All right, welcome to the AdaptX podcast where we have conversations with individuals
who are building inclusive and accessible products advocating for inclusion or excelling
in adaptive sports.
My intention is never to speak on behalf of those with disabilities, but give them a platform
to amplify their voice and ideas.
Today we are joined by Becca Pizzi, a mom, runner, author, coach, business owner, nonprofit
director and probably way more.
I put mom first because I think it's what you'd consider your greatest accomplishment
as I do with my son.
Did I miss anything?
I think you got it all.
I think I got it all.
You're known for a lot, but probably most noticeably you're running.
You've taken on and accomplished insane challenges.
You've inspired me personally to strive for more and you've been so gracious to me with
your time over the year.
So I very much appreciate your friendship.
To me, it's like being friends with Michael Jordan of running.
So I'm not even sure where to start, but maybe at the beginning.
So a lot of these conversations are about adaptive fitness and inclusion, but also very
passionate about the endurance sports space.
So we'll talk about, I think mostly running and endurance sports today and we'll maybe
transition to a discussion on how they can be more inclusive and accessible.
But what got you into running initially?
I ran my first race with my dad in my hometown when I was six years old and I won my age
group because I was actually the only one in my age group, which I learned years later.
I was like, well, and they gave me like all this stuff, like backpacks and shirts, and
they just thought it was so cute that I was running with my dad.
And I just remember getting in the car and thinking like, that was really fun.
I really liked doing that.
And then I just competed in middle school and then I loved it.
And especially the bond between runners, because I grew up playing soccer as well.
And runners really have an incredible unbreakable bond and the support.
And then I ran in high school and then I ran in college and the journey's been incredible.
I get to see the world doing what I love.
It's really been awesome.
That's what I say with my work, how it's introduced me to incredible people and it definitely
hasn't taken me to the depths of the world like yours has.
But I don't know if I would want to go there anyway, so I'm content with where it's brought
me.
I don't want to get too far along with maybe like without kind of hooking people as to
everything you've accomplished over the last few years.
So 2016, you completed the World Marathon Challenge.
So seven marathons in seven days, seven consecutive days on seven continents.
You repeated that again a couple of years later, first person to do it twice.
Not only finished those marathons, but you won many of them.
And then you embarked on the 50 marathons in 50 states.
So you've run a marathon in every state that you recently wrapped up.
And as if that wasn't enough, you went and did Kona a few weeks ago as well last month.
And then as soon as I texted you after that and asked how you were feeling and I thought
you had taken on every challenge and then I see pictures in my feed that you're running
a marathon on a volcano.
So I'm not sure where it ends for you, but what do you have something that's coming up
next, anything that you can kind of train towards?
Yeah, I'm running well, Feast or five because I love a good Thanksgiving race and the feast
or five gives these awesome pies that are like really awesome.
But the next endurance race is the Antarctica Marathon.
It's my fourth time running Antarctica and I'm just blown away every time I go to Antarctica.
It is just so prestigious and beautiful and I feel so lucky to be there.
So I've recently taken on the role of race director of Antarctica Marathon, which to
me is like a dream, you know, I get to race direct and run the Antarctica Marathon.
So we ran, you know, you land on a glacier and you're running on a glacier.
It's just so different and unbelievably awesome.
So I look forward to going, but every single year when I'm there, I'm like, ah, this might
be the last year for me because I'm just really cold with those thoughts.
I'm freezing.
And then I watched the Russian illusion military plane come in, pick us up and drop us off.
And it's awesome.
How many people do you think will participate in that?
There will be 50.
We cap out the race at 50 just so we can kind of keep an eye on everybody.
What are the main like safety contraindications that are concerns?
That you're running on a glacier and that it kind of zings like, you know, you don't
know if it's going to rip open or you're going to, you know, like it's, it's really terrifying,
but they, they do it on the safety team does an unbelievable job at prepping the course
and makes making sure that we're totally, totally safe.
And, but the hardest part is the winds of Antarctica.
It's freezing.
It's so cold, but you, you go out and you get the proper gear and you're comfortable
within reason somewhat comfortable as you can be running a marathon.
There's four 10 K loops and lap three always tends to be like the never ending lap, but
out of the four laps, but you just kind of take it one mile at a time when, and the sun
is blinding.
So oftentimes we run the race at 2 a.m. or 3 a.m. we just go off of safety of what's
a good time.
When's it going to be the less windiest and it tends to be a two or three in the morning,
but still because of summer in Antarctica, the sun is blinding.
It's like really, really bright and in your face, but you have the proper gear, sunglasses
and stuff.
What kind of first introduced you to that world marathon challenge?
A lot of friends were emailing me about it.
It went, it was on Nesson.
It was on like one of the sports channels here.
And then my friends that know me read, heard about it and they're like, Becca, you should
do this.
Like you, you know, an American female has never done it.
All you have to do is run it and complete it.
And I thought, yeah, that's, that's pretty awesome.
And then I saw the $50,000 price tag.
So I was like, okay, who can help me?
So I got endorsed for people to help me out, to run it.
But, but when I, when I read about the 777, I could not stop thinking about it.
I'm like, no, I really feel like I was born to run that race, you know?
And every time I bring an idea to my parents, they're like, no, we're down.
No, this is like, cause every single time I, my dreams get scarier and bigger.
And they're like, no, we're done with, you know, and the, the one thing like, you know,
so telling, talk, telling them I'm doing this, I need your support.
And you know, so they always wrote back in, they throw a little tantrums and they get
a little mad and they kind of come back in and help me and support me.
That was one of the things that was just kind of like crossing my mind as I prepped for
our conversation.
Like a lot of people are content finishing a 5k and then they're content finishing a
marathon.
I'm content trying to shave a few seconds off our marathon and train a ton of hours
just to shave that like minute off our marathon.
Hopefully, I guess what kind of gave you the idea that like, you always have to strive
for more or that there's like more out there that you need to go after?
Life is too short.
You know, I keep reading about like all of all these events and I'm like, I think I'm
just drawn to the ultimate test of endurance and strength marathons.
And I'm really drawn to like, I read about a 50k and I'm like, oh, I think I can break
the course record, not just like run it, like break the course record.
So I love that feeling, you know, and I love the greatest thing about being me, I think
is the fans are so loyal and supportive and it means a lot to me.
So I like to make them proud and especially the young girls that yesterday I was at the
Feaster 5 Expo and I'm taking tons of pictures with first time girls running and boys and
it, it's something, you know, I'm sounding their bib and I'm like, wow, this is really
special for me.
You know, I really love it.
I love to be included and go to expos and any races.
I'll do just about anything, but I really do love the endurance marathons.
Yeah, you didn't hesitate to come out to our Expo, even though it was paled in comparison
like the Feaster 5, but you take on so many challenges with a high degree of uncertainty.
Yes, like for me, when Jacob and I travel for Marathons, it's such, it adds such a layer
of stress and like difficulty before you're even putting on what's supposed hardest part,
which is, so you seem comfortable kind of going out to come on.
Is that something that you guys?
I learned to not worry about anybody else and just to like put a race plan together
and to race my plan because for example, one of the girls in the volcano marathon was way
faster than me and you know, like she's like a 245 marathoner and I just said, you know,
you're trained and race your plan and don't worry about anything else, but all my life
I've been under a lot of pressure, you know, and so I've learned that I just need to set
two goals on a perfect goal day.
I'm going to do goal number A and everything's going to go well.
And then if A is not going so well, I have a backup plan for B. So I think it's important
to have two goals and, but I do, I don't tend to crack under pressure, you know, when I
was running 1730s, 5Ks in college and you know, everything has to go so smoothly for
that.
I just, I do well under pressure.
That's, that's a good thing for me, but I also like, I know that every time I go to
race that I'm well trained and prepped, you know, so I just hope my body holds up and
hangs on and you know, there's still different things like you guys broke sub three and Martha's
Vineyard.
I still haven't broken sub three yet.
So that would be a dream for me.
I'm only like 309.
So there's other things I want.
I want to rope it back in when I'm done with the endurance marathons and shoot for a fast,
a fast marathon.
So you got, you and Jacob definitely inspired me to do that.
I've been like, I saw you at Martha's Vineyard and I was like, wow, you guys just look so
strong and inspiring and everybody was cheering for you.
I don't know if you could like really grasp that people, cause I saw you on the out and
back and everybody was like cheering.
Yeah, I think I was, I was kind of out of it.
About halfway through is when maybe obviously a little more than halfway through is when
the half marathon joined the marathon course and we were on a bike path, which in my mind
felt like it was going to be good.
And then in execution, it was not cause everyone was on the bike.
So I spent a mile or two and I hate to yell.
Like even we do a ton of our running on the rail trail and I hate to yell like on your
left, but sometimes people like yell at me if I don't say anything and I kind of like
spook them and I'm never going to hit someone, but like they like to hear on your left.
And so I was just getting like frustrated and I knew I was trying to stay relaxed the
whole time and I had failed this like sub three attempt a few times.
So it was kind of already in the back of my mind that like, you're going to be good until
mile 20.
And then that's usually when the wheels fall off for, for us, but weaving through people
and then eventually I just moved to the road and ran along the side of the road.
But no, I, I was kind of, I guess my own or anyone or being inconvenience for anyone.
Cause I didn't want to affect that.
The only, the one comment I heard was that like mile 25 from someone who was like barely
running and she just goes, that doesn't look like it's good for your back.
And I was like, I was like, I'm zipping up, but that's okay.
But yeah, no, it was a, it was a good event and I'm glad to feel like a little bit of
a relief.
Maybe I like, I was going to ask you about the pressure.
Cause you said like, and I was wondering as, as these things kind of stack up, are you
feeling more pressure?
Are you like, is it, is it ever going to get to the point where it's not enjoyable because
you're putting too much pressure on yourself?
Yeah, I worry about that.
I really do because at, for some weird reason I'm 43 years old and for whatever weird reason
I'm getting faster.
I don't know if it's like, I, I mean, I don't know, I don't know why it makes no sense that
I'm getting faster and banging out like really fast runs.
And so with that comes a lot of winning, you know, and I have been winning like the, I
won the Garmin marathon and then, you know, and then you go to the next marathon and you're
given number one, you know, you go back to that marathon and you're given number one
and people Google you and they tell you like, Oh, I Googled you and I saw you and I, you
know, and I'm like, ah, and it does like, and then the race invites you maybe like a
race invites you.
And, and, you know, there's a lot of pressure, pressure to do well, but I always tell my
daughter like, if, if, you know, and my biggest stress is now that she's a teenager and all
her friends follow me, like that I don't win and I don't have a good race, but then I just
tell her, I have, I have given it everything I have, you know, and, and I remember Shalane
Flanagan said in her, one of her talks, like, are you doing everything you can be doing
right now to win this race or to break, to meet your goals?
And when I asked myself that at like mile 18, um, I feel like I can reach a little bit
more like art, Becca, you flew.
And that's the thing, like I did not fly to Chile 21 hours for second place.
Like, I can talk myself and I said, I'm looking at this girl and I'm like, how am I going
to beat her?
She's a two 45 marathoner, but I, you, all these things come in your head.
Like I worked way too hard running six days a week and a hundred mile weeks.
And you know, I, I, I worked really hard for this and I didn't fly all the way here to
for second, you know, and sometimes I run, always I run with my daughter's picture in
my little spy belt or, you know, in pocket or something in it.
And any, I just dig deep for inspiration every single time I go to race.
But yeah, the pressure I've cried.
I've cried before, you know, and my husband's like, shake it off.
You're okay.
You got this.
And I'm like, because they're, you know, running is a very stressful sport.
It just is like, there's no team like you're in high school.
There is, but, um, I I've learned that people are proud of me no matter what, you know,
and so it's often a self induced pressure, though.
Like I feel like I fabricated this like whole breaking three into a way bigger of a deal
than it actually is like ultimately or just, we're just out there going for a run.
But I felt like I was bringing like my gym community along and people were texting me
during the run.
And I just like, I felt, and it was helpful.
I think it actually ended up being helpful, but I felt like other people were like relying
on me and not that it had any bearing on their life whatsoever.
But like, I felt like people were depending on me to like accomplish this goal.
So then we could go run Boston together.
And I think like one of the mantras to me is I tell myself that it's a privilege to
kind of suffer through these marathons.
Like there's a lot of people that don't get the opportunity to run or they don't have
the ability to run like we do.
And it's a privilege to kind of feel that pain the last time I have a race in a weird
way.
Well, you're right.
Like we get to do this.
People don't get to do what we do.
We get to do this.
You're right.
Yeah.
But that's a tough thing.
I'm sure that you struggle sometimes because when you just bang out marathon after marathon,
it just, it feels like you're just kind of invincible in that way.
Can you point to like, can you point to one or maybe a couple that you would consider
your biggest achievements?
You know what?
Like my biggest achievements are races that people don't even know about like running
17, 12 and in college and coming in fifth place.
Like that is something that personally I will never ever forget.
It's something that I worked really, really hard to break 17, 30.
And that it's funny because like people think, oh, Becca, seven, seven, seven.
And you know, but it's, I would have to say finishing the 50 states is by far my biggest
achievement, you know, and a lot of, I had a lot of sicknesses and injuries and all the
things and you just, you just, you know, when I went to Texas, I'm like, I don't, not that
there's nothing against Texas, but I don't want to fly back here.
So gut it out.
You know, at mile 15, I had like stabbing pain in my calf.
Like it's like somebody was stabbing me and I'm like, I don't ever recommend running through
pain, but I spent $3,000 to go to Texas, you know, two flights, two hotel, you know, and
I don't want to come back.
And not that, not that I don't, it's not Texas personally.
It's like, that's the thing.
Or I went to Fargo, North Dakota, and it was like, you spend a fortune on these marathons
and you, I leave my daughter for four days, you know, and that, so I think, I think my
biggest achievement is definitely.
And then winning Antarctica, like I worked really, really hard.
And Kipchoge wrote good luck back there.
You got this.
And I was like, Oh my God.
And he's like, I'll be following you.
I'm like, Oh my God, I have to win this.
And he can graduate after the race.
He congratulated me.
And I was like, this, that's, that's definitely like one of the greatest things.
And, but I love, I mean, it's been, it's been, and then I'm running my 20th Boston marathon
and to get to 20, I always tell people I'm going to get to 20 Boston marathons and probably
keep running them, but like to say that I've run 20 Boston marathons, like that's where
I got my start.
I ran my first marathon at 17 years old, the Boston marathon.
And it's taken me like so far in life, you know, and because I loved it so much, I kept
running it.
And that, that's a huge achievement for me.
Absolutely.
What, one thing I'm interested in kind of seeing with your journey is how you've created
a career out of this, what some people would consider a hobby.
What do you think has been like, what has that journey been like?
I mean, maybe when you were first starting, you probably didn't envision that you would
be doing what you're doing now, but what are the different pieces that allow it to be like
a sustainable career?
If that makes sense.
That does make sense.
Yeah.
So I love to say yes to everything like special Olympics reached out yesterday and they're
like, we know you don't have time.
I'm like, I do have time.
You know that, that you're wrong.
Like I would love to be so April 26, I'm going to be in charge of the special Olympics.
And I'm like, I love when people ask me to help because I needed so much help growing
up, you know, like I wasn't afraid to ask, you know, a gym, like, can I work out here
or a pool?
Can I swim here?
And, and I think you just have to ask for help.
And when you, when you ask for help then, and I love when people ask me, Hey, can you,
can you be a part of this or can you be so giving, that's my way to give back.
I love to say yes to everything, you know?
And then I have roles.
Like when people email me, I email them back within six hours.
I do my best to, you know, and let them let everybody feel like they're cause, cause if
somebody wants to take the time to ask me or talk to me, I love that, you know, and
oftentimes it's people that follow me.
And yesterday somebody, I cried because somebody on two days ago wrote a thesis on me.
And I'm like, out of all the things you could have chose, like you chose me and she's 17
and running her first Boston marathon when she was 18.
And I was like wiping tears.
I was like, I, I could, it was like so humbling, like, and then somebody came to my door.
This happened a couple of times dresses me for Halloween.
And I'm like, again, like out of all the things you could, you chose to dress as me for Halloween.
It, she had all these metals.
She had my bib Becca seven, seven, seven.
And I'm like, Oh my God.
I'm like, and it was so awesome.
She was seven.
And then the other girls were like teenagers and I'm like, and my daughter saw it and to
have my daughter be able to see these things.
Like it, it means so much, you know?
So I, I feel very, very lucky to be from the Boston community and people that care about
me.
Yeah.
What do you think that Boston marathon experience is going to be like for us this April or how
do you think I can make the most of it?
Right.
Your name's on your shirts and, and go for it.
You know, like put up a statement.
You guys deserve to be there.
You get, you're going to do so well.
You're going to run so fast.
You know, you guys, yeah.
Like have a little, are you so excited?
Just, you know, like get on the course, cover all the places.
I'm just, I'm just viewing it as the accomplishment of, I guess, what we worked for in Martha's
Vineyard.
I know it'll be a tough course with the wheelchair, but it's going to be crowds that we've never
experienced.
So like you said, we'll put Jacob, put Jacob's name on the front.
No one will be able to see mine because I'll be behind the chair, but that's fine.
Even when they say Jacob, like you're like, and so that's what I told me for you guys,
it's like the victory lap.
Well, you know what I mean?
Like you already did the work.
This is the victory lap, enjoy it.
And it's so, you guys are going to have so much fun.
It's really awesome.
What are you going to wear as a kid, race kit?
Do you have something picked up?
I'm not sure yet.
We might like, since we don't have the obligation of fundraising for a charity, we'll have
a, like a fundraising page for the nonprofit that I run.
So I might try to get like some corporate sponsors and see if they would donate to the
nonprofit in exchange for maybe having logos or something on some sort of singlet.
But yeah, haven't thought too far.
We're going to get new wheel covers for the chair as well.
Same thing that hopefully has some of the sponsor logos, but it wasn't really on my
radar initially, but I feel like I can maybe use the race as a way to fundraise for the
organization, like all the charity runners do for their organizations.
So might as well try to.
You should, absolutely.
Yeah.
How did you get acquainted with Jara?
So you trained Jara for Boston last year.
Yeah.
Like it's been so fun.
He, Ben Rawitz, who's Tom Brady's manager reached out and he's like, do you know Zdeno
Jara?
I'm like the Bruin, yeah, like the Bruin.
He's like, yeah, I'm like, what's up?
And he's like, he wants to get into running.
He has a couple of questions.
So when I go and I meet him in Western and, and he's so far ahead of where I thought he
was like, he was banging.
I'm looking at a Strava.
I'm like, is this you?
And he's like, yeah.
I'm like, you don't need my help.
I'm like, you're fine.
You're already running seven miles, eight miles.
And I was like, and then I'm staring at him and I'm like, any chance you want to run Boston
marathon?
He's like, yeah, when is it?
I'm like April.
He's like, like three months.
I'm like, yeah.
And he was like, I'd love to, I'll sign up.
I'm like, so it doesn't really, so I'm like, hold, let me, let me think.
Like, and so I wrote the race director of the Boston, you know, Dave McGovery, I wrote
to him and he was like, oh my God, yeah.
Like, let me, let me connect with him.
And he is so coachable, you know, and, and what, what I love about him is he takes the
time for the people.
Like he high fives the kids.
And when I run with him, we've run five marathons together.
And what I love about him is he, he really just, it's like, it's like a parade for him
and he really embraces it.
And so he's getting faster.
He just ran a three 16 and he's getting faster and faster.
I think, I think he'll be well three very, very soon, but he puts in the work.
You tell him what to do when he follows it to a T. So it's been really, really good,
really fun.
Yeah.
When I saw him and you and him at the Hoyt race earlier this spring, it seems like everyone
is just kind of like swarming around them.
And I didn't want to be the same person that's like, here, like take a picture with me.
I'm sure that's like, that's probably not the best experience.
Maybe some people like it.
I don't know.
I mean, it's old after a while, but he can't, I'm sure he can't go anywhere without obviously
being noticed by everyone.
Yeah.
He actually enjoys it.
So say hi.
He really does.
Like he really, really does enjoy the people and the fans and like, he, he really does
an excellent job with them.
I've never heard him say no or look agitated or he never talks badly.
Like he's, he really is awesome guy.
Yeah.
He seems that way.
Endurance sports have the potential to be maybe the most successful sport in the world.
All you really need is your body and whatever mobility aid you use, whether it's your shoes
or your chair.
What do you think?
And maybe this is just too broad of a question, but what do you think races need to do to
be more inclusive and accessible?
Let them know.
Like one thing that I do when the first thing like that we are adaptive friendly, like whatever
it takes.
And what I do is I reach out to somebody like Joe Lamar and I said, can you come check my
course with me because you're going to have, have ideas that I don't have.
So race directors need to do a better job at including everybody and having the same
prize prize money and everything that everybody else does.
So I offer my prizes the same, you know, Newton sneakers, same adaptive as non-adaptive.
And you know, you want to, I, at first I said, sorry to bother to Joe Lamar.
And he's like, no, it's no bother.
Now he's been awesome for me.
And I don't, because I don't know, you know, and so I said, can you come look over my course
with me?
And he did.
And it was like, it was awesome, you know, but I think like offering, does anybody need
a tether?
Because one, when I started tethering with, and visually impaired runners, it was because
I saw an email come through from a race I had run.
So they're like, can anybody keep this pace, a marathon tether at a three 25 pace?
I'm like, I can.
So I went down and I tethered with an visually impaired guy.
And I was like, all because that race director took the time to email the runners.
So I don't know, like I love that.
And that's a very memorable race for me, you know, and to get to help somebody else.
Like I really do love that.
So I think if race directors and they need to not be afraid to ask, like, what do you
guys need?
Or you guys might be give, you know, come to my race and I think include being more
inclusive, including.
Yeah, that was one of the things with like Dave, Joe, Bill Richard, and a couple others.
And I met after some races this fall and we were talking about that and just trying to
come up with best practices.
I think a lot of times, unless race directors are like you proactive and asking the right
people or, or if they've been involved with people with disabilities in the past, they
know what questions to ask, but there's, there's many people who don't.
So I'm kind of trying to tackle that problem of like, how can all races be more inclusive
and accessible?
So we're hoping to do a research project, accessing, assessing the accessibility of
road races and then coming up with some better solutions and resources for race directors.
But everything from the timing company to the course that you choose, et cetera, all
kind of has an impact on that.
That's the thing is like, I went over some gravel land and I said, I'd rather, I'd rather
not go around the lake because of it's not accessible, you know, and then the board was
like, awesome, you know, so that's the thing is to include, I think being include everybody
is so.
I think for like, for Jacob and I, it's fine if a course isn't suitable for us.
I would hold no animosity towards that, but I would want to just know in advance.
So I think that's probably the case for most people, like we don't expect everything to
be suitable for us.
I don't expect that everyone should drop what they're doing and cater to our needs.
But as long as it's articulated clearly that, okay, the course has a U-turn that's pretty
tight or the course might have some potholes in the side and you might have to steer around
it or run into the road.
Like I can take on that risk, but as long as it's my decision and not for me, I think
it's important as well.
Are races including you guys more?
Do you find that way or how?
I mean, we're still like, it's similar.
So Falmouth and Boston both have a 12 wheelchair duo cap.
And talking to Dave about it, he says just like 30 years ago or however many years ago
when the Hoyts ran their first marathon, first Boston marathon, they asked, Dave asked them
like how many wheelchairs do you think I can do?
And they just said like 12 and that number has just kind of stuck.
And so when you approach Falmouth, so 20 of us applied, only 12 got accepted for Falmouth
and you asked them the same thing.
Well, they say, oh, well, the Boston marathon only does 12.
But then you see like the Marine Corps marathon and they just had 50 plus wheelchairs there.
So I think it's all trending in the right direction.
But I think just having conversations with race directors, with organizations, coming
up with solutions together, I think hopefully will pay dividends.
But yeah, and anything that I'm always willing to learn.
So anything that you think of that I can do in my end, let me know.
I'm learning as well as we go.
So but like talking to people like Joe Lamar and talking to people that have the lived
experience and the expertise I think is important.
But and he and he I said, OK, let me get you a discount.
He said, we don't want a discount.
And I was like, oh, my God.
Like, I, you know, and he's like, why would we want a discount?
We don't want.
Thank you for teaching me that.
Because I also figured like it'd be nice to offer.
He's like, we don't need we don't want it.
I'm like, yeah, I think it's good to offer.
It's good to have it available.
If financials are a barrier for people, it's good to offer that.
But like you said, not necessarily like assume that needs to be offered or kind of ask the
person what they need.
Yeah.
So I don't know.
I just love to learn.
So anything that you can think of, let me know.
And any support that you need me to rally you want if you want me to go to the Boston
Marathon and say 12 is enough.
I have no idea.
I need you to for some reason, like myself and a couple of the other duos, because they
announced the lower standard for everyone.
And honestly, I would have liked to have been held to that same standard, which would have
resulted in us missing by about 30 seconds.
But it took us like an extra five weeks to hear like whether we were accepted.
And I'm not sure what the holdup was there.
So talking to some people, it's just like if races want to be inclusive or accessible
to actually like demonstrate that they want you there or to kind of like make it clear
that they do.
And I think that's just I think that will come with time.
But yeah, I might need you to if they don't listen to me about the 12 duo cap, maybe they'll
listen to you.
I'm sad to hear that.
Yeah.
I mean, if there's 30,000 runners, I can't imagine there's any reason why 12 will
chair duos work, but 15 doesn't.
So yeah, hopefully over time with some more exposure and representation, that number will
keep growing.
But outside of the Antarctica marathon, are you going to stay within Traffon or is that
something you've found?
I learned that there was the Daytona half Ironman that I was invited to December 4th.
So I'm definitely running that.
That's two weeks.
Yeah, two weeks.
And I really, I really enjoyed the triathlon training.
It's by far the hardest work I've ever done on anything.
And because you're learning three sports in one.
So the swim is very hard.
The biking for six hours at a time is very hard.
But then when I get to the running, I'm like, yes, I got this.
But I really I ran my first practice try and I thought, this is kind of cool.
This is different.
Because as I'm finishing, I knew that as I'd be finishing the 50 states and the world majors
and everything that I would need as something else and not just running.
But I really enjoy I want to do as many Ironmans as possible.
Kona was unbelievable.
It took my breath away.
It was like surreal experience.
And for three months when I was in the heat of the training, I was picturing them saying
as I was crossing the finish line, Becca, PZ, you and I are an Ironman.
And when they actually say it, like you can't even you can't believe it because you cannot
count yourself in any part of that course.
It's 90 degrees.
I mean, it was it's really hot and humid and it's a long day.
And so at no point, even at mile like 24, I'm like, I do not have this.
I do not have this until I cross the finish line.
But you enter the mat, which is like 400 yards long Ironman mat.
And then you're running and your heart's like beating and then they say your name and you
have your moment.
Nobody crosses the finish line together.
Everybody crosses like one at a time.
And you're like, I did it.
So that was actually a huge accomplishment for me, too.
So but I really enjoyed there were days when I was so tired, I couldn't blink or get up
and, you know, in six days a week of training for three months, it was very, very hard.
But I really enjoyed I really enjoyed it.
So that's awesome.
One of the like themes that we've asked most of the people and we I guess we are touched
upon it a little bit with the sport specifically in their in sports specifically.
But what do you think needs to be done for like businesses or a fitness center like mine
to be more inclusive and accessible?
So I think just reaching out to the community and saying, how can I help you?
You know, like in going to different businesses and saying, hey, hey, do you guys want to
be involved or we're having a Friday morning session or, you know, I want to I want to
motivate your employees like how can you go to a local bank and say, hey, I want to have
a Friday morning class.
Do you want to be in?
You know, and that's kind of like what a yoga studio did to me.
They read about me.
They're like, hey, do you need help?
And I was like, yeah, yeah, I would love to go in a yoga.
So I started going just because I was invited.
So I think being invited means a lot to people, whether it's like and then they tell their
friends and they tell their friends and then, you know, you build a big but I think sending
out surveys to like when I finished my five K, I like to send out like, what can I do
better?
So I think asking the customers, hey, what are two things you like about my gym and what
are two things I can work on?
Like that sounds so obvious, but I think it's humbling for a lot of people.
And I think that like growth mindset of like admitting that you don't have all the answers
is something that doesn't always come naturally to people.
It clearly does to you.
But yeah, and I think that's what happens is and then sometimes I don't like their answer.
I'm like, we had plenty of porta potties.
You know what I mean?
Or do you know how much it cost my police detail?
Or do you know how like sometimes I don't like their answer, but I've learned a lot
in asking my customers, inviting people and also asking my customers, what can I do better?
Even though I might not like the answer, but you know, and then sometimes I invite other
people in, like I invited David McGillivray, come into my five K, what can I do better?
So you might invite another gym to you and say, hey, I'll check out your gym.
You check out my gym.
What can we do better?
Yeah, that's a good idea.
Yeah, no, Becca, like I mentioned earlier, very much appreciate the relationship that
we've had over the years.
Keep an eye out on your next things.
When is Antarctica?
The week after Daytona.
Okay, so in a couple of weeks, you'll do Daytona and then a week after that, you'll do Antarctica.
No big deal.
And then maybe off some between then and Boston.
Yeah, honestly, I'll probably take the rest of December off, like not off because I run
all the time, but like from swimming and biking and then I'm going to start in January.
Like getting on the course, I like to be on the course every two weeks at least, cover
all of the course, like from start to finish, just so there's no surprises.
Yeah, I'll have to come out because obviously everyone talks about the elevation changes,
but you have to kind of experience it.
So I'll have to meet you out there to do a run.
Yeah, I'd love that.
I would love that.
And then just getting like, hop into the top of the heartbreak, like that's a good run
too.
So getting dropped off and then picked up is always a big, big thing.
But I want to be, I want to put in like sub 310 for Boston this year.
So awesome.
We'll definitely plug the different channels that people can follow you along.
I would highly recommend it.
Like I mentioned, it's been a motivating thing for me as well to see everything you're taking
on as soon as I think I'm making progress and doing things that are super impressive.
I see yours and that brings me back down to earth.
So Becca, thanks for being a great friend and inspiration.
You too.
Thanks so much, guys.
Yeah.
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