Running with Ironman with Matt Hanson | Mike Drop: Episode 61

About this video

Matt Hanson, a five-time Ironman champion and exercise science PhD, discusses his unconventional path to professional triathlon with Mike Ritland. Hanson recounts how he transitioned from wrestling to triathlon after a hip injury ended his college wrestling career at age 19, teaching himself to swim and bike from scratch at age 25. He qualified for the World Championship as an amateur in his very first Ironman in 2011, just six years after deciding to pursue the sport, and details the physical and mental demands of competing at the elite level.

Key takeaways

• Hanson began learning to swim and ride a road bike at age 25 with minimal prior experience, yet qualified for the Ironman World Championship as an amateur in his first full-distance race in 2011.
• Hanson argues that goal-setting learned at wrestling camps like J Rob’s camp was transformative, noting he carried a list of 50 goals in his pocket for 10 years and accomplished 44 of them.
• Hanson describes consuming 5,000-7,000 calories daily during training (roughly 60% carbs, 20% protein, 20% fat) and drinking Coca-Cola during races for sodium, calories, and caffeine to help numb pain.
• Hanson explains that maintaining body weight is his biggest challenge during training, as dropping too low depletes energy stores needed for eight-hour races.

Episode details: published July 27, 2020 · 12.9K views · 1:44:10 long. Summary written by Self Growth Videos from the episode itself. Stories told by Mike Ritland’s podcast guests are the guests’ own accounts, attributed to them — not independently verified. Commentary is Ritland’s, presented as his analysis.

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