One of the by-products of sports – and endurance sports in particular – is the plethora of interesting and charismatic personalities that are the participants. From beginner all the way to the elite level, the people are what make the sport, with each individual having their own approach, philosophies and story to tell.
Gordo Byrn
stands out in the world of triathlon in many respects. His rise to prominence
at the top level of Ironman-distance racing is only one aspect of his many
talents. Originally working in the international financial industry, Byrn
decided to change his lifestyle and pursue the sport of triathlon away from the
constraints of the corporate world.
The term “athletic
entrepreneur” may be an apt description of Byrn, but really only scratches the
surface in terms of his arsenal of skills. Another entrepreneurial elite
athlete, Jonas
Colting, once described Byrn as “Tim Robbins in a Speedo.”
Gordo’s
journey has been an interesting one, and well documented; his exploits and
adventures were shared to a wide audience through his engaging and detailed
blog posts. He continues to write extensively, in addition to having become a
much-renowned coach, all the while maintaining an impressive balance with his
young family.
Nature Gym: Having
originally been in venture capital, you left that industry and moved to New
Zealand to pursue elite triathlon. Discuss your motivations for making this
move and why New Zealand was your destination of choice.
Gordo Byrn: I
had been working in finance for a decade and wanted a change of pace. At the
time, I was living in Hong Kong and the pollution made it tough to enjoy and
active, outdoor lifestyle. I had saved enough money that taking a year off work
was feasible and had received permission to emigrate to New Zealand. So I
negotiated a leave of absence with my boss and hit the road. At the time I
left, I wasn’t sure if I was making a permanent decision.
Before
landing in New Zealand, I spend a month around Cairns, Australia. The UV and
heat were extreme in Queensland! I landed in Auckland, bought a car and worked
my way down the length of New Zealand, arriving in Christchurch, where I had a
buddy from Hong Kong - John Newsom of IM Talk.
John
introduced me to Scott
Molina, John Hellemans
and his friends (all of whom were top Kiwi athletes). It was jumping into deep
end, for sure. The squad included guys like Kris Gemmell and Bevan Docherty - I
was way over my head. To give you an idea of the performance difference between
them and me... I would get lapped every 150m in the pool -- not too bad until
you realize that it was a 50m pool!
NZ was clean
and cheap ($0.41 x-rate). As well, the Christchurch city government was
building a new training facility (largely destroyed in the recent earthquakes).
The
combination of low cost, great training and world-class coaching was enough to
get me to stay. In fact, if I hadn’t married an American, I would probably
still be living in New Zealand. I have a lot of respect for the ethics of New
Zealand people. Entitlement is very rare in the South Island and people expect
to work for success. It was an ideal environment for me.
NG: How did
you adjust from the fast-paced life of the corporate world to the often
monastic existence of an elite athlete? What would your advice be to somebody wanting
to make the step to fulltime athlete?
GB: I like
schedule and routine so there wasn’t much adjustment required. As well, I
REALLY like to train so living as an elite athlete was a dream come true for
me.
One thing I suggest
to athletes that seek to make the transition to full time: make sure you like
to train. If you are in sport for the result, or perceived glory, then you’re
better off being a very fast age grouper.
We give a
lot of status to elite athletes but, truth be told, the standard for an elite
license isn’t all that tough. The status to race at the top of the ITU is very, very tough - don’t get me
wrong. However, many athletes figure that they were on the track team in high
school, so how hard could this triathlon thing be? Truth is... very hard! It
takes so long to get good that you really need to enjoy the process.
 |
| Gordo's rapid progression led to numerous top finishes in Ironman events. |
Many elites
would have more satisfaction if they raced age group and focused on developing
an area of their life where they love the work. Most elites are passing time; only
a small minority is focused on truly being their best.
So, making
the transition... #1 is enjoying the work required for success. Then:
●
Get control of your schedule
●
Simplify all aspects of your life
●
Learn to live cheap
●
Repeat your week
If you look at
the best squads
then you’ll see all of the above.
NG: Not many
elite level athletes are so open about their life, yet you practically provided
your daily activities as a public domain through your excellent blog posts. Was sharing your
journey as fulltime triathlete a conscious decision? Would more professional
athletes benefit from following your example?
GB: Two
observations about human psychology:
●
People that are secretive, likely have secrets.
●
People lacking in self-esteem, live in terror of
criticism.
It hurts me
just as much as anyone when strangers or family even, decide to sling arrows my
direction. However, it keeps me honest because the people that love us, without
knowing us, are similar to the people that hate us, without knowing us. Dealing
with these universal human feelings before race day can be a source of
strength.
So putting
myself out there has the benefit of taking away the power of the secret, of the
short coming, the fear. Living an open life is extremely empowering. It also
keeps you honest when you feel like skipping training, or cutting corners. It’s
a shame there wasn’t Strava at my peak -
we did some whacky stuff!
Those were
the emotional benefits from an open life. There were also business benefits. As
an online coach, sharing good information (for free) over the internet was, and
remains, the single best method of introducing myself to people. Helping good
people is good karma - business success has always flowed back to me from my
writing.
I’m
reluctant to make direct suggestions about how to live one’s life. What I
prefer to do is outline the way I live my life and share the questions that I
ask myself.
I have
received more value from asking myself the right question than following the
actions of others.
NG: Given
that most full time triathletes are not exactly raking in the cash, how were
you able to support yourself financially during your athletic career? Did you
have other interests and if so, were these pursuits a form of balance in the
often all-consuming sport of triathlon?
GB: Seeing
as you mention money, I’ll make two observations:
●
Money screws up
sport - look at any popular professional league and they have, largely,
forgotten about the benefits of athletics to the individual. The athletes
become a means for the promoters to make money and sell product.
●
We have no moral
right to make a living from exercising all day - a school teacher provides
more benefit to society than an athlete. Athletes should expect to work very,
very hard, or keep a part time job to help fund your passion.
When I
decided to leave the corporate world, I had saved ten years living expenses (at
a triathlete rate of expenditure!). My final year in Hong Kong turned out to be
very good for my firm so I started my journey with about double that figure.
I moved to a
low-cost location and bought a five bedroom house for the equivalent of
US$110,000. I rented the house out to friends. As a result, I established a
zero-cost location to live. The bulk of my travel expenses were covered by
financial consulting assignments using the skills that I had built in Hong Kong
and London. I had a small coaching business that covered my day-to-day
expenses.
I quickly
discovered that I could live very, very cheaply. My cost of living for my first
year of full time training was 90% less than my last year in Hong Kong.
Triathlon
was all-consuming in a good way. If we are destined to become world-class at
something then it can’t be any other way.
NG: Along
with Scott Molina and John Newsom, you hosted training camps known as Epic Camps for several years. How did this
venture come about and what were the challenges in coordinating such a venture?
GB: Epic
Camp was the way Scott and I liked to train. It represented our idea of the
perfect vacation and is why we were very good ultra-endurance athletes.
In the early
days, the main challenge was getting me off the hook for financing all the
money we lost! We brought in John, as a business partner, and he turned the
camps around, without sacrificing what make the experience special.
 |
| Travel and adventure, a central theme to Gordo's training philosophy. |
NG: Travel
seems to have been a recurring theme of your athletic career as well as participating
in some of the more fringe events in multisport. Would you say that your elite
athletic career was an adventure and were your travels a way of keeping things
interesting? What were your travel highlights?
GB: Travel
counters the human tendency to get more and more tribal. For example, having
lived in Asia, I simply can’t generate the animosity towards China that we see
in American political discourse. I’ve based myself in Canada, the UK, France,
Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong and Bermuda. It’s broken down many barriers
in my mind.
As an elite
athlete, for the most part, I was following good cycling weather. There were a
couple of years where financial consulting assignments drove where I based
myself.
Athletically,
the Epic Camps were the highlights - Colorado, Italy, the length of New
Zealand, Australia, France... the training was insane. So many good memories.
Life should
be an adventure - as a young man, travel was part of the adventure. With three
kids, I’m discovering that travel isn’t necessary for adventure. For example,
in 2013, I’m undertaking a stay-at-home sabbatical. I’ve shrunk my coaching business
and brought on a partner - Justin Daerr - to help with the daily management of Endurance Corner.
NG: Having
worked and trained with quite an eclectic group of athletes over the years, you
sought the advice of three of the sport’s legends; Scott Molina, Dave Scott and Mark Allen. How did these guys
differ in terms of approaching the sport and what were the main pointers you
took away from each of them? How did
they influence you?
GB: When you
study everyone, you see that there aren’t any secrets. What’s required is a lot
of work; addressing what limits performance and having the emotional maturity
to race well.
The
differences are cosmetic, rather than substantive. However, I needed a lot of
experience to see through the cosmetics. By the way, nearly all public debate
(and most the media) is about cosmetics.
Something
Scott said (after I worked with Dave) was, “sometimes you need a new person to
understand the same message.” In other words, over time you will get into a
pattern in your life and changing mentors can offer new insight. I like to try
something new every season but I remember Scott’s advice to “always keep what
worked in the past.”
Mark was the
first coach that managed to get me to go “as hard as you can.” Mark’s advice
for fast running sessions is very simple - “get your heart rate to max by the
end of the main set.” My belief in Mark was such that I was willing to
experiment with max-effort training.
Dave is a
fascinating guy, quite separate from his world titles. He’s a close friend of
my wife and a neighbor. The shape he keeps himself in is absolutely incredible.
Dave shows what we can achieve if we are single minded in our approach to
lifelong athletic fitness. He’s been the fittest American for his age for over
40 years.
 |
| Dave Scott: athletic legend and fascinating individual. |
All of the
guys have paid a price for their pursuit of athletic glory. There’s no free
lunch and, I’d expect, that the guys would say that the price was worth it. As
Scott observes, “most people never get the chance to be truly great at
something.” I take that further and ask “why wait to be great.”
I respect
Scott’s openness about his life. It’s helped me hold myself up to the mirror
and ask what I might be overlooking.
NG: You are
unique in the endurance world having started as an age grouper, progressing to
an elite level and now own your own coaching business. How has your approach to
coaching and athletics as a whole evolved over the years?
GB: When I
started out, I knew VERY little. I didn’t even understand what was making me
improve so quickly. Over time, I figured out what worked for me and was able to
share those lessons with others, like me.
What happens
over time is we gain a deeper perspective about the sources of, and limits to,
performance. We have the ability to watch thousands of different athletes
succeed, and fail. This gives an experienced coach a much larger toolbox to
bring to a given situation.
So the
change is having more tools to apply. However, the basic relationship between
work and reward has remains unchanged.
NG: What
would your advice be to any athlete wanting to enhance his or her athletic
longevity?
GB: Number 1
- don’t be greedy. People screw themselves up by forgetting why they started
and letting their obsession about performance override good judgment.
Have a coach
that is strong where you’re weak. For example, Scott and I share a blind spot
on recovery. It would have been helpful to my elite career to have a
voice-of-reason that could have moderated a few of my errors with regard to
recovery. That said I blew the doors off what I thought was possible. No
regrets.
For specific
longevity, focus each off-season on personal health and understand the minimums
required for the athletic life you want beyond 40, 50, 60 - whatever you think
defines long term.
It’s worth
repeating... don’t be greedy. That is the source of most people’s undoing.
NG: How have
you managed to transition from full time athlete to full time husband/father and
now coach?
GB: I have
coached the entire way through and started teaching in my teens. Education of
others has been a lifelong vocation.
The
transition from athlete to husband was painless - I married a very kind woman
that was an elite athlete!
The
transition from elite to parent required a lot more self-reflection. Similar to
my decision to leave the corporate world, the transition was made easier by two
factors:
●
Understanding that sport had moved away from me in
terms of performance - the only thing left for me was winning Ironman Canada
and the level of competition took a jump that put it out of reach for me.
●
It turned out that I can be a really good husband and
parent. I gave ZERO indication of this in my 20s and 30s. Just like my
experience in triathlon, the more I have put into family, the better I have
become.
As well,
after close to a decade of hitting it hard, I realized that I didn’t need to
train five hours per day to look good and eat a few treats.
NG: You
continue to write extensively, through your blog and on Endurance Corner. How
do you come up with so many different topics and would you say that your
writing is a form of relaxation? Would you say that maintaining your academic
side has been beneficial in maintaining a balance in your life as whole?
GB: Someday
I might run out of things to write about. However, I’ve been writing a lot
since I was 17 and, so far, it hasn’t dried up!
As a father,
I write as a form of insurance for my kids. My most recent book was done in
case I’m not around to teach my three kids. There are some experiences
(athletic success, business success, investing and finance) where I’ve been
able to learn lessons that aren’t available in textbooks. My kids share my DNA
so my lessons should ring true for them. I might be gone by the time they are
my current age (44). Even if I am around, my perspective will be different.
Writing gives this phase of my life a chance to endure.
Writing also
“feels right.” I’ve been extremely fortunate in my life. Sharing my lessons is
a way for a wide range of people to benefit from my success.
That is interesting
that you mention academics. I read somewhere that most of us stop learning (in
an academic sense) once we leave formal education. My reading, and writing, is
a way to continue to develop my education. To counter the effects of the media,
I need to constantly affirm my life lessons.
NG: What are your plans for 2013? Will we see a return of
the Epic Camp?
GB: John’s hosting Epic Light in Kona around the time of Honolulu
70.3 - there’s a special attraction to going big that endures for endurance
athletes. I joke with Molina that another name for it is Binge Training!
Epic is probably done for me as that phase of my life is
over. Once we rode across New Zealand, I gave thanks and handed the business
over to John and Scott.
That said, the guys are thinking about organizing a ride
across the Canadian Rockies in 2014 and the route is one that I’ve always
wanted to do. I’ve told John that I’m interested and he’s saving me a slot.
Many of the Epic Campers became good friends of mine. It would be great to see
everyone again.
For more Gordo, go to his websites:
