Show #113 – October 20, 2012

Ernest Gagnon, Dan Empfield

Halloween is still a week away, but a Big Yellow Elephant charged into the room this week, so Diane and I felt compelled to address it, because, well, Big Yellow Elephant. But don’t let that deter you, because we also have two great guests this week.

Ernest Gagnon is a big guy from New England on his way to being a smaller guy from New England. Two years ago, a combination of depression and a sedentary job in the tech industry helped him tip the scales at 570 pounds. Now, over 200 pounds lighter and several thousand miles later, Gagnon has both a different body, and a different outlook on life. This week we get the whole amazing story from Ernest and two of his cycling buddies, Steve Lachance and Zach LaBry.

The expansive website slowtwitch.com is ostensibly about triathlon (and there is a ton of excellent tri content there) but it’s so much more than multi-sport. This 13-year old site is the brainchild of Dan Empfield, who has a deep passion and understanding, not only of the sport itself, but of the athletes as well. This week Dan tells us how and why he started Slowtwitch, and also offers a bit of advice for first time competitors.