S7E3 -- Ohana Guest : Fernando Lopez (Marathon Des Sables finisher)

Get ready to be inspired! We're sitting down with Fernando Lopez, an Ironman Gold All World Athlete and a true titan of endurance sports. With over 200 races under his belt, including 26 World Championships (and multiple podium finishes!), Fernando's resume is astonishing. He's conquered 10 Extreme Triathlons, 3 Ultramans, over 50 Ironmans, and run the Boston Marathon four times. And yes, he even ran the Houston Marathon four times in one day!

Fernando shares incredible stories from his global adventures in extreme events. If you're searching for your "next big challenge," this episode is packed with ideas. Beyond his own racing, Fernando also has a coaching business dedicated to helping others achieve what seems impossible.

You can reach him at:
ForeverTri Website -- YouTube -- Podcast

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Ultraman Florida
• Norseman Xtri
• Ultraman World Championships
• Ultraman Arizona
• Xterra 
• Icon XTri 
• Swissman XTri 
• Alaskaman Extreme Triathlon
• Patagonman XTri
• Alohaman
• Escape from Alcatraz
• Xterra World Championships
• Xterra Trail Run World Championship
• XTerra World Championship double
• Leadman 100
• La Ruta de Los Conquistadores
• Trans Portugal
• Cape Epic
• Rocky Hill 24 hour MTB
• Dirty Dozen 12hrs MTB
• Marathon Des Sables (Fernanado’s Youtube)
• Brazos Bend 100 mi trail run
• Rocky Racoon 100 mile
• Houston Marathon
• IRONMAN “Gold All World Athlete”
• ForeverTri App
• Zwift 

Shout outs and mentions in this episode:

• Armando Armelli
• Simon Cochrane
• Amy Robataille
• A.A. Girard 
• MIchelle Vesterby
• Andrea Lopez

Transcript

Special Announcement

Larry 0:01

Hey podcast listeners, I have a special announcement one week early for you, the loyal subscribers. For a couple of months, I've been preparing to take on an unprecedented live streaming event. In conjunction with UM Australia's 10th anniversary, I will be providing a live stream watch party of each and every minute of the race. That's going to be 13 hours a day of live streaming on May 10th through the 12th, Noosa time. We are going to present a full view of 515 racing, the likes of which has never been seen before. We're going to cover the race better than if you were there live. We're going to have multiple camera crews on course along with commentators at the hotspots. You'll be hearing from the man who ran around the world and longtime UM Australia Dream Team member Tim Franklin as well as the voice of UM Racing, Mr. Steve King. We have also made arrangements for a number of guest commentators to come in and share their knowledge of the UM Australia race and its racers. Additionally, we will be providing videos sent in by the crews to give you a full behind-the-scenes look at what it's like to be a crew member and full access to each and every racer on the course, not just the top three. And because this is a 10th anniversary special, we're gonna make this an interactive watch party where people can comment live, talk to one another, and even send in their own videos to be broadcast. So if you've ever wondered what it's like to do a 515 race, this is your opportunity to see every aspect. From the dream team of staff who put it on to the racers and the crews before, during, and after each day. As I said, we intend to bring you an unprecedented view of 515. My recommendation is set up some big training blocks and get your TVs or your computer set up on your trainer or treadmill and watch what's gonna go down down under. Subscribe now to the 515 the Ultra Podcast YouTube page and set up alerts for the live streams. Oh, and remember, tell your friends about this. Now today's show.

Intro

Larry 3:09

This guest is great, the stories are great. This is one of those episodes where you could add some new events. Today's Ohana guest is a seasoned endurance athlete who has completed more than 200 races and 26 world championships with several podiums.

Fernando's Ultraman Experience

Larry 3:30

His races include 10 extreme triathlons, three Ultramans, over 50 Ironmans, and four times at the Boston Marathon, where he has a 253 PR. He also has decades of experience as an advanced windsurfer, he's been a competitive soccer player, and is a taekwondo black belt. Proud to be from Uruguay, now living in Houston, Texas, which is where he's joining me from today. Fernando Lopez, welcome to 515.

SPEAKER_03 4:00

Thank you, Larry. Thank you for such uh such an introduction. Yeah, I've done a lot of stuff. My life, uh maybe I'm living more more than one life, that's what I said, you know. So um, and now on top of what you said, I'm I'm also a professional. I have uh have a wife, I have a dog, I have kids, I have all of the above. So there's no lack of uh of things I've done or I'm about to do.

Larry 4:27

Yeah, it it doesn't sound like you would have time to do any of that other stuff with all of those races, but uh great, great on you for managing to fit all of that kind of stuff in. That's fantastic. Knowing that you're from Houston, Texas, and you're part of the Ohana, do you have any connection with Armando Armelini?

SPEAKER_03 4:48

Yes, Armando is uh a good friend. He became a friend uh when I did my first uh Ultraman in Florida. And uh when I was uh picking up my package, he was there volunteering and he speaks Spanish, so I I uh I got immediately attached to him and then uh and then he ended up being a friend, and also was my uh my chef, I would say uh Norrisman, one of the amazing releases that we can talk about. So yeah, rather than that.

Larry 5:24

Oh, he joined you on that one, that's great.

SPEAKER_03 5:26

Yeah, he's an ultraman, he has done a lot of stuff as well, yes.

Larry 5:31

Oh, cool. Um, and you said your first your first Ultraman, what year was that one in Florida?

SPEAKER_03 5:40

I did the first Ultraman uh in two 2022.

Larry 5:46

2022, okay.

SPEAKER_03 5:48

Yes, yes, and then in yes, and then I did uh the world championship in 2023, and then in 2024 I did Arizona, so on Ultraman, yeah.

Larry 6:00

Yeah. And the Hawaii one in 2023, you were first in your age group and second among the men. Um I'm gonna I'm gonna give some of your times here. These are these are nice times, and uh, you know, you you got uh a fourth place overall in that race. You were a 413 swim, 614 bike on day one. You were um your run was a 736, which was second on the run, which is which is great. And and every time I keep saying that you were second, it's it's because that was the year, of course, that Simon Cochrane was at the race. And being second to Simon Cochrane is pretty darn good.

SPEAKER_03 6:44

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Um that guy was fast runner for sure. I'm not a great swimmer. I um in fact I didn't uh swim much before the race. I basically show up, and then I um I did a good bike, but then my running was uh great. I followed him as much as I could until I let him go, let's say.

Larry 7:09

Fair enough, fair enough, yeah. And in that race, you also had two Canadian women ahead of you, Amy Robotai and uh A.A. Gerard. Um, what was it like running running with those two women or or racing with them over the the three days?

SPEAKER_03 7:28

Uh to be honest, I um I don't pay attention much about who is dead. Or I mean um I don't I I compete, but I'm not. I'm like doing my thing, my race.

SPEAKER_02 7:40

And right.

SPEAKER_03 7:41

I remember, I think it was Amy, or uh I think their group uh was checking my time on the running to make sure that uh they beat me. Um uh that I learned that after the race, but uh yeah, I didn't care much at the overall. Of course I'm a competitor, I want to go fast, but uh yeah, I let people do whatever. Now, if I could pass them, I will, but uh yeah, anyway. So great. Um I love when I see women and I mean it, um, because I'm also a coach and I coach women as well, so I I I love when they pass the man, you know. Yeah, I'm uh I'm feminist in that sense, anyway. So yeah.

Larry 8:25

Yeah, yeah. And and you were very consistent over the your Arizona race in 24 and your Hawaii race in 23. I noticed your run was 736 in Hawaii and 731 in Arizona, and your total time was 2724 and 2716. So you can't get much more consistent than that. It must be the great coaching you're giving yourself. What how do you how do you come up with that?

SPEAKER_03 8:55

Yeah, uh you're the first person who mentioned my times. I I didn't know they were that similar. Um and I didn't shoot for that. I shoot for just doing the best I could. Um the running on the last in Arizona was impressive. Uh I was impressed with myself. I don't I finished first on the running, I think. And um there was a professional lady there, and uh she was kind I didn't care.

Larry 9:24

Michelle Vesterby was in that race.

SPEAKER_03 9:27

I didn't care until I saw her on that uh climb. Um I remember I forgot the name.

Larry 9:33

Oh, you're a big mountain, yes, at the end.

SPEAKER_03 9:36

And when I was going down, she was going up, and then I realized she was uh less than a mile from me, and I was like, oh my gosh. So um that's when I pressed the pedal and and I went for it. That's when I became competitive even nowadays.

Larry 9:52

Yeah. Well, um, it looks to me like you do like the long

Extreme races

Larry 10:00

distances. Like if there is an X in the title of the race, you want to do it. Whether it's Xterra or Xtreme, whatever it is. Um, I would like to come in and talk about some of your races that you've done so we can hear about those different locales and things. Like uh you did the Norseman X-Tri, you've done a race called the Icon X-Tri, the Swiss Man X-Tri, Alaska Man Xtreme, Iceland Xtreme, Patagonia X-Tri, Aloha Man. Like it just keeps going and all the X-Teras. Can you tell us about some of the fun races you've done or more memorable races you've done out of out of that list?

SPEAKER_03 10:45

Yeah, of that list, the most memorable one is Icon. And uh I tell you why, and actually I just uh published uh a podcast in my YouTube. Um I did the a storytelling the moth uh recently here in Houston, and I talk about that race as an analogy of uh a strong mindset and so on. But uh Icon is uh an amazing race in Italy in the Alps and uh uh starts at 4:30 a.m. and it's dark. And and uh the the reason it's so memorable for me is because the first time I tried, which was in 2021, I failed. I couldn't swim, I had to get out of the water, and uh, you can I encourage you guys to watch the the video I just posted, which is only six minutes, I talk about it. But um and this is the first race I ever failed since I started 14 years ago. And uh out of 150 or so races, this is the first time I failed. And uh what happened is I that very same day, on the next day, actually, I signed up for the next year, and I came back and I did it. And uh, and to me, that's the hardest race uh I've ever experienced. Uh, it's hard, it has this Telvio, which is this crazy mountain that is part of the Giro d'Italia. Yeah, the moment of the switchbacks, yes, and it's just nuts. And uh people talk about Norsemen, which is also very extreme and very complicated, and I've just done it uh this last year. But uh yeah, um and you know, of course, I always remember the very first one um that I did, and the very first one I did was Alaska Man. Uh it's a race that is not longer. Uh I I wish it was, but and uh and it was so hard and so incredible. But I came back and I did it again, actually. So so I would say those those uh on that um and then I did you know Escape from Mike Catras and other races, but but all that set, those are the ones for me that made it made it um special.

Larry 12:59

So yeah. And with the icon then, is what are what are the distances you're doing there and what are the elevations? Obviously, with Delvio, you're you're getting up there, so what what kind of extremes are we looking at?

SPEAKER_03 13:12

So the extreme parts is that you start at 3,000 feet of elevation uh uh of the swim. So there is lack of air already right there. Uh I to be honest, I never that's another thing about me. I don't even look at it what it is, I just go to the race, I show up as this true story.

Larry 13:33

Uh previewing the the course or anything?

SPEAKER_03 13:37

Never do. In all the hundred, two hundred races, I usually don't look at it. I just go and I do. I show up. Sometimes it's kind of funny. I hey where is the where are the buoys and things like that? So I don't know. And um, but anyway, the the the challenging parts of icon are the the dark swimming in the pitch dark water, which is already in an altitude, it's cold, it's dark and complicated. Then it's an island distance, but a bit further. The bike is uh 130 miles, I think, including the Stelvio. So um I think overall it's uh mistaken, 17,000 feet of altitude of the whole race. So it's just impressive. They you finish at the top of the mountain uh on the run as well, and it's cold, it rained, and yeah, it's just uh it's just nuts, it's crazy. Yeah.

Larry 14:38

And how does that compare to like the Norsemen as far as maybe temperature changes and things like that? Because I know Norseman's known for being pretty cold, right? You're like swimming in a fjord and then climbing up the cliff beside it.

SPEAKER_03 14:53

Yeah, I know um Norseman is fantastic and it's epic, and yeah, I was a bit lucky that the temperatures were uh better, you know, compared to to the icon in this case. But the the challenging part of Norsemen is jumping from a boat. And if you never done that, um it's just uh it's just uh scary, you know. I did that uh escape from Icatras uh eight times, and every time I did it, I was scared. You know, I was nervous. I was like, oh, jumping from this boat, you know. So um, but that's one of the reasons I do this, by the way, is to um you know face my fears and get on something that otherwise I wouldn't do.

Larry 15:43

So yeah. And and you don't do it just on on the tri-bike, you do it on on the mountain bike as well, right? You're doing the X-teras, you've done a number of those world championships six times. Um you did something like a double? What was the double? And and and what was that one?

SPEAKER_03 16:04

Yes, yes, yes. So I do exterras and I've been in the exterra world championship several times. It used to be in Maui, now it's in Italy. I did that twice. Um, in in some of the Exterras, uh the Exterra has a triathlon one day, and the next day there is a 21k trail run. Uh, and I do both. The next day I just go and do the run. And I've been in the running world championship. So, but uh you know, Exterra is uh also extreme, but not as extreme as other things I've done in mountain biking, including Leadville 100. I did lead build 100 is three times, and it's just one of the hardest things I ever done. And uh I've gone La Ruta de los Conquistadores in Costa Rica, which is a four-day race across the country from ocean to ocean. And I did transport I did Transportugal is across Portugal in eight days, and I'm about to do Cape Epic, which is the Tour de France of mountain biking, and I'm going in in this year in March, in my birthday, actually. So I done a lot of mountain biking. Um yeah, and uh it's uh it's one of the things I like you I like the most actually.

Larry 17:20

So so which bike do you prefer to be on then? Is it the mountain bike? We will get that answer

Live podcast information

Larry 17:30

in just a minute. But first, I want to let you know that last night, prior to the release of this episode, I did a live catch-up with Fernando about Cape Epic, a race that he just mentioned. We recorded this conversation a few months back, so I wanted to get the story. If you did not join us during the live, then check it out on my YouTube page. Links are in the show notes. Also, check out Fernando's YouTube page. He does great videos of these adventures that he's talking about. Okay, back to my conversation with Fernando. Which bike does he prefer? So,

Xtreme Mountain Biking

Larry 18:08

which bike do you prefer to be on then? Is it the mountain bike?

SPEAKER_03 18:13

Yes, yes. I think it, you know, mountain biking is more fun, uh, overall. Um, but I love bicycles. I I just love to see them. I since I was a kid, I I raised BMX. Um, although part of the story is uh I didn't have money, my family was uh blue collar, and um I to compete in BMX, I had to rent a bike and I rent a helmet and and I competed and then I went back to my job. I was very young, but I still I work. And now that I have a good job and I uh have uh uh I buy good bicycles and buy the best bicycles I can, you know.

Larry 18:54

So how many bicycles do you own, should I ask?

SPEAKER_03 18:59

Yeah, uh my wife is not around, so I'll tell you. Uh well, she knows uh yes, I have seven bicycles, and uh my preferred brand now is Pinarello, and I fall in love with Pinarellos who doesn't, and uh but I have bikes of all brands that specialize, and um, you know, um I just love to see the bicycles, it's quite it's kind of art for me, you know.

Larry 19:22

Yes, yeah, yeah. And do you do special paint jobs on your bikes as well?

SPEAKER_03 19:28

Uh no, I in my one of my try bikes, I we put the Forever Try. My my uh since I founded Forever Try, we started out, which is uh the way I train and coach people, but no, I haven't. Um I'm looking forward for somebody that can pay my bike. So somebody's listening, I want to work with me on that. Give me a shot.

Larry 19:50

Yeah, excellent. Yeah. How about names? Do you do names for your bikes?

SPEAKER_03 19:54

No, I don't. I don't do, I don't have time for names. No, no, no, I don't do that.

Larry 20:01

Um, in speaking about your your mountain biking and stuff, I saw you also have done like some, I guess they're ultra-extreme mountain bikes, maybe like a 24-hour bike ride on the mountain bike. Like, how do you do a 24-hour mountain bike ride? That's gotta just kill the body.

SPEAKER_03 20:20

Yeah, I forgot those. Yeah, I I done many 24 hours here in Texas for Rocky Hill. Yes, uh, I actually won it a couple of times, I think, or or more. And yeah, that's one of the hardest things I don't as well. It's always the hardest one, but um I do the same thing. I show up literally, I put my car as close as I can. Uh, my wife doesn't want to go to those because it's just waiting for nothing. And um, I put you know, some Coca-Cola, some chocolate, some whatever I could eat in every lap, and I you you go, you know, it's the winner is the one that does the most laps, and then you go through the night. And you know, on everything I do, I think it's a for me, it's a I race with my mind, I don't race with my body, so it's all about that. And uh I finished the races before I even started them. So and I've got a lot of those. Uh the one is coming up in two weeks, it's uh uh dirty dozen, it's uh 12-hour race, mountain bike, and uh yeah, and I want some of those as well. So yeah.

Larry 21:31

Oh, nice, nice. How how do you manage to uh keep track of all the races you're doing? You must have a giant calendar in your in your garage or something.

SPEAKER_03 21:41

I didn't until recently, you know. Um the last few years I um I do my in my phone I put uh uh uh the listing notes and I I start adding them as I as the year start. I had 10 races this year. Last year I did 19. And um and this year is First time or a few months ago, I I decided to look back and see how many extreme races, meaning races more than uh from a half-fight on an app, you know, more than four hour races. And the number was 200. I'm like, oh my god. One thing I didn't do, I still wonder is uh how much money I spend on all of that. And I didn't do that number. I I don't think I win any.

Larry 22:24

You don't want to do that number.

SPEAKER_03 22:27

So, but uh that's it. And then in my website, I keep a list, and even in my LinkedIn, so try to keep the list live and for the main the big things I've done.

Larry 22:40

Yeah, you know, I did look at your LinkedIn and I I couldn't even figure out what do you do for work? I how are you paying for all these races? Like it was a little bit vague as to what you do.

SPEAKER_03 22:56

Well, um as we speak, I work for Microsoft. I'm an account executive for Microsoft, and uh and for 20 years I worked in oil and gas. Uh I've been in different roles, I've been an executive, and I've been uh you know uh doing different things. I worked also in a couple of startups, and um uh and then you know I started very early on in my life, actually, when I was 13 years old. I worked with uh horses and then in a pharmacy and then in a supermarket, like any other kid uh in my country, it's legal to work early on. So so I did, and uh and then I worked for a bank. So I've done a lot of things professionally as well. I have an MBA and I study a lot of a lot of things. Um I have mastered in computer science as well. So so um yeah, no, no lack of uh activity in my life, whether it's work or racing or family.

Larry 23:54

Yeah. And I I was also checking out stuff on your your YouTube, and one of the races that I saw on there, I think it was from last year, was Marathon de Sab. And one of the things you explained, I I think it was in that video, it might have been a different one, is that you you can do some remote work, and a lot of the times you you are working remotely right at the race. Um tell me uh how does that work-life balance work for you? And could you do it if you didn't have remote work?

SPEAKER_03 24:27

Yes. So I started doing this when I did not work remotely, and um, you know, I just uh I'm very consistent. I woke up very early and I do my my first uh one hour or two, and that was the way I did it for a long time until I started working remotely. Um, and I work remotely for several years now, and it helped me a little bit, but I still um do the same. I wake up at 4:45 every day. I go in my garage and I ride my bicycle for at least an hour, and then instead of having lunch like everybody else, I go for a run, and if I cannot do it then, I do it at night. So I never get excuses. Now, um, you know, people ask me all the time, hey, how do you do it? How could you travel and work? And um you know, I um I'm a 24 by seven guy. I I actually was thinking looking at how many days I took off vacation in the past few years, and I didn't take uh what I could have taken anyway. Uh not even not even three weeks, let's say, and I uh with my position I have four or five, I don't know. But um in every race, I uh I go with myself or with my laptop, I keep working regardless of where I am, and um and I have some good stories because uh like I went to Kona and uh I don't mean co in in Kona and uh I was working until midnight uh before the race and and uh and things like that. Uh and uh and I don't yeah, I don't mind, and that's the way I am, and that's my personality, and uh it has been very effective professionally as well. I've

Marathon Des Sables

SPEAKER_03 26:12

done very well.

Larry 26:14

Yeah. And when I was watching that Marathon de Saab video, um so many questions came up. Um you you say that you don't really preview the races and stuff, but that one that takes a lot of pre-planning. Um tell us a little bit about um I I think it was your wife who was finally talked to you and said, like, hey, you can't run it the way you normally do. We gotta we gotta get on and plan this.

SPEAKER_03 26:43

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, Marathon the Sab is um if there is one race I could pick of all of them, that's the one. Uh it's memorable in all possible ways. And it's eight days across the desk, and you have to bring whatever you can to eat. And there are some rules about it. Um, and uh to be to be quite frank, Larry, I I did almost the same. I always do. No, don't look until Andrea, my wife, stopped me. Uh, I think it was a month before or something like that. I said, you better plan or you know, or you're not going, or something like that. So and she said, and I'm gonna help you. And and that's what we did. We started looking quickly, okay. What do I need to buy? And uh it's it's funny because a lot of people, you know, were planning for years, you know, and I was like, okay, let's do it. And uh in that video, I showed how she helped me uh, you know, put all the pieces together, and uh yeah, it was just uh I guess the most planned race that I ever done, although people could argue how much plan did I put on it. I did not look at the elevation of the race or how many hours and none of that. I went to the race, I knew it was in Morocco. Yeah, I figured out all the logistics and the flags, and other than that, uh that nothing else was planned.

Larry 28:07

Yeah. And and I was surprised. Like you've done a number of Boston marathons, and and you know, that one you gotta like get on the bus and head out to the starting line. It's early start and all that. It's 10 times worse than Morocco, from what you said. Tell us about how you get to the starting line.

SPEAKER_03 28:24

Yeah, getting to the starting point there to the to the it's just uh it's just a nightmare. It's just as complicated as the race, actually.

Larry 28:35

Yeah. So tell tell me a little bit about that. It's like multiple buses, nights in different places.

SPEAKER_03 28:42

Yeah, yeah. Well, getting to Morocco from Houston is not that simple, first of all. Uh, but then once you get there, they take you to uh a hotel. The first night you are in a hotel, then they take you to uh close to the camp to another hotel, and then they drive you in another to the in the bus to the um what is the name of the camp, you know? Um and you the Hyma. And um again, uh sometimes uh forgive me that I don't even remember the name because I I just go and I do it, and then I'm like, ah, what was it? You know, I don't know, I don't remember. I don't have time for that. I go to do the race and get it on. Uh but yeah, it's uh just just uh very complicated for sure.

Larry 29:28

And and they set up a giant camp for I I think the year you did it, there were 850 competitors, uh, and they just set up a giant camp right there in the desert, right? Like tents and whatever. Um, you have a nice video about going to the bathroom because they don't have porta potties out there at the starting line for you.

SPEAKER_03 29:51

Yeah, they you know, you pick it uh a high bat tent. Uh you don't know who you're gonna stay with unless you're going with other people. Um many people did. I went solo. I picked the Spaniards uh because I have uh Spanish nationality as well. And it was the right choice. They became my friends, we spoke Spanish all the time. Um and uh we we we have a blast really at the you know, besides the torture of the race itself, right? But um uh the bathroom, what complication, the water, you have only a gallon of water per day for everything you need. Uh, it's just a different world altogether, right? Um and it makes it uh it makes it uh what it is, it makes it memorable, right? You start um thinking of uh how precious are things that you have in life and how you know how much you should appreciate everything you really have, because over there you don't have anything, although you you choose to be there, right? So right.

Larry 30:51

You actually did quite well in this race of the 850 people. You you came in 44th. Like, is that a yeah, is that normal for somebody doing their first one, or did you like really overachieve there? Is it normally the veterans that get the top 50 spots?

SPEAKER_03 31:08

Yeah, I don't want to be repetitive, but again, I had no plan. I just went see what I could do. And the first day I think I finished uh 40 something, and somebody said, Oh, you are in top 50. Oh, okay. Well, well, top 50 is the elite. I'm like, oh okay. Um and then um and then the second day, I think I finished 50 something, but I stay in the lower 50, and the lower 50, that what happens is you start after the rest. You start like an hour and a half after. Um and they do that so you catch up. And it's an amazing, it's amazing the feeling because we, you know, the faster people coming in the desert and going through the other people, it's it's just an incredible feeling. Um after the you know, the two or three days, I start like caring about it. I was like, okay, I'm gonna keep the 50th place, you know? And uh and I did, I did very well. Uh, it wasn't easy, a lot of great runners and people that are used to the desert and used to all of this. And uh I didn't. I was just again, you know, okay, another race, let's go. Um with uh the the one thing you probably saw there is my nutrition, it's also another thing I struggle with, as many other athletes. Um, you know, it's not something that comes natural to me to eat gels and proteins and things. So I just go with water, or I'm like a camel, I don't need much. I and I just do it with a piece of uh salami sandwich and uh a piece of basin, which is I took some things that uh you know like were just uh regular stuff. The only thing I couldn't take was a glass of wine every night, that's what I wanted. But uh, you dream of all of that, you dream of a Coca-Cola. One day they give you one Coca-Cola. Oh, yeah. Um, and you are like, oh my gosh, this is on a sugar high with that one. Yeah, yeah.

Larry 33:08

Uh, but speaking of beverages, I see they also give you like a nice Moroccan tea at the finish line.

SPEAKER_03 33:14

Yeah, yeah. You know, it's fascinating how uh a tea becomes such a great gold, it's the best drink ever, because there is nothing else. So they give you that tea, and uh, I had a little bit of fun with that because I was going back and say, can you can I get another tea? I wanted to become a friend of the Moroccans there, and I did, and they gave me a little more, another couple of glasses. So I had my extra tea in my on my system.

Larry 33:42

Oh, good, good, yeah. Um another thing that I noticed, and you talked about um you did 19 races last year. At the end of your video, um, it says that it was dedicated to your father, who you had lost during the year. Um, I can't imagine having such a busy year and then also having to deal with the loss of you know your father, family member. Um how was there something about your relationship with him that helped set your mindset? And and is that why you felt like, you know, I'm gonna dedicate what I'm doing the rest of the year here for him? And how did he inspire you in any way with the the stuff that you've done throughout your life?

SPEAKER_03 34:26

Yeah, uh I wasn't very close with my dad, and my dad divorced with my mom when I was very young, and we didn't have the best uh relationship. But um, and then he lived in Uruguay and I lived here so far away. Um, that we didn't, you know, I I did help my my dad as my mom as well financially and all that. So we kept uh close on as much as we could. Um my dad was sick for uh I always said that my parents are uh Highlanders because they they probably should have been dead. This sounds terrible about even before because I don't know how they live it, because they've been my dad was sick for like 20 years. He had the diabetes and some other things. And um and uh he he I tend to think that I inherited some of his strengths, you know, even though he was sick, I I don't know how he did it. He survived with nothing. Um, so a lot a lot of that is still in my my mind. And um and he when he was younger, I could remember he has good, you know, good um, I guess physiologically, he was you know well said, but he was uh he was he smoke all his life, he drinks, he he didn't have a healthy life. And a little bit of that is the reason why I'm the way I am. Um and um also uh I it seems like I seek adversity. I had a lot of adversity when I was young, and in in part for the divorce of my parents and the financial situation. So so adversity is not new to me. And running is like uh uh no big deal. I mean, I didn't even have food when I was a kid, so not running is just as easy. And um, in fact, one more thing, and uh to touch on that is uh I worked uh in Price Waterhouse Cooper when I was 15 years old. I I had to I wear a suit and uh and a tie, and I was a delivery guy for Price Waterhouse, and I study at night. But the the part of the story that makes sense in this context is that I walk a lot to deliver all this stuff, and I walk because I save the instead of taking the bus, I save the money and um and walk to do what my job and uh that so an item means is nothing, you know.

Larry 36:55

Anyway, we'll be right back.

How to support the Podcast

Larry 37:00

Hello, listener. I love getting your feedback and suggestions for the podcast. Keep them coming at 515ultraman at gmail.com. For those that want to help me promote the show, I suggest that you tell a friend to listen to. Word of mouth is a great way for podcasts to get to the world. And if you don't mind publishing your feelings, a free way to support the show is by leaving a five-star rating and review on your podcast app. It's a chance to tell me what you love about the show, and it helps others discover it too. Finally, if you're so inclined, you can show your appreciation for my work by clicking the support button at the bottom of the show notes to go to my Buy Me a Coffee page. Thanks for all of your feedback and support. Well, well, an Iron Man usually leads to something else,

100 milers

Larry 38:00

and I know for you that's also a number of hundred mile races. You you've done, I don't know how many. You may not know how many from the sounds of it. Um, but I'd like to talk about some of those maybe because um you got the um first place at the Brazos Bend, 100 mile, and what what's the Brazos Bend?

SPEAKER_03 38:25

Well, it's uh it's here in um an hour away from from my house in Houston, and uh it's a park, and I just sign up for that race. And uh and yes, I don't know the number, but I tell you, let me talk out the hundred. That's a very good uh point because uh true story. Just yesterday I decided to run a hundred miles this Saturday, so in two days, um here in uh in Hosville, it's called um Rocky Raccoon.

SPEAKER_02 38:55

Uh of course, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 38:57

And there are two reasons why I'm gonna do it, and I just signed up for it. Uh literally, I'm not training for 100 miles, but I guess I'm already trained. And um, but one of the most important reasons is that last year I tried to do the 50k 50 mile there, and I had I got COVID and I went anyway. And but then after the first mile, uh the first lap, I said, ah, let's go home. I'm not gonna finish this. So this is uh my the second ever race I never finished. So I said, I'm gonna do this 100 miles there, and um, and that's that. But going back to another 100 mile races, how I started running 100 miles was most recently, uh a few years ago. Um I decided to run 100 miles by myself here from my house in the trails by memorial park. Uh it was uh to celebrate that it took me 100 days to get a job that I wanted. Um and I did this and I raised money for uh a nonprofit. And and then since then I said, okay, I'm gonna do it again, and the next year I did it again, and the next year I did it again. I what I did um uh was the Houston marathon, instead of doing it once, I did it four times. I started at night and I did it three times until the marathon started, and that's fine. And then I said, Okay, I'm tired of running solo, I'm gonna do brasses bend, and I did it. And and then I did it again just recently, so like uh in December. Uh yeah, so hundred miles is uh one of the things I'm enjoying apart and the other.

Larry 40:43

Yeah, I I I feel like you kind of just brushed over that Houston marathon story, and we we gotta touch on that a bit more. So during the Houston marathon, during the Houston Marathon, you decided you're just gonna run more marathons before the marathon even starts, and then just show up to the starting line. Is that what you did? And was it the same reason?

SPEAKER_03 41:06

That's exactly what I did. I told a friend of mine, hey, can you join me for at least one lap? And he did for a little bit of it in uh mountain bike, but uh otherwise I went solo through the night and I yeah, I did it three times. Uh a couple of mistakes. One, I got too early to the marathon, so I had an hour, and instead people would think that I sat and you know eat and drink, but I didn't want it to do that because I knew I was gonna cook, so I kept walking uh inside the the area where people were waiting for the marathon, and then I ended up doing the marathon. Yeah, and it was uh not too bad. I did a 350 three hours 15 minute marathon after 75, so that's not bad.

Larry 41:52

Oh, yeah, that's crazy. So we're gonna go.

SPEAKER_03 41:54

One more thing that was funny for that. So this is this is great for uh one of my best stories as well. Then two day, two nights before the marathon, my a friend of mine called me and said, Hey, I don't see your name in the marathon. I said, What are you talking about? He said, Yeah, you're not registered and said, Well, I registered last year. Well, you know, you know. So, long story short, I show up, it's sold out. I show up and I said, Listen, I'm uh I've done this race many times, I'm doing this hundred months, I'm raising money for uh Ukraine. Uh can I sign up? And they they uh figured out that I could donate money to a nonprofit and get in, and I did, and anyway, and I signed up. That's me, not many people can do that.

Larry 42:45

Yeah, no, that definitely not. So, were you running around at night while they're setting up the course for the next day? Like, were there people setting up looking at you running on the course and thinking, who's this wing nut?

SPEAKER_03 42:57

You bet that's exactly what happened. That's exactly because I I mapped the route, the same route of it. And then uh when I was running, I had uh this similar t-shirt than this, but it said a hundred mile runner. And I remember somebody passing. Well, a lot of people on the marathon said, Hey, are you running 100 miles? Uh yeah, this is my 75, uh, 76, 78. Uh oh my god, you're running as fast as I am. So yeah. Also, also, I had a light. I forgot to take it off through the night. I was with a light in my head, and I forgot to take it off, and somebody said, Hey, why do you have a light? Oh, I forgot, you know, so I took it off. Yeah.

Larry 43:44

That's great. Um, I I would like to go back to a couple races that you mentioned earlier just to get a little more detail as well. Um, the the mountain bike endurance races, the the Trans Portugal and the and the one I call Across Costa Rica. Can you give us some more information about those? Because those sound like epic uh adventures to do. How many people are doing this sort of thing? Is this a crewed race? Is it stages where you just go until you get to the next stage? What are these things about?

SPEAKER_03 44:15

Yeah, they're both different. Uh Transportugal uh it's uh it's non-supported. You you do uh I don't know, you know, 70 miles, 80 miles every day through the mountains, and uh you finish in a hotel, and uh it was the best experience because uh the hotels were nice, the food was nice, and you can drink wine, you can drink beer, whatever, and uh it was uh amazing. Uh there were a hundred people or so on that one, very well organized. Uh I love it. By the way, there is a good story about that one too. I signed up uh before COVID and then COVID hit, and the race was cancelled, and I decided during COVID to do the race in my garage, simulate the race. So I took swift and I simulated every day of the race as best as I could, and I did it in my garage every day. I woke up and I was working, I was working for GE and I woke up every day at 3 a.m. and did six, seven hours in my garage. I had some videos on YouTube as well about it. Um and I did the race, and then I went when COVID finished, I went and I did it for real.

SPEAKER_02 45:39

Right.

SPEAKER_03 45:40

And yeah, it was a good story about that. Sorry for the parenthesis there, but yeah. Um uh so um La ruta de los conquistadores in Costa Rica is a bit shorter, but it's uh very hard for the conditions. The it's more uh tropical and jungle, and it has a lot of mud. Um, you can lose your shoe there when you're walking. You have to walk with your bike a lot. You had to drop the bike through a um a cliff full of mud. It's just a different experience. The hotels are not that uh nice, but they're they were okay and all that, but not as fancy as in Portugal. But uh amazing, amazing race, uh epic as well. You know, you go through volcano and uh it's just impressive. I went with my wife then. She she followed, they they take you in a bus, in a bus to follow if you wanted to. Um, she didn't have the same experience I had, but she didn't like that race.

Larry 46:45

Oh, those those sound like some pretty epic kind of races because I know the people who are listening to the podcast, um, they're getting to the point where, you know, well, I've done Ultraman. Now what's the next big adventure I can do? And people listen to hear about these different odd things around the world. And and those two definitely sound like something that people would be interested in doing that that are listeners to this podcast.

SPEAKER_03 47:09

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Those are amazing adventures, you know. That uh if you had a chance to do it, uh it's amazing. So yeah, please go. And if you have questions about it, please connect with me.

Larry 47:21

Yeah, excellent. I yeah, people people love to connect with with the podcast guests and start picking their brains about stuff. So watch out, you might just get that. I I saw another thing on your resume that I wanted to ask you about because it's not something I've heard about before, and that is the Iron Man Gold All-World Athlete. Can you can you explain what that is and and how you earned the gold all-world athlete?

SPEAKER_03 47:50

Yeah, so it's one is this is something Ironman studied a few years ago, and basically it's a ranking of the best athletes on an age group of athletes, and uh, you know, uh is the I think if if you are in the 10%, you are um silver uh and then gold, and then yeah, I don't remember the uh the the one the one percent is the best, and uh and you achieve that uh accumulating points on the item. To be frank, it's a bit unfair. Let me explain why. So if you let's say you have money and you do more races, you have better chance, right? So but it's like anything else. So um, so it's a bit unfair. There is no, it doesn't really mean those are the best athletes ever, you know. Or there are, I think there are some races that give you more points than another one. I I I don't care much for those points or for becoming uh but you know, of course, yes, I could brag about it, but um uh yeah, it's a point system and a ranking system to recognize people that have uh been on the top.

Larry 49:00

Spent a lot of money with Iron Man.

SPEAKER_03 49:02

Yes, yes, which I have a friend. Uh yeah, yeah.

Larry 49:08

Okay.

Forever Tri Coaching

Larry 49:10

Um I did want to get into asking you, uh you know, obviously you got your full-time job, but you have your coaching program Forever Try. You got the shirt on. Um, we want to get that all branded up on your bike so people get on there and paint them up for them. Um can you tell me what might be unique about what you offer with your programs? Because there's so many, you know, triathlon coaches out there. What is it that you do? I know one of the things is you you consider it to be like a a wellness program that you you work with in in one of the streams. So tell us about what is unique to your coaching.

SPEAKER_03 49:47

Yeah, my my motivation to do this is to encourage uh influence and make people believe which that nothing is impossible, that um having a balanced life is good, is better than not, and um that uh even though you can have uh a full-time job, uh a family, uh anything else, you can do this. I I don't have anything special, I'll say, that uh allows me to do this. I just have determination, I have um the grid, I have the mindset. And uh my uh the foundation of forever try is exactly that is to help people to achieve the impossible, regardless. You know, I have coach and mentor people that never ride a bicycle or never thought they could do these things, um, iron or half iron or a marathon. And it I it brings so much, so much joy to my life to see people doing these things. And so that's how it started. And you know, I started helping friends, and then people didn't follow what I was suggesting. So I start doing it for real, and I start charging them, you know. So if you if you charge them some money, then they do it, right? So and then I became more serious about it. I have developed a wellness program, uh that uh my my dream is to implement that uh wherever and be an influencer really uh for wellness, for health. You know, I I said earlier, my dad had diabetes, they smoked, my both my parents smoked all their life, uh and they didn't have a healthy life. And it is um it's a choice, right? It's uh it's a lifestyle, and the lifestyle I choose is this one, you know, and those are the fundamentals. Um and of course, uh I explained some of the things I believe on. I don't I'm an Ironman certified coach, I'm a USA triathlon certified coach, and I don't all these things, and I I don't always follow what's out there, you know. I'm a bit an outlier, right? I um I I um coach and mentor people to think differently. For example, you know, don't look at your watch that much. You know, it doesn't really matter. Uh, you don't want to be a professional on this, you want to be good. Well, okay, enjoy, enjoy the ride. So, and there are a lot of different things, peculiar things on the way I influence others and train others that are you know slightly different here and there. You know, people take a bunch of grooves to run a marathon. You know, I saw them in Houston Marathon the other day. They had thing gels in there. You don't need all of that. That's I approve of that. So um anyway, that's the kind of the approach I take to this.

Larry 52:56

And I saw one of the other things that you offer, which um I don't see necessarily a lot of people offering, and and that is like some kind of virtual meetups for for training as well. Tell me about that.

SPEAKER_03 53:10

Yeah, that started with COVID, of course. So people couldn't make, so okay, again, you know, with a no excuse mentality. I start doing Swift uh and invited people and um and and you know to join me on uh my virtual rides. Um then most recently I created an app uh that is a Forever Try app, it's free to download. And and basically the app allows me to put trainings uh for people, like a training picks kind of uh scenario, but also to do meetups. And that's uh you know, we were using uh a WhatsApp like everybody else, and I was tired of that. And I decided that my app will have a meetup uh functionality, and you know, every weekend or when I do clinics, uh many of them are free anyway. So if you are in the area, please join me. And um and you know, I do meetups, and uh the app allows me to do what it is and who's coming, who's not, and uh uh yeah. So virtual uh is uh something from COVID, which is a good result of COVID, I would say, because you can if you're a busy person like me, you know, I I don't have time to go an hour away to start my bike. Right, I do it from here. So I do a lot of Swift. I think my level is like 80, 80 in Swift. At some point, they Swift used to be up to level 50, and they stopped, and then they created more levels, I guess, for people like me. Uh went further.

Larry 54:40

So breaking the limits.

SPEAKER_03 54:44

Breaking the limits, exactly.

Larry 54:46

That's great.

SPEAKER_03 54:47

Yeah.

Larry 54:48

Well, listen, Fernando, uh, I've really enjoyed having you on here to tell us about all of these epic events that you take part in. I feel like we only just touched the surface on a lot of them, but hopefully it's given the listener, you know, a number of different events to now put into their list of places to go to the website and check them out and see what those races are all about. And like you said, um, if people want to contact you, you're open to having them contact you and get the information and find out what you did when you went there. Your your whole approach is obviously completely different than the people out there that are counting every calorie and and marking every mile and knowing exactly when the next hill's coming. But I think it really resonates with a lot of the people that are probably doing Ultraman. It's the people that aren't out there to win, they're out there to accomplish a feat. And they do it by feel, they don't always do it by the numbers. So I I think maybe you're you're a good person to inspire those type of athletes as well.

SPEAKER_03 55:52

Yeah, no, uh, thank you so much for having me. And and uh yes, uh look, uh just to clarify, people is different, right? It doesn't mean that because I don't need jets, anybody did. So I I know, I know that that that's uh people Armando, the our friend that you mentioned at the beginning, he's very different than me, and it works for him, and that's fine. One thing I want everybody to take of uh of this conversation from me is that you know, I I uh look, I started this when I was 37, I'm 51 now. And uh one of the decisions I made is to do this and enjoy, enjoy the ride. And um, you know, I try for the most part not to get uh stressed about the calories and the time, and you know, uh why? I'm not gonna be a pro anyway. And even if I was, you know, um I would totally do it differently. But uh yeah, so um, you know, that's part of the message I want out there. It's possible, uh, regardless of uh who you are or where you are. Um it's all about not having excuses, be consistent. Um I we didn't talk about training much, but I train in Song Jew all the time most of the time. I don't go hard all the time. People is uh intimidated by running with me, they shouldn't, because I can run as low as you want. And but when it raises time, I go hard. So and uh but it's about enjoying the journey, enjoying the the reasons for doing this, you know. So and um the more people that can think that way, the better they'll be as as individuals and and and professionally as well. All of these have helped me to have determination in my job and and and focus and and be energized uh and and and happy.

SPEAKER_02 57:46

So yeah.

Larry 57:48

Well, it seems like a great philosophy and a great lifestyle to live by. Uh, you're clearly very happy, you're getting it done. You come first in your age group all the time, you're going to world championships, you've done 200 races. It must work for you. It maybe it works for others too.

SPEAKER_03 58:05

Yes, yes, yes, yes.

Larry 58:06

So anyway, thank you so much for being on the podcast.

SPEAKER_03 58:09

Thank you so much, Ladie. Looking forward for the next one.

Mary Jo 58:13

Hey, if you liked what you heard today, please telephone.