I have a challenge for you.
What’s your current BHAG (big hairy audacious goal)?
You know, the big one. The one that’s so big, scary or beyond what you’ve currently achieved you’ve never even whispered it to someone….
Now make it bigger.
Longer, harder, higher, faster, more extreme, more challenging, more daring - whatever it is that floats your boat and makes you sick to your stomach with self-doubt, fear and disbelief.
Chances are you’re probably thinking to yourself "Jen’s tripping. There’s no way on earth I could do that”.
Don’t be so quick to dismiss the idea - or your potential.
Our guest today on Sparta Chicks Radio certainly couldn’t have imagined how far - or should I say, long - she would go in the sport of triathlon.
Kate Bevilaqua is an Australian born and bred triathlete who hated running when she was talked into doing her first triathlon by a friend (how many of us can relate to that story?).
Now a professional triathlete she has won 3 Ironman titles and multiple victories and podiums at the 70.3 / half ironman / long course distance. But after 8 years as a professional triathlete, she needed a new challenge.
So she (eventually) decided to step up to the Ultraman distance. It’s the step beyond an Ironman; a 10km (6.2mile) swim, 421km (or 261.4mile) ride followed by a double marathon, 84km (52.4miles) staged over 3 days.
Not only did Kate finish her 1st Ultraman distance triathlon in Canada in 2015, she won the overall title. She was the fastest athlete, man or woman, in that event. #chicked
She then went on to win the women’s Ultraman World Championship in Hawaii in 2016.
By her own admission, Kate admits it took her years to get her head around the idea of doing Ultraman and that she couldn’t possibly have imagined how far she would go, or what she would accomplish, in the sport.
Such a lovely, down to earth woman, in this interview Kate openly talks about:
* how she still lines up on the start of a race with doubt about whether she’s ready or has done enough training even after 10 years as a professional athlete,
* how she mentally breaks up her long training sessions and races into small manageable chunks (great advice for all of us!),
* the importance of trusting that you will always get through the dark times in training and racing,
* the importance of understanding what success is (including that conditions will always dictate the times you can produce),
* how she could never have imagined how far she would go in the sport. This is a great lesson for all of us - i.e., don’t assume that your current fitness levels, performance, speed, achievements, results or capability are an indication of your potential in the sport, and
* how hard work - and not natural talent - is the reason for her success (something we all should remember).
And if you want to see a great example of pure inner strength and determination, watch Kate as she crawled (yes, crawled) across the line to win Ironman Western Australia; her first Ironman victory in 2010.
Click here to listen on iTunes.
Notes and resources:
To find out more about Kate or to say hello, you can find her on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter or via her website.