Ironman, UK

Chris Mulligan, Endurance Athlete

I have been an addicted endurance athlete for three decades. I have run on 5 continents, swum in 5 seas, have completed over 30 marathons, a handful of full distance ironman triathlons and dozens of shorter events. I regularly see the sunrise from the road, my bike or the sea. ~CM

The Interview

The Daily Norm: My readers and I would like to make sure you are, in fact, human – it  levels the ‘normalcy’ playing field. So do you eat, go to the bathroom, bleed and cry? We’re happy to hear some proof if you want to supply it.

Chris Mulligan: Am all too human, I have a profound fondness for chocolate ice cream and cold beer.

TDN: What’s your typical schedule on a normal day?

CM: Up at 5:30am most days and out the door before 6am for a workout, which can be either a run, bike, gym workout or swim. On a few lucky days, back out for a short run or bike after work. I don’t ever time my workouts, I just push myself as hard as feels right for the day. Also, I  don’t listen to my iPod while running or biking; it’s much more meditative that way.

TDN: Name one thing that you have to do on a regular basis that you despise. How far would go to delete it from your schedule?

CM: Hard to answer, I have gotten pretty adept at avoiding things I despise. I don’t like swimming in heavily chlorinated pools, so I don’t swim much during the winter. I don’t like when people cut in line, so don’t wait in lines much either.

TDN: What would you change about your training or your self if you could change anything?

CM: Might seem funny, but I would be more disciplined about my training. I have family and work commitments that supersede my training, and I like to goof off a bunch beyond that. I suspect that I would finish better in my races if I trained in a more organized way.

TDN: Is there any life stage or event you would have skipped (like geometry) on the way to where you are now? Would it have been missed?

CM: 9th grade, for certain. Being the shortest kid in your class at the awkward age of 15 is a humbling experience which stays with you for life. Now, that lesson in humility is a good thing; at the time, it was horrible.

TDN: What are your main stepping stones to getting to where you are today? (Person, place, thing, luck, pluck, virtue?)

CM: Stuff that I say to myself that makes me smile because it is trite, but true: “Success through excess”, as well as “pain is temporary, glory lasts forever”.

TDN: What word or phrase do you say most often?

CM: Awesome, delicious and delightful are top of the playlist right now; I am a lucky man.

TDN: What is your single biggest accomplishment?

CM: Proudest accomplishment is having created an awesome partnership with my wife and together raising five delightful children!

TDN: Is there anything that you can’t live without? (besides food, water and oxygen)

CM: I become surly, cantankerous and downright ornery when I don’t work out.

TDN: What’s the best part of your life?

CM: Waking up every morning knowing that my dream came true.

TDN: What is your ultimate motivation tool? (We won’t hold it against you
if it’s Eye of the Tiger)

CM: Mortality, as in “Carpe Diem”.

TDN: If someone wanted to be you or do what you do, what would you say to them?

CM: Being an endurance athlete is easier than you would think. It really comes down to the 2 minutes of discipline it takes to get out of bed when the alarm goes off at 5:30am. Oh, and you have to know you are capable of truly incredible things, so that you don’t listen to your own whingeing but rather dare to reach your goals.