Paul Hunziker Marathon PR

#490 Athlete Success Story Paul Hunziker

Welcome

Welcome to Episode #490 of the 303 Endurance Podcast. We're your hosts Coaches Rich Soares and April Spilde. Thanks for joining us for another week of interviews, coaching tips and discussion.

I am personally very excited about this episode. I have had the privilege of coaching Paul Hunziker since August of 2024. It’s not uncommon to have a new athlete and see their training history and see lower than planned training like missed workouts. Paul was the exact opposite. Paul is a workhorse and really needed a coach to reign him in rather than spur him on. 

Paul recently blew his estimated marathon time by more than 10 minutes with an exceptionally executed pacing and nutrition plan finishing in 3:14:13. We are going to have that interview for your today plus much, much more!

Hi Rich! Man, I am so looking forward to talking with Paul and hearing about his marathon journey and all the growth in between! I am also stoked to watch IM 70.3 St George tomorrow morning AND race Fandango (not at the same time of course). Will you be tuning into St. George?

 

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In Today's Show

• Announcements and News

• Interview: Paul Hunziker 

• Get Gritty: Just Get Started

• TriDot Workout of the Week: Functional Threshold Power 20-Minute

• Fun Segment: Triathlon Fandango!

 

Announcements and News:

Upcoming Programming - Our March focus will be on running.

May 13 - Webinar Boulder 70.3 Race Recon with Race Director Brian Bohrer

May 17 - Podcast Boulder 70.3 Race Recon

May 24 - Coach Bobby McGee on the upcoming Run Camp May 31

May 31 - Bike Camp Highlights and interviews

 

G2G Spring Training Camp

May 17-18 - Swim Focus in C.Springs and Chatfield

May 24-25 - Bike Focus - Chatfield/Chatfield

May 31-June 1 Run Focus - Boulder/Boulder

 

TriDot Pool School July 26-27

Learn more about it at https://grit2greatnessendurance.com/training-camp

 

Fun note: last Saturday we had Isabelle, Stephanie, Laura, Sean and Olivia take the 1st Saturday in May polar plunge at Chatfield. We took a temperature and it was 57 degrees. Laura took off like a champ and the rest of us got ice cream headaches. We then rode for about 2.5-3 hours in the park and then did our off-the-bike runs on the trails.

Talk about a truly epic weekend! Whilst you all were out there tackling the ice cold waters of the Chatfield Reservoir, I was out there taming the wilds of Stage 3 of the Pike’s Peak APEX! I had the hardest, most heart-pumping, adrenaline inducing ride of my life! I also had a bit of a spill. Here’s some of the stats: 14.19 mi, 2:29:53 moving time, 1995 feet of climbing and several PRs– 

• PR on existential crisis (7:10)

• PR on Canon Steep Part REDUX (4:58)

• PR on 9.73 Out Of The Ice Box (18:40)

• PR on fully flaccid (12:42)

Well, Rich—between the race-watching, the racing, and those frosty polar plunges, it’s officially go time for endurance season! But today, we get to slow down just enough to celebrate an incredible athlete win. From logging disciplined miles to executing a near-perfect marathon, Paul Hunziker is proof that when you combine smart coaching with next-level consistency, breakthroughs happen.

So lace up, listeners—because Paul’s story is packed with wisdom, grit, and a whole lot of inspiration. Let’s dive into our Ask a Coach section, brought to you by…

Ask A Coach Sponsor: G2G Endurance

Let’s cut to the chase: you want results, well we’ve got the tools. Grit2Greatness Endurance Coaching + TriDot = smarter workouts, better feedback, and real progress. Click either mine or Coach Rich’s TriDot link & get 2 weeks free, and train with purpose from day one. After that, it’s as low as $14.99/month. Ready to train like an athlete with a plan? Hit the link in the show notes and get started today.

Website - Grit2Greatness Endurance Coaching

Facebook page @grit2greatnessendurance

 

Coach April Spilde

[email protected]

TriDot Signup - https://app.tridot.com/onboard/sign-up/aprilspilde

RunDot Signup - https://app.rundot.com/onboard/sign-up/aprilspilde 

 

Coach Rich Soares

[email protected]

Rich Soares Coaching

TriDot Signup - https://app.tridot.com/onboard/sign-up/richsoares

RunDot Signup - https://app.rundot.com/onboard/sign-up/richsoares

 

Interview: Paul Hunziker

Today we are excited to bring you a Grit2Greatness athlete success story. As I said at the start, Paul Hunziker from Tacoma Washington has an incredible work ethic. When we charted his strategy for this year, it was clear he wanted to PR a marathon and finish an full-distance IRONMAN. He recently checked off the former and is now focused on the latter. 

 

Get Gritty Tip: Just Get Started

Alright athletes, it’s time to Get Gritty.

Today’s theme is simple—but powerful: just get started.

Here’s the truth: most goals don’t fail because of a lack of talent. They fail because we wait for the “perfect time,” the “perfect plan,” or the “perfect mindset.” But perfection is a myth. If you’re waiting for the stars to align before you take action—you’ll be waiting forever.

Getting started is where the transformation begins.

It doesn’t have to be a full-send workout. It can be putting on your running shoes. Opening your training plan. Logging that first 10-minute spin. One small step creates momentum, and momentum creates belief.

Every big success story you admire? It started with one decision to move forward—often imperfectly.

So the next time resistance whispers in your ear, “Not today,” or “You're not ready,” I want you to respond with action. Any action. Forward is forward.

Because once you’re in motion, everything changes. The path reveals itself, the confidence builds, and before you know it—you’re becoming the athlete you imagined.

So this week, don’t overthink it. Just get gritty. And just get started.

 

TriDot Workout of the Week: 

Workout Summary: Functional Threshold Test (20-minute)

Session Note:

Warmup

10 min @ Z2 with 3 x 30 sec (30 sec) Spinups and 3 x 1 min (1 min) @ Z4

 

Main Set

20 min - all out maximal effort

Pacing Tip: Start at the average watts of your previous month’s 20-minute. Use erg mode to control the effort. 1st 5’ - hold that previous 20-minute average, 2nd 5’ - slowly increment watts until you reach a perceived limit, 3rd 5’ the same. Last 5’ can be more aggressive.

Be sure to enter/confirm your assessment results to update your training intensities and race projections.

 

Fun Segment: Triathlon Fandango!

A wild mix of multisport mayhem—where strategy meets spontaneity, and nothing goes according to plan!

 

According to the Oxford Dictionary, a Fandango is a lively Spanish dance for two people, typically accompanied by castanets or tambourine.

 

It can also be a foolish or useless act or thing. So with that context, are you ready for TRIATHLON FANDANGO! 

In this segment we’ll throw a little controlled chaos into your training day! A ‘fandango’ is usually a lively dance or an unpredictable situation… and let’s be honest, that sounds a lot like your last transition, doesn’t it? In this segment, we celebrate the unexpected moments, awkward moves, and off-the-cuff brilliance that only triathletes truly understand.

1. Blockbuster Buoyancy
   You have to swim in a costume from your favorite movie—what do you choose and how do you make it hydrodynamic?

Bonus points if it involves a cape, fins, or lightsaber.

2. Snack Station Showdown

Your only bike nutrition can come from gas station snacks. Build your fueling plan using three items and explain how they power your ride.

(Yes, you can pick a taquito or tornado, but good luck with the aftermath.)

3. Discipline Detour

You must swap one triathlon leg with a totally unrelated skill—karate, chess, salsa dancing… what do you pick and why would it give you a competitive edge?

Just imagine the T1 transition into a full tango.

4. Bag Swap Roulette

You have to trade your tri bag for a mystery duffel handed to you at check-in. What's the one item you’re praying is inside—and what would send you straight into panic mode?

Please let it be chamois cream… please.

5. Celebrity Play-by-Play
   Your entire race will be commentated live by one celebrity. Who do you choose, and what kind of outrageous commentary are they dropping mid-race?

Morgan Freeman narrating your port-a-potty stop? Iconic.

And that’s a wrap on this round of Triathlon Fandango—where the weird gets wilder, the hypothetical gets hilarious, and the only thing more unpredictable than your T1 socks is what we’ll spin up next time. Got a ridiculous scenario you want us to tackle? Send it our way and keep the Fandango fun rolling. Until then, stay weird, race hard, and never underestimate the power of a good snack and a wild imagination!

Closing:

Thanks again for listening this week. Please be sure to follow us @303Triathlon and @grit2greatnessendurance and of course go to iTunes and give us a rating and a comment. We'd really appreciate it!

Stay tuned, train informed, and enjoy the endurance journey!