A master-class in personal and professional development, ultra-athlete, wellness evangelist and bestselling author Rich Roll delves deep with the world's brightest and most thought provoking thought leaders to educate, inspire and empower you to unleash your best, most authentic self. More at: https://richroll.com See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Mel Urie On Conquering The Impossible: How To Live A 'No Excuse' Life
“The only limits to human capability are those we impose on ourselves.”
Mel Urie
Over the last few months, I've had the privilege of hosting conversations with an impressive litany of powerhouse women breaking paradigms across a wide swath of disciplines.
Mel Urie has more than earned her spot amongst these powerful boundary crushers. And I for one am here to celebrate her.
Devoted listeners will recall Mel’s first appearance on the show (along with fellow endurance fiend Danielle Grabol) a little over a year ago (RRP 421) wherein these two badass athletes discussed becoming the first two females to ever complete EPIC5 — a race I helped pioneer that involves completing 5 Ironmans on the 5 Hawaiian Islands in just 5 days.
But then Mel had to go and just completely outdo herself (and embarrass the rest of us) by becoming the first female to not only attempt but to actually complete the fatally absurd ultra-endurance fever dream known as Uberman -- a 556-mile self-supported freak fest Outside magazine dubbed “The World’s Hardest Endurance Race”.
Kicking off with a brutal 21-mile swim from the island of Catalina to the Southern California mainland -- a feat most swimmers can only dream of accomplishing -- athletes then endure a 2-day, 400-mile bike ride from Los Angeles to the edge of a barren desert, climbing 20,000-feet before descending into Badwater Basin, the hottest and lowest point in North America.
Ready to kick up your feet and crack a cold one? Not so fast. The celebration comes only after lacing up the running shoes and facing down the Badwater 135 course. Considered the world's most difficult footrace, it entails a quick 135-mile run across Death Valley and up a good portion of Mt. Whitney.
Mel didn’t just survive this endeavor. She absolutely crushed it, completing the course in stunning fashion under 136 hours.
This is a conversation about Uberman of course — why Mel wanted it, what happened and what she learned doing it.
But more than anything, this is a master class on mental toughness.
It’s about putting limiting beliefs in the grave.
And it’s about what it means to live a 'No Excuse' life.
This conversation isn’t just for women. And it’s not just for athletes or those interested in exploring the world of mind-bending endurance sports.
This one is for anyone and everyone looking to break the glass ceiling on human potential.
The visually inclined can watch it all go down on YouTube. And as always, the audio version streams wild and free on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
This stubbornly courageous woman deserves far more credit for her accomplishments than the media has delivered to date. I feel an obligation to change that.
May her testimony leave you inspired to finally put your excuses in the rearview. Because the time is now to create the aspirational life you deserve.
Peace + Plants,
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Note: One of the best ways to support the podcast is to support the sponsors. For a complete list of all RRP sponsors and their respective vanity URL's and discount codes, visit my Resources page and click "Sponsors".
SHOW NOTES
- Connect with Mel: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Strava
- Uberman: uberman1.com
- Outside: The World's Hardest Endurance Race
- ABC Australia: Melbourne nurse becomes first woman to complete 895km UberMan Ultra-Triathlon
- Triathlete AU: Mel Urie – Simply Epic
Related Podcasts You Might Enjoy:
- RRP #421: The Queens Of EPIC5: Danielle Grabol & Melissa Urie On Girl Power Grit
- RRP #149: The Iron Cowboy’s Assault On Impossible
- RRP #166: The Iron Cowboy Did It!
- RRP #037: Hillary Biscay: 60 Ironmans And Counting
- RRP #311: Ultra-Athlete Samantha Gash On Suffering For Your Passion
Thanks to Jason Camiolo for production, audio engineering and show notes; Margo Lubin and Blake Curtis for video, editing and graphics; portraits by Ali Rogers; and theme music by Ana Leimma.
*Disclosure: Books and products denoted with an asterisk are hyperlinked to an affiliate program. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
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