#672 - Jackie Hering: The Return to Full Distance Racing – Insights from a Pro Triathlete
Fitter Radio Triathlon PodcastShow Notes
Jackie Hering, a pro triathlete with 15 years of top finishes, unveils her approach to racing at 40. She shares how releasing pressure, managing expectations and embracing unexpected race-day curveballs transform her results in IRONMAN racing In this episode, you'll discover: What Jackie considers are her strongest assets and how she's training smarter, not just harder. Her secrets to managing expectations and why 'releasing' them can be your fastest path to success. How setbacks like mechanical issues or illness can be an opportunity, not a disaster, in race strategy. The value of adaptability: how a puncture in Hamburg or a change in race schedule can become a game-changer. Insights into the psychology of professional women athletes and the supportive roles they embrace - Jackie's own "mother hen" approach. You'll also hear how Jackie's balance of motherhood, racing, and podcasting provides a fresh perspective in a sport often defined by its relentless intensity. She shares her plans for upcoming races, her views on Kona's elusive magic and the importance of enjoying the process rather than obsessing over the results. 00:00 - Introduction 02:34 - The Evolution of Women's Triathlon 05:40 - Supportive Dynamics in Female Racing 08:27 - Balancing Family Life and Professional Racing 11:07 - Return to Full Distance Racing 14:03 - The Challenge of the Pro Series 16:42 - Expectations and Race Performance 19:34 - Navigating Race Challenges and Adaptability 22:03 - Strategic Race Planning 24:23 - Navigating the Pro Series Challenges 25:46 - Balancing Ironman Races and Recovery 26:27 - Lessons from Recent Races 28:22 - The Kona Experience: Challenges and Goals 30:15 - Training Evolution and Consistency 33:45 - Assessing Strengths and Weaknesses 34:59 - Future Race Plans and Goals LINKS: The Women's Race Podcast at https://podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/the-womens-race/id1895478355 Jackie Hering's Instagram - https://instagram.com/jackiehering
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Dr. Amanda Sadler is a Fellowship-trained Sports Medicine Physician and Functional Medicine Certified Professional. Amanda's focus has been on primary care and functional medicine. Functional medicine looks at the root cause of a disease from the cellular level to understand its influence on the whole system. Her training as a doctor has been shaped in part due to her own athletic career and her own missed diagnoses. She was a two-time Olympic Trials qualifier in 2004 and 2008, a leading competitor on the ITU circuit, and in 2013 she won her first Ironman event in Brazil. Amanda dealt with gastrointestinal issues throughout much of her early career. She knows that her career as a triathlete could have been different had those issues been solved earlier and treated correctly. In this conversation, Dr. Amanda Stevens-Sadler shares her journey from being a professional triathlete to a physician. She highlights the importance of gut health in athletic performance and the need for a shift towards functional medicine, which focuses on individualized care and optimal health rather than just treating symptoms. Dr. Sadler emphasizes the signs of dysfunction that athletes should not ignore and the differences between conventional and functional medicine in addressing health issues. We discuss the intricate relationship between gut health, stress and athletic performance - emphasizing the importance of personalized approaches to health, particularly for athletes - and introduce her Champion Athlete Method, which focuses on optimizing performance through understanding individual needs and managing stress effectively. LINKS: Dr Amanda Sadler at https://www.instagram.com/docamandasadler/
We review all the racing from the IRONMAN World Champs in Kona plus Jack gives us his feedback on his first race there as a Pro. We share the footage from the Pro Race Press Conference with the top 5 men and women. TIMESTAMPS: 0:00:00 – Jack… "It got me" 0:02:14 – Jack's pre-race experience in Kona 0:03:50 – Kona… the hub of long distance triathlon 0:05:36 – The weather pre-race and race day 0:07.57 – The spectator experience in Kona 0:09:13 – DNF'ing in Kona versus Nice 0:15:22 – Heat adaptation for Kona 0:17:44 – The run 0:20:28 – Not the race we expected 0:25:19 – The 20m draft rule and race ranger 0:26:48 – The final impact on the pro series results 0:30:14 – Split screen coverage 0:30:35 – Men and Women racing the same course, same day 0:30:46 – Drafting in the AG race 0:34:02 – Matthew Marquardt 0:37:34 – Men's and Women's post race press conference 1:18:00 – The capitulations and what now for the future? 1:21:36 – Vincent Luis… the mic drop 1:24:55 – Will Taylor Knibb's dad now have to race Kona LINKS: Jack Moody at https://www.instagram.com/jacktmoody/ Kate Bevilaqua at https://www.instagram.com/katebevilaqua/ Guy Crawford at https://www.instagram.com/guyrcrawford/ IRONMAN World Championship Kona at https://www.ironman.com/races/im-world-championship-kona
Jack, Guy and Kate are on the ground in Kona. We share expert advice on navigating the swim, bike and run on race day. TIMESTAMPS: 0:00:00 – Jack, Kate and Guy are in Kona 0:02:06 – It's Jack's first time in Kona 0:03:16 – It's Guy's 22nd time on the Big Island. 0:03:46 – Has Kona recovered from the COVID era 0:07.02 – WTCS Rome and Alex Yee's run. 0:11:33 – How early is too early to arrive in Kona? 0:16:15 – The swim at the World Champs in Kona 0:38:12 – The bike at the World Champs in Kona 0:56:49 – Jack's running shoe of choice for the race 0:57:59 – Look after yourself! 1:00:30 – Don't f**k it up! 1:03:45 – How's Jack feeling 1:05:40 – We'll try and catch up with everyone post-race LINKS: Jack Moody at https://www.instagram.com/jacktmoody/ Kate Bevilaqua at https://www.instagram.com/katebevilaqua/ Guy Crawford at https://www.instagram.com/guyrcrawford/ WTCS Rome at https://triathlon.org/events/2026-world-triathlon-cup-rome IRONMAN World Championship Kona at https://www.ironman.com/races/im-world-championship-kona
We review all the racing from the weekend including the WTC Grand Final in Pontevedra. Casper Stornes is out of Kona – how does this affect the pro series standings and how will the race now unfold without him. Macy Roberts won the free race entry to IRONMAN 70.3 Melbourne. We find out more about her. TIMESTAMPS: 0:00:00 – Jack's reverse taper for Kona 0:03:16 – IM703 New York cancelled 0:04:46 – IRONMAN Chattanooga 0:07:09 – WTC Final Pontevedra 0:09.51 – The swim pontoon issue…would it have changed the outcome? 0:15:16 – Matt Hauser's win 0:16:38 – Running up and down hill an art form 0:19:25 – The reaction in the Tri Community to Hauser's win 0:20:33 – Australian females not as strong 0:21:30 – Jan Frodeno's marathon 0:23:32 – Cassandre Beaugrand's win 0:28:16 – Beth Potter's performance 0:34:17 – IRONMAN Australia Port Mac 0:35:15 – Macy Roberts 0:43:41 – Jack's off to Kona 0:48:35 – Guy and Kate's plans for racing next year 0:52:00 – Casper Stornes out of Kona 0:53:06 – Jack gets called for drug testing 1:07.00 – Will Kate race Kona as an age grouper LINKS: Jack Moody at https://www.instagram.com/jacktmoody/ Kate Bevilaqua at https://www.instagram.com/katebevilaqua/ Guy Crawford at https://www.instagram.com/guyrcrawford/ World Triathlon Cup Finals in Pontevedra at https://triathlon.org/events/2026-wtcf-pontevedra IRONMAN 70.3 Melbourne at https://www.ironman.com/races/im703-melbourne IRONMAN Chattanooga at https://www.ironman.com/races/im-chattanooga IRONMAN Australia at https://www.ironman.com/races/im-australia
Kate and Guy tell us about their experiences at the IRONMAN 70.3 Sunshine Coast plus we hear from Todd Turner, winner of the free race entry to this iconic event. The Auckland Duathlon Championships held last weekend double-served as the official Triathlon New Zealand Duathlon Championships (part of the Suzuki NZ Tri Series). By taking out the premier sprint distance field at Māngere Bridge, Jack Moody secured the national duathlon title. We review the racing from the T100 French Riviera at the weekend. Kyle Smith is back plus will Hayden recover enough to race well at the WTC Finals in Pontevedra this weekend? Illness. When do you decide it's not worth racing. TIMESTAMPS: 0:00:00 – Kate and Guy's experiences from IRONMAN 70.3 Sunshine Coast 0:09:43 – Todd Turner 0:19:19 – Jack Moody National Duathlon Champion. 0:29:28 – T100 French Riviera Race Review 0:33:55 – WTC Champs Pontevedra – can Hayden Win? 0:38.46 – Kyle Smith's race at the T100 0:43:56 – Can Taylor Knibb win Kona? 0:24:50 – The men's race 0:49:00 – Blue Seventy Wetsuits 0:49:28 – Hayden didn't race in a swim skin – do we rate them? 0:53:25 – IRONMAN Maryland 0:55:49 – IRONMAN Cozumel 0:56:12 – Illness. When do you decide it's not worth racing 1:07:14 – Kona Practice Swim LINKS: Jack Moody at https://www.instagram.com/jacktmoody/ Kate Bevilaqua at https://www.instagram.com/katebevilaqua/ Guy Crawford at https://www.instagram.com/guyrcrawford/ IRONMAN 70.3 World Champs in Nice at https://www.ironman.com/races/im703-world-championship-2026 IRONMAN 70.3 Sunshine Coast at https://www.ironman.com/races/im703-sunshine-coast Auckland Duathlon at https://www.aucklandduathlon.nz/ World Triathlon Cup Finals in Pontevedra at https://triathlon.org/events/2026-wtcf-pontevedra Blue Seventy Wetsuits at https://www.blueseventy.co.nz/