Ironman vessel and so I hate that for Team Liza.

Speaker 4: 44:42

It's just we in 2019, kyle and I were there and Team Liza missed the bike cutoff that year and there was another team, a father son from Miami, who also missed the cutoff and I had volunteered. So I was in transition, I was helping kind of the PC 10. And Kyle was on the other side watching and when I came out after I had hugged both the teams and, you know, told him I was so sorry, and Kyle said, well, what was it like in there? And I said you know, kyle, everybody deserves to experience what we did last year and it's just such a special thing for anybody whether you're able bodied or living with a disability it's a really powerful moment to cross these finish lines and to be able to do it together, to share that experience, like that's what we're talking about, like we want to feel those moments together.

Speaker 4: 45:35

We both always wanted to be athletes, and Ironman marathons, endurance sports, have given us that platform to do it, and to do it just like everybody else. So we might need some extra equipment. So, like when you watch team Liza, you know miss the bike cutoff by eight minutes or come across the line just over 17 hours. You're like you want it, like I don't want to just be the only ones besides the Hoyts that have finished Hawaii. It doesn't. It's not good for us. The more people that can do what we do, the better. It is. When we call Disney and say, hey, we've got this really special situation, this athlete that we won in the race, it makes it a lot easier for them to say yes, because it's happening more and more and more around the globe.

Speaker 3: 46:17

For me. That was our order of question. Okay, now we're going to talk about oh yeah, I'm very good at it and I did it. I wanted to be the only one to do it, to do it now, with the work that we do, to echo what Brett said, it is so, so vital that more people can experience inclusivity and you know, like I mentioned, anything is possible. So you want to do it, go after it. So I really echo what Brett said and we need more people to get out there and to get away with their possible work.

Speaker 2: 47:12

Yeah, it's possible, and then it's hard, but it is possible. So, as an athlete, when we stand on the line at a race, we're I think we all have a little bit of nerve sometimes. You know, can I do this? Am I going to be able to do this today? What's my body going to feel like today? Do you get any kind of anxiety or do any kind of those, you know, nerves before a big event with Kyle Huge?

Speaker 4: 47:35

Yeah, absolutely. I met a guy recently who was super fascinating about what we do and he's like do you ever just not want to do this? Because you know the minute you get in the water you're just going to suffer all day. And I said I have had races with Kyle where I dive into the water and my first thought is I don't want to do this, like I know what's coming. So yeah, that the anxiety is always high. There's the pressure of not only making sure I'm ready and that I'm capable, but that Kyle is too. And so those those pre-race nerves don't go away. It's never been more intense than it was in Hawaii. There's so many people. It's it's. It's a world championship race. It's not like people walking around like half like I mean they're happy but they're all ready to to crush some of them.

Speaker 2: 48:25

This year's men's race in 2024 is going to be a real intense environment.

Speaker 4: 48:30

You know, I heard the vibe was great this year by the way, it's great for the women.

Speaker 4: 48:33

Yeah, and I just remember we were like there and I couldn't like swallow, I couldn't like everything was like sandpaper. I was literally just spitting water out. I put a gulb of water in my mouth and I would just I couldn't like. And I finally said I was like Kyle, we got to go to the water, like just get you in the boat and let's just go out to where it's quiet. And then I finally started to calm down. But there's an. I've never but like you welcome that because it's not, it's a privilege.

Speaker 4: 48:59

you know, suffering is a privilege, pressure is a privilege and we get to do that. Kyle said it and that's so special that we found a way to experience athletics like that. I mean that's, kyle was the equipment manager for his high school women's basketball team and they won the state title, but he didn't get to feel that pressure. You know, I was on a football team that made it to like the quarterfinals but I never saw the field, I just stood on the sidelines right Like. Here we are in the world championships because of each other. You know it's a true team and that pressure was real and amazing and hard.

Speaker 3: 49:37

I think one of the coolest things about there I mean about the world can be kept it. Even before you raise, everybody is trying to get to the seaboard. They have a seat for the swimmen, all the athletes and the volunteers that go through the same entrance that everybody else does, like it's no locker room or no special hallway that the athletes go down. Everybody together is going to witness one of the best days in the history of our sport, and I'm cool with that.

Speaker 2: 50:26

Yeah, you get those drums going in the morning on the seawall.

Speaker 3: 50:30

Yeah.

Speaker 2: 50:31

That's really cool. So you guys are going back, as we mentioned, going back to Kona. You have a different goal this year in terms of you sort of raising awareness and raising funds. Can you tell us about that?

Speaker 4: 50:44

So we, as we I think we mentioned we have five inclusive employees that work for the Copy Foundation now and it's just something really special to us, and so is Kona, and so we've built a campaign around supporting that program. So we're going to be raising $750,000 to support that program, to grow it by another three of our athletes, and really the most important piece is that they'll all be getting a legal retirement style contribution. So people like Kyle living with a disability are restricted in the amount of assets that they can have. There are ways that you can still support people with a disability special needs, trust able saving accounts. So there's these vehicles that are available and we're working with some really smart attorneys to structure a program that will allow us, with this funding, to make Contributions to those legal savings vehicles for them.

Speaker 4: 51:42

So that you know, in 20, 30 years you know many people like Kyle they may not have a brother or a sibling that's willing to be a caregiver for them at some point. Their primary caregiver is their parent and when, when that parent is gone, it's not usually a pretty picture, but to have a little bit more because of the opportunities here. So you know, there's a personal purpose of experiencing these things together while we still can. There's also a deeper mission behind what we do here at the Copcuse Foundation that more and more people should be able to have that feeling, that experience, like we talked about with Team Liza.

Speaker 2: 52:20

I always wonder for you guys and this question is especially for Kyle when we see you at a race, we see the duos at a race, whether it's as a spectator, as a participant or even as an announcer how can we best support you? What is helpful that you hear out on course? You know what are things that people think is supporting, but it's really not like. What can we do for you on the course that resonates with you, that inspires you, that keeps you going?

Speaker 3: 52:48

I get it, I get it. I think you said it, it gets it. Be you, you know, and you see I'm struggling, you know, pick me up by the fraud or whatever it takes, but I think you get you being there and all the rest of the spectators being there, that inspires me, that gives me the determination to keep going, and this guy right here keep me going as well. But what can you do? Just be in there and, yeah, we get around and you can't really help me out.

Speaker 4: 53:35

You all are really good at your job. You know and you know where people you see the people before they often do who need your energy and that support. And you know you said something to me when we first met that I just loved. You're like, tell me, a bright spot in your day, right? A bright spot for us when we're racing is going by somebody like you who spends all of their energy on everybody else. I mean, I can't imagine how exhausting that is that you stand up there for 17 hours or 10 hours or whatever the race duration is, and you watch them come in, you call them by their name, you point out what they're accomplishing and you tell their story in a way that they feel like they're the most important person in the room. And for us, racing is duos. When we cross the line, it's very rare that we don't feel like we're the only ones crossing the line in that moment because of the energy that you throw at us.

Speaker 3: 54:27

I mean, I totally agree to put the hand that you, we had a very, very hard felt conversation and I don't even know you, but I felt like I knew you and you felt as if that didn't mean. And moving to my peer review room, that was with me, I get it was really cool to meet you and to be a part of that conversation.

Speaker 2: 54:57

Those are very kind things and I just think, as a very average athlete running endurance events they change people's lives and maybe it's that day, maybe it's the journey to get there, but I think that anybody who's done it knows the power of that and we just want to celebrate everybody that we always say has the courage, you know, to get out there and try, and you guys are doing that in a big way. I want to rewind a little bit because I want to just clarify something. Kyle, your first 10 K. What did you wear to your first 10 K?

Speaker 3: 55:28

I wore my public outfit, and then we had the real tie event, and so that's why I wore it too. You didn't have to tie on.

Speaker 4: 55:41

at least that was in the hip pocket for later.

Speaker 2: 55:46

Did you have to work that day? I?

Speaker 3: 55:48

had to work. I had to get money that day, so I didn't know how I would get going out there.

Speaker 4: 55:56

I didn't know what it was right. It's just like oh, like he's just going to push me, so I'll just wear my work uniform. I was like, hey, man, like you're going to sweat, you're going to like your body is going to move in ways it's not used to Like, it's not going to be an easy 10 K just because. So now Kyle shows up with his leg shaved like me and his lycra on and his Oakley's and he looks like he looks the part of an athlete. But he did not that on day one with a public grocery store uniform.

Speaker 3: 56:24

I didn't yeah, I didn't want to do that.

Speaker 2: 56:27

I mean, everybody loves public, so I don't think anybody especially in Atlanta, nobody's going to be mad about that. It's just, you know, we all it's. It's that, no matter who we are, we all start the first race with a little bit of I don't know everything. And I always say to the triathletes my goodness, the first triathlon you do, you're going to get side eye from everybody because you're going to do something that's not. You know by the book. There's so many unofficial rules. You guys are probably veterans now. Kyle, you had a big year. You've got a new apartment in 2023. Can you tell us a little bit about that?

Speaker 3: 57:00

Yeah, it's something that I've always wanted to do with the industry and I love it. I'm into everything on many of my Google, so I can come and go with that. So I came up to all of me but to be with you today and then I'll go back and handle it, I'll go back to my hand when I have to go to work. So, again, it's a freedom that I cannot really express in words what it means to me to have my own place and something that I could go on. It's really powerful.

Speaker 2: 57:44

I can see that you're smiling like even now as you're talking about it, and I think a lot of people don't realize the beauty that being able to live independently you know, something we take for granted, so that's really awesome for you to be able to have that, and I love. I was watching some of your videos you riding on Marta. I absolutely love watching that because Jeff Galloway has been known to take Marta quite a bit as well. He's a very practical man. Maybe someday you and Jeff Galloway might meet on Marta.

Speaker 3: 58:16

Some of the best donors have come from Marta. I'm not afraid to talk about it. It would get anywhere, and then it could be Marta.

Speaker 2: 58:29

I've taken the Marta over to the Peach Tree Road Race, which is, aside from Boston, my favorite race in the world. How many times have you guys done Peach Tree.

Speaker 4: 58:38

We've been doing it for 10 years now.

Speaker 2: 58:41

10 straight years, Alright well, before we wrap, we're going to talk a little bit about Disney again. You guys know Disney is half race, half costume. I brought this up when I saw you guys in September. Where are you guys on the wardrobe front here? And a public outfit would be considered a costume, so you could actually cycle back to that.

Speaker 4: 59:04

We can run it back.

Speaker 3: 59:08

Yeah, and you take it.

Speaker 4: 59:13

I did not really spend a lot of brain energy on this costume thing after you told us.

Speaker 2: 59:17

You have time.

Speaker 4: 59:18

Yeah, so I've gotten eight and five year olds, so I think they're more excited about being there for what happens after 5am. I think they would be extremely disappointed to see all those costumes and see me not in one, so we got to work on this.

Speaker 2: 59:30

I will let you know. We have a Gaston costume. That Western just did a 10K in. It's been washed. If anybody is feeling.

Speaker 4: 59:37

Not the costume for the marathon too?

Speaker 2: 59:41

People yeah.

Speaker 4: 59:44

Not all people, though.

Speaker 2: 59:45

Most. I mean, it's not all, but everybody even has some kind of character like tank on or some type of Disney bounding or a hat. So I don't want you to get there and have FOMO.

Speaker 4: 1:00:00

Okay, we had an athlete in DC. We were there for the Marine Corps Marathon a couple of weeks ago and he wore a costume and I was like you, sure, because he was using a hand crank so he was going to have to self-propell a little bit. And afterwards he was like, hey, man, I definitely should have done that. He was so hot sitting in that costume.

Speaker 2: 1:00:23

So I'll just make a shirt, a hat, I don't know. I'm just going to put it out there and it can evolve as the weekend goes. Maybe you come 5K day. Usually people will do the bigger costume on the 5K day and then kind of back it off as it goes along.

Speaker 3: 1:00:34

Yeah.

Speaker 2: 1:00:37

Maybe our run Disney friends can give you guys some ideas. Maybe we'll crowdsource.

Speaker 4: 1:00:42

I'm going to show you this. I know nobody else is going to see it, but I did get a little crazy for the Marine Corps.

Speaker 2: 1:00:50

That's crazy, right there, okay.

Speaker 4: 1:00:52

So we can go with the pre-fontaine. Look then.

Speaker 2: 1:00:54

I mean, that's always popular in our house because Jeff Galloway was featured in the Jared Leto version of pre. So there's a line Hot dog, galloway, hot dogs again. Yeah, so we're big fans of pre there. All right, you guys come in in January. We are so excited to see you there. We have a few closing questions. We always do so. Did you guys decide who was going to answer these, or are you both going to do them?

Speaker 3: 1:01:20

We'll go from there.

Speaker 2: 1:01:26

Okay. So the first one is when you get to that hard place whether it's in a race, in a workout or even in life, kyle how do you motivate yourself to keep going?

Speaker 3: 1:01:37

I get to come out on my bed Because they positive.

Speaker 4: 1:01:46

We both talk this year a lot together and to people when we speak, that you know the next step, you don't know the impact that that next step will have, and whether that's on you or the people around you. And so in those moments of adversity, instead of running away from the struggle, step towards it. That next step can be the most impactful one, and Kamma talked a lot about that this year.

Speaker 2: 1:02:09

I like that, all right. So the next question seems a little silly to ask you guys, because you are probably a lot of people's answer to this question, but we'll start with you, kyle, again, what is the most inspiring moment that you've seen at an endurance event?

Speaker 4: 1:02:26

I'll say it before he's thinking about it when we crossed the finish line in Hawaii and I grabbed Kyle by his cheeks and I was looking into the eyes of a world champion athlete, I realized that for the last 14 and a half hours that I saw something more incredible than any other athletic experience or event that I'd ever been to and that moves me every time I think about it.

Speaker 3: 1:02:52

I would say just being there that day, 2018. And I'm going to tell you right, we were a part of an amazing community. And then the big album there was Pre-Gave for the Red to Monorail.

Speaker 2: 1:03:09

I can only imagine how loud it was on Elite E Drive when you guys came down there. I was there when Chris and the chick finished. That was an amazing feat as well. Brent, I do have one more question for you, because I thought about it as you were mentioning that after 14 hours, you turned around and you looked at his face. I think this happens to a lot of us in a race. We're doing a race and there gets to be a moment where your brain says I'm going to do this. I actually think this is where was your moment where you were like we're going to finish, this is going to happen, and what did that feel like?

Speaker 4: 1:03:39

I hadn't thought of this before and it just made me emotional thinking about it as we were coming to the finish line. So by the time we got to a Lee drive, it was dark, it was quiet. Most of the people that were there had already moved closer to the finish. When you're there for the pros and the elites, all of Lee drive is jammed with people. They had all jammed into that finishing shoot.

Speaker 4: 1:04:01

Our coach met us first as we were going into where the barriers are. He said that was amazing and it just all hit in that moment. And so for over 14 hours and 28 minutes up until that moment it had never really sunk in For the last seven years. This was the moment that we had been going for and he just said it to both of us. This was amazing to watch and it all started to hit. And then you come into the crowds and you go up that ramp and we had Mike Riley call us home. It's all coming. So it was just a really intense day in Hawaii. I think so many of these other races we've done. We get off the bike and we're like, okay, we can do this. There's so many moments where we questioned that and that moment, right there entering the shoot, it just all sunk in how special it was and we were literally about to be Ironman World Champion athletes.

Speaker 2: 1:05:05

And making history. You know once again For you guys what's next, how can we support the Kyle Peace Foundation and how can we follow more of your great races?

Speaker 4: 1:05:16

Well, of course, dopey is next, so we'll be down there with 15 of our athletes, so follow us on social. We do the Atlanta Publix half marathon February 25th this year. We are in need of pushers, teammates, so if you're interested in lending your legs to somebody, follow us. Go to the website, sign up for the newsletter, join us when these opportunities come up. You don't realize, we just said it. You don't know the impact that those next steps will have, and imagine those steps behind an athlete like Kyle.

Speaker 2: 1:05:47

We call them Roll Disney, not run Disney, roll Disney. So we can't wait for you guys to join our Roll Disney family very soon. Kyle Brent, thank you for the endless inspiration. We'll be keeping an eye on that training, We'll be looking for those costumes and we'll see you guys real soon.

Speaker 4: 1:06:03

Thank you All right athletes.

Speaker 2: 1:06:05

Here's the drill Time to shape up your diet, carissa. Give them the goods. All right. Today in Healthier U, we're going to talk about a food that you either love or you're terrified of, or you refuse to ever try. But it's tofu, and for many cultures around the world, this is a staple. So if it is, let's keep eating it. If it's not, maybe we can push you on over. It's an amazing, versatile food that comes from soybeans. So picture it like a culinary chameleon, because it's going to take on the flavors of whatever you cook with. It's like tofu says hey, I'm here to mingle with your taste buds, make your meal awesome and add in a little vegetarian protein.

Speaker 2: 1:06:44

Reasons why you should try it is it's a nutritional powerhouse. As I said, it's packed with protein, which is great for muscle building, great for recovery after long runs. So if you're into being healthy and strong, tofu is like your trusty sidekick. It's also not just for women, it's not just for men, it's for everyone. Tofu is a universal power, so it doesn't discriminate. So, men, if you had heard years ago that you shouldn't have tofu, you don't need to worry about that. Go ahead and dive into the tofu. Goodness, it's got that protein. It's low in calories, high in nutrients. It is a fantastic source of iron and calcium, which, if you are a vegetarian, you need to get. If you're a woman, you need to get calcium. John, where are you on the friendship with tofu?

Speaker 1: 1:07:29

I really like tofu, but it is one of those foods and you know I'm not a picky eater at all, there are really not anything I don't like but it's one of those foods that there are preparations for it that I like a lot and then there are preparations of it that I don't quite like as much. But I would say I have no discrimination against tofu. It just depends. It's something that needs to be dressed up correctly for me to really enjoy it.

Speaker 2: 1:07:56

Well, I think I like the firm tofu. That's typically if you're getting it in a cooked preparation. That's what you're going to do. So if you're cooking it at home, the key is that you want to get out that excess water. So when you take it out of the container it's going to be in a block. You know you want to squeeze it. If you want to make a stir fry, that's the simplest way to do it. You know you'd squeeze the tofu, cut it into little stir fry cubes, toss the tofu first. I think when you get a crunch on it and my goodness, if you fry it, then it's really delightful. But I get that golden brown on the tofu then add in your colorful veggies, garlic, ginger, stir fry that until everything's crisp and then add in your sauce. Is it a soy sauce? Is it a teriyaki sauce? Do you have one of those little the sauces that come from the Japanese steakhouse that are not great for you but very delightful? Mix all that together, serve it with noodles, serve it with rice. But it is a very affordable, very healthy protein that I'd love to help you add into your diet a little bit more If you want to make changes in your diet, if you need challenges to do that, if you need accountability to do that.

Speaker 2: 1:08:53

As a registered dietitian, I know that matters. So you can join my 12-week online nutrition course. You can join at any time, but it's a 12-week course where the courses open up in sequence so you're forced to learn before you move on. But you do have a year to access the course. So it's 12 weeks. You can access it for a year and in that year you get one chat a month. It's a nutrition seminar with me. It's a group chat. You can ask your questions. You can vote on how much we love or hate tofu. It's a fun group. It's a healthy group. It's called Healthier. You Go to gallowaycoursecom and use the code podcast to save $150. That's leaps.

Speaker 3: 1:09:26

Listen up, it's mail call time. Announce a free present. All right, sarge.

Speaker 1: 1:09:33

Today's question is from Brandy Copley, who emailed us this and this is going to be a question for you, Carissa. But Brandy says the Disney marathon on January will be my first attempt at a full marathon. I follow the Galloway training plan so I'm good on training, but can you share any tips for the mental side of your first marathon? I'm racing alone and I'm slow, so 26 miles seems like a long time to stay out there and keep going. And also, if you have any quick nutrition tips, that would be helpful.

Speaker 2: 1:10:02

All right, there's a lot in there to unpack. I got a lot of ideas. I don't know where to start. So much to say to you. But one, brandy, if you're already saying you're good on the training, then you're good on going the distance. So I don't like that. You're thinking well, 26.2 miles is a long time to stay out there. Get that idea out of your head. Start reminding yourself and telling yourself that I've done everything that I need to do to go this distance. I can go this distance. I will go this distance.

Speaker 2: 1:10:27

The other thing to know is you're actually not alone, because you're going to be part of the Run Disney family and so there are going to be people with you all the way around the course. Use those to your advantage. So when you're feeling good and maybe you see somebody else, maybe looking at their struggling, give them that energy and just know when you need that back, they're going to be there for you. Couple tips I like to do is I always like to thank the volunteers verbally. So if I get to a point in a race and if it's a marathon and it's maybe about 12 or 13 where I can't physically stop and say thank you volunteers or wave to the police officer and they thank you. That tells my brain I got to dial this back. I'm going too hard and I'm not going to maintain this energy the whole way. So, starting slow, keeping consistent with your training. This is your first marathon. Don't worry about a time, worry about finishing and then think about mantras. Now I wish Papa Galloway was here. Jeff Galloway is great at mantras, but a simple one. I can do it. I can do it. Jeff likes the mantra of I'm strong, and you just repeat that in your head I'm strong, I'm strong. I steal my mantra a lot of times in races from Peloton there's an instructor named Christine and she says I am, I can, I will, I do. And that one, for me, is a really good one because I think it lets you I am, I can, I will, I do, and it's the emphasis on I do. I'm doing this, I'm going to do it.

Speaker 2: 1:11:47

In terms of nutrition tips, we have a podcast coming out in a few weeks with Jamie Lee McIntyre, so that's going to be a great podcast for you to listen to. She's a fellow dietitian like me, but make sure you have enough fuel for you to eat from the hotel to the race and all the way across the race course. Don't just rely on what Disney's going to have out there. Bring some goos, some chews, some gummy bears, whatever you're training with at home. Bring enough with you to get that energy going, cause sometimes if your energy dips, it's not cause your training wasn't right, it's not cause you're not going to be able to do it, it's cause your body needs carbohydrates. That was a lot, john. Do you think she'll find it helpful?

Speaker 1: 1:12:23

I think she will find it helpful. No, I think she will, and I do, I do and I find it helpful, even though I don't think I'm going to be able to make the 26.2, but I'm taking these things in for the 6.2 that I have to do, which sounds like a lot for someone like me.

Speaker 2: 1:12:39

I think, if you always understand like there's going to be a part where I'm going to want to quit, and you have to get through that part because you never know when you're going to feel good, and that also comes down with time. I did that in a race. I was, I had a time goal and at mile 18, I just felt horrible and I took a walk break that was like three to four minutes too long and then I felt better, but that three or four minutes when I gave up on myself I couldn't get back. Had I just stayed in it and been okay, being uncomfortable, knowing this is temporary, this was always going to be uncomfortable.

Speaker 2: 1:13:09

I trained for this. I'm strong enough, I am, I can, I will, I do. I would have got through it and had a little bit of nutrition, had a little bit of sugar and felt better. So don't put your hands up, don't do the you know walk. That never ends. Stick with your ratio, stick with your training and know it was supposed to be hard. I signed up for this because I wanted to know what I did in life when it got hard. So go find out.

Speaker 1: 1:13:32

That's a good point and also should let people know. When it comes to time, there are external factors which can negatively affect your time that you can't do anything about. It's raining a little. It gets slippery out there. You have to slow down. You're not used to running in the humidity. You're not used to running a 38 degree weather, which we had one year. So I love that idea. It's just keep your head down. Hard work's the only thing that really ever gets you anywhere. So so there you go, and I speak as a as a as a 5k veteran.

Speaker 2: 1:14:02

That's right. Well, thank you, brandy, for the question. I'm definitely say hi when you're out there. We can't wait to celebrate you across that finish line.

Speaker 1: 1:14:09

Yeah, very excited, very exciting. Congratulations and good. Good on you for keeping up with your training and feeling good about that, because, boy, that's got to be half the battle when you're staring into the face of such a such a long way to go. And, folks, we want your questions. You can email us your questions at 321gopodcastatgmailcom. We'll also take stories. If you have any jokes that you want to, and, apparently, if you want to talk about some historical moments with me, if you want some, if you want some, if you want some, if you want some Johnny's historical moments, throw something out there. I will say I'm really good with the Kennedy assassination as we talked about Big civil war buff, pretty good on the revolutionary war, love post and just anything folks throw anything out there, I'll find something interesting to talk about.

Speaker 2: 1:14:52

I can't wait for three minutes on the bubonic plague coming next week. You know what I just read?

Speaker 1: 1:14:57

a really interesting article about a city in England that they've, they've, they've uncovered a lot of skeletons from back during a black plague era, and they're learning so much more. They can do so much more with.

Speaker 2: 1:15:11

I want to know next week. I do want to know.

Speaker 1: 1:15:14

Yeah, it's really. I'll have to find that article again. It was really interesting On the bubonic plague next week folk 321 infectious diseases.

Speaker 2: 1:15:20

There we go.

Speaker 1: 1:15:22

Once again, that email is 321gopodcast all together at gmailcom.

Speaker 2: 1:15:28

All right, thank you guys. A huge thank you to Brent and Kyle. We can't wait to see them at dopey. We can't wait to see you on social media and real life. Thank you for listening. We'll see you real soon and Bye, bye, bye, bye, bye, bye, bye, bye, bye, bye, bye, bye, bye, bye, bye, bye, bye, bye, bye, bye, bye, bye.