The Triathlon Brick Session

In this episode, I chat with Caroline about the importance of carrying spares in triathlon,  especially in long-course racing, and why knowing how to actually use them is just as important as having them.

We also discuss Rachel Entrekin’s incredible Cocodona 250 performance, and explore why women often seem able to compete with, and even outperform, men in ultra-endurance events of this distance.

The conversation then moves onto “hero weeks” and the growing trend of athletes trying to replicate the 35–40 hour training weeks shared by elite professionals. We discuss why this can send the wrong message, and why it’s important to understand that elite athletes have spent years gradually building the ability to absorb that kind of workload.

Finally, Caroline gives a quick update on her North Coast 500 attempt and the training leading into it.

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What really happens when the pressure hits, and you’ve got nowhere to hide? In this episode, I sit down with former Special Forces operator Simon Jeffries for a raw, unfiltered conversation on mindset, resilience, and what it actually takes to perform when it matters most.

From the realities of selection to the unseen struggles that follow high performance, this isn’t theory, it’s lived experience. We break down why the physical side is only half the battle, and how your mindset, habits, and self-talk will either carry you through, or quietly unravel you. We get into the uncomfortable truths, why people choke under pressure, why success doesn’t guarantee fulfilment, and why so many driven individuals end up stuck in cycles of stress, distraction, and burnout.

Simon shares the frameworks he now uses to rebuild performance from the ground up, not just for elite operators, but for anyone who wants to take control of how they show up in life. No fluff, no shortcuts, just what actually works.

In this episode, we cover:

Why most people fail under pressure, and how to fix it

What Special Forces selection really exposes about you

The hidden cost of high performance, stress, identity, and burnout

How your daily habits are quietly sabotaging your focus and resilience

The truth about mental toughness, it’s trained, not inherited

Simple, practical tools to take back control of your mindset

Why discipline beats motivation, every time

You don’t rise when it matters, you fall back to how you’ve trained.

The latest episode of The Brick Session Podcast is now live. In today’s show, Mark sits down with former professional triathlete Collin Chartier for a conversation that doesn’t shy away from the uncomfortable. 

After receiving a three-year ban for a doping violation, Collin opens up—honestly and without deflection- about the decision that changed everything. Why did he do it? What pressures led him there? And what does it actually feel like when the world turns on you?

This isn’t a story of excuses. It’s a story of accountability. Collin speaks candidly about the backlash, the public shaming, and the personal reckoning that followed.
He reflects on the lessons learned the hard way, and how the experience ultimately reshaped him—for the better.

More importantly, he offers a clear warning to others coming up in the sport, alongside a message that cuts through the noise of performance and results. It’s raw. It’s honest. And it’s a conversation that needed to happen.

Enjoy

In this episode of The Brick Session, Mark is joined by co-host Caroline Livesey for a no-nonsense chat about where triathlon is heading, and who’s quietly buying the keys to the building. 

We start with the PTO, who currently appear to be purchasing everything in triathlon that isn’t physically bolted to the floor. Is it smart consolidation, necessary progress, or just the sporting equivalent of Monopoly played with very deep pockets? We break down what it means for athletes, fans, and the long-term shape of the sport, without the press-release horse shit.

Next up: Ironman banning all competitor filming during races. Cue outrage, think-pieces, and shaky GoPro footage mourned across social media.  Except, we actually think it’s a good decision. We talk fairness, safety, and why racing might be better when athletes are focused on racing, not content creation.
 
Finally, we tackle the elephant in every Instagram feed: why athletes and coaches feel the need to post everything. Training volume. Power files. Easy runs. Hard runs. The run before the run. The “accidentally hard” run. We ask what it’s really for, who it’s helping, and whether a bit of mystery, and restraint might actually be a good thing.  Because sometimes less is more. Less noise. Less validation chasing. And, ironically, often better performance.
 
Blunt opinions, dry humour, and a reality check for modern triathlon culture, exactly as you’d expect from Mark.  Caroline is the sensible one...   Enjoy

I recently spoke with Clint Butcher, the founder of EZ Gains, a company that has quickly grown into one of the most respected names in triathlon aerodynamics components in just a few short years.
 
What makes Clint’s story compelling isn’t just the products,  it’s how the business began.
EZ Gains started in the front room of Clint’s home. No factory. No investors. Just an idea, a willingness to experiment, and long evenings spent hand-making rear wheel disc covers alongside his daughter.

What began as a simple, practical solution for athletes chasing marginal gains gradually evolved into something far more significant.
 
Through persistence, curiosity, and a refusal to follow the easy or conventional path, EZ Gains grew into a company now supplying aerodynamic components and bottle carriers to some of the best triathletes in the world. That growth didn’t come without risk. Like most genuine entrepreneurial journeys, it involved uncertainty, setbacks, and moments where walking away would have been the safer option.
 
Instead, Clint chose to commit. He backed his belief in the product, trusted the process, and kept building, even when conditions were far from ideal. That willingness to act under uncertainty, to continue despite adversity, is the hallmark of true entrepreneurship. 
EZ Gains is a reminder that innovation in sport doesn’t always come from big budgets or established brands. Sometimes it comes from a living room, a shared belief, and the courage to take a gamble on an idea worth pursuing.
 
This is what building something meaningful looks like, not overnight success, but earned progress shaped by conviction, resilience, and a relentless commitment to doing things properly.