Over the last few months, I've had the privilege of hosting conversations with an impressive litany of powerhouse women breaking paradigms across a wide swath of disciplines.
Mel Urie has more than earned her spot amongst these powerful boundary crushers. And I for one am here to celebrate her.
Devoted listeners will recall Mel’s first appearance on the show (along with fellow endurance fiend Danielle Grabol) a little over a year ago (RRP 421) wherein these two badass athletes discussed becoming the first two females to ever complete EPIC5 — a race I helped pioneer that involves completing 5 Ironmans on the 5 Hawaiian Islands in just 5 days.
But then Mel had to go and just completely outdo herself (and embarrass the rest of us) by becoming the first female to not only attempt but to actually complete the fatally absurd ultra-endurance fever dream known as Uberman -- a 556-mile self-supported freak fest Outside magazine dubbed “The World’s Hardest Endurance Race”.
Kicking off with a brutal 21-mile swim from the island of Catalina to the Southern California mainland -- a feat most swimmers can only dream of accomplishing -- athletes then endure a 2-day, 400-mile bike ride from Los Angeles to the edge of a barren desert, climbing 20,000-feet before descending into Badwater Basin, the hottest and lowest point in North America.
Ready to kick up your feet and crack a cold one? Not so fast. The celebration comes only after lacing up the running shoes and facing down the Badwater 135 course. Considered the world's most difficult footrace, it entails a quick 135-mile run across Death Valley and up a good portion of Mt. Whitney.
Mel didn’t just survive this endeavor. She absolutely crushed it, completing the course in stunning fashion under 136 hours.
This is a conversation about Uberman of course — why Mel wanted it, what happened and what she learned doing it.
But more than anything, this is a master class on mental toughness.
It’s about putting limiting beliefs in the grave.
And it’s about what it means to live a 'No Excuse' life.
This conversation isn’t just for women. And it’s not just for athletes or those interested in exploring the world of mind-bending endurance sports.
This one is for anyone and everyone looking to break the glass ceiling on human potential.
The visually inclined can watch it all go down on YouTube. And as always, the audio version streams wild and free on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
This stubbornly courageous woman deserves far more credit for her accomplishments than the media has delivered to date. I feel an obligation to change that.
May her testimony leave you inspired to finally put your excuses in the rearview. Because the time is now to create the aspirational life you deserve.
Peace + Plants,
Rich
