Ageless Athlete - Longevity Insights From Adventure Sports Legends

Last week in Part I, we began our journey with legendary alpinist Jim Donini — exploring his surprise cancer diagnosis, his early days in Yosemite, and the philosophy that has defined his career: “Getting to the top is optional. Getting back down is mandatory.”

In this second part of our conversation, we turn from the mountains themselves to the human side of Jim’s story. At 82, Jim reflects on:

• The partnerships that shaped his g...

For more than five decades, Jim Donini has defined what it means to be an alpinist. Not by chasing the tallest mountains or summit glory, but by seeking out the hardest lines in the world’s most remote ranges — places where storms, hunger, and survival itself are never guaranteed.

Now at 82, Jim is still climbing, still dreaming, and still teaching us what resilience looks like. In this first of a two-part conversation, he opens up ...

At age 49, Susan Marie Conrad paddled 1,200 miles—alone—through the remote, storm-swept waters of the Alaskan Inside Passage.
Twelve years later, at 61, she went back and did it again.

In this powerful conversation, Susan shares what it means to return—not just to the same wild coastline, but as a different person. We unpack what changes when you chase something bold later in life, how nature reshapes your mindset, and what hap...

At 65, Judi Oyama is still lining up at the start gate — not in a “Masters” category, but shoulder-to-shoulder with athletes half, or even a quarter her age. She’s a World Champion slalom skateboarder, a Guiness record holder, a Hall of Fame inductee, and a pioneer who’s been breaking barriers since she first picked up a board in Santa Cruz in the early 1970s.

Back then, women’s divisions barely existed. Prize money was unequal. Med...

Physiotherapist, coach, and lifelong climber Andy McVittie is back for the final chapter of our three-part deep dive into aging well, moving well, and living without fear of injury.

If you haven’t listened to Part I (The Movement Optimist: Knees, Shoulders, Elbows, Hips, Bulletproof Yourself! Never Late to Get Strong!) or Part II (Aging Joints & Grateful Bodies: Elbows, Fingers, Sleep, and the Stories We Tell Ourselves), I highl...

Every few months, I pause to reflect on the conversations that left a mark—ones I keep thinking about long after the recording stops. This episode is a curated collection of those moments from Spring 2025.

You’ll hear stories that go beyond performance. These are reflections on resilience, identity, aging, and the human drive to keep exploring what’s possible—physically and emotionally.

In this episode:

• Sarah Thomas reflects on ch...

In Part II of our deep conversation, Andy Donaldson takes us into the heart of open water swimming—where the body aches, the mind wanders, and sometimes… things go wrong.

We pick up the story after his return to the sport. But this time, it's different. Andy isn’t chasing medals—he’s chasing meaning. And the path leads him through shark-infested waters, swollen throats, and swims so long and cold they push his body toward shutd...

What does it take to walk away from something you’ve trained for your entire life… and then find your way back — stronger, wiser, and with a whole new purpose?

In this two-part conversation, we sit down with world-record-holding swimmer Andy Donaldson. But Part One isn’t about records. It’s about the reset — the season of burnout, career shifts, mental struggle, and the slow, imperfect process of coming home to yourself.

Andy was onc...

Seb Berthe isn't your average elite climber. He doesn’t just send 5.14s—he sails to them. Literally. When he set his sights on the Dawn Wall—the hardest big wall climb in the world—he refused to fly, instead making three ocean crossings by sailboat, living simply and training creatively along the way.

In this deep and wide-ranging conversation, we talk about:

• Why how you chase a goal matters as much as what the goal is
• How li...

What happens when your life as an elite athlete is stripped away—and you’re forced to rebuild, not just your body, but your identity?

In this powerful and personal episode, we sit down with Jamie Whitmore—a world-class endurance athlete whose story is less about podiums and more about persistence.

Jamie was once one of the most dominant XTERRA racers in the world—winning races across continents, climbing mountains on her bike, and ch...

What does it take to climb your hardest route at 50—and then hold the rope while someone else pushes that same line even further?

For Neil Gresham, that moment came on Lexicon, a bold and beautiful E11 route he developed and climbed later in life. In this conversation, Neil shares the full story—from discovering the line in the Lake District to the deep personal shift that allowed him to reach a new peak, years after he thought he’d...

Wendy Fisher was once one of the fastest women on skis. A U.S. Ski Team racer and 1992 Olympian, she seemed destined for a long career in elite competition. But by her early 20s, she was burned out, struggling with identity and disordered eating, and quietly unraveling inside a system that prized performance over well-being.

This could’ve been the end of her story. Instead, it became the beginning of a much more human one.

In this ep...

What does it mean to stay bold — not in your 20s or 30s, but in your 70s? What does it take to trust your body, your judgment, and your preparation when the stakes are high — and there’s no one left to impress but yourself?

In this episode of Ageless Athlete, we meet Rob Matheson, a climber who recently completed one of the UK’s most legendary and serious routes: The Bells, The Bells!, a bold sea cliff climb in North Wales known for...

“I call my age group the 70 to death—and we show up early, because we still can. If you want to feel young, hang out with people chasing PRs, not prescriptions.”

Bob Babbitt has raced more than 300 triathlons, co-founded Competitor magazine, helped popularize the Rock ’n’ Roll Marathon Series, and has spent decades spotlighting athletes of all abilities through storytelling.

At 73, he’s still training, still racing, and still waking ...

At midnight, Sarah Thomas stepped off the coast of England into darkness—swimming into history as the first person to complete a four-way crossing of the English Channel, nonstop. That alone would be astonishing. But what makes her story unforgettable is what came before: a breast cancer diagnosis, grueling treatment, and the slow, painful journey of rebuilding trust in a body that no longer felt like hers.

In this powerful episode,...

What if your best climbing wasn’t behind you—even at 65?

This episode is a masterclass in longevity, discipline, and duality. Our guest is a rare figure who has spent decades pushing hard at the edge of two very different worlds: as a tenured philosophy professor and a lifelong climber still sending 5.14s.

Bill Ramsey started climbing before sport climbing existed. He trained on treadwalls before they were popular. And today, he stil...

In this episode of Ageless Athlete, we dive into the metabolic engine room with Dr. Brianna Stubbs—world-class endurance athlete and leading researcher at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging. Brianna bridges the worlds of elite performance and cutting-edge science, specializing in how ketones, fasting, and metabolic flexibility can shape our ability to recover, sustain energy, and age well.

This isn’t about dieting fads or silv...

Bob Becker didn’t start running until his 50s.

Today, at 80, he’s tackling some of the most brutal ultramarathons on the planet—100+ mile races across deserts, through mountains, and far beyond what most of us think is possible.

But this isn’t just a story about age-defying endurance. It’s about meaning, resilience, and the unexpected ways we impact others. In one unforgettable moment, Bob recalls finishing a race just past the cutof...

What does it take to paddle into 50-foot waves — and to paddle back out again after life knocks you down?

In this wide-ranging conversation, professional big wave surfer Bianca Valenti joins the Ageless Athlete podcast to talk about what it really means to face fear, rebuild after burnout, and commit to something bigger than yourself.

Bianca is best known for:

• 🌊 Being one of the world’s top female big wave surfers
• 🏄‍♀️ Competing ...