Steve York: He Missed the Ultraman Cutoff by 8 Seconds. Now He's Back!

Send us Fan Mail (https://www.buzzsprout.com/1628851/fan_mail/new) He finished Kona by treating the marathon like survival and then turned around to stare down UM New Zealand with only weeks to build. Steve York is a 16-time Ironman finisher from New Zealand who calls himself “Joe Average,” and that’s exactly why his story hits so hard: it’s not about talent, it’s about choices, preparation, and refusing to quit when the easy option shows up. We talk through the contrasts between the Ironman World Championship in Kona and the inaugural UM New Zealand in Wanaka, from heat and wind to elevation, roads, and run paths that can punish sloppy pacing. Steve rewinds to 1991, when he’s a police constable who buys a bike because coworkers are doing triathlons, then gets talked into an Ironman before he’s ever run farther than 10K. After a long break, he returns in 2012 and starts stacking years of consistent Ironman training that sets the foundation for ultra endurance goals like 515 racing. The heart of this conversation is mindset under pressure. Steve breaks down the “dark thoughts” that hit during events like the Maxi Enduro and the Cape to Bluff ride, plus the unforgettable UM Australia beach finish where seconds matter and community support becomes rocket fuel. We also get into the unsexy work that drives improvement: more run volume, better self-talk, and fixing desk-job imbalances like tight hip flexors and lower back pain. Finally, Steve shares what it means to him to be Maori in a sport where representation is rare, and why he uses endurance sport as a health-forward example for his kids and his wider community.  Subscribe, share this with one friend training for a big race, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway. Resources mentioned in this episode: • UM New Zealand • Ironman World Championships  • IronMaori • Lake Taupō Cycle Challenge • IM New Zealand • KiwiMan • Cape to Bluff • UM Canada • UM UK Shout outs and mentions in this episode: • Kurt Madden • Chris Te’o • Simone York • Steve King • Tim Franklin • Beñat Oliveira • Simon Cochrane • Kids names • Taawhiri York  • Manaaki York • Peter ‘Huddo’ Hudson  • Iron Cowboy • Shane Kent  • Bill Justus Support the show (https://buymeacoffee.com/larryryan) Show Contributors: Host : Larry Ryan Contributing Raconteur : Steve King Announcer : Mary Jo Dionne Production : 5Five Enterprises Music  :  Run by 331 For show notes and past guests, please visit the Podcast Website: https://515theultrapodcast.buzzsprout.com Facebook: @515TheUltraPodcast (https://www.facebook.com/515TheUltraPodcast) Insta : @515theultrapodcast (https://www.instagram.com/515theultrapodcast/?hl=en) Youtube : @515TheUltraPodcast (https://www.youtube.com/@515TheUltraPodcast) Email : 515Ultraman@gmail.com