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Episode 3: Friendship, Swimrun & a Race in the Making - Team BTB
66 Plays2 months ago
Welcome to episode 3 the WILD Onez Podcast! In this episode we’re sitting down with our swimrun friends Carolyn & Leah — a duo whose friendship has been forged through sailing, endurance sports, and plenty of wild adventures.
We dive into their swimrun origin story, how they found the sport, and how their long-time friendship naturally turned into racing together. But that’s not all — they’ve got some big news to share!
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Transcript
Intro
Introduction and Guest Endurance Journeys
00:03:37
WILD ONEZ
Okay, awesome, guys. Well, welcome to the podcast. Thank you for joining us today. so to get started, what we typically do is we want to ask, like, where your endurance journeys started, kind of individually first, and then also your journey, like your swim run journey as a team.
00:03:58
WILD ONEZ
So whoever wants to go first.
00:04:00
Team BTB
Go ahead. Sure. I'll start.
00:04:02
WILD ONEZ
Okay.
00:04:04
Team BTB
Endurance stuff started with triathlon stuff years ago.
00:04:10
WILD ONEZ
Nice.
00:04:11
Team BTB
Someone suggested that I sign up for a half Ironman. And I was riding my bike a lot at the time. And I was like, oh, yeah, that shouldn't be a problem.
00:04:24
Team BTB
And so I did that and just about died.
00:04:24
WILD ONEZ
Okay.
00:04:28
Team BTB
yes And then, of course, just like others, like two years later, i was like, oh, let me just sign up for this full Ironman thing. What could go wrong?
00:04:39
Viv
Nice.
00:04:41
Team BTB
i did that for a year. ended up doing that for a couple years. And that's about the time that we started, like, hanging out skiing. Yeah, that's about the time. Because you would come back from Lake Placid and we're back, yeah. so So that's where I started is the endurance side of stuff. I was never endurance focused growing up whatsoever. It was always like sprint, done.
00:05:07
WILD ONEZ
Did you play sports growing up?
00:05:09
Team BTB
Yeah, I played like soccer, softball. I s skied a lot, but it was all like like quick stuff. I hate it hated running.
00:05:18
Viv
I get that. I feel that very much my core.
00:05:19
WILD ONEZ
Same.
00:05:21
Viv
Yes.
00:05:24
WILD ONEZ
Nice.
00:05:25
Team BTB
So I did not play sports at all growing up.
00:05:25
WILD ONEZ
in
00:05:28
Team BTB
I was a band nerd My family is very anti-athletic. Like my parents are not athletic at all. And then i had a baby and was like, I need to do something to get back to like some kind of being able to move.
00:05:46
Team BTB
So local YMCA offered free childcare and I was like, cool, I've always liked to swim. i'm going to start swimming. And I swam like four laps and almost died. But they had free childcare.
00:05:57
Team BTB
So I kept coming back because I needed like a break from all of the things and then eventually started running and signed up, moved.
00:06:08
Viv
Thank you.
00:06:08
Team BTB
My husband moved for his job. So we followed him down to Corning and that's a very running centered community. They host a wine glass marathon, half marathon. So some friends said, Hey, you should, it's, uh, it is in early October and it's beautiful course.
00:06:19
WILD ONEZ
What is that?
00:06:25
WILD ONEZ
Right?
00:06:25
Team BTB
It's fantastic. It's a really nice race, but they said, you should sign up for the half marathon. I said, you're crazy, but I did it anyway, because I was very new to the community and I wanted to make friends.
00:06:36
Team BTB
And so were like, we're going to train for this together. And I was like, all right, so what's the worst that can happen? And then, it just escalated from there.
00:06:44
WILD ONEZ
As it
Trail Events and Swimrun Adventures
00:06:45
WILD ONEZ
does with endurance sports.
00:06:47
Viv
That's the best way of, I'm going to want to fit in, so I'm going sign up for a half marathon.
00:06:52
Team BTB
and then it escalated to, well, you should do a marathon and yeah, it, yeah. It escalated from there.
00:06:58
WILD ONEZ
it
00:06:59
Team BTB
Then I actually heard, i was listening to... No, even before the swim run stuff, because we went to Utah. Oh, we yeah, we went to Utah and did a three-day trail fest. We had just started, we knew each other for a long time, but we just started skiing together.
00:07:14
Team BTB
And we're going up the lift, it was her and I on the lift, and our husband's on the lift ahead of us. and we're going up the lift, she's like, you know, have you been doing, da-da-da.
00:07:26
Team BTB
And I'm like, well, I just signed up for this three-day running or event in Utah. And she's like, that sounds really cool. I'm like, well, you should sign up for it. She's like, okay.
00:07:37
Viv
Naturally, right?
00:07:38
WILD ONEZ
honest
00:07:38
Viv
Yeah, of course.
00:07:39
WILD ONEZ
Yeah.
00:07:39
Team BTB
Peer pressure does a lot of great things yeah for this. And then I was listening to a podcast.
00:07:43
WILD ONEZ
Is that?
00:07:45
Team BTB
I was listening to the Another Mother Runner podcast. Yeah. Years ago, Dimity had done Casco, the short course in Casco.
00:07:56
WILD ONEZ
though
00:07:56
Team BTB
as So she had talked about, like, training for that and how cool it was and what it is.
00:07:57
Viv
Okay.
00:08:00
Team BTB
And I was like, we got to do this. but I was still doing tries at that point. It took like, two years to wear her down. was like, we got to do this. And she's like, no, but the bike. And I was like, no, we got to do this. And I was like, but... So I said, just give me one.
00:08:16
Team BTB
and we did North Carolina. and then... That was That was... That hooked. Yeah, that was it. Like climbing up waterfalls and all of it.
00:08:24
Viv
Oh, yes.
00:08:25
Team BTB
yeah I was like, oh, we're definitely, this is it. This is what we're doing.
00:08:29
WILD ONEZ
So you guys did NC for your first swim run together.
00:08:33
Team BTB
yes
00:08:34
WILD ONEZ
oh I love that. I love that race. I'm i'm so sad.
00:08:36
Viv
Oh, that's a race near and yeah near and dear to Sarah and I's heart.
00:08:37
WILD ONEZ
It's gone. Yeah.
00:08:40
Viv
We definitely miss the fact that it's no longer no longer in existence, but it is such a cool race. Like, what other race you literally go and climb waterfalls?
00:08:51
WILD ONEZ
Literally climb waterfalls.
00:08:52
Team BTB
A waterfall. Yeah.
00:08:54
WILD ONEZ
Yeah.
00:08:55
WILD ONEZ
What year was that?
00:08:56
Team BTB
yeah.
00:08:58
Team BTB
It was 20 18 or 19. It was before COVID.
00:09:05
WILD ONEZ
Okay.
00:09:06
Team BTB
Yeah. I think it was probably 2019 and then we signed up for 2020 and that didn't happen.
00:09:11
Viv
Yeah.
00:09:13
WILD ONEZ
So you guys have been swim running for a team now for like seven years, seven years.
00:09:13
Team BTB
the
00:09:19
Team BTB
seven years. Yeah. Yeah.
00:09:21
WILD ONEZ
That's amazing.
00:09:22
Viv
That's awesome. and How long have you guys known each other outside of just in life, I guess?
00:09:29
Team BTB
How old were you when you started sailing? I think I was 12. Yeah. So plus years. I was 12.
00:09:38
Viv
Awesome.
00:09:38
WILD ONEZ
Yeah.
00:09:38
WILD ONEZ
I love that about guys.
00:09:38
Viv
That is so cool.
00:09:39
WILD ONEZ
Wait, how long did it take you guys to get the shared team credit card?
00:09:46
Viv
Oh my gosh. I forgot about this. This is legendary. This is epic. I think this is like
00:09:50
WILD ONEZ
So smart.
00:09:51
Viv
This is so smart. This is incredible. I think Sarah and I will eventually get one of these together.
00:09:57
Team BTB
I think it's been like two or three years, something in me, like I was done doing math and it was like, she was like, you owe me this and this and this for this. And i was like, but you owe me this and this and this for this. And finally I was like, i'm done. Like I i get it. done I get like a random text. What is your social security number?
00:10:14
Viv
That's not sketchy at all, right? That's totally normal to be asking for.
00:10:19
Team BTB
I'm done. I'm done with all of the math. And so if she actually responded and didn't ask any questions. like
Organizing Races and Community Involvement
00:10:28
Team BTB
Then it was like, wait, why? by the way.
00:10:30
Team BTB
Credit
00:10:30
Viv
That's incredible.
00:10:31
WILD ONEZ
That's awesome.
00:10:31
Viv
that's That's true trust in your teammate and friend right there.
00:10:33
Team BTB
card room.
00:10:36
Viv
What's your social? Here you go. Whatever. by the way, I signed us up for three more races.
00:10:43
WILD ONEZ
I'm on the team credit card, so you'll see the statement and you'll understand.
00:10:49
Team BTB
Well, even when it showed up, it showed up at her house and, you know, she opens it up, there's two credit cards in there and her husband's there. He's like, oh, did you get a new credit card for us? some No.
00:11:01
Viv
No, not us. Different us.
00:11:05
WILD ONEZ
Oh, I love that so much. It's such a useful tool.
00:11:10
Viv
That's incredible.
00:11:11
Team BTB
all mathematical equations of just...
00:11:13
WILD ONEZ
Seriously. Yeah.
00:11:15
Viv
You're like, you pay your half, I'll pay my half, whatever.
00:11:15
WILD ONEZ
Makes sense.
00:11:17
Team BTB
Yeah. I paid half, you pay half.
00:11:20
WILD ONEZ
There you go
00:11:21
Team BTB
There's no thought process.
00:11:22
Viv
love that.
00:11:23
WILD ONEZ
Love it. Just slide the card and take care of the rest later.
00:11:26
Viv
This
00:11:26
Team BTB
It does.
00:11:27
Viv
Does the card also have Team BTB as the name?
00:11:31
Team BTB
does I don't think it does. No,
00:11:32
Viv
Oh, Miss Opportunity.
00:11:33
WILD ONEZ
Wait, do you guys have custom? Is it customized, like, with the photo on the?
00:11:37
Team BTB
know but we should. should like Those are our future goals. Future 2026 goals.
00:11:44
WILD ONEZ
Love it.
00:11:48
WILD ONEZ
you guys have a favorite race to, like, up to up to date?
00:11:48
Viv
love it.
00:11:54
WILD ONEZ
think
00:11:55
Team BTB
I think Orcas. I think Orcas was pretty cool. Orcas.
00:11:59
WILD ONEZ
that's where I met you guys.
00:12:00
Team BTB
Yeah. Both of you.
00:12:01
WILD ONEZ
Yeah.
00:12:02
Viv
Yeah, 2021.
00:12:02
Team BTB
Yeah.
00:12:02
WILD ONEZ
Yeah.
00:12:03
Team BTB
Yeah. i think Matt was getting like, Matt was getting meta off the island, I think is where I met Viv.
00:12:06
Viv
Oh, that was so nice.
00:12:12
Team BTB
Like,
00:12:13
WILD ONEZ
I thought we met the year before.
00:12:13
Viv
Yeah.
00:12:16
Team BTB
we've only done Orcas once. We've only done Orcas once.
00:12:18
Viv
Yeah, I think I met in, was it 22?
00:12:18
WILD ONEZ
okay.
00:12:18
WILD ONEZ
yeah That is when we met.
00:12:21
Viv
We all did that one and Matt was, we will eventually have to talk to Matt about that story because he's, he's,
00:12:23
Team BTB
That was, yeah.
00:12:23
WILD ONEZ
I think so.
00:12:24
Team BTB
yeah yeah
00:12:24
WILD ONEZ
Are
00:12:29
Viv
the ultimate supporter, Matt Bush. He is, he is awesome. And that definitely trauma bonded a lot of us for sure.
00:12:36
Team BTB
No,
00:12:37
Viv
it was definitely one for the books that year.
00:12:41
WILD ONEZ
are you
00:12:42
WILD ONEZ
Are you guys going to Orga's this year?
00:12:42
Viv
That was wild.
00:12:44
Team BTB
because it's too early. The timing is not...
00:12:47
Viv
Oh, school stuff like that.
00:12:48
Team BTB
okay we yeah yeahers no We have a a Sailor's Memorial service that weekend. and
00:12:55
WILD ONEZ
Okay.
00:12:55
Viv
Okay.
00:12:55
Viv
Okay.
00:12:55
WILD ONEZ
Because Matt and Amy will be doing that one year, which I was, yeah, so stoked about that.
00:12:57
Team BTB
We know. to
00:13:01
WILD ONEZ
What a comeback.
00:13:03
Viv
I know.
00:13:03
WILD ONEZ
But, yeah.
00:13:04
Viv
Yeah. You guys' orcas comeback is planned for probably 27 or 28. So I can't wait for you guys.
00:13:09
Team BTB
got to go. Yeah. yeah yes
00:13:11
WILD ONEZ
Yeah.
00:13:12
Team BTB
It'll be easier.
00:13:13
Viv
Mine too.
00:13:13
Team BTB
I already have two trips to the West Coast planned this year, so it's like, that's a lot of That's a lot.
00:13:19
Viv
Yeah.
00:13:20
Team BTB
but
00:13:20
Viv
like Going coast to coast takes a lot of time. Going from New York especially to all the way.
00:13:24
Team BTB
Yeah.
00:13:27
Team BTB
Yeah.
00:13:28
Viv
have to plan a whole other day.
00:13:31
WILD ONEZ
Awesome.
00:13:31
Viv
On top of that.
00:13:32
WILD ONEZ
Well, I hear there is a new race in Seneca Lake this this summer. Do you guys did it last year?
00:13:40
Team BTB
We did it last year. we just we did a kind of a soft
00:13:45
WILD ONEZ
Okay.
00:13:45
Team BTB
soft Soft opening last year. We did run the race officially, but we didn't advertise or promote it too much just because we wanted to make sure we could pull it off without 100 plus people there.
00:13:56
WILD ONEZ
Yeah.
00:14:00
Team BTB
If it was good i mean we were going to go up in a ball of flames, we didn't want everybody to witness our demise.
00:14:04
WILD ONEZ
That was smart. That was smart. And so coming into this summer now, you guys are ready to kind of...
00:14:12
Team BTB
So now, yeah, now we're ready to, we've figured it out. We did it. It's, I live, I know Sarah's been here. I live at a very small village on the west side of the Finger Lakes where the population is 300-ish.
00:14:27
WILD ONEZ
It's a charming town. Highly recommend.
00:14:30
Viv
Oh, it's beautiful. I love that region. i
00:14:32
Team BTB
It is a very small village and they have a public beach. And I went in and said, I want to do this race. We originally were going to plan it at the North end of the lake and they wanted insane amounts of money for permits, like an insane amounts of lifeguards, like one lifeguard, every hundred yards.
00:14:51
Team BTB
a
00:14:52
Viv
Wow.
00:14:52
Team BTB
So the water was but even
00:14:54
WILD ONEZ
know what swimrunners yet.
00:14:55
Viv
Yeah, know.
00:14:57
Team BTB
three feet deep. And at any point you could have just stood up. like Yeah. And so we said, that's not going to work. And so I went to my village and I said, I want to do this. And she was like, cool, I'll put it on the calendar.
00:15:08
Team BTB
i was like, what do you want for a permit fee? She's like, no, I'm just writing it on the calendar. Leah wants the beach. And that's like kind of how that, that, how that happens.
00:15:15
Viv
That's incredible.
00:15:17
Team BTB
I need like permits or something. She's like, nol no, no. So we've got a nice little cove in Seneca Lake that gives us some swim areas. And it's very, i would say a very different race than like an Otillo or a North Carolina, uh, in that there's more pavement running. There is some trail.
00:15:38
Team BTB
but it's very, it's rail trail. It's very flat. very. Oh, we found that new hill. We did find a new hill. They did. They put, they put in a new offsuit offshoot trail.
00:15:47
Team BTB
So we did find a new hill.
00:15:48
Viv
Oh, nice.
00:15:49
WILD ONEZ
Oh, fine. Will that be added to the course? Yeah.
00:15:51
Team BTB
I hope we added to the course this year. but it's, so it's, it's a little different than, you know,
00:15:53
Viv
Nice.
00:15:58
Team BTB
you know the pure nature ones, but there's some good point to point swimming.
00:16:02
Viv
Nice.
00:16:02
Team BTB
there's 1200 yard point to point swim. There's a 700 yard point to point swim. And it can be in, and if it's windy, you know, this lake is a big lake where you can, you get, so you know, serious waves.
00:16:11
Viv
Oh, yeah.
00:16:12
WILD ONEZ
yeah
00:16:14
Team BTB
So, can be a little bit challenging, but the nice part about the swimming is it is all on the shore. And at any given point, you really, if you're,
00:16:25
Team BTB
you really can just stand up. You can swim to somebody's dock. If you're nervous, you can two strokes, you can swim to somebody's dock and you're like standing up.
00:16:33
Viv
You're going to be just fine.
00:16:35
Team BTB
You're going to be just fine. Right. So this is June June this year.
00:16:37
Viv
Okay, so when is the race this year official?
00:16:42
Team BTB
Yeah. Yeah. june twenty eighth this year a yeah
00:16:48
Viv
Okay, and so, yeah, what's the name?
00:16:49
WILD ONEZ
What's the name of the race?
00:16:51
Viv
How can people sign up if they want to mention it?
00:16:52
Team BTB
It's run through Mudskipper.
00:16:52
WILD ONEZ
Yeah.
00:16:54
Team BTB
can send you the link. It's run through Mudskipper Swim Run, which is a guy in Canada who basically was like, I figured all the insurance stuff, which I didn't want any part in dealing with, honestly.
00:17:04
Team BTB
Like that was the blocker for me. Like it's a beautiful region to visit. But I was like, I don't want to deal with that. He's like, no, I handle all that. And you just do the course and the race.
00:17:13
Viv
Oh,
00:17:16
Team BTB
And so he does all the registration. You can find all it's all on the mudskipper, like this Facebook page. Yeah.
00:17:23
Viv
amazing. We love mudskipper races too.
00:17:23
WILD ONEZ
Okay. Yeah.
00:17:26
Team BTB
And.
00:17:27
Viv
I haven't done any yet, but I love promoting them.
00:17:27
Team BTB
it'
00:17:29
Viv
And they're, I mean, we have so many people who hop in for race directors, just like y'all. So that's awesome. Awesome.
00:17:36
Team BTB
Very laid back. Very. Yeah. he he told He takes care of all the registration and all. And then, which is nice. And then we just got to make sure everything's on the ground doing, you know, everything's organized on the ground.
00:17:47
WILD ONEZ
Yeah, I love that.
00:17:48
Viv
That's awesome.
00:17:48
WILD ONEZ
That's great.
00:17:49
Team BTB
yeah you
00:17:50
Viv
I'm so excited for you guys.
00:17:50
Team BTB
you know You don't have to do it all, right? That's that's the big thing with it. i That's a lot. I wanted nothing to do with the log just the legal side of it.
00:17:58
WILD ONEZ
Yeah, that makes sense. It complicates things so much more.
00:18:01
Team BTB
Yeah.
00:18:01
WILD ONEZ
It takes away a lot of your energy that you could be putting towards planning the event, making the course and all that good stuff.
00:18:07
Team BTB
Yeah. Yep.
00:18:09
WILD ONEZ
Cool. Well, awesome. That's really exciting. How long is the course going to be? Are there different length options?
00:18:16
Team BTB
So it's both an open water swim and a swim run. It will be two weeks before Muscleman. There's a half iron 15 miles north of here.
00:18:29
WILD ONEZ
Okay.
00:18:29
Team BTB
it'll be two two weeks before that intentionally because people want to get in the lake and do their open water swimming thing before they do a half. but what was So they we did it where it was like you could do one, but open water, you could do one lap, two lap, or three laps.
00:18:45
Team BTB
And each lap was what? we Each lap was 1,000-ish yards. Yeah.
00:18:49
Viv
Okay.
00:18:49
Team BTB
So they had the open water version, and then there was two course versions. It was just like one lap or two laps. Yeah, one lap or two laps. And so then this year we're going to figure out, and each each one was, i think, 8K.
00:19:03
Team BTB
It was just about five miles a total for a lap.
00:19:05
Viv
Okay.
00:19:07
Team BTB
and then this year we're going to, I haven't told you this yet. di
00:19:12
WILD ONEZ
Bye.
00:19:12
Viv
Breaking news. Breaking news on the podcast right now.
00:19:15
WILD ONEZ
yes
00:19:15
Team BTB
just did We're going to figure out a shorter, like super sprint version. Oh, okay. Cause they did have some interest both from younger kids and also,
00:19:26
Viv
Yay.
00:19:27
Team BTB
like older, like, Oh, okay. Who didn't want to do like a whole five miles. They wanted to be like, I want to swim and run. And like, I want the whole thing to be like three miles. So we're going to figure that out. And it's, it is that the one, the long swim is what?
00:19:41
Team BTB
12, 1200. So, and yeah so that would be cool.
00:19:42
Viv
OK.
00:19:44
Viv
That's a good idea. I mean, it brings more people into the sport too without kind of overcomplicating it and being like, oh, sorry, the shortest we have is 18 miles. Good luck.
00:19:55
Team BTB
Right. Right.
00:19:55
WILD ONEZ
I mean it works for some people to is just really jump into it kind of like we did but I wouldn't recommend that for like the general public just dabbling in swim run it it could definitely be more fun easing into it and it sounds like
00:20:07
Team BTB
right
00:20:12
Viv
Oh, definitely.
00:20:14
WILD ONEZ
Yeah, it sounds like the race will be a good way to get some locals involved in swimrun as well. And hopefully, like, I don't know, just help spark more interest locally.
00:20:24
Team BTB
More interesting. We pulled a lot of people from Rochester last year.
00:20:26
WILD ONEZ
Yeah.
00:20:29
WILD ONEZ
Cool.
00:20:29
Team BTB
and like a couple
00:20:29
WILD ONEZ
How many people were there last year?
00:20:32
Team BTB
yeah we had we had We were the biggest mudskipper race last year, but which was exciting.
00:20:36
WILD ONEZ
Oh.
00:20:40
WILD ONEZ
Okay, so there's the art.
00:20:40
Viv
That's awesome.
00:20:44
Team BTB
and They all had good feedback. They all said they'd be back. yeah We were hoping because the guy's in Canada, he's in Toronto, which is actually not that far away.
00:20:53
Team BTB
and They had a big contingent that wanted to come down and do it.
00:20:54
Viv
No, good, close.
00:20:57
Team BTB
and Then politics so they did not come but he's hoping that here that they will hopefully we get some canadians maybe get some canadians yep hamps yeah yeah then they put up a new campsite on the trail right just on the trail so but they yeah which we haven't like looked into yet but you're like hey if you want to come down camp there's like a campsite right there right there
00:21:01
WILD ONEZ
Yeah.
00:21:07
Viv
Yeah, I mean, it is so close.
00:21:08
WILD ONEZ
Yeah.
00:21:10
Viv
It's right there.
00:21:16
WILD ONEZ
That's perfect.
00:21:23
Viv
Very convenient, let me tell you.
00:21:23
WILD ONEZ
Yeah. Are there a lot of Airbnbs in your village?
00:21:28
Team BTB
Oh, there are a ton of Airbnbs.
00:21:28
WILD ONEZ
Okay. Okay.
00:21:31
Team BTB
Yeah. but Most, that's why say are the population of our village is 300-ish, but really it's like 300 residents and during the summer it's like five, like it just fills up with seasonal people.
00:21:42
WILD ONEZ
Yeah, that makes sense. So if people are going to travel from out of town to the race, let's say they have to get on a plane from somewhere, what would you recommend their travel logistics be for it?
00:21:58
Team BTB
I think, like, similar, Rochester is 45 minutes, roughly. Yeah, Rochester and Syracuse is an hour, so it's... Sometimes you can get cheaper flights into one or the other, depending what they're both about.
00:22:13
Team BTB
so So you fly into Rochester, you know, and if you rent a car, right, or whatever. And it's not that bad of a drive. And it's actually... you mean, Sarah, you know, you drove around there. It's a really pretty drive.
00:22:23
WILD ONEZ
is gorgeous yes
00:22:25
Viv
Especially in the summer.
00:22:25
Team BTB
Yeah.
00:22:26
Viv
i mean, summer and fall are like, oh, so pretty.
00:22:27
Team BTB
Yeah.
00:22:30
Team BTB
And there's so much, like, there's a lot, right, you know, the the wine country area, right, the Finger Lakes wine. So there's also, like, all the Finger Lakes are in the area. You can, it's good sightseeing and all that too. Finger Lakes wines, breweries are popping up all over the, ever I swear a new one pops up, like, every time I drive down the lake. I'm like, where did that one come from? Like, I didn't even know there was a brewery, like, you know, and so they're all popping up, you know, wineries, breweries, distilleries.
00:22:57
Team BTB
a lot of restaurants are popping up to, meet the need of. So.
00:23:01
WILD ONEZ
the tourists and stuff in there.
00:23:02
Team BTB
Yeah. Yes.
00:23:03
WILD ONEZ
Yeah.
00:23:04
Viv
That's awesome.
00:23:04
WILD ONEZ
Fun. That's cool.
00:23:06
Team BTB
so
00:23:07
WILD ONEZ
Yeah, definitely make a long weekend out of it.
00:23:08
Viv
I, oh, absolutely.
00:23:09
Team BTB
yeah e
00:23:11
Viv
Yeah. Why not? Especially if you've never been to the Finger Lakes region of New York is gorgeous. 10 out of 10 recommend.
00:23:19
Team BTB
yes
00:23:19
Viv
It's like you guys said, it's, there's all the lakes are right there. So many things going on. It's, that place has a special place in my heart. I would literally escape school in Buffalo and drive to Finger Lakes and just be like, I'm gonna spend a weekend here just to decompress because the dirt.
00:23:32
Team BTB
Yeah.
00:23:34
Team BTB
We just to decompress.
00:23:36
WILD ONEZ
It is so nice of it.
00:23:36
Team BTB
Yep. We definitely take it for granted living here that yeah it's such a cool area. It's
Team Dynamics and World Championship Experiences
00:23:43
Team BTB
all like nice freshwater swimming, right? you like Like I'll swim before I go to work sometimes, right? I'll go out, swim, and you come out of the water and you don't feel gross. Like I can just get dressed and go into work.
00:23:57
WILD ONEZ
Love that.
00:23:57
Viv
That's so nice.
00:23:59
WILD ONEZ
you don't You don't get that opportunity everywhere.
00:24:02
Team BTB
I could walk out my door in the morning, walk around the corner and go swim 1200 yards and yeah.
00:24:08
WILD ONEZ
Yeah.
00:24:09
Team BTB
In crystal clear water. Yeah.
00:24:12
WILD ONEZ
What inspired you guys to start this mudskipper race?
00:24:12
Team BTB
it's
00:24:16
Team BTB
Well, we thought it was a really cool, it's a really cool region. and it we definitely wanted to, we talked about doing a swim run and then I started looking at the logistics and I was like, I can't, like I can't think about insurance and waivers and legality.
00:24:33
Team BTB
And then he had put on Facebook, like, I'm looking for race directors with cool areas. And I was like, Hey, i wonder how he feels about the Finger Lakes. And it's it's hard though. Like this, we're, we're lucky right in this village to have what we do because when you, you get outside into some of the other Finger Lakes, it's hard to find somewhere where you can get public acts.
00:24:53
Team BTB
Like there's so many trials, but having a trial connect to the water is really hard to find.
00:24:56
WILD ONEZ
Mm-hmm.
00:25:01
Team BTB
Yeah. Right.
00:25:01
WILD ONEZ
and
00:25:01
Team BTB
So, so being able to pull all that together, we're really fortunate here.
00:25:01
Viv
Okay.
00:25:06
Team BTB
i mean, even when we trained for worlds, I think you made a weekly pilgrimage down to Dresden because it's just so easy. It's like, yeah, we can run. yeah It's road running, but that's fine.
00:25:19
Team BTB
and we can swim in various different locations and yeah.
00:25:25
WILD ONEZ
Speaking of worlds,
00:25:29
Team BTB
No, have fun.
00:25:30
Viv
What's that for?
00:25:31
Team BTB
but
00:25:32
Viv
no, this is a huge celebration. You guys conquered it.
00:25:36
Team BTB
I have a senior in high school this year who will then be going to college and then I will have a senior in high school next year so i didn't feel like I could miss their last first day their last their last hurrah so
00:25:48
Viv
Fair.
00:25:49
WILD ONEZ
that's
00:25:52
WILD ONEZ
so world's 2028th yeah eight
00:25:56
Team BTB
and yeah
00:25:57
WILD ONEZ
but
00:25:57
Team BTB
yeah
00:25:57
Viv
So...
00:25:58
WILD ONEZ
yeah
00:25:58
Team BTB
put
00:25:58
Viv
All right, that's totally fine.
00:25:59
WILD ONEZ
yeah
00:26:00
Viv
I'm putting that on my calendar.
00:26:01
Team BTB
yep i'm gonna go for the oldest no because you got bill and uh oh you can't go for the oldest you're not ever gonna be older than him
00:26:01
Viv
B-E-B, World 28, Vision Board.
00:26:16
Team BTB
yeah so in a couple years i'm gonna go back
00:26:20
Viv
Well, I can't wait for that day. That'd be nice. That would be fantastic.
00:26:22
WILD ONEZ
Yeah.
00:26:24
Viv
Sarah, how do you feel about going to Worlds in 2028 with our besties over I'm already planning our next adventure.
00:26:24
WILD ONEZ
Yeah.
00:26:29
WILD ONEZ
I feel like we should probably go to Worlds in 2026 and finish that one before we talk about another
00:26:29
Viv
Come
00:26:35
Team BTB
It was 24. 24. 24. Yes. Yeah. Yeah.
00:26:39
Viv
I'm already planning our next adventure. come on
00:26:42
WILD ONEZ
year. I love it. But yeah, so you guys went to Worlds. was it Was it last year or the year before?
00:26:50
Team BTB
it was twenty four twenty four twenty four
00:26:53
WILD ONEZ
2024? Okay, okay.
00:26:53
Viv
it
00:26:54
WILD ONEZ
Because you guys were there when Anna and I were racing together. Okay, got it, got it. Yeah, what a what an experience.
00:27:03
Viv
what did What did Worlds teach you guys about yourself?
00:27:05
WILD ONEZ
Yeah.
00:27:06
Team BTB
Well, it taught me, I kept thinking about the first swim that she says the jellyfish, the jellyfish do not sting, the jellyfish do not sting.
00:27:11
WILD ONEZ
There
00:27:14
WILD ONEZ
weren't any...
00:27:16
Team BTB
I know, but I was like, if I see one, like now I know, like I know, like I was totally prepared to see a jellyfish. And we didn't see any jellyfish. And we didn't see a single jellyfish.
00:27:25
Viv
I got one caught in my paddle that year, and had just come from swimming in, like, like the Caribbean where I was getting stung. So I was just like freaking out mid swim. And Sarah's like, what's wrong? And I'm like, jellyfish.
00:27:38
Viv
She's like, hit
00:27:38
WILD ONEZ
I don't think I've ever been that stressed in a swim before.
00:27:41
Team BTB
I'm
00:27:41
WILD ONEZ
To be completely honest with you, I am from the Midwest and I live in Colorado. i don't deal with jellyfish. And so my initial reaction was like, oh my gosh, we're going to die.
00:27:53
WILD ONEZ
And so that entire swim, i was like, Trying to lay flat and stiff as a board so that my entire body would be as buoyant as it could so that I wouldn't touch any of the jellyfish.
00:28:10
WILD ONEZ
PSA, if you're going to Worlds and there's jellyfish, I know.
00:28:13
Viv
Say don't sting.
00:28:13
Team BTB
I didn't know there was thing jellyfish, so now I i yeah now i know.
00:28:14
WILD ONEZ
What?
00:28:18
Team BTB
i I didn't know that was a thing. And then we didn't end up finding any jellyfish. No.
00:28:23
WILD ONEZ
i know
00:28:24
Team BTB
But I was prepared.
00:28:24
Viv
What? How?
00:28:26
Team BTB
I was prepared for the situation. We couldn't see. yeah That was not a fun year. It was not a fun swim.
00:28:30
WILD ONEZ
I think it was cold.
00:28:32
Viv
I did hear all that, yeah.
00:28:32
WILD ONEZ
do You guys, it was a really challenging year. Like way to just show up and go for it though that year.
00:28:38
Team BTB
was wavy, very wavy. And, know,
00:28:40
Viv
I'm gonna stay with it too.
00:28:48
Viv
All right.
00:28:53
WILD ONEZ
here yeah Yeah. So how far did you guys end up making it through the course.
00:28:59
Team BTB
We did not make the second cutoff. Yeah. We made the first one fine.
00:29:03
WILD ONEZ
You
00:29:05
Team BTB
And then the second one, the math was not. No. When we got out of the water and they were like, you have four minutes to get there. And I'm like, it's two and a half miles.
00:29:15
Team BTB
The math is not. math I was not good.
00:29:19
WILD ONEZ
want to give me a ride?
00:29:21
Viv
Yeah, thumbs up. We're on hitchhike.
00:29:26
Team BTB
I ended up coming back with COVID from that.
00:29:30
Viv
Oh no.
00:29:30
Team BTB
Yeah.
00:29:33
Team BTB
Like right from the start, even right before, even beforehand, the warmup runs like like the day, a couple days leading into it. I'm like, Leah, I have like nothing in my legs. Nothing. And then you're like, my heart rate is like 180.
00:29:44
Team BTB
Yeah, that's right. You're like we walking. good but
00:29:47
WILD ONEZ
You're telling yourself it was just from traveling.
00:29:50
Team BTB
It was not. It was not. It was not meant to be.
00:29:53
Viv
Oh my gosh.
00:29:54
Team BTB
Nope. now
00:29:55
Viv
That's, so you guys definitely need a world's comeback for sure.
00:29:59
WILD ONEZ
Yeah.
00:29:59
Viv
then I have heard that year was definitely, like Sarah raced it with Anna because I wasn't able to. And the stories that I heard from every team was, listen, that second cutoff is hard in general, but tossing the wind and the waves y'all had, oh my golly gee.
00:30:16
Team BTB
Yeah.
00:30:16
WILD ONEZ
Nicole. The rocks were already wet on that second island. Yeah.
00:30:21
Viv
Oh, and those are really slippery too, just in general.
00:30:23
WILD ONEZ
it's look
00:30:25
Viv
Even when they're dry, they're slippery.
00:30:25
Team BTB
Free weather.
00:30:27
WILD ONEZ
yeah
00:30:27
Team BTB
Yeah. yeah don't know how that works, but yeah, they were already like pre-everything.
00:30:29
WILD ONEZ
Yeah.
00:30:29
Viv
that
00:30:33
Team BTB
But we had fun. We got on the boat and we got to watch. was like The ferry driver was like, oh, we're going to go like watch the lead swimmers and everything. Yeah, like they didn't take us straight back.
00:30:43
Team BTB
like They kind of i thank you like let us watch. and It was sort of nice because you could watch people and be like, oh my god, it's really hard out there. I'm glad we're not out there.
00:30:55
WILD ONEZ
I'm not even in this boat.
00:30:57
Team BTB
but then you also watch the top guys and you're like, they are flying. Those top teams were like, yeah, I know.
00:31:07
Viv
Oh, my gosh.
00:31:08
WILD ONEZ
Yeah.
00:31:09
Team BTB
Oh,
00:31:11
WILD ONEZ
Yeah, that's awesome.
00:31:11
Viv
That's incredible. That's the best. I mean, if you're going exit Worlds, that's exit Worlds in style, man. You guys got a boat ride, show.
00:31:21
Team BTB
I mean, it was back.
00:31:22
Viv
Like, this is awesome.
00:31:24
Team BTB
It was better than exiting worlds by like having your shoulder ripped out of joint.
00:31:28
WILD ONEZ
Yeah.
00:31:29
Team BTB
lake
00:31:29
Viv
Oh, my gosh. Yeah.
00:31:30
Team BTB
Yeah, so Yeah.
00:31:31
WILD ONEZ
There was a lot of carnage that year. A lot of carnage.
00:31:34
Team BTB
Yeah.
00:31:35
Viv
Oh.
00:31:36
Team BTB
Yeah.
00:31:36
WILD ONEZ
So, yeah.
00:31:36
Team BTB
yeah
00:31:38
WILD ONEZ
Yeah, hoping for glass water and...
00:31:39
Viv
Oh my gosh.
00:31:43
Team BTB
I know, I hope so. Warm temperatures. We'll pray for you. No rain.
00:31:48
Viv
I'm hoping for another 2025 year. That was like everybody everybody was yelling midway through the course.
00:31:53
WILD ONEZ
looks good.
00:31:55
Viv
Like, oh, the water's glass. i was like, you guys are high. The water's never glass. And Sure enough, it was. And I was, I, we all were, we all were, I talked to other racers after the pig swim.
00:32:02
WILD ONEZ
Ugh.
00:32:05
Viv
I was like, we were all swimming really fast just so that the water wouldn't change while we were in there.
00:32:10
WILD ONEZ
Yeah.
00:32:11
Team BTB
We gotta get out before things change.
00:32:12
Viv
Yeah. We're like, if the waves are coming, we got swim fast.
00:32:17
WILD ONEZ
I will never forget like looking at Anna when we got to like that, the boat ramp into the pig swim or whatever entrance that is. And I look at her and I'm like, we have to go across that.
00:32:29
WILD ONEZ
And there's just like waves that are way like, I have never swam through waves that big before. And, you know, we were in that front quarter of people and like the waves as the day was going, they got rougher.
00:32:44
WILD ONEZ
And when we got there, i was like, I, all right, I'm so thankful Anna is such a strong swimmer and a freaking trooper as she is.
00:32:51
Team BTB
Oh
00:32:53
WILD ONEZ
Cause well, her paddle broke after the first swim. So she was also swimming without paddles or with one paddle. And this girl, she is such a strong swimmer.
00:33:04
WILD ONEZ
Like, she was swimming faster than I was with paddles, without paddles still.
00:33:07
Team BTB
With that all, yes, yes.
00:33:09
WILD ONEZ
And I'm just, like, sitting in the back behind her swimming and like, just trying to paddle my heart out, keeping up with her.
00:33:10
Viv
That's incredible.
00:33:17
WILD ONEZ
And I swear, I'm getting air off of these whitecaps in the pig's room. Like, I kid you not, I'm pretty sure I got air. it was wild.
00:33:26
Viv
How was the first swim for you guys that year? Because I know the pig swim notoriously gets waves, but sometimes the first swim will get a little no lady.
00:33:30
WILD ONEZ
Nothing.
00:33:34
Team BTB
The freshem was very wavy, but it's it's so congested. Like, it's just, there's so many.
00:33:42
Viv
Yeah.
00:33:43
Team BTB
yep with It was wavy, and then people, like, everywhere. Like, it was just hard to get, you know, we talk about sailing, getting clean air. it was hard to get clean water anywhere to, like... Yeah, you didn't feel like you're making a dollar you progress. No, and it was it was just so many people. It's like, you can't even pass people because there's people on either side of people, like,
00:34:03
Team BTB
So
00:34:05
Viv
So are both of you guys sailors?
00:34:07
Team BTB
yes.
00:34:08
Viv
Okay. Okay. is Are there any translatable skills from sailing to swim running or like spotting and swimming? Like, is there anything that you guys have taken?
00:34:15
Team BTB
Hi, waves, currents. Yeah. Casco Bay currents.
00:34:21
Viv
yeah. Yeah.
00:34:24
Team BTB
Just being being like comfortable on the water too.
00:34:28
WILD ONEZ
Yeah.
00:34:29
Team BTB
Right. or Like it can, it can be really wavy and Like Leah doesn't panic ever, ever, ever. don't know. I didn't see jellyfish. That's true.
00:34:43
Viv
Very good, very good there.
00:34:45
Team BTB
Pretty much throw a lot of stuff at her. And if she's calm, I'm but calm. But like just being comfortable out on the water. Right. You're like, okay, we're in the middle. the We're in the middle. And like we go out here and there's big waves. You're like, okay, so there's giant waves, but I'm comfortable. And I, you know, I got art. What am I going to do? Drown?
00:35:03
WILD ONEZ
Right? You're already buoyant. You're already a floaty.
00:35:06
Team BTB
I think we spend, like, you know, I spend a lot of time on the water, and, you know, things go wrong, and you're alright, we're out here, we gotta deal with it, like, did nobody's coming to save us, like, we, as a team, like, we sail boat with three, it's a three-person boat, and so there's a lot there's a lot of team dynamic, like, okay, things go wrong, you have deal with it, so.
00:35:17
WILD ONEZ
Yeah.
00:35:26
Team BTB
Right, things break. It translates over to, like,
00:35:27
WILD ONEZ
Did your guys like sailing team journey come before your swimrun team?
00:35:34
Team BTB
Yes. that's what That's how we met with sailing.
00:35:35
WILD ONEZ
Okay.
00:35:37
Team BTB
Yeah.
00:35:37
WILD ONEZ
Okay. Very cool.
00:35:39
Viv
Is that where the team, I have to ask where the team name comes from. I'm
00:35:43
Team BTB
Well, you can do that one Oh, because you almost died? didn't die.
00:35:47
Viv
sorry, there's a dying, what?
00:35:47
WILD ONEZ
That's going to be a good story.
00:35:48
Viv
Okay.
00:35:49
Team BTB
I almost died. We decided... three know let us not We signed up for the race in Utah, and...
00:36:00
Team BTB
Neither of us had actually run trails much before then, despite the fact we are surrounded by beautiful trails and big elevation situations. Like I think we're both road running. i run on the Elwood Trail quite a bit, but it is flat rail trail. I can run seven miles and my net elevation gain is like 12 feet. So it's not anything. And so we decided before we went to Utah, we should probably like do something with elevation.
00:36:28
Team BTB
And they ran a race at our local ski hill, Bristol Mountain. And I said, let's do the 10 mile. And somebody said, well, if we're going to do the 10 mile, we should do a half marathon.
00:36:38
Viv
right?
00:36:38
Team BTB
Well, if you're going to do 10, you might as well go the 13, which, by the way, the extra three miles involved climbing the mountain again.
00:36:39
Viv
You're already there.
00:36:39
WILD ONEZ
couple more.
00:36:46
Team BTB
like It was not just like we're running three miles around the It's like, no, we're going up again.
00:36:48
Viv
no. Oh, no.
00:36:51
Team BTB
We came down right past the finish. We're like, here's where you finish. And we're
Family, Community, and Inclusivity
00:36:54
Team BTB
like, no, we don't.
00:36:56
Viv
yeah We have to go up again.
00:36:58
Team BTB
It was also 105 degrees that
00:36:58
Viv
I'm so sorry.
00:36:59
Team BTB
It brutally five degrees that day it was brutally
00:37:04
Viv
Oh, my gosh.
00:37:05
Team BTB
ski mountain, which, you know, is not a shady situation to begin with. And we didn't understand, like, like both of us love, like we ski too, right? So going downhill is so much fun, right?
00:37:17
Team BTB
I love running downhill.
00:37:17
WILD ONEZ
Thank you.
00:37:19
Team BTB
And so we're like, this is great. So that, you know, you get up to the top and you're dying and you're like, we get to run downhill. And so we're running downhill and then you turn around, you go back up. We're like, oh my God, maybe like running as fast as we could down the hill the first time was not a good idea. Not the greatest idea. Yeah.
00:37:33
Team BTB
Like the third time we start down down the hill, I'm like, I can't go forward. My legs are so sore already. So we're we're going downhills backwards because our legs are so sore.
00:37:48
Team BTB
So that was called the Battle of Bristol Mountain.
00:37:48
WILD ONEZ
Let's do it.
00:37:49
Viv
Oh, no.
00:37:52
Team BTB
And so we decided we needed a team name. Well, that was for North Carolina. and For North Carolina. Anything has to be better than Bristol. So we shortened it up to BTV. Anything has to be better than Bristol.
00:38:03
Team BTB
Yeah.
00:38:04
Viv
That's incredible.
00:38:05
Team BTB
we were out there yeah We were out there for a really long... I don't even know what our time was, but it was not.
00:38:09
Viv
no.
00:38:09
Team BTB
like We were out there for a really long time. I have never been... Even to this day, and that was like, what, seven years ago. I have never been so sore after a race since that race.
00:38:21
Team BTB
All the Ironmans, everything else. I couldn't sit on the potty for like three days. It'd be a handrail.
00:38:28
Viv
No, that is.
00:38:32
WILD ONEZ
That's when you know you got pretty wrecked.
00:38:35
Team BTB
was about it was we got wrecked.
00:38:40
Viv
my.
00:38:42
WILD ONEZ
Oh my gosh.
00:38:42
Viv
OK, so nothing has been worse than Bristol.
00:38:46
Team BTB
No, no, i've now I lieed still to this day have never been that sore.
00:38:51
WILD ONEZ
So the team name sticks.
00:38:54
Team BTB
Team Namestakes. So far. Plus we got it embroidered on stuff. So now like we're and now we're committed.
00:38:59
Viv
You really can't change it.
00:39:00
WILD ONEZ
You're locked in.
00:39:02
Team BTB
the
00:39:02
Viv
but do You have a team a credit card. You have embroidered merch. You guys, you you're stuck now.
00:39:08
Team BTB
and We're stuck.
00:39:11
Viv
unless you Unless you find a different race that star also starts with a B. So that's first in Bristol.
00:39:15
Team BTB
That's true. But so far we have, I mean, and we've done, we've had some pretty hard races. Yeah. And I've had some pretty dark times, yeah but but nothing, nothing that bad.
00:39:28
Team BTB
Yeah.
00:39:29
WILD ONEZ
How do you guys like communicate through your challenges and your hard times? Do you have any like team tactics?
00:39:37
Team BTB
She stops talking.
00:39:41
Viv
You stop talking?
00:39:42
Team BTB
She stops talking.
00:39:43
WILD ONEZ
Like when she's in a rough spot.
00:39:45
Team BTB
that
00:39:46
WILD ONEZ
Okay. Okay.
00:39:47
Team BTB
but' you know what's bad like
00:39:47
WILD ONEZ
Okay.
00:39:50
Team BTB
and She's never hit... I've never seen Leah hit an ugly dark zone. I don't ever stop talking. like She stops talking and I just keep telling... We did do one and in...
00:40:01
Team BTB
She stopped talking and then also stopped moving. And I was like, if you don't start moving, this 10 year old is going to pass us. So
00:40:11
Team BTB
now would be a good time. I, she, she is by far, I, like I said, I've yet, she hasn't hit her a wall. I've never seen her hit her wall.
00:40:21
Team BTB
or even go into much of a dark zone. Although I thought today when you fell, cross-country skiing, I thought she was going to come up with like a face with no teeth.
00:40:33
Team BTB
It was one of those times where I was like, oh my god, this is going to be bad. like She went headfirst into a bunch of rocks. Boulders. I saw the boulders about two seconds before I hit them.
00:40:44
WILD ONEZ
Oh, I'm skinny too.
00:40:44
Team BTB
Cross-country skis tied to a dog.
00:40:47
WILD ONEZ
Oh, even worse.
00:40:49
Team BTB
And I said,
00:40:50
Viv
I think you might need a mouth guard next time.
00:40:53
Team BTB
I have all my teeth. I have all my teeth. So, yeah. So, so far, we're still, she's she's still carrying us. she She's the rock.
00:41:00
WILD ONEZ
Okay. So Leah, do you like start singing and like serenade her or?
00:41:07
Team BTB
Are you okay?
00:41:09
WILD ONEZ
That works for me anyways.
00:41:10
Team BTB
I'm like, yes.
00:41:11
WILD ONEZ
Viv does that.
00:41:12
Viv
do I do serenade.
00:41:13
Team BTB
Yes. like are you okay i'm like yes Are you sure we need to stop? We just stop. But if we need to keep going, we keep going. not a, I don't, you don't, I don't, she doesn't want to hear me sing. It's not great.
00:41:30
Team BTB
It's not a great situation.
00:41:31
WILD ONEZ
Same. That's why I'm glad Viv's always is the one singing.
00:41:34
Viv
not saying my singing's any gray like anything great. and definitely show up for karaoke every once in a while.
00:41:42
WILD ONEZ
good stuff.
00:41:44
Viv
I love that. do you guys have like a favorite? I mean, you guys have raced together, known each other forever. It seems like have you guys, do you guys have a funny memory or anything surprising about racing together or just meaningful moments training together throughout all these years?
00:42:03
Team BTB
We laugh a lot.
00:42:06
WILD ONEZ
No,
00:42:06
Team BTB
he
00:42:08
Viv
Don't believe it.
00:42:09
Team BTB
We definitely laugh a lot.
00:42:10
WILD ONEZ
never.
00:42:13
Team BTB
And we tend to end up, we're not lost. We just tend up places we're not quite exactly sure where we're at. I think one of the one of the ones that sticks out, because we we often run with the dogs.
00:42:23
Viv
understand
00:42:28
Team BTB
She's got two dogs now. i As you guys you have but previously heard. but we started When we started, we each only had one dog apiece that we would run with.
00:42:39
Team BTB
And i remember we were running... locally up in the Finger Lakes, and of course ended up not lost, but just not exactly where we thought we should be.
00:42:49
WILD ONEZ
Yeah.
00:42:50
Team BTB
Very poorly marked trails in our sense.
00:42:51
Viv
yeah
00:42:52
Team BTB
Very poorly marked trails. And we hit, like, basically a fairly significant ledge sort of waterfall area. Yeah. which like the alternative was go back up or go down.
00:43:07
Team BTB
And so I went down and looked up and said, just throw me the dogs. I will, I promise I will catch them. Yeah.
00:43:18
Viv
Did you throw the dogs?
00:43:19
WILD ONEZ
All right.
00:43:20
Team BTB
Like she was down there and, and she left her dog up with me. She's like, I'm going to climb down. And I was like, well, then what's going to happen? She goes, okay, throw him to me. And i was like,
00:43:32
Team BTB
Okay. Your dog's going first. like
00:43:37
Team BTB
Let's make sure you can catch before I throw mine. but That's one of my, that's, you know, again, like, right, it stands out in my mind. And of course, right, we laugh about it still a lot.
00:43:52
WILD ONEZ
I love
00:43:52
Team BTB
I think one the other nice things that stands out is, you know, I do have two kids and they see us like going out and doing all of this crazy stuff and they don't question it anymore. They're like, all right, they're going to go do something dumb. Yeah.
00:44:10
Team BTB
yeah so
00:44:11
Viv
Hopefully we'll see them return when they get back.
00:44:15
Team BTB
and they joke about it now, like, when their friends were like, oh, in in in a million years and a hundred years, in a hundred years, we're going to be like Carolyn and Leah.
00:44:25
Team BTB
We're going to go do things like this, right? Like, you know.
00:44:29
WILD ONEZ
You're inspiring them.
00:44:29
Team BTB
Right. But I think it's good for that, like, to see, like, that'll be out and doing things, but it's like, we're doing things with each other that are not, like,
00:44:42
Team BTB
They don't have to be there for every single thing. Like we have our own lives and and they want to do that someday. When
00:44:51
WILD ONEZ
Yeah.
00:44:52
Team BTB
just the opera when they're old, when they're really old they're really old, they want to go out and do things like this.
00:45:04
Viv
I love that. I'm like, you're not old. We're still very young. Come on.
00:45:09
Team BTB
Yeah, I'm like, I don't know if that was a compliment or and what that was. And they're friends noise, too, now. They're like, where's your mom? Oh. They're doing something dumb. Dumb, aren't they? Yes.
00:45:24
Team BTB
Yes, we are.
00:45:26
WILD ONEZ
As in dumb, you mean something very fun out in nature.
00:45:29
Team BTB
In nature. yeah Right?
00:45:31
Viv
Exactly.
00:45:31
Team BTB
Yeah.
00:45:33
WILD ONEZ
Yeah, oh, that's awesome. Very cool.
00:45:36
Viv
You guys, I mean, you guys are going to definitely race forever and ever.
00:45:38
Team BTB
you get me Cool people like you guys. Like, I think that's a big part of it too. Right. Like, yeah, they wouldn't be as much fun if we just went in our bubble and did things and went back.
00:45:50
WILD ONEZ
Yes.
00:45:50
Team BTB
Right.
00:45:50
Viv
Yeah.
00:45:51
WILD ONEZ
egg
00:45:51
Team BTB
Right.
00:45:52
WILD ONEZ
Yeah. I feel like traveling around and just being part of the swim run community, you get to meet a lot of amazing humans. And my life would not be the way that it is today without meeting you guys especially, and a bunch of other fun swimrun people.
00:46:11
WILD ONEZ
Like we've done the Seneca 7 race together.
00:46:13
Team BTB
yeah seven
00:46:15
WILD ONEZ
Like that was such a fun weekend and like so wholesome and the amount of laughs that were had.
00:46:21
Viv
So what did that race look like for all of you guys? Because that was, what was it, a Ragnar?
00:46:26
Team BTB
It's kind of a Ragnar. So the lake, Seneca Lake is 35 miles long from top to bottom. And they figured out if they added a couple creative detours to the course, they could make a running course that was 77.7 miles long with seven runners.
00:46:45
Team BTB
And it's, it's very rag, nary kind of like, but it starts at the top of the lake.
00:46:49
WILD ONEZ
Perfect.
00:46:50
Team BTB
You go down the West side, around the bottom and up the East side and finish back at the top. So it's around the whole lake in the course of the day with seven runners, which I've done six times.
00:47:02
Team BTB
yeah That was my sixth.
00:47:05
Team BTB
So, it's is it's neat. like What do do? Three legs a piece. I don't know. It takes... Well, it took a lot less time when we had the super fast ones from Sarah's team on it.
00:47:14
Viv
Thank you.
00:47:16
WILD ONEZ
We were all PR-ing like.
00:47:18
Team BTB
But then when we had the team of old ladies...
00:47:18
WILD ONEZ
was.
00:47:21
Team BTB
that It takes all day. I mean, it's all day. You get to know people.
00:47:25
WILD ONEZ
Yeah.
00:47:26
Team BTB
written and that That's the neat thing, too, is like Sarah brought in people she knew. right she had already She was already like planning, and then they needed two people. We're like, okay, we'll join.
00:47:36
Team BTB
So you get together with people you've never met. It's like the swim run community. You spend a whole day with people you've never met before, and at the end of the day, you're like, hey, if you're ever in Montreal, come see me.
00:47:40
WILD ONEZ
yeah
00:47:48
Team BTB
Right.
00:47:49
WILD ONEZ
Yeah, and that was so special because it's like i didn't really know anybody besides you guys and Matt, and I had not really known Lauren very well yet because we hadn't hung out a lot.
00:48:02
WILD ONEZ
And so my fiance, Matt, yeah, his friend Lauren is the one who got the race entry.
00:48:02
Team BTB
Yeah.
00:48:06
WILD ONEZ
entry And Lauren invited Matt and i and Andrew in.
00:48:11
Team BTB
And then we were sitting in a cab in Stockholm and you said like, I'm doing this race in the Finger Lakes. Have you ever heard of it? And was like, yes, we have.
00:48:22
Team BTB
You need to come stop.
00:48:23
Viv
We've only done it a couple of times.
00:48:25
WILD ONEZ
As a matter of fact,
00:48:26
Team BTB
Don't stay in my house. Like our house is right on the course. It's two blocks off, off of the course.
00:48:31
WILD ONEZ
it was so perfect.
00:48:33
Team BTB
so, and then you text, Sarah texted later and was like, Oh, by the way, we only have five and we need seven. All right.
00:48:43
WILD ONEZ
was so fun.
00:48:43
Viv
like say say less.
00:48:45
WILD ONEZ
You're just like cruising around in a minivan.
00:48:48
Team BTB
In a minivan.
00:48:49
WILD ONEZ
and eating snacks, running. like
00:48:52
Team BTB
Canadian snacks. Canadian snacks.
00:48:53
WILD ONEZ
Yes. so Oh my gosh.
00:48:54
Viv
Those are the best.
00:48:55
WILD ONEZ
oh
00:48:55
Viv
I love Canadian.
00:48:56
WILD ONEZ
So much good snacks. We did.
00:48:58
Viv
Did you guys have ketchup glaze?
00:49:00
Team BTB
Yes?
00:49:01
Viv
Those are the best. It does in the United States so badly. and miss my Canadian chips.
00:49:09
WILD ONEZ
So fun. Yeah. It's good time. I'm sure.
00:49:13
Viv
I love how that works out though. Like literally, oh, you're in my neighborhood. Oh, you to go for a run? You want to go for a swim run? Like that has happened ton. And everybody's travels are like in a group chat. It's like, or even literally in a cab in Stockholm.
00:49:30
Team BTB
Cabin Stockholm, have you ever heard of this race?
00:49:31
WILD ONEZ
Yeah,
00:49:34
Team BTB
yeah
00:49:34
WILD ONEZ
I live on the course, actually.
00:49:39
Viv
Oh my gosh. I, I'm in awe of you guys. You guys are incredible people on and off the course. do you guys find racing as females? Any, he like what barriers and misconceptions that you guys have encountered?
00:49:52
Viv
in doing endurance sports or even just getting into athletics in general as women.
00:49:58
Team BTB
I think one of the nice things is we did both grow up sailing and that is a pretty, in at least the group that we sail with is pretty inclusive regardless of gender in all aspects. Like you could do everything. And i think that carried like, I think both of us grew up in an environment. Like I, I grew up with three older brothers and you know, to,
00:50:26
Team BTB
and I was the youngest. So, you know, my father, for the most part, like, oh you know, I need help changing the oil.
00:50:28
WILD ONEZ
Mm-hmm.
00:50:34
Team BTB
Go do right. So I didn't grow up in a very, i well i guess I would say more. I grew up in in an environment that it the male female thing was not a big thing.
00:50:46
Team BTB
And I work in a technical field, right?
00:50:46
Viv
Awesome.
00:50:49
Team BTB
I'm an engineer. so the, and so the I haven't personally had to deal with with any kind with very little discrimination.
00:51:01
Team BTB
and And that's one nice thing you do find and in a lot of these communities right is that I don't find that with swim running. right It's incredibly inclusive.
00:51:12
Team BTB
right It doesn't matter. It's a male-female team. It's a female-female team. It doesn't, whatever. right It becomes meaningless. Everybody is just supporting everybody else.
00:51:22
WILD ONEZ
I love that about swimrun.
00:51:24
Team BTB
Yeah. And as Leah said, right, sailing is very, very much like that, right? There's male sailors, there's female sailors, right? There's skippers both ways. It just doesn't matter. the at the The fact is everybody is out there and doing it, you know, because they want to do it.
00:51:41
Viv
No, that's incredible. But I think, I mean, just even from our questions and talking earlier, it seems like, again, sailing has been such an, not to be punny, but an anchor for you guys.
00:51:53
Viv
But
00:51:54
WILD ONEZ
you
00:51:57
Viv
it's translated a lot in life and everything that you guys have done. Do your kids sail? Do other family members still sail?
00:52:05
Team BTB
Yeah, my oldest daughter teaches at the youth program. My youngest one actually helps run races. So they're involved. and they They grew up in it too. They're just like, even like, You know, they were trying to explain the other day to their friends why they had so many 50-year-old male friends.
00:52:20
Team BTB
Like, they're like, what? Like, oh, my friend Tom. They're like, who's Tom? They're like, oh, he's some 55-year-old dude. Like, but's normal.
00:52:29
Viv
feel like this is normal. It's fine.
00:52:31
Team BTB
like But that's sort of like the swim run thing, too, right? You've got you've got people coming in that are whatever, you know, 25, 22, 23. And then
00:52:43
Viv
My 12.
00:52:44
Team BTB
Yeah. And you know people at the other extreme and it, it it doesn't matter. Right. It is opposed to, I think some of the other, some of the other sports, like even age becomes really important.
00:52:54
WILD ONEZ
There's no age group swim run.
00:52:55
Team BTB
Right. now as your
00:52:56
Viv
No, it's really nice.
00:52:56
Team BTB
i know which
00:52:57
WILD ONEZ
no
00:52:58
Team BTB
I like that about it. And even when you think about doing like half marathons, marathons, it's like, What age group what age are you in? Oh, you're, you're 40. So you're at the young, you're the young of your age group yeah where I'm 44. So I bet, you know,
00:53:15
WILD ONEZ
You just have more experience then, right?
00:53:17
Viv
Yeah. See, there you go
00:53:18
WILD ONEZ
age is just experience.
00:53:20
Team BTB
it if really, you think about all the, I mean, like you said, with your daughters and i mean, you guys are, are young and right. There's just such a huge, huge distribution of ages.
00:53:31
Team BTB
it It doesn't matter. I remember. Where were we We were in North Carolina with with like Kate. Kate! And she was like, I'm going to have to put my parents in a nursing home soon.
00:53:42
Team BTB
They're almost 60. And she about...
00:53:44
Viv
go.
00:53:46
Team BTB
I was like, how old are your parents? She's like, 45? Like, older than your parents. She's like, no, you're not.
00:53:57
Team BTB
Yes, I am.
00:53:59
Viv
We love Kate.
00:54:02
WILD ONEZ
that's the That tracks.
00:54:04
Team BTB
Yeah. Yeah, that was great. I have to buy parents in a nursing home soon. They're so old. How old are they?
00:54:16
Viv
Not at all.
00:54:16
WILD ONEZ
and So funny. hey
00:54:19
Team BTB
can't go with double your age. She's like, no, you're not. Yes, I did. Math. Math. that is
00:54:25
WILD ONEZ
Well, I'm pretty sure Viv and I plan on swim running together until we're like at least 80 something.
00:54:29
Viv
Oh, we will be breaking out of the nursing home.
00:54:30
WILD ONEZ
So... Yes.
00:54:33
Team BTB
Gang my pulverie! Wheel me out!
00:54:36
WILD ONEZ
It's fine. I'm practically floating in this watsuit and pulbu. You don't have to worry about me.
00:54:40
Viv
fight I'm fine.
00:54:43
Team BTB
It's not like he can drown!
00:54:45
Viv
See?
00:54:46
Team BTB
did
00:54:47
Viv
Just give me my paddles and my pole buoy and we're good.
00:54:49
Team BTB
I tell you the other day? If I ever needed Walker to get up out of bed, yeah just kill me! Just, because is yeah, i just... Just...
00:54:57
Viv
Just roll me up the hill. Just keep rolling me.
00:55:00
Team BTB
just simply
00:55:01
WILD ONEZ
That's when the tether comes in handy.
00:55:02
Team BTB
whos Right. right hey
00:55:05
Viv
This is why swimrun is a partner sport.
00:55:10
Team BTB
I'm on the younger end of this yes equation. I'm going to be the one doing the wrong. Yes. Yes.
00:55:15
WILD ONEZ
I know, I was just thinking about it. You're going to find a low when you... but you
00:55:21
Team BTB
but i roll
00:55:27
Viv
Oh, my gosh.
00:55:27
WILD ONEZ
who
00:55:28
Viv
I mean, okay, so clearly we're all going be doing it forever. so what advice do you guys have for people who are just getting into the sport or who are already in the sport as ladies?
00:55:40
Viv
Or just in general? Because, I mean, obviously our podcast is female-focused, but in general, what advice do you guys have that you've learned or are continuing to learn?
00:55:44
Team BTB
I was
00:55:52
Team BTB
going to have fun with it. I wish her i that was going to say the same thing. If you're if you're not having fun, right, then then like almost why i do it? But like that's such a big part of I mean, that's why we do it, right? it's We're not out to win. We want to make sure we're having fun.
00:56:10
Team BTB
And I think one of the female things that I would say, if you have children, like, and I do get some questions, like, I have some very good friends who are not athletic, who are not not doing anything. And it's like, you know, don't be afraid to be like, I'm taking the time for me. like it's not a detriment to your family yeah It's not a detriment to your family. It's not a detriment to to...
00:56:34
Team BTB
you know, your kids, and it's it's the opposite. Like, it's important to show them that you are doing things for yourself and you are getting out and you are doing healthy things. And you're taking that time for you.
00:56:51
Team BTB
Yeah. Yeah. it's It's, yeah, I would agree with that. i mean, we travel, the two of us together quite a bit. And, you know, our husbands come once in a while, but you got You got to do what makes you happy, too.
00:57:09
Team BTB
I think getting into it, you don't need a lot of gear, right? We got into it with... We look back at the pictures now and laugh. Like, little tiny pool, pool, pool, pool.
00:57:17
WILD ONEZ
Yeah.
00:57:21
Team BTB
Yeah, right? this the Whatever you have. And the other thing is this community is so great about helping people if they need gear. right Like, hey, I want to get into it, but I don't have something.
00:57:32
Team BTB
There's always somebody around that is willing to to give you stuff just to get started. we yeah Our friend John. talk Oh, yeah. i Talk about young. We took 24 or five-year-old who sailor, but also was a high school swimmer to Colorado.
00:57:52
Team BTB
And for his first, and he did the, whatever theprint he did the sprint, whatever the shortest one was.
00:57:56
Viv
Okay.
00:57:56
WILD ONEZ
Nice.
00:57:57
Viv
Okay.
00:57:57
Team BTB
yeah And sitting at dinner the night before, well no sitting at dinner night before i asked him to, he said, Oh, don't worry. I have this wetsuit thing figured out. Cause I told him to rent one. And he said, no.
00:58:09
Team BTB
He said, I haven't figured out. And so then I asked him to describe the wetsuit to me. And it was all on tri suit, like zipper up the back, long sleeves.
00:58:14
WILD ONEZ
Whoa,
00:58:17
WILD ONEZ
whoa.
00:58:19
Team BTB
So at nine o'clock at night, we were texting Marcus and Trista. And I was like, what do you have left in the rental staff?
00:58:26
WILD ONEZ
Oh, yeah.
00:58:26
Team BTB
What do you need? I said, really, at this point, anything bigger than a small will be acceptable. Like we will, we will.
00:58:31
Viv
We'll take anything. He needs anything.
00:58:34
Team BTB
He can whatever he needs to be shoved into. And they didn't hesitate. They were like, here's our here's the address of the Airbnb. you know Come by on your way back and we'll dig a suit out for you. and And he survived. He's like, yeah.
00:58:48
Team BTB
After he finished, it was warm. He was like, there's no way I would have lived in a full-on tri-suit. I would have died. And I'm like, you would have died. Yeah.
00:58:57
Viv
Yeah. Oh, definitely.
00:58:57
Team BTB
and I have to have an uncomfortable conversation with your parents about how I killed you.
00:59:03
WILD ONEZ
That's
00:59:04
Viv
Ace, you know how we took your son to Colorado? Oh,
00:59:08
Team BTB
Yeah. it's it's that there's always There's always people willing to help with everything.
00:59:09
WILD ONEZ
where you're
00:59:13
Team BTB
You see it all the time. Hey, I don't know how to you know put the this thing in my heart on my pull boy, right? You're like, how do I put this on? but do How do I do this? How do I do that?
00:59:23
Team BTB
There's always people willing to help.
00:59:27
Viv
most definitely. Yeah, that's my favorite part about the community. Not only that it's so welcoming, but like Literally, if you need anything, like, I mean, we've all done plenty of races at this point, too. we've we have We think we have it figured out, and then something happens, and I'm like, hey, Sarah, you know this? No, I have no idea. And, like, we'll go talk to another team. And it's either how to, like, like fix this knot on our pool buoy or, hey, you know what? Like, i've been I've been doing this for the last three years. Obviously, it's not working. How do you guys rig it? How do you guys, like, what paddles are you guys using?
00:59:57
Viv
Because there's so many different things that work for so many different people. Like what works for you is going to work is might not work for me. But you don't know it unless you try it or talk to people too.
01:00:07
Viv
So it's, it's a huge plus that this community is the way it is.
01:00:08
Team BTB
Yeah. Yep. Yeah.
01:00:11
WILD ONEZ
It's always it always evolving as well. We're always learning as we go.
01:00:16
Team BTB
Oh yeah. When you think about even like the difference between starting out and where we are now. Yeah. there's been drastic changes made, not only gear wise, but just, I mean, our transitions the first time, we probably had like a four minute transition. Our first one it was like, here we are.
01:00:36
Team BTB
in the water. Where's the pole movie? Where are paddles? there's a camera over there. Smile.
01:00:46
Viv
Some
01:00:47
Team BTB
like
01:00:50
WILD ONEZ
Transitions. Oh my goodness.
01:00:53
Viv
them are really good.
01:00:53
WILD ONEZ
We had.
01:00:54
Viv
Some of them you're just like, you know what? We're going to take our time. Maybe float in the water.
01:01:00
WILD ONEZ
I will.
01:01:00
Team BTB
like...
01:01:01
WILD ONEZ
Yeah. I'll never forget that first transition that we had into the really cold water at Orcas Island.
01:01:02
Team BTB
Yeah.
01:01:08
Viv
I don't think either of us wanted to get in.
01:01:10
WILD ONEZ
No, were delaying that.
01:01:11
Team BTB
Really?
01:01:13
WILD ONEZ
this
01:01:15
Viv
I was like, you have your buoy?
01:01:15
WILD ONEZ
It's,
01:01:16
Viv
I have my buoy. Okay, buoy. You have your goggles? Goggles. This took us five minutes to do
01:01:21
WILD ONEZ
It probably did.
01:01:22
Team BTB
Nice, no
01:01:23
WILD ONEZ
Long enough that our, I think Kate was KP taking pictures that day or somebody was taking pictures from Traverse and no, he was racing. So maybe it was Kyle. I can't remember.
01:01:39
Team BTB
it that no no motion was seen in that, no blur. yeah Definitely come a long way.
01:01:53
Team BTB
oh yeah. And several of those. Yep.
01:01:56
Team BTB
But then, but then there's other times it's like, again, back to the community, you're like, you know, about to transition in and somebody is like, Oh my God, I must've dropped my goggles. And everybody, stop what's neat is everybody in the area stops and is like, does anyone have an extra goggles, right? Like nobody just keeps running by. Everybody's like, hey, do you have some? Do you have some? Everybody's willing to like, okay, let's stop and make sure this person's going to be be okay. Let's
Advice for Newcomers
01:02:22
Team BTB
find what they need.
01:02:25
Team BTB
I'm not. I'm the pack mule. You need goggles, you need a hat, you need Advil, you need some old Prissy.
01:02:34
Team BTB
That was actually our first encounter with Trista and Amy as we came into an aid station and Amy had lost her hat, her cap, somewhere on the mountain. on Pilot Mountain in North Carolina, somewhere there is a cap out there. And she was like, Oh my gosh, my cap.
01:02:50
Team BTB
And i was like, Oh, I have an extra one. And I like pulled it out. And she was like, Oh my God, really? Like where did that come from? And I'm like, I have an extra one. My first encounter with them, like way back in 20, whatever, 18, 19. Yeah.
01:03:10
Team BTB
Always have spares, spares or something.
01:03:10
WILD ONEZ
That's awesome.
01:03:13
WILD ONEZ
The things you learn as you go swim run.
01:03:19
WILD ONEZ
Truly. you
01:03:22
Team BTB
It's going to burn.
01:03:23
WILD ONEZ
You learn from experience.
01:03:26
Team BTB
It'll be fine. Thanks
01:03:29
WILD ONEZ
Awesome. Well, thank you guys for joining us today.
01:03:33
Team BTB
for being with us.
01:03:34
WILD ONEZ
do you have... Yeah. Do you guys have any like little last tidbits of advice or thoughts or?
01:03:41
Team BTB
Just do it. Like, do Just sign up for something and do it. We didn't know. got to sign up for this thing. You've got to sign for this thing. And be fair, at the time when we did it, there were no individual options. So I was like, I could not just sign up and do this by myself. There were, at that time, nothing, no single races.
01:04:02
Team BTB
That's right. yeah I really needed to get you on board as a crazy friend who would have said yes. because That's true. well That's true. And then you know you're just like, okay, what just do it let's try it out.
01:04:14
Team BTB
Do it. It'll it'll happen. Yeah. You'll figure it out.
01:04:17
WILD ONEZ
Love that. That is great, great advice.
01:04:21
Team BTB
and June 28th. Dresden, New York.
01:04:26
WILD ONEZ
awesome
01:04:27
Team BTB
Yep. If anybody needs help, like, Transportation and all that. I can do taxi service. Gear. Gear. We have lots of gear. We have lots of loner gear. We have some loner dogs.
01:04:41
Team BTB
they've gotten too big. They've gotten too old. I don't think he'd be very happy with that situation now.
01:04:51
WILD ONEZ
Amazing.
01:04:51
Team BTB
Thank you. Yeah, I see you guys too.
01:04:52
WILD ONEZ
Yeah.
01:04:54
Team BTB
Off season. It's really nice. It's fun.
01:04:56
WILD ONEZ
Yeah. Cool. Well, that's it for this week's episode. And we will see you guys next time. Love you all. Bye.