GUESTS: MICHAEL TELPNER AND KATE WALLIS.  Hey guys welcome back and welcome to the first time listeners, my names Steven Langenhuizen and I am the host of the Pacing and Racing Podcast – and on this podcast we are working alongside the Toronto Triathlon Festival to share an another amazing episode in the Life Well Lived Podcast Series Presented by Raymond James where we dive into a very important topic in our sport and that is the barrier of entry and access to triathlon for new triathletes. I am sure if you’ve been competing in triathlon for a while now that you can probably recall your first triathlon and your emotions around it. Do you remember how you first got into triathlon? Were you hesitant? Nervous? Or maybe lacking confidence and felt like you wouldn’t be able to complete the race? Or maybe you are new to triathlon and your having these feelings. I know the sport has all kinds of demands but I hope after you listen to this episode it inspires you to tap into a new mindset and map out your plan on what it will take for you to succeed. If you are a well-seasoned triathlete then this would be a great episode to reflect on how far you’ve come in your triathlon journey, or maybe it presents an opportunity to share this podcast and message with a friend in your life who could benefit from triathlon but is hesitant to start. I hope that in today's interviews you will find peace in hearing how other people overcame their struggles to reach their goals and how overcoming these have made them stronger more than ever. I hope that as you hear their stories it allows you to reflect on your struggles and triumphs that you have had or may be going through in your triathlon journey. Today we have 2 intertwining short-interviews! We have Michael Telpner who is an experienced Age Group triathlete and played a key component within the Triathlon Together Movement this year at the Toronto Triathlon Festival Presented by Raymond James. We also have Kate Willis who set a goal at age 60 and 300lbs to get back into shape and live a healthy lifestyle and finish her first triathlon. One year later after hard work and pure determination she raced at the Toronto Triathlon Festival Presented by Raymond James and we hear all about her journey through this accomplishment. Before we get to the interviews, a quick 101 on Triathlon Together. Over the last few years, Olympic Champion, Simon Whitfield, was seeing something he didn’t like. Accessibility to triathlon was becoming too cumbersome – too much gadget emphasis, too much fully-decked-out bike adulation, etc. Now, don’t get Simon wrong, he understands there’s a place for all of this stuff. But he noted that this was becoming a barrier to entry. Not so much for the cost – which is part of the issue – but more-so because taking triathlon for a test drive was increasingly becoming psychologically too difficult for those new to the sport. Therein, Triathlon Together was born. The 2019 Toronto Triathlon Festival featured the inaugural Triathlon Together wave and there will be another one again for the 2020 TTF’s Try-A-Tri race. At its core, the concept is meant as a throw back to celebrate the supportive community the sport was born out of in the 70s. The clock is irrelevant – no one is worrying about a PB. Everyone starts together – no one is alone. No athlete begins the bike until everyone finishes the swim – no one is left behind. No participant starts the run before everyone completes the bike – no one crosses the finish line by themselves. It’s a movement. It’s fun. And it celebrates unity. It’s Triathlon Together. Now, let’s dive in.