Katie Spotz - Endurance Athlete & WR Holder. 5X Ironman, cycled across the USA, run 100 miles nonstop in under 20 hours, and rowed solo across the Atlantic Ocean.

Tough Girl Podcast

Katie is an endurance athlete, charitable ambassador, author and world-record holder. Katie has completed five Ironman triathlons, cycling across the country, completed a 325-mile river swim, run 100 miles nonstop in under 20 hours, and also spent 70 days at seas while rowing solo across the Atlantic Ocean. In 2010, Katie set a World Record for being the youngest person to row solo across ocean rower. Katie is also the only American to row solo from Africa to Guyana, in South America. In 2020, Katie became the 1st person to run nonstop 138-miles nonstop across Maine in 33 hours, raising $26,000 for a clean water project in Tanzania. In preparations, Katie became the 1st woman to run nonstop across Vermont and New Hampshire. Katie has been awarded the Elite Female Athlete of the Year for 2020 by the U.S. Coast Guard. On June 21, Katie announced her latest challenge, Run4Water. Which involved running 11 ultra-marathons for 11 consecutive days. Katie started her 341-miles journey in Ohio and ran from Cincinnati to Cleveland. Throughout her adventures, Katie isn’t just seeking to make history. She is also raising money for safe drinking water projects around the world. Give Water today - www.h2oforlifeschools.org/katiespotz New episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast go live every Tuesday and Thursday at 7am UK time - Make sure you hit the subscribe button so you don’t miss out. The Tough Girl Podcast is sponsorship and ad free thanks to the monthly financial support of patrons. To find out more about supporting your favourite podcast and becoming a patron please check out www.patreon.com/toughgirlpodcast. Show notes

• Who is Katie
• Why she raises money for clear drinking water
• Helping over 25,000 people
• The importance of service and giving back
• Studying environmental science
• Growing up around the Great Lakes
• Getting into swimming at young age
• Where her love of adventure comes from
• Keeping up with her 2 older brothers
• Role models
• Doing her first marathon at 18
• Wanting to do an ironman
• Not being competitive at school and doing the easiest gym class possible
• Setting a target to run 1 mile
• Joining the Coastguard in 2018
• Why running ultras is one of the toughest challenges
• Finding her limit….
• Doing endurance for fun
• Strategy for the 138 mile run across Maine
• Race your own race and be in tune with your body
• Fuelling her body during endurance challenges
• Getting her calories in via liquids
• Using Tailwind Nutrition
• Taking a supplement called Sports Legs
• Needing to get enough sodium in
• You’re going to hurt
• The mental challenges during the race
• Hating the first 5 miles
• Why it gets easier the longer you go
• Feeling best at 50/60 miles
• Getting into a flow state and moving on autopilot
• Needing to block out the pain
• Not wanting to do permanent damage
• Pain that is an injury and pain which is muscle fatigue
• Dealing with an Edema (swelling of the hands and/or feet)
• Rhabdo (Rhabdomyolysis) - Myoglobin is released from the muscles when they break down and is excreted into the urine. This can cause a red or cola colour of the urine.
• Book: Just Keep Rowing: Lessons from the Atlantic Ocean by the Youngest Person to Row It Alone
• Being a different person after the Atlantic Row
• Having a strong enough why - you can figure out the how
• Dealing with setbacks and the low moments
• When the easy option is to quit
• Not wanting to live a lifetime of regret
• Finals words of advice and why it’s ok to feel afraid
• Why fears are welcomed

Social Media Website: www.katiespotz.com Instagram: @katiespotz Facebook: @hellokatiespotz Twitter: @katiespotz