The Greg Bennett Show

Chrissie Wellington had one of the most impactful Triathlon careers in the history of the sport. Becoming a professional Triathlete in 2007, she went onto win 4 Ironman World Titles and smashed world records at the Ironman distance seemingly every time she raced.  A five-year career that left a mark on the world of endurance sport like no other. Her resume is incredible: She won the Ironman World Championship, on three consecutive years (2007–2009). Winning The 2007 IM World Championships on debut, a feat that’s almost unheard of. She wasn’t able to start in 2010 due to illness but regained her title in 2011 after crashing her bike only 2 weeks previous. She lowered the IM distance world record each time she raced Challenge Roth, her fastest time there being 8hr18mins – that was 32minutes in front of 2nd place. An incredible athlete and remarkable human.

Phil Liggett is a very special guest.  A man who has played a significant role in bringing bike racing out of Europe to the rest of the world.  For almost 55 years he’s been a cycling and Olympic journalist and commentator. For 47 years straight he’s been commentating the Tour de France… in fact, this is the first year in all that time he has been home for the month of July.  But he’s more than a journalist and a commentator, he is someone who has followed his passion, turning it from a hobby to a career and you can hear it in his voice… he loves the bike racing, he loves the athletes, he loves the scenery and he loves the history, he loves the team that surrounds him, and each moment of every race he sees something unique and special. I’m a Triathlete and that has always been my passion. But my love for bike racing is because of this man. There is something comforting about his voice…  This was an honor and a privilege to chat with Phil. His stories are colorful and entertaining. 

Jan Frodeno is an incredible champion a close friend and an occasional training partner who I’ve known for over 15 years He’s arguably the greatest Triathlete of All-time? He’s certainly a strong contender for this conversation. A few highlights: Olympic Gold in 2008. Three-time Ironman World Champion with a course record in 2019 of 7hr51min13sec Two-time IM 70.3 World Champion, with his win in 2018 as one of the greatest performances I’ve ever witnessed only matched by his race win in Kona in 2019  A world record in the Ironman distance of 7.35.39 at the Challenge Roth event in Germany. And a list of victories that just keeps piling up.  It hasn’t been all smooth sailing… He’s had incredible setbacks but again and again, but he rebuilds, refocuses and gets himself back onto the top step of the podium. This was a wonderful conversation with a wonderful human being.

Katie Zaferes has stepped herself gradually, systematically up in the Triathlon world rankings… you seriously couldn’t have scripted it any better. 5th in the 2015 World Championships, 4th in 2016, 3rd in 2017, 2nd in 2018 just narrowly missing the win… but it wasn’t her time. Her time was 2019 where she showed dominating form, incredible bravery, and tremendous grit to take her first ITU World Championship and win the Grand Final in the process. She has trained herself to have no weaknesses.  A fierce competitor and an incredible human being.

Hamish Carter is one of the greatest triathletes of all-time.  Three-time World Championship medalist, Xterra World Champion, Commonwealth Games silver medalist, World Cup series champion in 1998 and the pinnacle of his career the Olympic Gold at the Athens Olympics in 2004.  I raced this man for 15 years. When he stepped on the start line, you knew it was on from the gun. Man, he made it look easy. A phenomenal athlete and an even better human being.  Hamish shares his wealth of knowledge about High Performance. Focussing on the process, the preparation and the controllable's. His execution of the Olympic Gold performance in Athens was clinical and technical with no emotions on the outcome.  

Kate Courtney is one of the world’s greatest mountain bikers.  The last few years have been incredible: In 2017, at 21 years old, she won the U23 world cup series. A year later she won the elite world championships in Lenzerheide, Switzerland. And in the following year in 2019, she won the elite world cup overall.  She’s Intent on getting what she wants and is doing everything she can to make it happen. She’s surrounded herself with an incredible team to help on her journey. Including her family, Scott-SRAM racing, and many other supporters. Her will-power to do something great is next level. This episode is entertaining, informative, and above all, inspiring!

Joel Filliol is one of the most successful endurance coaches on the planet. Producing Olympic medalists and World Champions consistently in both the men’s and woman’s categories. I’ve had several of his athletes on Be with champions including Simon Whitfield, Mario Mola, and Vincent Luis… and all sang his praises and praised the incredible team culture that he has created. I’ve been eager to get him on the show, to get a better sense of the why, how, and what of his training culture. He’s been a mate of mine for almost 20 years and I’ve watched him develop to one of the all-time brilliant coaches.

Emma Frodeno (Snowsill) is not only one of the greatest triathletes of all time, but she is also a long-time friend and a person I truly respect and admire. A brief look at some highlights of her career is remarkable: Three-time ITU World Champion Commonwealth Games Champion in 2006 and Olympic Champion at the Beijing Olympics in 2008 And awarded the Order of Australia in 2009. Emma is passionate about endurance sport, was one of the most talented the sport of Triathlon has ever seen, and is an athlete that took 100% responsibility for her life.  In this episode, Emma goes into great detail about her visualizing and word affirmations.

Sebastian Kienle is one of the greatest Ironman Triathletes of all time.  Known as an Uber cyclist early in his career, but that has changed in more recent years to now he’s known as a complete Triathlete with weapons on the bike and run. He’s passionate, disciplined, and dedicated and these attributes have made him what he is today and that is one of the most successful Ironman athletes in the world. A few of his career Highlights  Two-time IM 70.3 World Champion Three-time European Ironman Champion Four times on the podium at the Kona Ironman World Championships and the big highlight being his Ironman World Title in 2014 He’s one of the most down-to-earth athletes in the professional field. He’s been a mate for over a decade and I’ve always enjoyed watching his success.

Rich Roll is a man that has continued to reinvent himself. He’s been willing to jump off the merry-go-round of what society expects us to be and do and he’s followed his passions, he’s identified his strengths and he’s taken 100% responsibility for his life. Ultra-endurance athlete, New York Times best-selling author, and now one of the world's top podcast hosts. It hasn’t all been smooth sailing if fact far from it. His book ‘Finding Ultra’, is an open, honest, and vulnerable narrative of his life that describes his low points in significant detail and how he changed his life to for his own health and wellbeing. Greg has been a fan of his podcast, his book, and his journey for some time.  It’s a privilege to have him on Be with Champions.