Bethany Rutledge – Courage to Tri
In 2019 our first episode was full of success stories and inspiration for our listening audience. However, we did not have a female perspective, so today’s episode will focus on Bethany Rutledge.
Bethany is an endurance coach, writer, small business owner, who regularly contributes to triathlon and endurance sports publications such as Triathlete Magazine, Women’s Running, and more.
A self-described ‘unlikely’ endurance athlete, she and husband John are now co-owners of Atlanta Triathlon Club, a large triathlon community in Atlanta, GA, and Energy Lab, a unique cycling and coaching studio. Throughout her career as a coach, Rutledge has worked with hundreds of athletes, each with their own inspirational story.
Bethany is also a two-time Kona (IRONMAN Hawaii) qualifier and new mom of twin boys.
In this episode, Bethany describes her entry into running and endurance sports and her journey becoming an author and fitness coach. She shares with us how her book, The Courage to Tri: Finish Your First Triathlon. A Motivational How-To for Women, can help athletes of all levels have a successful Triathlon.
She also educates us on the rules, various courses and distances of triathlon events and how stretching out of our comfort zones by trying something new and challenging can open many doors beyond just fitness.
Questions Bethany is asked:
3:25 First Four:
- How old are you?
- Where were you born?
- Where do you live now?
- What is your favorite race distance or type of race?
4:30 Why do you say you are an ‘unlikely’ endurance athlete?
5:33 What got you into wanting to run or do triathlons?
7:09 What does ‘Courage To Tri’ mean to you and also what does it mean to readers of your new book?
9:51 What is the significance of “finding your why”?
11:42 What are some of your favorite chapters from the book?
14:24 What are some basic triathlon rules beginners should be aware of?
16:41 What are the rules around wetsuits?
18:09 What other rules or eligibility requirements should we keep in mind?
20:01 Are the smaller, more local events a little more flexible on rules violations?
21:01 What about transition rules between events?
23:41 What does it take to get to the Kona Ironman World Championships in Hawaii?
25:01 What is the course like at Kona?
26:30 What are the different distances and what they’re called?
29:06 What is your “Grit and Dirt” podcast about?
30:26 How has training and writing and becoming a new mom affected your life?
33:02 What else would you like to share with us about triathlons?
37:19 Final Kick Round:
- What is your favorite local training run (location, starting point, parking, distance, terrain and safety issues)?
- Favorite running book(s)?
- Words of Wisdom or Humor?
- Who or what would you like to have featured on the Run To The Top podcast?
Quotes by Bethany:
“I talk a lot about finding your internal ‘why’ and that’s something that makes you feel good inside, it makes you feel empowered, it gives you energy for your day.”
“We’re all busy, we all have things that we wish we could fit in, so it’s just a matter of, not finding time, but making time by pushing aside other things that we don’t HAVE to do or that we’re willing to give up.”
“I also have a coach; we have a saying: ‘Every coach needs a coach’. A coach is someone to keep you objective with yourself, to hold you accountable, to encourage you no matter where you are on your journey.”
“You can be disqualified before and aftera race by riding your bike without a helmet. So let’s say you park a mile away and you roll down the hill sitting on your bike and you don’t have your helmet on. They can actually DQ you for that.”
Take a Listen on Your Next Run
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Mentioned in this podcast:
Run To The Top Winners Circle Facebook Community
Book: Courage to Tri by Bethany Rutledge
Atlanta Triathlon Club homepage
Bethany’s podcast: Grit And Dirt
Jackrabbit Running Trails, North Carolina
Book: The Triathlete’s Training Bible by Joe Friel
Follow Bethany on:
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