Couch to Kona Podcast
Welcome to the Couch to Kona show with Todd Wakefield and Drew Jordan, two rookie pro triathletes sharing their journey from the starting line to the podium. In each episode, we dive into the pro racing scene, offering insider insights, lessons learned, and the real challenges of being a professional athlete. Whether you're a seasoned racer or just getting into triathlon, we also share practical tips, training strategies, and tricks to help you level up your game.
Ironman Oceanside 70.3 Race Recap ft. Matt Engle
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Joined by 5th place finisher from the 35-39 AG, Matt Engle, we review our 70.3 Oceanside races. Described as many as the best non-world championship field ever assembled in Ironman, Todd battled back from a slow start to place 45th out of 70 starters.
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Two Weeks to Oceanside: Race Prep, Fitness Check, and the Final Push
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With IRONMAN 70.3 Oceanside just two weeks away, we jump on the mic for a quick training and race prep update. In this episode we talk through where our fitness is right now, the key workouts we’ve been hitting, and how the final stretch of training is shaping up before we start tapering.
We also get into race expectations, how we’re thinking about the Oceanside course this year, and what we’re hoping to execute on race day. With one of the biggest early-season races on the calendar coming up, it’s t...
Arizona Training Camp Recap
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Episode 50! We review our 5 day training camp/ family vacation in Arizona, discussing sickness & are we in better shape than last year?
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Sophomore Season Kickoff
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New year, new us! JK. We discuss our offseason, new sponsorships, first half of the season schedule & new rules of engagement. How do we think the 20m draft will impact us? Positively!
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California Internal Marathon Race Recap
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Drew is joined by Kyle Lampi and Matt Engle just hours after the finish. Todd is off this week and he welcomes the newest addition to the Wakefield family, baby James! We discuss the highs and lows of a marathon, as they did not disappoint. All members of the squad beat their goals times as CIM lived up to the hype!
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Rookie Season Wrap Up
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We finally recap our first professional triathlon season. We analyze our ups & downs, what has been happening over the past 8 weeks & Drew's racing a marathon?
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Race Recap! Ironman Chattanooga
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Drew places 14th in the 2025 edition of Ironman Chattanooga. Crossing the line in 8 hours, 16 minutes he finished 44minutes faster than when he won the age group race in 2023. He recaps the race, including 2 crucial moments and how he navigated them to end up finishing the 4th best American across the line.
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Ironman Chattanooga Preview
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7 days out from Ironman Chattanooga, Drew and Todd preview our first foray into Professional Ironman racing. We break down the last few weeks of training, the start list, and how we expect the race to play out.
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Santa Cruz 70.3 - Race Recap
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We discuss Todd's 13th place finish at IM Santa Cruz. The highest place either of us have finished in a Pro race! Awesome race location that was described as being a "vibe". After a average bike, Todd threw down the 7th fastest run of the day.
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Race Preview - 70.3 Santa Cruz
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Recorded 5 days out from Santa Cruz 70.3, Todd give insight into what his goals are for the race. Is a top 10 possible?
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Grandpa Hour with Drew Jordan
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Good old fashioned training podcast! We review what we've been up to, how preparation is going into our next few weeks AND Drew tells us what has his knickers in a knot with a new "Get off my lawn" segment.
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Boise Race Recap!
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We re-live our best race yet, both as professionals & amateurs. Todd placed 14th in 3:53, and Drew 17th in 3:55, just 13 & 15mins behind the race winner, Sam Appleton. listen to the stories form our race, how the dynamics played out & what made the difference for us. Also, whats next on our race calendars?
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Ironman Boise 70.3 Preview
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5 days till our next race & we preview the day. We review how the last few weeks of training has gone, who we're racing and how we think it will go. Wish us luck on our 7 hour road trips with the kids!
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The Secrets to Consistent Training
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1 year into making this podcast! Thank you to everyone who has followed us along. This week we discuss the little things we do to set ourselves up for success, training during a week of travel, Drew claims we're more relatable than pros who train 35 hours/week.
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Triathletes vs Roadies
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Two weeks since our last show & we're still excited to talk about our two bike races at RC3. We review how things have been going again, Drew is doing big volume & Todd has a sore calf... again.
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Children change you
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Drew wants to move in with his in-laws. He eats his words after his competition from St George 70.3 race well in Chattanooga. Todd details how we have to manage our stressors, balancing training volume, intensity, families & work. & Ironman instigate a new rule regarding hydration & rear bike storage.
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Race Recap - Ironman St George 70.3
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Drew races the final edition of St George 70.3, detailing a brutal swim start, hilly bike course & a hot 1/2 marathon to cap his 33rd finish.
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Bloomsday Recap and St. George Preview
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Welcome back! This week we recap Todd's impressive Bloomsday that he came away with almost a 90 seconds PB. Drew is about to take off for St. George 70.3 and we discuss the learning curve of racing in the Pro field.
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Balancing Life & Triathlon
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We review our week of training, testing a new training schedule & getting excited for the warmer weather. What we're watching this weekend, Ironman Texas & London Marathon.
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Oceanside 70.3 Recap
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Pro race #2 was a success! Seeing improvements across the disciplines we were excited to unpack this race. Took awhile to recover after a killer day at Disneyland the day after the race, but we finally found the energy. Cold water, bike power, penalties, and 5 minute miles; this race had a bit of everything for us!
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Race Preview: Ironman Oceanside 70.3
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The curtains raise & the cannon goes off this weekend at Ironman 70.3 Oceanside, as the North American triathlon season gets underway! We preview the course, what we expect to (or guess might) happen & review where we're headed to celebrate.
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What is a Niggle?
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12 days out from Oceanside we recap out last couple weeks of training. Big confidence boosting sessions in all disciplines were had. Start list for Oceanside is out, but we will get to that next week. Also, does Drew have the most kids in the professional field?
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Training First, Rest Later
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Life changes & so does our recording dates, we review our key workouts in the past week, discuss some rule changes in triathlon & the latest triathlon drama, or there lack of it,
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Tribute to a Friend, bike legs are coming back, and swimming is hard!
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Were are back (again) after a 3 week hiatus and training is going great. A mini camp in AZ got the bike legs back in gear, running is rolling, and we did our first swim meet. Lots to catch up on this week and we are only 4 weeks out from Oceanside 70.3.
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Ready For Winter To End
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Drew discusses how he manages his efforts & expectations in returning to training and Todd experiments with his training week.
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Bumps in the Road
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Training went off the rails for a few weeks due to sickness, but we are getting back into the swing of things. Todd has been crushing the swimming and Drew had a trip to Urgent Care. All part of the Professional Triathlete/Dad Life.
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We Are Back!
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After a few weeks away from the microphones, we're back and better than ever. We discuss the biggest change to our training since starting triathlon & what we're focussed on during this macrocycle. 12 weeks out from our target first race of the year, Oceanside 70.3!
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Indian Wells 70.3 Race Recap
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First Pro race is in the books and it was awesome! Though neither of us had the races we hoped, we find many redeeming moments in the race and are excited to learn heading into the next one. Catch the full race recap and plans for the next few weeks!
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1 Week until our PRO Triathlon Debut!
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We preview the course, who is racing & review our expectations for our first race as professionals.
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Indian Wells 70.3 - Incoming!
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Join us as we discuss getting accepted into our first Pro race! Indian Wells 70.3 is 15 days away and we unpack the emotions around this transition and what we are most looking forward to with the new type of racing.
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Kona's Done, What Next?
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It took us 5 years to get to Kona, and our wives surprised us with a party to celebrate. So whats next? Our triathlon journey isn't over, just getting started!
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Kona Post Race
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It took a few days, but we are finally recovered enough to give this race the credit it deserves. Catch our recap and all the highs and low of race day. It started stinging in the water and didn't stop until we crossed the line!
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BONUS EPISODE: 2024 Ironman World Championship Pro Preview
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BONUS EPISODE: Previewing the Professional race from the 2024 Men's Ironman World Championships in Kailua-Kona.
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On the Island!
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We are finally in Kona! Less than 72 hours on the island, but we tackled our last weekend before the race. Ho'ala practice swim, biked half the course, and a long run in the energy lab; we didn't waste anytime getting familiar with the course!
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2 weeks till Kona!
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The last of the "Couch" episodes, next time we'll be in Kona!
We're excited to be wrapping up the last big week of training, Drew nailed his big workouts including 2 mile repeats on the track meanwhile Todd runs 5x this week & is wondering why he's so tired.
Next week we'll be recording from The Big Island.
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Heat Training Is Fun
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Wrapping up our last couple weeks in Spokane, this week we tackle some serious heat training session, and it got gross. Todd is making a come back in the run and Drew had a great comeback week after a few weeks of sickness. Kona is less than 3 weeks away and we are putting the finishing touches on the training!
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T-4 Weeks - Kona 2024
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For the first time during this ironman build, Todd & Drew don't workout together. Listen this week to discover if we still had a good week of training, hear how training compares to our first ironman 5 years ago & Todd's calf is progressing in the right direction.
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The Countdown Is On
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With 5 weeks left until Kona, we can see the start line. This week we discuss some speed bumps in training with Drew training through a cold and Todd continuing to deal with calf troubles. We discuss the pros and cons of being self coached, and will Todd have one of the fastest amateur bike splits in Kona? Wrap up the week with a Ironman Nice race recap and ridiculous marathon by the winner!
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Ironman Canada Race Recap with Josh Monda
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This week Todd gives as update on his calf, Drew's long run is now more of a long walk & former guest & professional Josh Monda reviews his 6th place finish from Ironman Canada - Penticton. Josh gives us some Pro Tips & we review our nutrition strategy.
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Calf Strain to Long Ride in 4 Days
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Our primary objective of training this week was nailing the long ride. We discuss a week of illness & injury from sore throats to bad necks & Todd straining his calf. With all that we still nailed our long ride Sunday, leaving us excited for the next attempt in 2 weeks. Lots of training ahead with 7 weeks left till race day.
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