515 : The Ultra Podcast
The best part of attending a 515km / Ultraman distance event is the life-long friendships you leave with. These events attract remarkable athletes from all walks of life and all corners of the globe. 515 : The Ultra Podcast invites you into the lives of these people who make up the Ultra family through conversations hosted by Larry Ryan. Join us if you are an Ironman with an aspiration toward the 515km distance; if you are a seasoned veteran of Ultratriathlon; or you just want to fill your training hours listening to inspiring stories, about epic events, told by interesting people. There will be plenty of take-aways for your own training and/or your 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
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, Spain, Colombia,...
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 Zeala...
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...
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....
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 fo...
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 of thos...
The 2025 UM Australia created a star in the man who was behind the camera for the Live stream. Beñat Oliveira is a former competitor from 2023 who returned to help out the Dream Team make more dreams come true.
He joins me to talk about that experience and why he has returned to the Basque region from Sydney. Spoiler: Triathlon. His current job has him advising the New South Wales Department of Health in ...
UM Australia 2025 celebrated the 10th anniversary of the event this year. We were a part of it by creating a Live Stream of all 36 hours. In this episode we speak to the champions of 2025, Tim Belstead and Kirsty Sheehan to hear about how the race unfolded for each of them.
In the final segment, Jeff Morris, the UM race director shares his experiences from this year and a little information about a new race UM New Ze...
UM Australia race director, Jeff Morris, joins me to present the field 41 athletes who are toeing the line of the 10th anniversary race. Trying to highlight this many athletes is tough work, so we also recruited the knowledge of the race announcer, Tim Franklin.
In addition to finding out about the athletes, we discuss parts of the course and what the first ever Live Stream event will entail. Use the link belo...
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 th...
Part one of this episode is a Ultraman Florida recap. First, I am joined by the youngest ever competitor to complete Ultraman Florida, Jacob Beldick. Followed by the newest 60-69 age group world record holder, Dougin Walker. Both athletes share their stories about the 2025 race. One is told from the front of the field and the other from the rear, but they both had amazing experiences.
In part two, I have an Ultraman...
Billy RIckards is a veteran 515 racer that helps others to get to the finish line as an amazing crew person. He lives Aloha, Ohana, Kokua within the Ultra Fam. As a person who has chosen to call Hawaii home; it only makes sense that he has a strong connection to the island values.
Do you like dolphins? Then you have even one more reason to tune in to this episode.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
- Dol...
Jen McVeay joins me in this episode to preview the field of athletes toeing the line at 2025 Ultraman Florida, February 14-16th. We are joined by to 2 time Ultraman Champion Steve Keller.
Steve offers the perspective of previous champion, current athlete, and current coach. Steve has embarked on a special journey that he reveals in our conversation. First to Five Youtube Page : https://youtube.com/@firsttofive?si=Vr...
On today's episode of 515 The Ultra Podcast, we're joined by a true legend. Bob Babbitt is the voice behind one of the most celebrated radio programs and podcasts in endurance sports – Competitor Radio and Breakfast with Bob.
He is also a visionary community builder as a co-founder of Competitor Magazine and the Challenged Athletes Foundation.
His impact on the sport is undeniable, earning him inductions into...
This episode has a number of past guests rejoining the podcast to discuss the 2024 Ultraman World Championships. First up are two of the four people who were inducted into the Ultraman Hall of Fame at this year's Thanksgiving breakfast. Gary Wang, who is a 20 time consecutive UMWC finisher, and Steve King (the voice of Ultraman).
I also check in with the two winners of the event. The men’s champion, Juan Bautis...
Happy Thanksgiving USA!
When Thanksgiving rolls around 515 athletes know that it is time for the Ultraman World Championships.
In this episode I speak with two athletes who will be competing in this year’s race.
Mark Moody is an EMT from Bellevue Washington who holds the 60+ age group record at Ultraman Canada. He has crewed numerous times at 515 races around the world and is now ready for his own adventure on the islan...
Jen Annett drops by to speak about her recent record setting 515 race in Canada and preparations to take on the Ultraman World Championships at the end of the month.
Jen has not had the best luck when racing as a pro at the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii, but this time she has the backing of her entire community and she is ready for the challenge.
She also shares her Precision nutrition plan for ra...
The Ultraman World Championships are coming next month. But today’s show has nine former World Champions telling stories about their experiences in Kona and about the lead up to the big race. It is just what you need to start getting excited or to take a trip down memory lane.
In coming episodes, listen for some conversations with 2024 Hawaii athletes.
You can go to my podcast website with the f...
Gerard Charlton has had a pre Ultraman sporting career and post Ultraman sporting career.
Like most athletes, pre Ultraman, Gerard was all about racing Ironman in Penticton (11 times) and just trying to get a little faster. In 2005, with some prodding from Steve King, Gerard took on Ultraman Canada. At that time in his life, his sports became more about meeting the challenge and doing it for a greater good. These ch...
Retired Lieutenant-Colonel, Anthony O’Keeffe, member of the 2003 Canadian Armed Forces Sports Hall of Fame, joins me to discuss his sporting career. A career that includes 33 Ironmans, 9 Ultraman Hawaii races, and 3 solo RAAM races.
Tony shares many tips on how to race these events based on the mistakes that he endured and the successes that he achieved. We discuss his career in the Canadian Armed Forces and how t...
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