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Matt Russell Professional Triathlete on Being an Ambassador for Life
Matt Russell is an American professional triathlete and veteran of the sport. He is dad, a husband, a man with strong faith, an Ironman Foundation ambassador, and a voice for the ALS community on account of very personal experience of losing him mom at a young age to the disease. Matt is a multi-time Ironman and 70.3 champion and is no stranger to racing the best of the best on the big island of Hawaii every October at the Ironman World Championship. Anyone queued into the triathlon world hears athlete after athlete talk about the power and the energy of the big island; Matt is also no stranger to this. His son Makaio was conceived on the island in 2016, and just one year later, while racing on the world's stage of triathlon, Matt almost lost his own. As he reeled down the road at 35 miles per hour on the backside of the bike leg, Matt had no idea that he would be riding the fragile line between life and death in an instant. As he approached an intersection, a car pulled out in front of him, and there was no time to stop. At that moment, the impact between him and the vehicle was imminent. He doesn't remember much about the accident, but what happened that day changed his life forever. His gratitude for life is acute and he makes a practice out of doing things that make him feel alive. Matt realizes that although triathlon fills his heart, he knows there is more to life than sport. Matt considers himself an "Ambassador for Life" and hopes that by sharing his story far and wide he will inspire others to be their best. In this episode, we discuss the accident and how life is different now. He shares his training philosophies as a triathlon coach and as a self-coached athlete. He admits that even after many years of competing he still learns something from every race. He emphasizes the importance of a positive mindset and the bond between happiness and good relationships. We feel blessed to share this heart-felt conversation with the YogiTriathlete community, and we are grateful that Matt's work in the world is not over; there's more in store for him, and we cannot wait to see what unfolds from here. We hope you enjoy the show. Thank you for your support. We wouldn't do this with you! Namaste - Jess