515 : The Ultra Podcast
515: The Ultra Podcast invites you inside the world of the 515km Ultraman distance. Hosted by Larry Ryan, we go beyond the race results to explore the lives of the remarkable athletes who make up the global Ultra family. Whether you are an Ironman with aspirations for the 515km distance, a seasoned veteran of Ultratriathlon, or simply looking for inspiring stories to fill your training hours, this show is for you. Join us for deep-dive conversations, epic stories, and practical takeaways for your own bucket list. For show notes and past guests, please visit the Podcast Website: https://515theultrapodcast.buzzsprout.com If you like what you hear on the podcast and want to support more content, consider visiting my BUY ME A COFFEE page to show your appreciation : https://buymeacoffee.com/larryryan
Episodes
Nearly 24 hours in open water changes what you think you know about fear, focus, and what you are capable of. Ted Lomicka joins us from Franklin, Tennessee to tell the story of completing the Triple Maui Nui, a nonstop three channel swim from Lanai to Maui to Molokai and back again. Ted describes starting in a thunderstorm, navigating bioluminescent “stars” below when clouds hide the real ones, then faci...
Ray Zahab didn’t grow up as the unstoppable endurance athlete people imagine when they hear “ultramarathoner” and “explorer.” He describes starting over around age 30, quitting a pack-a-day smoking habit, and following his younger brother into the outdoors until movement turned into purpose. That path eventually leads to one of the most jaw-dropping feats in endurance sports: running th...
We sit down with Ultraman Australia’s 2026 champions, Mark Thomson and Nat Dodd, to unpack how they manage 515 kilometers across three days in Noosa with calm pacing, tight recovery routines, and crews that never miss a beat.
Mark Thomson joins from New Zealand’s Coromandel Peninsula and breaks down how a first-time Ultraman athlete paces like a veteran: conservative swimming, steady biking by fe...
515 kilometers can sound like a number. In Noosa, it turns into three days of decisions: how you fuel a 10 km ocean swim, how you survive a 276 km bike loop through the Sunshine Coast hinterland, and how you keep moving when the double marathon starts to ask harder questions than your training ever did.
We’re joined by Ultraman Australia race director Jeff Morris and KOA endurance coach and event MC Tim...
In this episode, we travel to Ubatuba, Brazil, to catch up with Alex Luna, one of the driving forces behind the UB515 ultra triathlon. As the race enters its 13th year, Alex shares the origin story of how a small group of legends—including Alexandre Ribeiro and Corey Folk—brought the Ultraman distance to Brazil. We dive deep into the "Aloha" spirit that defines the event and discuss the logistical and em...
You can learn a lot about an endurance athlete by what they avoid, and Brittney Litton avoids swimming. Then she signs up for Ultraman anyway, including a 10K swim, back-to-back monster bike days, and a double-marathon finish. Brittney joins us from New Zealand to talk about life as a working mom of two, a self-described “average” athlete with an anything-but-average appetite for big goals -- including w...
Start with a last-minute sprint tri in footy shorts and end with a finish line that feels like family—that’s the arc of Peter “Huddo” Hudson. We sit down with the four-time 515 finisher, personal trainer, and stalwart of the UM Australia Dream Team to unpack how a brutal first swim, a life-changing crash in Hawaii, and years of volunteering forged a deeper reason to race. What emerges is a ra...
A flipped boat, a blinking EPIRB, and a helicopter descent into a sunset—Matt O’Brien’s life pivot starts there. From mining shifts and weekend benders to air rescue work, and a growing list of endurance adventures; Matt’s story is a blueprint for rebuilding a life around endurance and purpose.
We unpack how he cracked into rescue aviation by cold-messaging mentors on LinkedIn, tackled a fitne...
A world record in 225 hours. Stitches on a gym floor. A typhoon, a temple, and a white bucket that might save your race. I sat down with IUTA Hall of Famer, Shanda Hill, to unpack the mindset, methods, and meaning behind one of the most audacious ultra tri careers ever—and the moment she chose health over history.
Shanda breaks down the true shape of a DECA continuous: 10x Iron distance where the clock ...
A champion’s story doesn’t start at the finish line. Fresh off winning Ultraman Hawaii, Max Kniazev opens up about rebuilding from a collarbone ligament rupture, balancing newborn-dad life, and crafting a pragmatic plan to race smarter in heat and wind. We get into the mechanics of durability: how a naturally low heart rate at high power shapes his ultra identity, why shorter cranks opened his hip and cu...
What does it take to chase Ultraman while working 12-hour shifts in emergency care? We sit down with Erica Riley—critical care nurse, coach, and multi-time ultradistance triathlete—to unpack the systems, habits, and mindset that make high performance sustainable in a busy life. From 3 a.m. Zwift rides to meticulous time boxing, she shows exactly how to build consistency without sacrificing your hea...
What if the most important finish line has nothing to do with a podium? We sit down with Romanian ultra-triathlete Marius Butuc, a self-taught swimmer who learned by watching the next lane and never stopped moving forward. From the Ironman icons of Europe to the brutal circuits of ultra-triathlon, Marius shows how resilience, curiosity, and honest self-assessment can take you places training plans can’t.
Season eight is on the start line, and we’re bringing bigger stories, sharper coverage, and more ways to take you inside the 515 world. After 105 episodes reaching listeners in thousands of cities across 142 countries, we’re doubling down on what makes this community special: honest conversations, race-day grit, and the people who keep showing up when the course gets long and the hours get weird.
...
A champion crowned, then stripped. A director ousted. A brand reorganized. We trace the real timeline behind the Ultraman Florida shake-up—starting with a handlebar-mounted, voice-activated camera and ending with revoked licenses, refund confusion, and a newly relaunched qualifier under different leadership. As hosts who’ve watched this community grow, we unpack the roles of Ohana Loa, Sheryl and Dave Co...
The countdown to Ultraman Mexico is on—and the mountains are calling. We sit down with race director and former teenage Ultraman finisher, Van Sanchez, to map out exactly what athletes and crews will face across three days at altitude in Zacatecas. From a 10-loop open-water swim to a punchy run that climbs late and drops into a party finish.
The field is stacked and global: Mexico, the United States, Spa...
News of the UM brand's expansion into New Zealand broke earlier this year during the UM Australia Livestream event, hosted by 515. Remarkably, the new event sold out immediately—even before athletes knew any details about the course. To share how Wanaka was chosen as the host site and fill in the details, I'm joined by Race Director Jeff Morris.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
- UM Australia
- UM New Zealand
- ...
The decision to change often comes at our lowest moments. For Acyr Da Luz, it wasn't a missed promotion that defined him—it was his response to it. "I'm going to change myself," he declared, setting in motion a transformation from 120kg corporate executive to four-time Ultraman competitor.
What distinguishes Acyr's story is how he integrated family into his endurance journey. His young daughter biked alongside ...
Get ready to be inspired! On today's show, we're diving deep with Shane Kent, the 2021 UM Australia champion, who's about to take on a challenge often called 'The toughest triathlon in the world': Arch to Arc. You'll hear how Shane's triathlon career began with a bike found on the side of the road and propelled him through the 515 distance, all leading up to this monumental endeavor.
We break down Arch to Arc's...
Get ready for an inspiring conversation with Mary and Randy Latza! Hailing from Pennsburg, Pennsylvania, this power couple has an astonishing 32 Ultraman events under their belts either racing or crewing.
They'll share invaluable lessons and heartwarming stories of the friendships they've built as part of "Rat Pack 2.0." But their racing doesn't stop there—Mary and Randy are also gearing up for the Ironma...
Join us for an inspiring conversation with John Domandl, whose triathlon career spans over 40 years and includes more than 150 events, along with four World Championships. In 1988, John proudly represented Australia at the Seoul Paralympics.
We caught up with him right after his second time competing at Ultraman Australia 2025, where he experienced quite the adventure in Noosa! Hear all about the ups and downs ...
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