Send us a text

A world record in 225 hours. Stitches on a gym floor. A typhoon, a temple, and a white bucket that might save your race. I sat down with IUTA Hall of Famer, Shanda Hill, to unpack the mindset, methods, and meaning behind one of the most audacious ultra tri careers ever—and the moment she chose health over history.

Shanda breaks down the true shape of a DECA continuous: 10x Iron distance where the clock never stops and every decision is magnified. She shares the practical systems that carried her—soup-based fueling that works in cold pools, a hydration check using a white bowl to protect kidney function, and a sleep strategy tied to safety and weather rather than ego. We talk oxygen therapy, cold-water immersion, and why time management can beat raw speed across 38 km of swimming, 1,800 km of cycling, and 422 km of running.

The stories are wild and human: riding through a South African deluge, resetting in Brazil to chase a record, crashing in France and getting field-stitched by a fellow racer, and learning the hard way in Poland how one pedal choice can sabotage your stabilizers. Along the way, Shanda spotlights the ultra community—race directors who make impossible events happen, rivals who lift the bar, and athletes finishing doubles and decas with broken bones and unbroken resolve.

If you’re training for Ultraman, DECA, or your own endurance goal, you’ll leave with clear, actionable insights on fueling, electrolytes, recovery, and the mental game that keeps you moving loop after loop.

Contact Shanda at : https://www.shandahillultra.com/

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• IUTA Hall of Fame
• Taiwan Ultra Deca
• Bretzel Ultra Triathlon (Colmar, France)
• Desenzano del Garda (Triple Deca)
• IUTA World Cup
• Ultra Tri South Africa (Deca)
• Ultra 520K Canada
• Brazil Ultra Tri (Deca)
• Double Ultra Triathlon Emsdetten
• Poland Ultra Triathlon (Deca)
• Triathlon Triple Lensahn
• Double Deca Mexico
• Switzerland Double Deca
• Virginia Triple Anvil
• UB515

Shout outs and mentions in this episode:

• Jacs Spence
• Starting Block
• Rancho Vignola
• Eve-volve Wellness
• Reatha Rousseau
• Steve Brown
• Blaine Ponte
• Leah Goldstein
• Sergio Cordeiro
• World record holder deca
• Deca Dave Clamp
• Jorge Rodriguez
• Mark hohe dorst
• Brad Kelley
• Gustavo Vieira
• Lia Sterciuc
• Harriet Clamp
• Marius Butuc (S8E1)
• Anelia Butuc
• Ming Ye
• Ronny Rossler
• Norbert Luffenberger
• Tyrese Hill
• Micheal Ward
• Beto Villa
• Wayne Kurtz
• Laurent Quignette
• Heidi Lindemann
• Jade Medders
• Paul Bedard
• Daniel Oliveira
• Tomasz Lus

If this conversation fired you up, follow the show and share it with a friend who loves big goals.

Support the show

Show Contributors:
Host : Larry Ryan
Contributing Raconteur : Steve King
Announcer : Mary Jo Dionne
Production : 5Five Enterprises
Music : Run by 331

For show notes and past guests, please visit the Podcast Website: https://515theultrapodcast.buzzsprout.com
Facebook: @515TheUltraPodcast
Insta : @515theultrapodcast
Youtube : @515TheUltraPodcast
Email : 515Ultraman@gmail.com

Send us a text

A champion’s story doesn’t start at the finish line. Fresh off winning Ultraman Hawaii, Max Kniazev opens up about rebuilding from a collarbone ligament rupture, balancing newborn-dad life, and crafting a pragmatic plan to race smarter in heat and wind. We get into the mechanics of durability: how a naturally low heart rate at high power shapes his ultra identity, why shorter cranks opened his hip and cut drag, and how a custom 3D-printed cockpit with rear-aligned bottles shaved the little costs that add up over 515 kilometers.

Max explains how he trained the gut to handle 120–135 grams of carbohydrates per hour using a starch-based mix (Vitargo), and why he practices fueling even in short swim sessions. He shares the exact salt and magnesium rhythm he used to skirt cramps, plus ice tactics that kept core temp in check when the island turned harsh. Day by day, he walks us through winning choices: holding back in the swim after lost shoulder strength, stacking steady watts on day one, solving a mid-ride electronic derailleur scare on day two en route to a stage record, and using simple marathon math on day three to let rivals come back without ever redlining.

Max also lays out what’s next. He wants a fair-play shot at the 515 world record on the same Ultraman Australia course, not just a fast loop, with an audacious long-term vision for sub-19 under ideal conditions. Between now and then, he’s sharpening the sword in XTRI events and aiming for Norseman while keeping the “ultra mindset” front and center: choose long goals, stack stable steps, and let the mind lead the body.

If you care about endurance strategy, bike aerodynamics, heat management, or the art of pacing 84 kilometers, this conversation is a masterclass built on lived miles and honest numbers.

Max previously appeared on the podcast in (S1E4) and the Season 4 UMAZ race wrap up.

Youtube movie “1 minute less” mentioned.

This Instagram post has Max describing his bike.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Ultraman Hawaii
• UltraCzech 515 (S5E5)
• Ultraman Arizona
• Siberman 515
• UM Australia
• Double Ultra Triathlon Emsdetten
• Vitargo Nutrition
• Finding Ultra by Rich Roll
• Norseman Xtreme Championship

Shout outs and mentions in this episode:

• Mia Kniazev
• Olesia Kniazev
• Petr Vabrousek (S2E2)
• Richard Thompson
• Shane Duffy (S4E5)
• Simon Cochrane (S4E8)
• Javier Sola
• ​​Tadej Pogačar
• Dave Matheson (S3E6)
• Bob Babbit S6E12
• Cameron Wurf
• Mike Coughlin (S2E7)
• Billy Rickards (S7E1)
• Steve King (S1E1)
• Sheryl Cobb (S2E6)
• Dave Cobb
• Terumasu Matsuda
• Ultra Chamba (S6E11)

Support the show

Show Contributors:
Host : Larry Ryan
Contributing Raconteur : Steve King
Announcer : Mary Jo Dionne
Production : 5Five Enterprises
Music : Run by 331

For show notes and past guests, please visit the Podcast Website: https://515theultrapodcast.buzzsprout.com
Facebook: @515TheUltraPodcast
Insta : @515theultrapodcast
Youtube : @515TheUltraPodcast
Email : 515Ultraman@gmail.com

Send us a text

What does it take to chase Ultraman while working 12-hour shifts in emergency care? We sit down with Erica Riley—critical care nurse, coach, and multi-time ultradistance triathlete—to unpack the systems, habits, and mindset that make high performance sustainable in a busy life. From 3 a.m. Zwift rides to meticulous time boxing, she shows exactly how to build consistency without sacrificing your health, your job, or your relationships.

Erica takes us inside the toughest days of lockdown, when PPE, quarantine hotels, and strict radius rules forced radical creativity: ocean swims inside a five-kilometer bubble, stacked run commutes, and eight-hour trainer marathons. That crucible led her to Ultraman and a new goal—to not only finish but compete—under coach Tim Franklin of KOA Sports. We explore the art of crew selection, live-stream storytelling, and keeping a tight bond with the UM Australia Ohana.

Nutrition and strength become Erica’s quiet superpowers. Longtime plant-based, she refined protein intake, embraced whole foods, and saw clear changes in lean mass and visceral fat. Race fuel is simple and effective: Infinite custom blends, salty chips when the gut turns, and a well-timed orange Fanta for mood and carbs. Off the course, her secret weapon is reformer Pilates—45 minutes that deliver strength, mobility, posture, and injury prevention for time-poor athletes who need durability as much as speed.

We also dig into coaching. With Synergy Sports Coaching, Erica builds plans for real people—shift workers, parents, and professionals—using TrainingPeaks as a living diary. She treats sessions like meetings you won’t miss, teaches sleep hygiene around rotating rosters, and helps athletes fit training into life, not the other way around. Along the way, she shares favorite races (hello, Cairns and Nha Trang), a brutal and beautiful lead-in at Alpine Ascent Extreme, and the mindset work that turned perfectionism from procrastination into fuel.

If you want practical tools to train smarter, eat better, and perform under pressure, you’ll find tangible tactics you can use today. Subscribe, share this with a friend who’s juggling big goals, and leave a review to help more athletes discover the show.

Contact Erica : @synergysportscoaching on Instagram

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• UM Australia
• Ultra 355 Australia
• KOA Sports Coaching
• The Proof Podcast
• Australian Alpine Ascent Extreme Triathlon
• Happy Thoughts Tri Team
• Training Peaks
• Challenge Nha Trang
• IM Cairns
• IM Busselton
• Infinite Nutrition
• Kenilworth Country Bakery
• UM New Zealand
• King’s Canyon Cruise

Shout outs and mentions in this episode:

• Nestor Alejandro Ochoa Rivera
• Tim Franklin
• Simon Hill
• Hayley Fry
• Jackson Gash
• Andrew Trout
• Simon Cochrane

Support the show

Show Contributors:
Host : Larry Ryan
Contributing Raconteur : Steve King
Announcer : Mary Jo Dionne
Production : 5Five Enterprises
Music : Run by 331

For show notes and past guests, please visit the Podcast Website: https://515theultrapodcast.buzzsprout.com
Facebook: @515TheUltraPodcast
Insta : @515theultrapodcast
Youtube : @515TheUltraPodcast
Email : 515Ultraman@gmail.com