Cool Conversations with Kenton Cool

On this week's episode of Cool Conversations, Kenton speaks to award winning journalist and champion Obstacle Course Racer, Gwendolyn Bounds. Wendy, as she is known, took up Obstacle Course Racing at 45 years old and has built her fitness to such an extent that she now competes for podium places in Spartan races around the world. But this hasn't always been the case. Wendy discovered Spartan when she realised that she was sitting in contented inertia - in a high-pressure, yet successful career, with a busy personal life and no time for anything else. However, she decided to make time and she started building the physical foundation that now underpins everything she does. And she's never looked back. Wendy is the author of two books: Little Chapel on the River and Not Too Late Reading: The Formula by Joshua Robinson and Jonathan Clegg Listening to: Eric Church, a country music artist, and Peter Attia on a Bone Health Podcast

In this week's episode, Kenton continues his climb up Laila Peak in Pakistan, providing real-time updates as he and the team move up the mountain from Basecamp, and then all the way back to Islamabad. He describes ice towers, snow slopes, glaciers and rock formations. He explains the challenging terrain, and shares his thoughts and feelings both on the way up and on the way back down. All expeditions need space for reflection - this one perhaps more than most. A night sleeping under the stars helped Kenton to do this, as well as the ever-present Pakistani hospitality. If you are yearning for the mountains, this episode is for you!

Kenton's guest on this episode of Cool Conversations is Hannah Cox who is about to launch herself into a 4,200km run, having only started running last year. Why? You will learn that Hannah is obsessed with a hedge that formed an inland customs line across India about 150 years ago. It was used to enforce a salt tax and resulted in a widespread famine in which millions died. Hannah is re-tracing the line of the hedge and will be running 100 marathons in 100 days to do so. It's a bold undertaking for anyone, especially a non-runner! But Hannah's 'Why' is strong. She is passionate about environmental sustainability and has founded two businesses with sustainability at their core - Better Not Stop and The Better Business Network. She aims to raise £1m for environmental charities through the project. Through her work building communities, businesses and bold adventures, Hannah’s mission is to prove that together we can achieve the impossible. Find out more: www.projectsaltrun.com Support the crowdfunder: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/project-salt-run

Tales from the Trails (TFTT) is back and this time Kenton is on the Eiger in the Swiss Alps. Kenton talks us through his ascent of the 3,967m Eiger, with his client Marco. They ascend via the Mittellegi ridge and descend via the South Ridge on an absolutely beautiful summer's day with views for miles. Having not done this particular climb since 2009, Kenton is reminded that it is not a walk in the park! Listen now to experience the Eiger through Kenton's eyes.

This week's Cool Conversation is between Kenton and Richard Pyne, CEO of British clothing brand Páramo. Right from the offset, we understand that Páramo is unique: Richard describes himself as the Custodian of the brand, rather than the CEO; he tells us that the company is employee-owned; he tells us they have been repairing garments for customers for 30 years, whilst most others have only recently started to offer this; and he tells us that they designed their products by mimicking mammals - how does an otter stay dry and warm, even when his fur is soaked through? Most remarkable of all, Richard explains how the brand got its name from a range of mountains in the Andes and how the unlikely pairing of a nun and an entrepreneur has created untold opportunities for women and families in Colombia. This is the story of a brand that holds on tight to its values, that lobbies much bigger industry players to contribute to the circular economy, and that cares about people.

This week Kenton welcomes Dr Sarah Ruggins back to the pod to unpick the details of her incredible bike ride from John O'Groats to Lands End and back again. Sarah blended her love of the discipline of unsupported ultra-endurance cycling with supported time-trialling to take on her most recent endurance challenge. Sarah tells Kenton all about her approach to riding 2,700km at a speed most of us wouldn't be able to sustain for an hour, which resulted in her claiming the outright World Record for the route, completing it in 5 days, 11 hours, 14 minutes. She explains how her support team were integral to her success and how the riding was the easy bit - sleep deprivation and requirement for calories created far more of a challenge. Sarah shares so many insights in this episode and we know you are going to love it!