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Kerry Sutter on adjusting to life as a quadriplegic (Ali Pottinger) || Runners Only! with Dom Harvey

October 18, 202201:07:27
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[Music]
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[Music]
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[Music]
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and I'm currently in um South Auckland
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in the what is it despite the spinal
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unit Spinal Rehab unit yeah and spinal
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Rehabilitation Unit thank you thank you
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with um a couple of Legends of the
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running community in New Zealand uh
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Ellie pottinger and Kerry Souther good
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morning hey dog hi
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so so good to be sitting here with you
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guys um you know the last couple of
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years I think have been a dumpster fire
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for most people in New Zealand but it's
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fair to say it's hard to imagine how
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2022 could be more of a [ __ ] up of a
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year for anyone than what it's been for
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you guys and it's also hard to imagine
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that anyone else could be as positive
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and resilient and smile through the [ __ ]
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I've been through this year
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you guys are simply inspirational both
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of you thanks Tom
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um yeah it's sort of a you know give and
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take year for us isn't it obviously the
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the news of the accident you know
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managed to fall off my bike and uh break
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my neck a couple of months ago and um
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it's pretty permanent it's pretty bad
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so I spend a life in a chair which is
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you know pretty tough but
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um some good news today
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yeah so
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um when Kerry had his accident I was
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seven and a half weeks pregnant after
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six years of trying
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um so yeah it's been a bit of a roller
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coaster year for us so far and I guess
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it'll continue that way congratulations
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you're pregnant yeah I loved on Space
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right now
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so I found out just before the accident
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and I topped it off by uh
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I thought we went to Great Lengths to
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get out of changing
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okay so um
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so so the accident was on um 26th of Feb
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yeah 26 feet now I'm um I'm a fan of
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yours I follow you on Strava give an
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indication of the sort of guy you are so
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a week before the accident on Strava you
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can see you you've had like a 17 hour
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run 60 kilometers uh up up and down a
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few mountains I rode
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what this enjoy doing was just getting
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out there and having
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his mates and going places and um one of
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the weirdly the last thing on my bucket
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list that I wanted do was that I wanted
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to go and take off the three volcanoes
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and talking International Park in one
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push so I just went down there on a
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Friday with a mate and um ran up with
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opihu and then down to the Chateau and
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across to tongariro and up now at ahoi
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and then back to where we started at
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Kino and closed out the loop in 17 hours
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this sort of stuff you just you know me
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and my mates were doing it a sort of a
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Summer's missions that's such a cool
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thing to do yeah yeah fun
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yeah a long long day uh yeah I've had
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some long days I've done some 30-hour
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missions before and um so this is the
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thing for me with um spinal injuries
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like the one you've got I think it'd be
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a massive adjustment and it'd be a hard
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thing to cope with and deal with for
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anybody but when you're someone like
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yourself or a brad smailer who's a
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wakeboarder that I had on the podcast a
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couple of months ago I reckon it's it's
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got to be even even tougher and the
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respect that here you are you're you're
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pushing your body to the Limit you're
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using it as it's um supposed to be used
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you've really bookended physiology
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haven't I have gone from a point where
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um uh you know incredible Fitness you
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know like resting heart rate of 37 and
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you know and you just go for a weekend
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run for 17 hours if that's what you want
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to do and now I'm at a point where I've
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got no legs and you know I can't I can
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barely move my arms and you know I've
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lost it's not going to get any better
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I've got no movement or since you know
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below sort of my armpits so um you know
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it's like you couldn't it couldn't
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possibly be a different a further a more
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different life for me but um you know
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I've got to get used to carrying that
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attitude forward you know like the the
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same the same things that uh that drove
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me to be you know like a good athlete or
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you know a great coach was you know
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there's still exist inside me I fell on
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my head but none of my brains fell out
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you know it's still the same person so
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um I've got to have the same motivation
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the same outlook on life if I was in
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your position I I think I'd be in a
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state of denial for your weeks months
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even years would not be a great place to
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be or a healthy place to be but you you
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sort of seem to accept it straight away
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and accepted with quite good humor
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um the key things are acceptance and
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gratitude I think you've got to accept
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where where you are and you know it
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doesn't matter who you are you know you
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really
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you know you once you once you realize
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that um
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perhaps there's a way out of there and
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that you can you can be you can still be
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the main person that you you were before
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you know what defined me I think was uh
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you know not
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uh not my legs or um you know people
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don't love you for your legs they love
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you for who you are um
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and so uh so it's still that person and
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I realized very early on that I could
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still be a running coach and I can still
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help people and I just love helping
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people and that's what we've been able
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to do that's my way out of there that
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was a light at the end of the tunnel
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even when in the darkest moments I
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remember even then I hadn't
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a conversation with an ICU doctor about
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whether I was a candidate for assisted
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suicide you know you know you swing both
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ways with it um oh it's very very hard
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to at that point I was a hit on a pillow
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you know you can't move you can't move
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anything even now I can't you know
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you know do anything
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you know you wonder whether it's worth
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going on but you know
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the same time you've got so much to live
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for you know
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I've got two girls and you know maybe
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one more on the way
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yeah but I think that's
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a tricky thing is
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going to see the way forward like you're
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just in that moment and so that's what
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you think it is but uh there was a
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really good Turning Point probably
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three weeks ago when we met um Gareth
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Lynch who's a real black paralympian
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and we went over to the gym they train
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in the gym just over there and uh
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get curiously to guess you know like
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do hard days because gas is now five
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years down the track from his injury and
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gas was just he's just like beaming he's
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just this radiant kind of enthusiastic
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guy and he's like
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oh yeah and seeing people
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engaging with their Community
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laughing having fun you know being
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active was really key for Kerry mentally
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kind of okay there's still stuff to have
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to aim towards yeah
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yeah where does where does this come
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from this like Relentless positivity
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I mean it's such a good attitude yeah my
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dad killed himself when I was very young
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and uh I think that sort of shapes who
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you are a lot I think
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sorry
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um yeah you just sort of realize that uh
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you've got to start with loving yourself
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first and once you're comfortable with
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who you are
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um then you can you follow the capacity
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yeah
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yeah just highly motivated to uh to get
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the best best that I can out of my life
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and um yeah help others as well yeah
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we're all getting a little bit of motion
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far out I didn't think we're gonna do
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this 10 minutes
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oh you guys um you guys are a hell of a
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couple I'm guessing when one of you is
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having a bad day or a negative moment uh
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the other one would step up to the plate
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and say come on
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shake it off is that how it works with
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you too yeah there's not a lot of bad
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days actually when we're together
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um uh and one of the event directors
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calls I saw the sapphire couple or
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something yeah we're just like always
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beaming and always great you know I
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think we just we bounce off each other
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really well and uh it's a really good
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team I think a good partner is an
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enabler and I've been thinking about it
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more lately and it's been It's Tricky
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right because curious become disabled
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and so how I can enable him in this
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situation but also it's really important
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still to have fun and laugh and love and
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so it's trying to bring that balance
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always to our relationship
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yeah it always says from pretty good I
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think I just
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uh this is in the time we've been
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together seven years I think um we've
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just really grown together really well
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and um you know like a squadron was born
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out of that now running business
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um and it's obviously grown as well
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along the way but um I think people are
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drawn to that positivity as well and um
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you know we're really quite committed to
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what we do and uh I've lost a little bit
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of the outlet you know like when you're
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having a bit of a rough day Dom you you
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can go for a run and you can sort of
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Shake It Out yeah you know it's a fix
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for problems you know or often doesn't
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fix a problem but you feel better about
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it yeah you don't just the endorphins
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and things yeah yeah so I've lost that
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because what's happening now is you're
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getting on the Upper Limb cycle and
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doing what I can hand signs yeah so what
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happened with the arms because um you I
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I arrived here just before we started
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recording and um you know I met you in
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your chair and you gave me a fist pump
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and I was really surprised it was a that
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was it was a great sign so so when you
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after the accident you got taken into
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hospital and you had nothing from the
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neck down yeah yeah no arms or anything
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no
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my C5 so they've used C5 and C6 together
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and my spines have you counting down a
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vertebrae from from really the skull
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itself I'm down I'm down at sort of C5
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which is my injury
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um and so that means my spinal cord
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Works down to C4 and C4 gives you
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shoulders and it gives me biceps but
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really nothing else so I can move my
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arms with my biceps only but the
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unfortunate things I have no triceps so
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my hands just collapse I can't really
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raise my arms above my head or anything
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so I can sort of flap my arms around
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like Kermit
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um and uh and you remember you know
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have you ever watched them singing about
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rainbows you'd think uh he's not really
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playing that guitar is he
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um yeah yeah
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um so yeah sort of a lot like Kumon I
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think in that regard but uh good to have
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that mobility and again when I say one
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of the things that acceptance and
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gratitude I'm grateful for what I have
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because if I had broken my spine just
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one vertebrae up I wouldn't even have my
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arms so um I'm very lucky to have that
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so uh
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it will let me do some hand cycling and
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uh and various other sports which would
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be good so I'm looking forward to that
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many years to come yeah is it going to
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improve uh no I measure B which is quite
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a bad
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bad damage to the spinal column
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of the connectivity beyond the point of
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injury so you have sensation below your
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point of injury but no motor
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right right so I can feel a lot of
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things
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um eggplant Emoji a lot of stuff
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oh yeah have you got some uh don't worry
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about it you've brought it up I can't I
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can't move things below the point of
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injury right I've got lots of things I
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have sensitivity in so right so every
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day when I'm doing my bowel cures
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um yeah I'm 100 uh sensitive to uh to
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those fingers that are in my bum but uh
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right I don't have any ability to uh to
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squeeze those fingers unfortunately
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right but okay what's well because
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obviously the damage is so bad to my
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body
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um they have to you know put
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suppositories in me each morning and oh
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because you've got no cause so you can't
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you can't activate your trunk or nothing
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and it's not just the muscles it's the
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nervous system as well so um you know
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the the the the body is is it's in a
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real State there because it can't I
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can't tell that anything is wrong you
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know like a I don't even know if I'm
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hungry or full or anything did you want
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to talk about the accident and the dad
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happened or not I just went out for a
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bike ride one morning and uh whenever
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the handlebars Dom have you been over
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the handlebars of your bike I I I
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um I I live with so much fear
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um I sort of assess risk so I would
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never attempt
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with my friends and I wouldn't I
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wouldn't go you know and do all these
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down the steps and so what was it can
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you explain the run or uh amount of bike
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ride I just went for an ordinary bike
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ride and uh when I've uh I was I was
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riding an illegal Trail and if I could
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even do a forest um you like everything
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in my life I'd uh uh you know try and
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level up but always sort of pushing my
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ability a little bit
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um and uh so I sort of progressing
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through mountain bike in the last five
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years and you know trying harder things
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and biking a little bit harder and um I
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wonder if a feature that was probably
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about a minute and a half to two meters
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high and I just didn't get enough run
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those up and uh you know landed you know
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hard on the front shock and just went
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over the handlebars and landed on my
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head and not a scratch on my helmet not
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a scratch on the bike my neck took it
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all and
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uh yeah just broke a vertebrae lying
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there looking up at the trees with mates
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holding my hands and making the right
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phone calls um and uh yeah alligator
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just
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um what was you were gone for a swim uh
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going for a run around techie tapu and
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um right weirdly right when Kerry had
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his accident I kind of like the morning
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sun was filtering through the trees and
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I just stopped and I was like
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oh they're beautiful and I was feeling
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so content with my life and then got
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back and got ready to get changed for an
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Open Water Swim so I had my
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um he carries away suit half up my waist
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and then I got this phone call and I've
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been actually not wanting him to ride
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that trail yeah I think I read this in
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an article and stuff or somewhere you
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had you said the day before you were
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going to do it and you just had a bad
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feeling about it oh he'd record it he'd
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kind of gone and walked through the
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trail and had a look at it and I've run
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it before as well and I was just
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thinking I just don't know about this
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um and so the week beforehand Kira's
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meant to fly out actually and do 10 days
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of running on the new Ultra Trail course
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in Kosciusko in Australia and I just
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said to him you know you've got a lot of
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running coming up ahead this week just
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like just walk anything that you don't
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feel confident with
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um yeah I just didn't want him to ride
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it and
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um so so then I got back ready for my
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swim got this phone call and it was
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Ellie Ally I've had an accident and I
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was going you're joking you're joking I
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thought he was winding me up because I'd
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been kind of Anna's case a little bit
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about it but also it's so funny isn't it
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do you think that's like a like a wife's
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intuition thing or I think there was
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something had intuition as well like
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you could kind of sit on I didn't really
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sleep the night before and I was kind of
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thinking about it
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about that particular jump yeah and then
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I thought it was just focus but if
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someone said to you this okay you can do
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this jump there's a one percent chance
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that this accident's gonna happen would
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you have attempted it still went on
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because you know we spend a lot of time
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and
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you go over the accident a million times
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and it's about all of those sliding door
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moments yeah and um you know you know
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would you have done it or would you do
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it differently or you know would you put
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it off for a different bike or a
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different setup or or any of those sorts
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of things and um at least a bigger
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picture of you know should we take risks
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at all and yeah how do I feel about it
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now I've got kids do I want them you
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know we have trampoline accidents in
00:15:31
here leap Park accidents we've got you
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know people kiwi's just doing what kiwis
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do
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[Laughter]
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you know I don't want to wrap the world
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up in Cotton wool and I wouldn't live
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any differently I arrived at where I am
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at 44 because took risks and I did stuff
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you know a week before I was on who
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jumping over icy crevasses you know like
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climbing down you know Cliff faces with
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scrambling rock my life has replaced
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with incredibly dangerous probably
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stupid things but but that's experience
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you know that's what that's what life is
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for and I'm sorry if you're too shy to
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uh to get the skateboard out
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tell them I think you're missing out on
00:16:15
some stuff here man I would take you for
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a run if I still could I promise we'll
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go someplace yeah yeah yeah
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oh man that's such a good attitude such
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a good one yeah I've always said I
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I feel had I just lost my legs it
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wouldn't be an issue but take my
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hands I can't use a keyboard or a mouse
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I can't even flip someone off it's so
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frustrating you can't I can't do
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anything I can't move my hands I have to
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help them pick his nose because because
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we're we're sitting here just to set the
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scene like you're sort of um
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gesticulating you're like you're using
00:16:55
your hands but you can't but you can't
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pick your nose no I thought I saw you in
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your face before scratching I believe I
00:17:01
have a fully functioning penis but I
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can't use it
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it's frustrating we have discussions in
00:17:07
here would you rather you know yeah
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some guys have hit their hands and don't
00:17:14
have any function and in that area right
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what would you do and then
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curious It's got sensation in his name
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this podcast is going somewhere not
00:17:23
functioning right you can't use his
00:17:25
fingers honestly so you can still get an
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erection yes yeah
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right so okay so you can so sorry for
00:17:32
fixating on this
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so so you can get an erection but you've
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got you've got no feeling in it so you
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know I have full feelings it's great
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yeah it's no worries but I just can't I
00:17:41
haven't got the hands for it well so you
00:17:42
just can't no manual over right all
00:17:44
right
00:17:45
got it no yeah got it yeah I can just
00:17:48
look at it
00:17:51
sorry are people running to this I don't
00:17:53
know maybe maybe I don't know it's an
00:17:55
inspirational okay so um yes
00:17:58
so very personal information Dom well as
00:18:01
we you brought it up oh
00:18:04
but I think it's actually good
00:18:09
whatever this is and um yeah I think
00:18:12
it's important because we had no idea
00:18:15
about spinal cord injuries what to
00:18:18
expect no one no one does no kiwi should
00:18:21
because they tune them out between
00:18:23
Christchurch and here there's usually
00:18:25
one mountain bike accident at all times
00:18:27
here there's usually you know three or
00:18:30
four motorbike accidents and here
00:18:31
there's car accidents there's all sorts
00:18:34
of tragic stories of just kiwis going
00:18:35
about their daily lives yeah and then
00:18:37
the summer lots of swimming accidents
00:18:39
like just diving into the water at the
00:18:41
beach
00:18:44
oh swimming pools you know watering
00:18:48
holes waterfalls you name it kiwis like
00:18:50
water so
00:18:52
um where we are now this has been your
00:18:53
home for the since the accident happened
00:18:55
pretty much yeah you get to go home
00:18:57
um in another few weeks um what's that
00:19:00
going to look like like to have a keg of
00:19:01
it I have 24 hours here so um that's the
00:19:05
level of my injury is a team of five
00:19:07
will have around the clock here for me
00:19:11
to the end of my days
00:19:12
yeah just catching up with everyone's
00:19:13
really important but you know I really
00:19:14
want to get back to my job you know like
00:19:16
I can yeah I can't use cable to Mouse
00:19:18
but I can still use a laptop with um
00:19:20
voice activation software so
00:19:27
so there's athletes that need support
00:19:29
for various races you know the Sun keeps
00:19:31
rising and events are hosted so um
00:19:39
they're possum
00:19:41
um in mid-june so Kerry we've always
00:19:45
emceed at different events and yeah
00:19:47
we're looking forward to getting back to
00:19:49
that as well and so sharing that story
00:19:51
is also part of that being able to
00:19:53
integrate back into the communities that
00:19:55
we love being part of with yeah and the
00:19:59
community loves you guys as well
00:20:02
what's that we've met a few athletes on
00:20:04
Finish Lines and start lines yeah yeah
00:20:06
yeah and um but I think people love you
00:20:08
like
00:20:10
maybe some love you for your like
00:20:12
athletic prowess but I think most of
00:20:14
it's your personality and your charm
00:20:15
which uh hasn't changed no I so I meet
00:20:19
you I think for the first time at uh
00:20:20
younger Marathon right
00:20:22
um and you just uh went for it literally
00:20:24
what 21k just a half yeah just a half
00:20:26
just a little [ __ ] half yeah you know
00:20:28
that's a beautiful distance I love the
00:20:30
way that distance rolls out I think the
00:20:33
first kilometer you're like oh this pace
00:20:34
is hurting me second kilometer you know
00:20:36
still not sure but by the fifth
00:20:38
kilometer you know you settle into it
00:20:39
yeah I love the assistance because by
00:20:40
the 10th kilometer you're like I'm
00:20:42
halfway through this I might be able to
00:20:43
do this and then you get to about 16 and
00:20:45
17 and you're like oh and then you get
00:20:47
to like 19 and 20 and you pretty much
00:20:49
just close your eyes grip your teeth and
00:20:51
hang on to the end I just love the way
00:20:53
that the story of 21k rolls out it's
00:20:55
such a good distance to race so if I
00:20:57
could race one distance over and over
00:20:58
again it'll be 21ks
00:21:02
no no no one no one has never like
00:21:04
described a half marathon to me quite
00:21:05
like that intimately I love
00:21:08
I love that yeah it's a great distance
00:21:09
we've gone to the days of me holding
00:21:10
three
00:21:11
and freaking 330k pace
00:21:14
yeah I used to go not that it matters
00:21:16
now it's very relevant but uh I used to
00:21:19
love the feeling of
00:21:22
everyone on tarmac and you can you and
00:21:24
you go you're flying along you're
00:21:26
feeling good you know anything on the
00:21:28
force is just um
00:21:30
I know I'll miss that but uh you know as
00:21:34
a guy in his 40s I was getting ready to
00:21:36
yeah yeah
00:21:39
um okay I I feel like that's enough
00:21:42
that's enough about the injury and where
00:21:43
things are at
00:21:44
um we've got so much other stuff to talk
00:21:46
about first of all I want to know how
00:21:47
you guys met
00:21:48
how did you guys meet each other you see
00:21:49
seven years you've been together
00:21:51
I mean you're such an amazing Captain so
00:21:54
I can't imagine going back eight years
00:21:56
and seeing you two yeah it's hard to
00:21:58
imagine YouTube without each other so
00:21:59
there's a there's a really neat event
00:22:01
that they're doing national park or the
00:22:02
t-42s and it's a total sport event and
00:22:05
Aaron and his team really cool really
00:22:06
welcoming um they throw a massive party
00:22:09
at the park lodge in natural park and so
00:22:11
I was there that Saturday night and um
00:22:13
uh and I just bumped into this this girl
00:22:16
on the uh on the dance floor and she
00:22:18
said hey where are you going and um
00:22:19
anyway uh one thing led to another and
00:22:22
we got chatting and um she said uh you
00:22:25
know what's your name and I said I think
00:22:27
you should know I'm quite a big deal and
00:22:28
uh just tongue-in-cheek right look at
00:22:31
the top of the results I said that on
00:22:33
the on the wall over there are all the
00:22:35
results I think you'll find my names
00:22:37
right at the top of the list and um so
00:22:40
she loved that and she started chipping
00:22:41
away at me so the first thing she did
00:22:43
was um look at someone on a high horse
00:22:45
and think about uh how she could bring
00:22:47
them down to ground and after about 10
00:22:49
minutes of her making fun of me I
00:22:50
realized how much wood she had an
00:22:53
intellect that goes with it and uh I
00:22:55
needed to reverse the conversation and
00:22:56
start an introduction and get to know
00:22:58
her better so is that a fair description
00:23:00
of how we met yeah pretty much we yeah
00:23:03
we kind of ended up I it was just like
00:23:05
this yeah really great connection and we
00:23:08
sat down and talked for a couple of
00:23:09
hours I think and then
00:23:12
um it just kind of just bonded over over
00:23:14
both being sarcastic yeah yeah pretty
00:23:17
much exactly that yeah I also love for
00:23:20
an outdoors yeah
00:23:25
tramping
00:23:28
tramping and you know
00:23:30
um how much we just loved you know
00:23:32
staying in huts and being in the hills
00:23:34
and the mountains or was it love it love
00:23:36
at first sight do you think yeah yeah I
00:23:39
think so yeah because we're like we I
00:23:42
couldn't stop we could like we was
00:23:44
chatting for hours that night and um I
00:23:46
don't think it's pretty rare you don't
00:23:47
just sort of meet someone and then feel
00:23:49
like you really need to chat to them for
00:23:50
hours
00:23:51
um but yeah it was uh it was really just
00:23:54
off the off the back of her making fun
00:23:55
of me for a while that that I really
00:23:57
enjoyed her uh and then nothing's
00:23:59
changed actually has it you just no you
00:24:01
still do that don't you yeah yeah well
00:24:03
you make fun of me as well as much as I
00:24:05
can maybe
00:24:07
yeah it is it is a love language I think
00:24:10
yeah not an official one but no the
00:24:12
eighth one love language yeah
00:24:15
so here is the one that had the accident
00:24:17
and he's in the chair but it's um it's
00:24:19
got to be bloody tough for you as well
00:24:23
I mean I hate to use the word victim in
00:24:26
front of you guys because I don't think
00:24:27
either of you would ever have like a
00:24:29
victim mentality oh no let's be clear I
00:24:31
have two life too yeah
00:24:34
yeah so how are you doing and how have
00:24:37
you been um it's been
00:24:45
I can't feel anything and
00:24:48
um I just went straight around to where
00:24:50
the ambulance was going to meet him at
00:24:52
the forest and then Rhys called and
00:24:54
Reece was like he he actually lost it
00:24:57
crying hysterically just like you're
00:24:59
gonna who's Reese uh one of our really
00:25:00
good friends yeah is it current uh men's
00:25:03
champion of the terror ultra marathon
00:25:05
yeah
00:25:07
like a little love triangle yeah
00:25:10
um yeah and so Rhys was with Kerry for
00:25:12
the accident he actually is also the
00:25:14
Builder that renovated our house the
00:25:16
last year and a half so and he also did
00:25:18
the um Three Peaks run with Curie so all
00:25:21
the weekend before yeah oh amazing yeah
00:25:23
really good friends
00:25:25
um yeah and he was just hysterically
00:25:27
crying saying you're gonna probably go
00:25:29
in there um
00:25:31
the rescue helicopter at Auckland with
00:25:34
Kerry and so I was just kind of like
00:25:36
crazy like of what have I got on me that
00:25:39
I can go
00:25:41
um yeah and oversized winter you're
00:25:44
weird yeah and
00:25:47
um yeah meet him in the ambulance and
00:25:49
that was pretty shocking like to see
00:25:52
they they have an outline of a human and
00:25:55
they just had a line from like straight
00:25:57
across his shoulders sort of thing like
00:25:59
which I guess obviously indicates that
00:26:01
he was paralyzed from there down and and
00:26:04
seeing his color and his temperature and
00:26:09
kind of disorientation and that was
00:26:11
quite
00:26:12
um confronting and then you just end up
00:26:15
in Auckland going like it's like being
00:26:17
picked up by a tornado and then like
00:26:20
things that are whirling all around you
00:26:21
and you're just going how the hell have
00:26:22
I got here like what is happening I'm
00:26:25
trying to make sense of it all and
00:26:27
that's Yeah so basically moved to
00:26:31
Auckland
00:26:32
um friends brought up our vehicle and
00:26:34
clothes for me and all that sort of
00:26:36
stuff
00:26:37
and um and then just been yeah with care
00:26:41
every day since just you know trying to
00:26:44
meet his needs and
00:26:47
be there and support him and also run
00:26:49
our businesses and yeah and she's a
00:26:52
superwoman yeah grow a tiny human yeah
00:26:55
you're right yeah you're having some
00:26:57
down time you're taking care of yourself
00:26:59
not really I I just try and like you
00:27:02
know like everyone says look after yeah
00:27:05
but but there isn't that space like I
00:27:08
mean that you have to try and you just
00:27:11
try and do what you can do to look after
00:27:13
yourself so it's basically trying to eat
00:27:17
decent food drink get whatever sleep you
00:27:20
can and and just you know Maslow's
00:27:23
hierarchy of needs right like shelter
00:27:25
food all that sort of stuff
00:27:28
um so I figure
00:27:30
yeah they'll be more more Recreation
00:27:33
time
00:27:34
future but not right now yeah yeah geez
00:27:37
you got a good one didn't you yeah I'm
00:27:39
very lucky but um hands off Tom
00:27:43
so so after the accident I give a little
00:27:45
page was set up and um I think this is
00:27:48
remarkable it sees a lot about you guys
00:27:50
as people last time I checked it was
00:27:52
something like 120 527 000 which is a
00:27:54
lot of money but the thing that got me
00:27:56
it's that was donated by 1420 people so
00:28:00
it was not someone coming in with a big
00:28:02
lump sum that was like a whole lot of
00:28:03
little donations that's a that's a lot
00:28:05
of people who obviously have
00:28:08
um some sort of connection or some sort
00:28:10
of feeling towards you guys which is
00:28:12
hugely humbling we were really Blown
00:28:14
Away by you know when Ellie came and saw
00:28:16
me in ICU she said um you know there's
00:28:18
twenty seven thousand dollars and I give
00:28:19
a little page
00:28:21
how have we influenced that many
00:28:22
people's lives lines you know like if
00:28:24
you think about Dom that all the passing
00:28:25
interactions you've had with other human
00:28:27
are enough of them positive that um
00:28:30
but don't I remember Dom I'd like to do
00:28:32
something
00:28:33
we're talking thousands of people that
00:28:35
were yeah I didn't even know that was
00:28:37
possible you know through our business
00:28:38
we have obviously a lot of interactions
00:28:40
with people many thousands of of
00:28:42
athletes that we've coached in the last
00:28:43
six years but um you think you're just a
00:28:46
small Cog in the system you know like
00:28:47
you stand on a Finish Line you cheer
00:28:49
athletes in
00:28:50
um you know you help athletes achieve
00:28:51
their um you know their running goals or
00:28:53
those sorts of things but you never
00:28:55
really think you know we've treated them
00:28:56
like humans and as friends and you know
00:28:58
with kindness and with love and
00:29:00
compassion but you never expected to
00:29:03
come back
00:29:04
um and you know you mentioned that give
00:29:05
it all that's just the New Zealand one
00:29:07
we've got one in Australia as well and
00:29:09
um again the outpouring of support there
00:29:12
has been overwhelming watching videos of
00:29:14
people you know raise money they did a a
00:29:17
virtual event a couple of weeks ago and
00:29:19
um you know everyone got out and they
00:29:21
they ran they went and got groups of
00:29:24
people together and they ran and
00:29:27
to support us and uh it's a I don't even
00:29:30
know where to begin with it you know you
00:29:31
think even if you think about imagine
00:29:33
your own funeral people do someone's
00:29:35
reading a eulogy how many people in the
00:29:37
room is it is it thousands Dom do you
00:29:39
think there's thousands of people want
00:29:40
to see you off I can't believe how many
00:29:42
people have supported us yeah
00:29:44
um getting money out of people it's a
00:29:46
hard thing as well no it really is it's
00:29:50
one of the house like it's easy to write
00:29:51
a comment on Facebook like oh Kerry get
00:29:53
well soon but to take that next step and
00:29:55
donate money to someone that you've had
00:29:57
a brush with we never asked for it
00:29:59
either you know like um it's not we
00:30:01
didn't set it up it was some one of our
00:30:03
athletes did and and you know like maybe
00:30:06
a small post somewhere I don't really
00:30:07
know but when they they said that they
00:30:09
wanted to start one and I was like no no
00:30:12
just donate money to the first response
00:30:14
in the forest they helped Kerry or
00:30:16
Westpac rescue helicopter or something
00:30:18
like that like we don't need it
00:30:20
um but then in hindsight it's been
00:30:22
amazing because there is you know like
00:30:24
there is support via um ACC and the dhbs
00:30:29
and stuff but like I've probably spent
00:30:32
over ten thousand on accommodation and
00:30:35
that is hopefully going to be reimbursed
00:30:37
but it hasn't yet and also Like New
00:30:40
clothing for Kerry because you you can't
00:30:42
wear things with pockets underneath like
00:30:45
cause a precious sore I said so yeah I
00:30:49
wouldn't think of anything like that but
00:30:50
where you go up a size in your Footwear
00:30:52
what you guys have a size on your why
00:30:54
because of you know blood pooling and
00:30:57
the potential for precious sores I can't
00:30:59
move my feet blood comes back so
00:31:01
everything pulls down there yeah and and
00:31:03
one of the other downsides to the injury
00:31:05
is um I'm always freezing cold now so
00:31:07
even you know you're on a t-shirt I'm in
00:31:09
two layers and I'm considering a third
00:31:12
um some people have the opposite so so
00:31:14
your nervous system controls all of
00:31:16
these things and that's being disrupted
00:31:18
so
00:31:19
um yes people with spinal cords present
00:31:22
a lot injuries present in a lot of
00:31:24
different ways and for Kerry he was
00:31:25
freezing so I've gone out and bought
00:31:27
puffered jackets and blankets and you
00:31:30
know beanies and even a snood or much to
00:31:32
my desk
00:31:35
it's like a a scarf tube this sounds
00:31:40
sounds cozy it doesn't look great
00:31:43
I'm very happy when you see me in a
00:31:45
smooth yeah and a woman beanie that's uh
00:31:48
in the middle of the Auckland Sun yeah
00:31:51
yeah it's warm here today yeah 22 or 23
00:31:54
and he's runned up like he's an
00:31:56
Antarctica so I mean is that money gonna
00:31:59
go fat what do you do with it you build
00:32:00
a ramp at home or is that paid for
00:32:02
our um the rehab that I have to do out
00:32:05
of here
00:32:06
not a lot of it's really supported by
00:32:08
ACC they do obviously bits and pieces
00:32:10
with physios and the like but um you
00:32:12
know to see a neurophysio and and get
00:32:15
hooked up to machines that might
00:32:16
actually help me get some of my muscles
00:32:18
back
00:32:18
we're talking four thousand dollars a
00:32:20
month so
00:32:22
yeah potentially depending where we go
00:32:23
so we want to and you know
00:32:26
like
00:32:27
technology evolves
00:32:30
with money available will mean that we
00:32:32
can just go yeah we want to give this a
00:32:34
crack while we can so
00:32:36
um that is that is yeah really good and
00:32:38
I mean there's lots of earnings as well
00:32:40
for like on on my behalf and ACC pay 80
00:32:43
of Kerry's salary which is amazing so
00:32:45
how long do you how long do you get the
00:32:47
80 for
00:32:48
admiring
00:32:51
unless he changes his workload like you
00:32:54
know maybe so there is we didn't talk
00:32:56
about that really before but there is
00:32:57
potential for surgeries for Kerry so
00:33:00
nerve transfer surgery because there's
00:33:02
two so when you if you hold your fist
00:33:05
out in front of you and then you rotate
00:33:07
it so that your palm is facing up yeah
00:33:10
there are two nerves that control that
00:33:11
movement and they can take the one from
00:33:13
the inside move it to the the you know
00:33:17
the top of your arm and then that will
00:33:19
create an open and close of the fingers
00:33:22
so you could end up with a you know a
00:33:24
clinch graph right and masturbation it's
00:33:27
great it's looking pretty good okay
00:33:31
that four inches won't be lonely for
00:33:33
long dogs
00:33:39
oh wow geez we live in a good country
00:33:41
don't we like to have the health care
00:33:42
that we've got and the support systems
00:33:44
and place that we've got where yeah the
00:33:45
surgery that we get is amazing yeah so I
00:33:48
can potentially get some other surgery I
00:33:49
call Troy's surgery where they move a um
00:33:52
a muscle from my shoulder and it'll do
00:33:54
the job of my triceps a little bit so
00:33:57
I won't punch myself in the face when I
00:33:59
got to scratch my nose or anything like
00:34:01
that so yeah have you found like for
00:34:04
YouTube being um being like old
00:34:06
translates and being super fat and I
00:34:09
suppose having that runner's mentality
00:34:10
where you put one foot in front of the
00:34:11
other is um has that sort of helped do
00:34:14
you think yeah definitely so you've run
00:34:17
you've run marathons obviously and you
00:34:19
know what it's like at 35 kilometers
00:34:21
when you're like this is a bad place to
00:34:23
be this is
00:34:25
um that's where I live you know so um at
00:34:28
the moment oh that's where that's where
00:34:30
I exist forever right there's kind of
00:34:31
like there's no because there's no way
00:34:33
out of us this is the worst that it
00:34:34
could be right so it's not that early
00:34:36
part of the race where you're feeling
00:34:37
great the body's moving fine and you you
00:34:39
think the PBS today
00:34:41
um and it's not that bit when you're
00:34:42
near the finish line and you realize you
00:34:43
know I'm going to make it this is great
00:34:44
you know I'm going to get there I'm
00:34:45
stuck in the [ __ ] bit so um I'm in a
00:34:48
giant turd pile with a tiny shovel and
00:34:50
um and I've got nothing there's nothing
00:34:52
to do but smile about it right
00:34:53
attitude's the only thing you've got so
00:34:54
you know in those spots when you are
00:34:56
suffering the most you know the best
00:34:58
thing that you can do is go calm
00:34:59
yourself be centered and realize that
00:35:01
you've done the work and um you know
00:35:03
you've got to have a good positive
00:35:04
outlook you know otherwise you're going
00:35:06
to derail your rates just slow down you
00:35:07
lose momentum um and their PB will sneak
00:35:10
away so yeah I think running has really
00:35:12
set me up well for this
00:35:14
it's an ultra marathon that you know I'm
00:35:16
in that I'm for those that have run
00:35:17
Saturday 100K I'm stuck on West no
00:35:19
Katana and in the middle of the night
00:35:21
spewing in the bushes and um and it's
00:35:23
never going to be better than that so
00:35:25
yeah it's the middle of the night and
00:35:27
you're spewing in the bush but you're
00:35:28
still doing it with a smile on your face
00:35:29
that's all you can do and Ultra Runners
00:35:31
know this right you're laughing whilst
00:35:33
you're having this terrible experience
00:35:34
you know you never chafe so bad in your
00:35:36
life and uh and yeah this is uh this is
00:35:39
well I'm starting to not dress up ultra
00:35:41
marathon very well but uh come try it
00:35:44
out it's a lot of fun okay so um so
00:35:48
let's do our squad run so you guys you
00:35:49
guys meet you got together and then um
00:35:51
when was some Squadron born pretty much
00:35:54
in that moment you know it was um
00:35:56
what were you doing before that I was uh
00:35:59
uh network security analyst so
00:36:02
um I would I work in
00:36:03
big International clients to uh keep the
00:36:06
bad guys out um
00:36:07
so that was fun and that was a
00:36:10
long-standing it career and it it paid
00:36:12
very well but it had a very beige
00:36:13
existence you know right it wasn't very
00:36:15
fulfilling so um I think Squadron
00:36:18
started I figured I figured out a system
00:36:20
for coaching
00:36:22
scalable method of supporting athletes
00:36:25
without charging them too much money and
00:36:28
um and I put it to the tarawera group
00:36:31
and uh a lot of athletes immediately
00:36:33
jumped on board and I realized that you
00:36:35
know I had something here I had a way of
00:36:36
helping lots of people and that's I
00:36:39
think the founding thought behind
00:36:41
Squadron is how how can I help more
00:36:44
people because most running coaches you
00:36:46
know are in the laborious task of you
00:36:48
know helping a handful of
00:36:51
privately coached athletes and um you
00:36:53
know you can handle 20 maybe 30 of those
00:36:55
athletes before the book's full and I
00:36:57
was like that's not acceptable there are
00:36:59
more people than that that need support
00:37:00
and I must find a way to do it
00:37:02
and so Squadron was born out of that and
00:37:05
um that was six years ago and uh we sort
00:37:07
of started working with some of the
00:37:08
bigger events like Old Trail Australia
00:37:10
and now Ultra Trail costusko Queenstown
00:37:12
Marathon um and just helping as many
00:37:15
athletes as we can and uh
00:37:17
it's been I think
00:37:20
three to four thousand athletes we've
00:37:21
worked with in the last six years
00:37:23
and and you know they're not just
00:37:25
numbers to us these people you know we
00:37:28
know the name of the dogs you know
00:37:30
they're they're welcome in our homes so
00:37:32
they're friends which is reflected and I
00:37:34
guess they give a little which you've
00:37:35
talked about before
00:37:37
um you know we're really committed in
00:37:38
their lives we're there at the Finish
00:37:39
Lines of the major you know even events
00:37:42
that we don't have heaps of athletes out
00:37:43
we want to be there
00:37:45
see people finish and have that
00:37:46
experience
00:37:47
um and I don't know why other coaches
00:37:49
aren't you know like you very really I
00:37:52
know running coaches
00:37:54
why aren't they at events that's payday
00:37:56
that's when you see your athlete do the
00:37:58
thing forget the money they've paid you
00:37:59
see their smile on the Finish Line watch
00:38:01
them cry when they achieve the thing
00:38:03
that they didn't believe they could do
00:38:05
only you did
00:38:07
um it's a special moment for us and uh I
00:38:09
think you know having had have helped
00:38:11
thousands of people it's been um
00:38:14
you know really special to be part of
00:38:16
Squadron and uh you're definitely not
00:38:17
going to let that go and uh you know I
00:38:19
want to get back on those tools as soon
00:38:21
as possible God you are so much passion
00:38:23
now you can just hear it I'll tell you
00:38:24
what a funny thing I've I've had another
00:38:25
guy on the podcast um Barry McGee who
00:38:27
won a bronze medal at the 90s 1960 Rome
00:38:30
Olympics so he's uh he's in his late 80s
00:38:32
now charges people something like oh
00:38:35
five dollars a month I think to do their
00:38:36
programs and he then he goes out and
00:38:38
watches them race and he gets he gets
00:38:40
satisfaction out of it because it's like
00:38:42
they're almost living vicariously I
00:38:44
guess through his athletes yeah
00:38:46
absolutely as an athlete myself
00:38:49
um you know I was competitive and I
00:38:51
tried really hard and you know achieved
00:38:52
lots of things I won staff as it was
00:38:54
records and all the stuff that an
00:38:56
athlete could be really proud of and you
00:38:58
know have all the trophies in the pool
00:39:00
room but
00:39:01
um weirdly when I became a running coach
00:39:03
I realized that it wasn't just My
00:39:04
Success that mattered it was other
00:39:06
people's success so rather than having
00:39:07
that one moment where you cross the
00:39:08
finish line stop your watch and see what
00:39:10
you've achieved you can stand on that
00:39:12
finish line and see what hundreds of
00:39:13
people have achieved and you have those
00:39:15
same those same moments that same
00:39:18
sensation when you know you've gifted
00:39:20
that to someone else so um you know it's
00:39:22
just it's it's way more rewarding to be
00:39:24
a running coach in that scenario than to
00:39:26
be the athlete themselves and so
00:39:27
barriers epitomizes that and I know some
00:39:30
of us athletes and and they speak very
00:39:31
highly of him in that and that that
00:39:33
nominal charge is just so you know
00:39:35
you've got to have some skin in the game
00:39:36
right The Athlete's got some skin in the
00:39:38
game and the coach has got to ask them
00:39:39
yes yeah so that's kind of why Spiderman
00:39:41
is sort of set up at that sort of you
00:39:43
know very low price price point to help
00:39:45
you know help athletes that wouldn't
00:39:46
otherwise want to invest 40 or 50 bucks
00:39:49
a week in a private running coach yeah
00:39:50
how much is it we'll get some plugs in
00:39:53
here for squadron oh I know what are we
00:39:54
like 15 bucks yeah 15 plus GST yeah
00:39:58
yeah and so we'll give them a tailored
00:40:01
running program and it's Unique to them
00:40:03
and specific to the event and uh we
00:40:05
provide all the support for it so you
00:40:07
know obviously with coaching you know
00:40:08
people think it's a running plan and
00:40:10
that's that's all that that coaching is
00:40:11
but it's so much more than that because
00:40:13
you know the athletes need to know you
00:40:14
know when you're talking about an ultra
00:40:16
then into all the details about um
00:40:19
you know you're fueling and hydration
00:40:20
and understanding the course and
00:40:22
executing a good run you know there's a
00:40:24
psychology of it that really matters
00:40:26
it's all the little things that go with
00:40:27
it as well the whole holistic thing yeah
00:40:29
yeah I mean you've written some great
00:40:30
articles online there's actually one one
00:40:31
that you wrote about a year ago about um
00:40:33
yeah mine's here yes and it's like I
00:40:35
thought it's so applicable to the
00:40:37
situation you're in now like it's
00:40:39
transferable yeah that um there's a
00:40:42
fascinating meta-analysis of a lot of
00:40:45
the research they do on the psychology
00:40:47
of running the um I think it's a
00:40:50
psychological determinants of whole body
00:40:51
endurance performance and um and in that
00:40:54
that breakdown are many of the different
00:40:55
research papers that have been done on
00:40:57
the psychology of endurance athletes and
00:40:59
and it is absolutely applicable to this
00:41:01
situation there are three key things
00:41:03
that came from and one of them is to
00:41:05
have a mantra right to to be able to
00:41:07
repeat yourself in this situation I say
00:41:09
what can I do today what is it I can do
00:41:10
today so how can I progress with
00:41:12
my purpose so what is it I can do today
00:41:14
and my brother gave me that mantra that
00:41:16
helped um there's um
00:41:19
positive imagery right so um surrounding
00:41:22
yourself with you know um just simply a
00:41:24
smiling face on the side of a
00:41:27
Marathon course
00:41:29
we'll cheer you up you know someone
00:41:30
cheering you on it makes a difference
00:41:32
you know if I put you on a treadmill
00:41:33
told you to run as fast as you could you
00:41:35
would actually run faster if there were
00:41:37
people cheering you on if I revealed a
00:41:38
curtain and there was all your family
00:41:39
and friends and a small grandstand
00:41:41
cheering you on you could go harder and
00:41:42
faster and so we know that so um again
00:41:45
having that positive energy around you
00:41:47
having obviously people like Ali but
00:41:49
even photos on the wall
00:41:50
family and friends so that positive
00:41:52
imagery is really important as well and
00:41:54
the other one is goal setting so um
00:41:56
athletes need to be able to set goals
00:41:58
and not just major goals like I want to
00:41:59
break 120 half marathon it could be I
00:42:03
went on strong to the next aid station
00:42:05
right so I'm going to think about my
00:42:06
form and body position and you know like
00:42:08
all the things that I know are important
00:42:09
my Cadence and my breathing or whatever
00:42:11
it might be um and so you set that small
00:42:13
goal you reach that aid station and
00:42:15
you've got to achieve that goal I got
00:42:17
some success from that I feel good now
00:42:18
set a new goal I'm going to run well to
00:42:20
the top of that Hill up there so even
00:42:22
just goal sitting at that level is
00:42:23
really useful right and you can see how
00:42:25
that's obviously transferable to my
00:42:26
current situation as well what is it I
00:42:28
can do in the gym
00:42:29
can I do 45 minutes on the apple and
00:42:31
cycle like can I spend an hour on my
00:42:33
manual chair today you know like those
00:42:35
sorts of goals you can break your life
00:42:36
down into setting goals and achieving
00:42:38
them the same way as squirrel gathers
00:42:40
nuts for the winter it's one little nut
00:42:42
at a time and you set those goals and
00:42:43
you can achieve great things and it ends
00:42:45
up being hundreds of nuts stored for the
00:42:47
winter wow there's so many good
00:42:48
takeaways here everyone deals with with
00:42:50
their own degree of [ __ ] at some point
00:42:52
in their life like most people won't
00:42:54
deal with the degree of [ __ ] that you're
00:42:55
dealing with right now but so many good
00:42:58
takeaways from this so many things that
00:43:00
any person can apply to their own life
00:43:01
yeah look I don't want to discredit
00:43:04
depression we have a major problem with
00:43:05
team suicide and mental health in New
00:43:07
Zealand
00:43:08
and you know there's a lot of people
00:43:10
everyone's going through something or
00:43:11
has been through something but um look
00:43:13
if you've had a tough day on social
00:43:15
media and um
00:43:17
things aren't going so great for you and
00:43:19
the black dogs come to visit please
00:43:20
frame your depression with what I'm
00:43:22
going through you know look what other
00:43:24
people are going through as well because
00:43:25
it might just help to understand that
00:43:27
everyone's going through something and
00:43:28
and many people are going through
00:43:29
something worse yeah well the funny
00:43:31
thing is you mentioned Brett um he was a
00:43:33
wakeboarder that had an accident and
00:43:35
landed on a ramp about seven years ago
00:43:37
he would give anything to have the arm
00:43:40
movement that you've got he would look
00:43:42
at you with so much Envy it's the thing
00:43:45
it's a tough it's easy to do here
00:43:47
comparison is a thief of Joy isn't it
00:43:48
wouldn't you like discover 70 minutes
00:43:50
for a for a half marathon or 65 minutes
00:43:52
for a half marathon right you beat
00:43:54
yourself up these days I'll do anything
00:43:55
for someone 30. yeah yeah you try so
00:43:58
hard and yeah in general we succeed but
00:44:00
fail is part of the process storm you
00:44:01
know you failed the first time you tried
00:44:03
to walk you know you failed a talking
00:44:05
for many years you failed the first time
00:44:07
you tried to ride your bike you know
00:44:08
like I felt the first time I tried to
00:44:09
ride my bike and the last time I tried
00:44:11
to ride my ride my bike which is rather
00:44:13
ironic but
00:44:14
[Laughter]
00:44:18
failure is part of the process right and
00:44:20
uh you know
00:44:22
you have to be okay with that that's
00:44:24
that's important part of it you know and
00:44:26
and seeing and not being able not
00:44:27
comparing yourself to others I look in
00:44:29
the gym here and there's people that are
00:44:31
standing up and walking around and you
00:44:33
know I'm really happy with them but
00:44:34
[ __ ] annoys me to see their you know
00:44:36
their success when I I know that's not
00:44:38
for me that'll never be me so um uh if
00:44:41
there's that be happy with who you are
00:44:42
and Achieve what you can for a fat I.T
00:44:45
guy I did an incredible job you know
00:44:47
cobbling together a running career and
00:44:49
then learning a lot about running and
00:44:50
did you say fat I think like we have a
00:44:52
fat I was important
00:44:54
he wasn't that bad all right by my own
00:44:57
measure yeah
00:45:01
25 kilos less now yeah when are you when
00:45:03
are you writing a book has anyone
00:45:05
approached you you've um no I don't you
00:45:08
you've got some what no this has been
00:45:10
really actually this has been really
00:45:11
liberating for my ego but even
00:45:13
previously um you know I didn't I never
00:45:16
was in a situation where I felt like um
00:45:18
I'm okay with my immortality I've got a
00:45:20
story to tell but um no one needs to
00:45:22
hear it life is um life's full of fun or
00:45:24
interesting people than me
00:45:26
uh this is no I don't know by no measure
00:45:30
would I like to
00:45:32
I don't like being in a spotlight as
00:45:33
much I make a lot of noise I can hold a
00:45:35
microphone and talk in front of
00:45:36
thousands of people Tom you're probably
00:45:37
familiar with this but actually you
00:45:39
actually don't necessarily always want
00:45:41
to be the center of a teacher and life
00:45:43
doesn't have to be about you okay never
00:45:44
enough I feel like um your your story
00:45:47
and your perspective and your outlook it
00:45:49
could um be helpful to other people
00:45:51
so not just a not just like a an ego
00:45:53
boost thing I'm caring this is my story
00:45:55
but it's like just the way that you
00:45:57
frame things it could be so helpful to
00:45:59
other people I would actually like to
00:46:01
see him like probably a month or so ago
00:46:04
I'd send to some friends I'd really like
00:46:06
to see Kerry going to schools and talk
00:46:08
to kids because I think there's a lot of
00:46:11
learning to be had in our community
00:46:12
about spinal cord injuries and also you
00:46:15
know mindset and
00:46:17
um how to successfully land a good jump
00:46:19
oh yeah yeah yeah well no you're not the
00:46:22
guy for that guy I succeeded sometimes
00:46:25
before I failed as well yeah yeah I look
00:46:28
I like helping people but um you know
00:46:30
really my focus is on how do I help
00:46:34
Ordinary People achieve
00:46:37
real people achieve extraordinary things
00:46:40
um this is one of the cool things about
00:46:41
you know running is it's not an
00:46:43
exclusive sport you know we welcome
00:46:45
everyone yes and uh particularly in
00:46:47
trail running it's like incredibly
00:46:48
welcoming you know and Squadron was
00:46:51
never built around how do we help the
00:46:52
top tendency to people
00:46:54
we help you know 80 of the people
00:46:58
Kerry thought
00:47:01
all the people that took their [ __ ]
00:47:02
super seriously paying him for running
00:47:04
coaching and it ended up being people
00:47:07
like me that are just you know like
00:47:10
mid-pack want to know how to do it right
00:47:13
and get support
00:47:16
um so I mean we coach the whole Spectrum
00:47:18
right like we've coached the Winner's
00:47:20
probably the very last finisher and that
00:47:23
was I think a bit of a shock for you
00:47:24
right when we started was but these
00:47:27
people you know
00:47:28
for 100k and now they're currently
00:47:32
running five to ten K's like how the
00:47:34
heck are we going to get them there
00:47:36
um but and that but that's also where
00:47:39
the beauty is you know like seeing these
00:47:41
people that have such huge progressions
00:47:44
or that have a lot of you know just real
00:47:47
lives doing these really cool things and
00:47:50
being there to share that moment at the
00:47:52
finish line is is really special you
00:47:55
just see that rawness and emotion and
00:47:57
know this story and it's a really big
00:48:00
reward God you guys both really do care
00:48:02
don't you if someone's listening to this
00:48:04
that's like a non-runner that is maybe
00:48:05
like contemplating during their first
00:48:07
half or 10K or whatever
00:48:09
um would Squadron be for them
00:48:10
start by building some Foundation I
00:48:12
think before you before you take on a
00:48:14
running program just uh you know do
00:48:17
you want to know you can paddle out
00:48:18
before you swim so running I started I
00:48:22
couldn't run two k's
00:48:24
um and uh and that that was really the
00:48:26
the goal was to see if I could get up to
00:48:28
running 2ks at a time and then I sort of
00:48:30
set myself to a goal to try and do it
00:48:32
for 100 days and then at the end of that
00:48:34
um you know a little bit of Fitness came
00:48:36
on so um I would say if you if you
00:48:38
aren't a runner and you're considering
00:48:40
you know you'd love to be a runner is
00:48:41
get out you know
00:48:43
to find the the old lawn mowing shoe to
00:48:45
start with and and get out there and it
00:48:47
doesn't have to be a run it doesn't have
00:48:49
to be fancy it can be walking breaks it
00:48:51
can be mostly walking it could be
00:48:52
periods of jogging but don't set the
00:48:54
goal too high you know the 2K Hood run
00:48:57
around the block is is all that it takes
00:48:59
to get going
00:49:00
um it takes patience and consistency
00:49:03
it doesn't take Natural talent I would I
00:49:05
would hate to see um people think that
00:49:08
they aren't able to do something because
00:49:09
they don't have the right genes for it
00:49:11
or they're maybe too heavy or you're
00:49:13
worried what other people are going to
00:49:14
think um
00:49:15
you know there's two there's two types
00:49:17
of people that see you running there's
00:49:19
there's Runners that see you running no
00:49:22
matter who you are running awkwardly
00:49:23
down the road and they're supportive and
00:49:24
they're like look at that person running
00:49:26
they're doing a great job and then
00:49:28
there's those other people that don't
00:49:29
think climbing off you and you know what
00:49:30
go [ __ ] those people you're not they're
00:49:32
not there to support you who cares right
00:49:35
I sort of think um because a lot of
00:49:37
people are very self-conscious whether
00:49:38
it's going to the gym or whether it's
00:49:39
running and you worry about what other
00:49:41
people think when you realize that every
00:49:43
single person to a degree is worried
00:49:44
about whatever I'm thinks and you
00:49:45
realize they're just thinking about
00:49:46
themselves and they're not actually
00:49:47
thinking about you all that much you can
00:49:49
just get on with things yeah but I do
00:49:51
agree with what you're saying the people
00:49:52
that those that small portion of people
00:49:54
that do think unkindly or say mean
00:49:56
things yeah [ __ ] them yeah who cares
00:49:57
yeah here's what they think they're not
00:49:59
a part of your life
00:50:00
you're out there doing it that's right
00:50:01
and it's the same look I'm in a chair
00:50:03
and I'm in a powered chair and you can
00:50:05
I'm sorry listeners this is a large bit
00:50:07
of Machinery that I can operate with um
00:50:09
a wrist basically and uh it looks
00:50:12
ungainly it's not I'm not disabled like
00:50:14
an ordinary manual wheelchair I'm in
00:50:16
sort of you know some big it's a big
00:50:18
black heavy battery-powered machine and
00:50:21
um I look disabled you know like this is
00:50:24
this is serious
00:50:25
um and and I take it out in public and
00:50:27
uh do I care what other people think of
00:50:30
when they see this thing no I don't I
00:50:32
choose not to let that get to me if I
00:50:33
felt like that I would never go outside
00:50:35
so um I'm just not gonna let it I'm
00:50:37
going to let other people
00:50:38
opinion of me holding back and it
00:50:40
shouldn't no matter what you're doing
00:50:41
you know yeah well I mean with with you
00:50:43
when you approach people I suppose
00:50:45
they'll notice the chair first but then
00:50:47
as soon as you open your mouth and speak
00:50:48
your personality is big enough that you
00:50:51
sort of forget about the chair the chair
00:50:52
becomes invisible and I realized that
00:50:54
was the only time I felt you know I feel
00:50:55
really normal is when I'm just in
00:50:57
conversation with someone else when they
00:50:59
realize that I'm still the same human
00:51:00
being and we have the same chats you
00:51:02
know when I've been able to catch up
00:51:04
with mates yeah there's nothing when I'm
00:51:05
online on Discord or whatever gender
00:51:07
friends
00:51:08
um and I'm still the same person I'm
00:51:09
sort of the same voice to the same sense
00:51:11
of humor still the same deck bag that I
00:51:13
was before
00:51:14
but with this is one thing that I've
00:51:17
learned actually is that people that
00:51:19
have had a disability forced upon them
00:51:22
are the probably the most bravest and
00:51:25
resilient and determined people that
00:51:26
you'll meet so how do you mean just
00:51:28
because that had to be yeah they've had
00:51:29
to be they've got through bloody most
00:51:31
[ __ ] situation that you can probably
00:51:33
think of and they've shown up day after
00:51:36
day giving it their best and somehow
00:51:38
managed to carry on living their lives
00:51:41
and like when you see them you should
00:51:43
just go man that person must be freaking
00:51:46
tough
00:51:47
to be living their life in that
00:51:49
situation sorry if I made it look easy
00:51:51
this is [ __ ] hard this is
00:51:54
you do make it look easy I mean but but
00:51:57
I'm I'm here with you the I suppose that
00:52:00
the admin of the morning's done like
00:52:01
you've had your bowels cleared you've
00:52:03
had someone dress you you're wearing a
00:52:05
cool pair of wool all birds you've got a
00:52:08
ultra marathon hat on yep you just look
00:52:10
like a cool dude in a chair but I I I I
00:52:13
haven't seen the hard work or the hours
00:52:14
that it took this morning to get to get
00:52:16
to this point yeah it's two hours to get
00:52:18
uh
00:52:19
in two to three hours so
00:52:21
yeah it's a lot of work
00:52:22
um any problem and a frustrating
00:52:24
Reliance on
00:52:31
other end you know just wanted to be in
00:52:33
charge of his own life and so that's
00:52:36
been a real hard pill to swallow with
00:52:38
while I was going you know like I I need
00:52:40
people to help me each day and I'm
00:52:43
reliant on them and their time frames
00:52:45
yeah actually um your bread smell of the
00:52:47
weight water he said a similar thing to
00:52:48
me heck he's an A type personality you
00:52:50
know perfectionist like things done a
00:52:52
certain way and now he's got these um
00:52:53
caregivers who he he described as being
00:52:56
woefully underpaid and they can't they
00:52:59
can't always get things done the
00:53:01
meticulous way he likes them done are
00:53:03
you gonna be okay with it oh yeah if you
00:53:05
want to see frustration you um you give
00:53:07
someone with add a spinal cord injury
00:53:09
because uh yeah Brad's probably a lot
00:53:11
like me is very jittery and wants to do
00:53:13
things all the time so um yeah you're in
00:53:15
a better inability to do things Western
00:53:16
Union [ __ ] I've got arms but no hands
00:53:19
right so I can't actually do anything
00:53:20
and I describe Ali doesn't like it I
00:53:23
describe as sort of like a ghost you
00:53:24
know if you've imagined what it's like
00:53:25
to be a ghost you could be in a room and
00:53:27
you can interact but you can't you you
00:53:29
can't actually physically do anything
00:53:30
and uh you know I just I sit in a chair
00:53:33
and I I think about how great it would
00:53:34
be if I could put it put a t-shirt on or
00:53:36
or take a t-shirt off you know like I
00:53:37
put my shoes on or off or you know pull
00:53:39
a weed or do anything I can't interact
00:53:42
with the world in any way I can't
00:53:43
operate a TV remote you know like um you
00:53:46
know I exist but I you know I can talk
00:53:48
but I can't do much else and but that's
00:53:50
that interaction is actually so vital
00:53:53
like if you see Kerry in the dining room
00:53:54
here he's holding court with the other
00:53:56
guys and you know entertaining them and
00:53:59
also cheering them on and sharing the
00:54:02
highs and the lows and so he still has a
00:54:05
lot of power but it's just
00:54:07
such a physical power why don't you like
00:54:09
the um description where he calls
00:54:11
himself a ghost
00:54:13
um because he'll
00:54:15
have no hand I have no legs and I'm like
00:54:17
you still have hands and legs like I
00:54:19
feel like he still needs to really
00:54:21
um
00:54:22
appreciate and recognize that those
00:54:25
parts of his body because they've given
00:54:27
him so much over the years and keep that
00:54:30
you know the thought and connection
00:54:31
there just in case we can get whatever
00:54:34
we can back so I just think you know
00:54:36
there's there is potential for
00:54:39
neuroplasticity and the power of the
00:54:41
mind and keeping engaged with them
00:54:44
rather than kind of becoming
00:54:46
disenfranchised to this part of your
00:54:48
body that's not cooperating how you want
00:54:50
it to
00:54:51
uh I was just wiping his eyes you're
00:54:54
right have you had a day so far that
00:54:56
you've been in here that you haven't
00:54:57
cried
00:54:58
oh good question uh
00:55:01
no I don't most days I think I get
00:55:03
through
00:55:04
uh some days are hard just you don't you
00:55:06
don't know why you know like that's the
00:55:08
Human Condition isn't it some days you
00:55:09
wake up and
00:55:10
you just for some reason you're halfway
00:55:12
through a [ __ ] sandwich and you don't
00:55:13
know why
00:55:14
so uh
00:55:16
I know most days I'm pretty good if I
00:55:18
can you know think about
00:55:21
no it's the other around actually
00:55:23
I think it's the bad thoughts are like
00:55:25
leaves in a stream you know like you
00:55:27
think about one [ __ ] thing like I can't
00:55:29
even roll over a bed and then you think
00:55:31
about another [ __ ] thing it's like ah I
00:55:32
would like to do something about the
00:55:34
heat pump in here but I can't push a
00:55:35
button and you think about how
00:55:38
depressing it might be that I can't you
00:55:39
know I'm going to have a baby but I
00:55:40
can't hold it you know if you let all
00:55:42
those leaves build up you'll block the
00:55:43
stream and then when you get that that
00:55:45
situation you cause a flood and that and
00:55:47
that's when you have it that you stuck
00:55:48
in a
00:55:50
a negative Loop there so
00:55:52
I think I try to acknowledge that
00:55:54
there's a bad thought but don't chase it
00:55:56
and don't add to it
00:55:57
to it and then you know immediately try
00:55:59
and pivot to finding some positive you
00:56:01
know Outlook like what can I do today
00:56:02
and what have I got coming up today and
00:56:05
uh you know what's the progress what's
00:56:06
my purpose where will I be in two years
00:56:08
time those sort of things
00:56:10
you're finding finding the positive
00:56:12
approach to to
00:56:13
not focus on the bad thoughts have you
00:56:16
been seeing a therapist or anyone they
00:56:18
provide them here but actually last few
00:56:20
times I've said we're good if you want
00:56:22
to talk about tying shoelaces um
00:56:25
yeah have you seen a therapist in your
00:56:28
life
00:56:30
not prior to being here no
00:56:32
it's quite funny because like some of
00:56:34
the stuff you see I've I've seen
00:56:36
therapists over the years and it's like
00:56:37
some of the stuff that you were saying
00:56:38
it's like you just instinctively know it
00:56:40
and that's um stuff you've been taught
00:56:41
like a therapist said to me if you find
00:56:43
yourself having negative thoughts or bad
00:56:44
thoughts you know catch yourself and say
00:56:46
is this helpful and then if it's not
00:56:48
then flush it away
00:56:50
so it's almost like you just
00:56:52
instinctively know this stuff which is
00:56:53
why you got to write that book oh
00:56:58
they don't suffer with
00:56:59
them
00:57:02
yeah it's it's funny I never really um I
00:57:05
understood a lot of people did suffer
00:57:07
mental health prior to this and uh you
00:57:09
know I appreciate the problems that
00:57:10
they're going through and and really
00:57:11
feel for them but uh realize at the same
00:57:13
time you know you have that little voice
00:57:15
in the back
00:57:16
to choose to be happy
00:57:18
and you know which shows that shows a
00:57:21
complete lack of of understanding of the
00:57:22
scenario because that's always been my
00:57:24
way out of it's like I just well I just
00:57:26
choose to be happy but maybe I'm too
00:57:28
dumb and that I don't that I don't get
00:57:30
caught up on those things I don't I
00:57:32
don't know man I don't know like I think
00:57:34
there are there are people that have um
00:57:35
like clinical depression and there's
00:57:37
like an imbalance in their brain that
00:57:38
needs medication to help but for I mean
00:57:41
if everyone else um you know there's
00:57:42
physical health and there's mental
00:57:43
health and uh you've got to do
00:57:46
everything you can for your own mental
00:57:47
health like if you're feeling bad like
00:57:49
drink more water or eat better food or
00:57:51
yeah get more sleep or cut back on the
00:57:53
alcohol but I do everything you can
00:57:56
prioritize that [ __ ] and then if it's
00:57:58
still no good then go and see a doctor
00:58:00
you know I was lucky to have well as I
00:58:02
said lucky to have um
00:58:05
psychological support here um which
00:58:07
obviously is very well needed and I see
00:58:10
a lot of the patients really
00:58:11
Acquired and really
00:58:13
I mean I certainly did in the first few
00:58:15
weeks and uh you know I remember just
00:58:16
balling for you know an hour at a time
00:58:18
so that they're boiling for an hour at a
00:58:21
time was that just like I suppose like
00:58:23
morning
00:58:24
yeah it's grieving yeah absolutely yeah
00:58:26
yep yep it's a it's a loss of a life you
00:58:28
know I miss my old life I had a perfect
00:58:31
existence I felt like I was you know we
00:58:33
would coach for 10 to 12 hours a day but
00:58:35
you know um
00:58:38
sometimes and uh well there's a lot more
00:58:41
than that less than that it used to be
00:58:42
it used to be diabolical we used to let
00:58:44
the work really inundate us and we would
00:58:46
often be coaching until 10 pm at night
00:58:48
to close the laptop and go to bed but um
00:58:50
my life was I would say perfect I never
00:58:53
felt like I needed to change anything so
00:58:55
I felt like at 44 I'd finally arrived
00:58:57
and uh and then I guess some greater
00:59:00
power decided that I needed to change
00:59:02
direction in a serious way and learn
00:59:04
something else about life so
00:59:07
yeah Kerry had been worried on like
00:59:10
before with the pregnancy that this baby
00:59:12
was going to mess up our life that it
00:59:14
was just a major change and
00:59:16
um
00:59:19
it was quite
00:59:21
um yeah
00:59:24
yeah I've got some compounding issues
00:59:26
here so cumulatively difficult now are
00:59:29
you going to get enough of um an
00:59:31
adrenaline kick out of um yeah coaching
00:59:33
people and then seeing them you know
00:59:35
smash their goals or see them at the
00:59:36
finish line is that going to be enough
00:59:37
of an adrenaline kick for you yeah yeah
00:59:39
I'll need to find my own Outlet as well
00:59:41
yeah so in in on top of obviously the
00:59:44
coaching I'm going to need I'm going to
00:59:45
need my own thing whatever that is and I
00:59:47
haven't worked out what that is yet I uh
00:59:49
I don't know whether I'm going to try
00:59:50
wheelchair rugby or you know recumbent
00:59:53
Cycles or um you know I'm going to need
00:59:55
some sort of you know physical Outlet to
00:59:57
do
01:00:03
the sense of movement and adventure and
01:00:05
I think you know like in this situation
01:00:08
he can still have that and I think I
01:00:10
made the physios and doctor's eyes
01:00:13
Boggle and I think Kerry's always been
01:00:15
an athlete I expect that to continue
01:00:16
because I'm kind of like oh well you
01:00:19
know that it's true like I expect that
01:00:21
he'll find a way to to still be out
01:00:24
there moving and to be engaging with
01:00:27
nature it will be in a different way to
01:00:30
what it was
01:00:31
um mountain tops will be a bit harder
01:00:33
now but
01:00:35
um I still think that yeah whether it's
01:00:37
you know adapted kayaking or adapted
01:00:40
biking or something like that maybe
01:00:42
learning to swim again we'll see we'll
01:00:45
find out but I don't doubt for a second
01:00:47
that he's just gonna sit there doing
01:00:49
that thing yeah oh I I fully fully agree
01:00:52
it's just not you no I've just got to
01:00:55
find a way it's good it's kind of been a
01:00:57
hard time watching the muscle atrophy as
01:00:58
well you know like going through this
01:01:00
process just seeing you know leads to
01:01:02
work for 20 years just sort of slowly
01:01:03
melt away and uh has that happened
01:01:05
already oh God yeah absolutely yeah it's
01:01:08
very fast so three months oh easily gone
01:01:11
well and truly gone in that time so
01:01:13
about I've gone down about what is it 10
01:01:15
of my body weight again and um I thought
01:01:18
this might be a might be I don't know if
01:01:19
this is a dumb question or a sensitive
01:01:21
question but um when you dream are you
01:01:23
are you still able right questions this
01:01:26
is a great question so I I still dream
01:01:28
that I can walk but I know that I'm you
01:01:33
know know that I'm not a walker so in
01:01:35
the dream of it you know like I'll get
01:01:36
up and walk around the place and it was
01:01:38
like that's so great you're walking and
01:01:39
I'm like yeah I really shouldn't be
01:01:40
because I'm disabled um so I still dream
01:01:42
in Walking which is kind of weird but I
01:01:44
know it's uh I know I shouldn't yeah
01:01:46
that was quite a weird thing for me oh
01:01:48
God you're gonna make me cry um was like
01:01:51
going when does it change because like
01:01:54
in my dreams he was moving and then I
01:01:56
think maybe a couple weeks then I had a
01:01:58
dream that he was like lying in a bed
01:02:00
and he couldn't go into a room because
01:02:02
of the covert risk so he was outside on
01:02:04
this bed with a mask and I was like oh
01:02:06
this is maybe this is the start of me
01:02:08
accepting this situation and now I think
01:02:12
he is I don't know what he is in my
01:02:15
dreams now I think it is you know his
01:02:18
disability is there but it did like
01:02:20
there was some quite confronting dreams
01:02:22
that you'd wake up from and just be like
01:02:24
brutal
01:02:25
are you both such an amazing couple
01:02:28
you really are I'm so pleased you've got
01:02:29
each other yeah you've got me crying
01:02:33
yeah yeah
01:02:35
that's a [ __ ] thing you're going through
01:02:36
but you know
01:02:39
if anyone can handle it I reckon you can
01:02:40
mate yeah
01:02:42
yeah it's always
01:02:48
just word you say you say you couldn't
01:02:50
handle it but I suppose if you're in
01:02:51
that situation it's like well there's
01:02:54
two options hey just handle it or take
01:02:55
the other way out yeah
01:02:57
I have a lot to come to terms I've lost
01:02:59
Decades of my life
01:03:01
now
01:03:02
I'm connected baby
01:03:04
how old would that baby be
01:03:06
when I'm not
01:03:16
I don't know what to say
01:03:20
I suppose you just make as much of an
01:03:22
impact while you while you can
01:03:25
and um and I know I know you will
01:03:28
but you can be an incredible dad
01:03:30
all right like however many years here
01:03:33
it's you know and uh
01:03:39
that's going right you know like nothing
01:03:42
is guaranteed we've found that out the
01:03:44
hard way is that you know you think you
01:03:46
have your life planned out and it's it's
01:03:48
not you can get through on a massive
01:03:50
curveball so it's just going you know
01:03:53
that old cliche of taking it as it comes
01:03:56
and making the most of it and and
01:03:58
bringing that love and laughter to your
01:04:01
days and that focus and purpose and
01:04:03
passion as well because that's what
01:04:04
we've got in Leaps and Bounds and that's
01:04:07
what we have filled our days with and
01:04:10
we'll continue to fill our days with
01:04:11
just
01:04:13
um yeah kind of writing out the storm is
01:04:15
because
01:04:16
Well mine's an injury that moves me back
01:04:18
towards life
01:04:19
that's true yeah and if things things
01:04:21
were different yeah you may have never
01:04:23
got to meet your daughter
01:04:24
that's right yeah well I'm hoping it's a
01:04:27
standoff oh really yeah
01:04:33
which I love very much how many how old
01:04:36
are you girls 10 and 12 yeah and they're
01:04:38
great kids they are um a very you know
01:04:40
smart and loving and caring and uh you
01:04:44
know they're going through this as well
01:04:45
this is hard for them
01:04:47
they've been up a few times a visit and
01:04:50
see them and spend time in
01:04:52
time and they're a big focus on my
01:04:53
future as well and uh how can I continue
01:04:56
to you know be their dad as well nothing
01:04:58
changes there I think if you're a father
01:04:59
you just want to you just want to Dad as
01:05:01
hard as you can I'll have a lot of time
01:05:03
to throw up being a dad which is yeah
01:05:06
well you're um you're you're a fully
01:05:08
sent guy it's just how you've lived your
01:05:10
life and uh
01:05:11
obviously it didn't always work out for
01:05:14
the best but I'm sure that's um that's
01:05:16
how you parent as well and um yeah your
01:05:18
girls are likely to have you and uh the
01:05:19
The Unborn one as well that's on the way
01:05:21
when's the due date 12th of October 4th
01:05:24
of October yeah listen however many
01:05:26
years you've got left here and hopefully
01:05:28
it's hopefully it's plenty
01:05:30
um I'm sure you're going to make a real
01:05:31
impact on um on that baby's life
01:05:34
and help other people I'm more than I
01:05:37
love doing it yeah well you already have
01:05:39
and you will continue to do so I'm sure
01:05:42
yeah Squadron um well yeah what's the
01:05:44
website squadron.com NZ or if you're in
01:05:47
Australia at squad.run hey what's been
01:05:49
um fabulous sitting down with you guys
01:05:50
today where are we again Ellie what's
01:05:52
the thing it's got a long name
01:05:55
final Rehabilitation Unit yeah yeah
01:05:57
would not recommend visiting
01:06:00
Tuesdays great people
01:06:03
service
01:06:04
don't do it
01:06:06
okay yeah yeah spinal injuries that uh
01:06:10
what would I say assess the risk would
01:06:12
be now the uh the emo there's uh you
01:06:15
think about think about
01:06:16
think of what you're doing
01:06:19
rummage around your bum every morning
01:06:21
try and avoid that at all costs
01:06:24
I've got some I've seen some porn where
01:06:26
people pay big money for that that's why
01:06:28
I can't understand people do this
01:06:29
recreationally I don't I was so
01:06:31
disappointed when we got to Ed at
01:06:34
middlemore and um the nurse there was
01:06:38
like okay I'm Gonna Roll them over I'm
01:06:39
gonna roll you over and put my finger in
01:06:41
your bum hole and I'm like oh I haven't
01:06:43
even been allowed to do that and now
01:06:45
you're just living every Tom Dick and
01:06:47
Harry bloody thing
01:06:49
not a day just the time in the house
01:06:51
yeah yeah
01:06:52
yeah
01:06:54
all right I think that's a good note to
01:06:56
end it on yeah
01:06:58
all right I am thank you so much for
01:07:00
your time today guys and um best of luck
01:07:02
for whatever the future may bring
01:07:04
thanks Tom

Podspun Insights

In this episode, listeners are introduced to the incredible stories of Kerry Souther and Ellie Pottinger, two resilient members of New Zealand's running community, as they navigate the aftermath of a life-altering accident. Kerry shares the harrowing details of his bike accident that left him paralyzed from the neck down, while Ellie, who was pregnant at the time, reflects on the emotional rollercoaster they both experienced. Their candid conversation is filled with humor, acceptance, and a relentless positivity that shines through even the darkest moments.

The couple discusses the importance of community support, illustrated by the overwhelming response to their fundraising campaign, which highlights the impact they've had on the lives of others. They delve into the challenges of adjusting to a new reality, the significance of maintaining a positive mindset, and the power of setting small, achievable goals. Their journey is not just about coping with adversity but also about finding joy and purpose in life after tragedy.

Listeners will be moved by their heartfelt insights on love, resilience, and the importance of embracing life's unpredictability. This episode is a testament to the strength of the human spirit and the bonds that hold us together in times of crisis.

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Episode Highlights

  • Inspiration Through Adversity
    Despite facing life-altering injuries, the guests share their resilience and positivity.
    “You guys are simply inspirational.”
    @ 01m 19s
    October 18, 2022
  • The Importance of Acceptance
    Acceptance and gratitude are essential for coping with challenges.
    “Acceptance and gratitude are key.”
    @ 04m 49s
    October 18, 2022
  • Life After Injury
    A candid discussion about the realities of living with a spinal cord injury.
    “You realize that you can still be the person you were before.”
    @ 05m 02s
    October 18, 2022
  • Love at First Sight?
    A humorous recount of how two people met and bonded over sarcasm and shared interests.
    “It was really just off the back of her making fun of me for a while that I really enjoyed her.”
    @ 23m 54s
    October 18, 2022
  • The Power of Community Support
    A fundraising page raised over $120,000 from 1,420 donors, showcasing immense community support.
    “That’s a lot of people who obviously have some sort of connection or feeling towards you guys.”
    @ 27m 50s
    October 18, 2022
  • The Journey of Squadron
    Squadron was born out of a desire to help more athletes without charging too much.
    “How can I help more people?”
    @ 36m 44s
    October 18, 2022
  • The Joy of Coaching
    Seeing athletes achieve what they didn't believe they could do is incredibly rewarding.
    “It's way more rewarding to be a running coach than to be the athlete.”
    @ 39m 24s
    October 18, 2022
  • Setting Achievable Goals
    Setting small, achievable goals can lead to significant progress over time.
    “You can achieve great things, one little nut at a time.”
    @ 42m 43s
    October 18, 2022
  • Self-Acceptance
    Being happy with who you are is crucial for personal achievement.
    “Be happy with who you are and achieve what you can.”
    @ 44m 42s
    October 18, 2022
  • The Power of Positive Thinking
    Choosing happiness can be a powerful tool in overcoming life's challenges.
    “I just choose to be happy.”
    @ 57m 26s
    October 18, 2022
  • Grieving a Life Lost
    The emotional journey of accepting a new reality after a life-altering injury.
    “It's a loss of a life, you know.”
    @ 58m 28s
    October 18, 2022
  • Making an Impact
    Even in difficult times, the desire to leave a positive legacy remains strong.
    “You can make an impact while you can.”
    @ 01h 03m 22s
    October 18, 2022

Episode Quotes

Key Moments

  • Life Changes05:02
  • Community Support27:50
  • Finish Line Joy37:59
  • Coaching Rewards39:24
  • Positive Imagery41:24
  • Goal Setting41:58
  • Overcoming Self-Doubt49:11
  • Choosing Happiness57:26

Words per Minute Over Time

Vibes Breakdown