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Fitspeek 52: Valley Synergy 2018

What happens when you take 4 leaders from our local sporting community, put them in a room, and turn on a microphone? Valley Synergy 2018.  In this not-so-ordinary podcast Phoenix Velo’s man of steel – Geoff Oram, Freaks on Peaks’ beacon of zen –  Sara Elias, Fraser Valley Mountain Biking Association’s erudite yet humble – … Continue reading "Fitspeek 52: Valley Synergy 2018"

Fitspeek 50: Dodgeball Night in Canada

Usually Fitspeek features things like triathlon and swimming but this time we are featuring a sport that has been played by more Canadian children then those two sports EVER will be – DODGEBALL. Coming up on Saturday November 24th at the Heritage Park Middle School Gymnasium is the 4th annual Mission Firefighter Movember Dodgeball Tournament. … Continue reading "Fitspeek 50: Dodgeball Night in Canada"

Fitspeek 49 – Jen Burns Returns!

If you’ve ever had a crappy race or workout, chances are, if you think about why things went wrong, you’ll learn a lot more and improve as an athlete more, than if things went wonderfully and you don’t give your race or workout a second thought. Our brains are hardwired to focus on the negative … Continue reading "Fitspeek 49 – Jen Burns Returns!"

Mission Half Marathon Fitspeek Express Interview

In this Fitspeek Express interview, I speak with Alistair Kealty, he is the race director of the Mission Half Marathon. The race is in its second year and will be held at 11 on Saturday October 27. In the interview we talk about a few of the changes that he has made this year, Lionel … Continue reading "Mission Half Marathon Fitspeek Express Interview"

She writes, she rides, she Fitspeeks, she is Meaghan Hackinen

Unless your name is Craig Premack you’ve probably never seen more than a dozen or so sunrises while riding your bike, and doing your best to dodge owls while riding through Saskatchewan, Vancouver Island, or Finland. Come to think of it, Craig, although he has done Paris – Brest, has probably never came face to … Continue reading "She writes, she rides, she Fitspeeks, she is Meaghan Hackinen"

Mind Games, Purple Tigers, and the Kona Coast: Fitspeek 47

No Zack and Kevin H are not experimenting with acid but what they are doing is exploring the mental side to help you achieve your best performance, come race day. First off in Between The Ears, they take a page out of the Chris McCormack book, I’m Here to Win to examine what it means … Continue reading "Mind Games, Purple Tigers, and the Kona Coast: Fitspeek 47"

Fitspeek Goes Mini – Goes Global

Fitspeek’s Kevin Watt is not only our social media shout-out guy, he is also responsible for spreading our podcast via Instagram. Through the connections he’s made, he has Fitspeek listeners in New York City and in Washington, DC. One of the folks is Diego Paul Yepez. Diego is an aspiring professional cyclist and in our mini … Continue reading "Fitspeek Goes Mini – Goes Global"

Fitspeek 46: Advices from the Ironvets

Fitspeek 46 picks up where Fitspeek 45 left off, in a room full of Ironman finishers and Jen Burns. In this laugh and wisdom packed 45 minutes you’ll glean pearls of wisdom and silliness as our Iron Panel of Zack Neufeld, Kevin Watt, Leigh Ann Parker, Elise Reeh, and myself, answer a series of tough … Continue reading "Fitspeek 46: Advices from the Ironvets"

Dancing Up The Endurance Sports Ladder: The Jen Burns Story (Fitspeek 45)

Just like previous Fitspeek guest Dave Matheson, Abbotsford’s Jen Burns wasn’t much into regular sports when she was in high school. Instead, she focused on high level dance for over a decade. Now, a few years later Jen is getting into endurance sports in a big way. She had a great performance at the Whistler … Continue reading "Dancing Up The Endurance Sports Ladder: The Jen Burns Story (Fitspeek 45)"

Swim – Run… it’s becoming a thing (Jamie Imai – Fitspeek 44)

One of the new multisport events to hit our area is the swim/run. It’s sort of like a duathlon but you replace the bike with a swim. One of the folks who participated in the inaugural event held at Thetis Lake in August was Mission’s Jamie Imai. In our interview we talk about the details … Continue reading "Swim – Run… it’s becoming a thing (Jamie Imai – Fitspeek 44)"

Fitspeek 43: Ultra 520K Canada Champion Dave Matheson

If you weren’t a “jock” in high school, take heart, neither was Dave Matheson. Although his sisters were highly successful athletes growing up in Penticton, sports weren’t really his thing. He got into body-building and then mountain biking before finding his true passion – triathlon. By surrounding himself with wise and caring people (Kevin Cutjar, … Continue reading "Fitspeek 43: Ultra 520K Canada Champion Dave Matheson"

Fitspeek 42: Meghan Faulkenberry 2nd overall female at Ironman Canada

This past July’s Ironman Canada race in Whistler was one of the toughest ever. With a new 3 loop cycling course and 37 degree heat, athletes were given a tough hand to play. And while we usually just stay “North of the border” Meghan’s story of tenacity is inspiring for all of us. If you … Continue reading "Fitspeek 42: Meghan Faulkenberry 2nd overall female at Ironman Canada"

Fitspeek 41: Sheigh Swims, Sheigh speaks

Mission’s Sheigh Gaudette has only been in competitive swimming for about four years now but what a four years they have been. Sheigh is on the fast track to swimming awesomeness and has been going around the country competing at the Canada Games as well as all the other big meets in the hopes of … Continue reading "Fitspeek 41: Sheigh Swims, Sheigh speaks"

Ironman Turns 40: Bob Babbitt turns a bit more than 40…

  With the 40th birthday of the Ironman Triathlon coming up, I thought I would dip into the Fitspeek archives and unearth a neat interview I did with one of the members of the Ironman Hall of Fame. Click play below to hear the Bob Babbitt interview in its entirety. Bob talks about his life … Continue reading "Ironman Turns 40: Bob Babbitt turns a bit more than 40…"

Epic Five, Epic Challenge, Epic Athlete: Chad Bentley (Fitspeek 40)

We celebrate 40 episodes of Fitspeek by going extreme! Chad Bentley is an accomplished ultra distance triathlete from North Vancouver & originally from Abbotsford. Chad will be doing the Epic Five Triathlon which features five Ironman distance races on five Hawaiian islands on five consecutive days later this month. You can hear about his transformation … Continue reading "Epic Five, Epic Challenge, Epic Athlete: Chad Bentley (Fitspeek 40)"

Skaha Lake Ultraswim with Steve King: Fitspeek 39

Steve King is a many who wears many hats. In addition to being one of the best known voices in the world of endurance sports he is an author, clinical counsellor, Badwater Ultra Marathon finisher and as I learned, the founder of the Skaha Lake Ultra Swim. After disappearing for a few years,  local “Ultra … Continue reading "Skaha Lake Ultraswim with Steve King: Fitspeek 39"

Uttra Swim Founder Steve King

One of the most popular open water swimming events in Canada is being held in Penticton on Sunday August 12. In this Fitspeek Express interview, Kevin Heinze chats with Skaha Ultra Swim founder Steve King about the history of the event, as well of some of the more impressive performances.

Fitspeek 38: How our local clubs salute the start of summer

Our local sporting clubs celebrated the summer solstice with some very well-attended events this past Wednesday evening. We feature the key organizers from the the Abbotsford Triathlon Club and the Phoenix Velo Training Group talking about the night’s events. We also speak with club members at the starting line of the ATC time trial and … Continue reading "Fitspeek 38: How our local clubs salute the start of summer"

As fast as a cheetah as crazy as a monkey: Duane Foley, Fitspeek 37

This week’s Fitspeek features top age-group athlete and firefighter, Duane Foley from Fort Langley. He did a lot of sports in school including being a high level curler (!) but he only discovered the sport of triathlon later in life. Like many of us, he paid his dues, including being near to last out of … Continue reading "As fast as a cheetah as crazy as a monkey: Duane Foley, Fitspeek 37"

Matt Campbell: United Velo

If you are a cyclist in the Fraser Valley you probably have heard of Phoenix Velo. They have been offering Saturday training sessions, Thursday night time trials, and of course the world famous Wednesday night crits. Now, in addition to Phoenix Velo, there is a new cycling group in the valley. In this episode of … Continue reading "Matt Campbell: United Velo"