Tough Girl Podcast Claire Smith - Ultra endurance athlete - Only person in the UK to have finished a continuous Double Deca (20x Ironman). Training for the Arch To Arc Triathlon (Sept 2022).
Jul 19, 2022
48:42
Claire in her own words: “I have always been a highly motivated person, but when I was younger, I was highly motivated to self destruct! Over the last ten years, I have learnt how to use my drive, ambition and general craziness for a better purpose. I completed my first marathon, Ironman and then Double Ironman... Many more ultra triathlons followed and also, Brutal Events was born. I will be honest and admit I have struggled with addiction (and the depression and self-esteem issues that come with it), but almost eight years ago, I finally turned my life around and have not looked back since. Of all my achievements, this is what I am most proud of, but it’s the one I don’t speak about. Well, until now… I often get asked why I do the ultra endurance stuff, and I guess I love the fact that you can do anything if you train well and really want it. In other news, I am a mum of two children (that aren’t kids anymore), a graphic/website designer, a writer, and I also run Brutal Events - brutalevents.co.uk"
- Content Warning - I’ve marked the episode as explicit as we do talk about weight and disordered eating. We don’t go into specifics but it is mentioned.
- Who Claire is in her own words
- Setting up her business Brutal Events
- Writing and publishing books
- Moving back to Bournemouth from Hereford
- Getting a bit more rebellious
- Doing her own thing at school
- Starting to run at 20
- Challenges she faced as a single parent
- Completing her first half marathon
- Meeting her husband
- Having no idea what Ironman is but wanting to participate
- Not having a bike and being unable to swim
- Splitting up with her husband
- Getting a tattoo
- Keeping friends with her ex-husband
- Completing the Double Ironman
- How important is it for her to complete the Ironman
- Her Double Ironman finishing experience
- Not working with coaches
- How she balances training with two kids
- Managing the pain from her ongoing injuries
- Having Hyperlordosis
- Focusing on her routines and plans
- Things that help her manage her pain
- Feeling like giving up
- How and why did she keep going
- Training for the Arch to Arc Triathlon
- How she feels about the challenge
- Being on the right track after 13 years
- Struggling with panic attacks
- Managing her stress and anxiety
- What causes her panic attacks in the water and swimming through it
- How much does it cost her to do this challenge
- A big bag of crisps and Netflix
- Being addicted to sugar
- Having to eat more than she wants to gain weight
- Needing to step away from junk food and eat better food
- Struggling with an eating disorder and monitoring herself against it
- Writing her book, Becoming Brutal
- Getting into more detail about Brutal Events
- Doing the Snowdonia marathon
- Where does "brutal" come from
- Final words of advice