Chief Endurance Officer

Greg McDonough: Well, welcome to the show. I am super excited for our guest today. She is a nonstop athlete, seasoned endurance ex expert. She served as the global director of athlete development at the Ironman Group where she helped shape the journeys of athletes worldwide. Expanding the sport globally. She was a co-founder of Open Water Planet and any taker, sport and entertainment, two organizations dedicated to elevating aquatic sports.

She's now the Executive Director of Operations and Community Development at Ocean Man USA. She's also the co-founder of Salty Sports Society. Please welcome the overbooked Casey Taker. Welcome Casey to the [00:01:00] show.

Casey Taker: Awesome. Thank you so much for having me.

Greg McDonough: I, uh, I get super excited when I have another aquatic enthusiast on the show. There's not many of us out there who go into these sports from the swimming position, but we'll get into that later, Casey.

But I would, I'd love to know how has your endurance mindset impacted your life Unexpectedly.

Casey Taker: I, I think for me it's this most surprising thing has been the relationship you, you come to have with. With ego, and, and by ego I mean fear. I mean pride. I mean, it, it, it's just really interesting because you, you almost start getting down into the nitty gritty of what fear really is. Um, and, and when you start looking at what's holding you back, or, um, like I know there was, you know, when you first look at an Ironman, you're like, I could never do that.

And then your coach, you know, if, if you're lucky enough to have some great coaches in your life, they're like, well, why do you think that? When you kind of start digging [00:02:00] through all those layers and whipping out your excuses, you, you just realize, okay, I'm actually just scared to fail. That's why I'm telling myself that I could never do that. And I think same thing with, you know, your first open water swim, or you know, you're out there and you're like, okay, this is fear. I'm recognizing this is fear. Why am I afraid? And I, you know, there's sharks out there. Well, it's more dangerous to drive here in your car than it is to go out in the ocean, but we do that every day without thinking about it.

So it, it's just kind of this rollercoaster ride of learning what you're most afraid of, but learning. Why are you afraid of that? Um, and I think a lot of times it's, it's a little bit of ego. It's, it's a little bit of pride. Um, and, and those two things are so different, even though we, we tend to lump them, um, and. As you go through that, it kind of starts giving you this mini powerhouse. 'cause you have that ability to stop in the moment and take a step back and look at yourself almost from the inside. You know, the outside in and say, what, what's, what's really the holdup here? Or what's really stopping me? Or, [00:03:00] or why am I afraid?

And if it's, I'm just afraid of failure. Well, we all know we're all gonna fail. Like you're, you're destined to fail at some point in your life if you're doing anything. Worth of crap, for lack of a better term. So, um, I, I think that's been most interesting. And, and then also how you develop, um, a sense of pride about things.

I remember coming off the bike in Chattanooga, you know, during my Ironman and, you know, my whole world had been about finishing that race for a year, and I came off that bike and I was like, I, I just don't think this is gonna happen. But I was so calm, like it was it. had had a good swim. The bike had been hard, but I got through it and it was my longest bike ride ever.

And I remember just looking at my support team and I'm like, gang, I don't know if this is gonna happen, but I've had a, a great day. I've had a great weekend with you all. I'm just gonna go out there and I'm gonna enjoy what I can on the run. And when they pull me, they pull me, you know, just took it mile by mile and got there.

And so it, it's weird when, like, it should have been the scariest, most fearful time of [00:04:00] I'm about to fail on something I've been chasing dramatically. I had mental, I was kind of mentally prepared that if I fail, it's okay. Like it's, it's fine. I've had a great day. So.

Greg McDonough: It a hundred percent. It's okay. Um. And for me on those races, like the closer I feel like I'm gonna not make it or fail or not hit a goal or something, but the, that feeling starts kicking in. But then the emotion really drives and changes as you get closer to the finish line or closer to the destination, or closer to the goal.

And, um, like I'm, I'm feeling that emotion now, just like once you realize that, hey, I'm actually gonna finish this. The, the world sort of spins on you and changes. Casey, you mentioned something about learning your why and being afraid. Um, and then you made a comment about taking a moment, like stepping back and taking a moment.

Can you talk to us about like how you sort of take that moment? Because I find that when we're in the middle of [00:05:00] chaos or a race or training or work. It's really difficult to sort of step back and take that moment when you're in the moment, if that makes any sense. Do you have any, a mantra or a trick or some sort of hack that allows you to say, Hey, well you know what, I'm gonna step back here and just think or step back and meditate or, or something.

Casey Taker: Yeah. Honestly, I think it's asking yourself, do I need to step back for a second? I, I think whether it's, you know, something at work, something at home, something in your training, something going on in your day, being able to recognize. am at a heightened state of emotion, and when you are at a heightened state of emotion, usually the decisions you make may not have as much logic as you want them to have. So I, I think that's just been the biggest thing, is learning to recognize when am I at a heightened state of emotion? And if I'm at a heightened state of [00:06:00] emotion, do I need to just kind of take a step back and, and evaluate how I'm looking at this? Um. And it's just like anything else, it's a muscle. Like your brain is a muscle.

Your, you know, your, your mind is a muscle. So you, you've gotta work that and you just have to continuously try to be aware. Um, sometimes I've taken a step back and I come back and I'm like, no, I am absolutely terrified, or I'm absolutely mad, or I, um, but other times it, it's certainly just been a, a, a great breath.

So I wish I had a more like. Systematic way of doing it. But I think just recognizing you may, you know, just, just being enough aware that you may need to do it, and then finding your own system for how you wanna help, you know, kind of set through those emotions with yourself.

Greg McDonough: Absolutely, and and I, and I find. Trying different things at different times, right? You read a book, you hear a podcast, you listen to a speech, you have a conversation, and you kind of come up with an idea of like, Hey, how am I going to reflect this into my own self-awareness? Um, also we are talking about the [00:07:00] endurance mindset as it pertains to fear and triathlon and open water swimming and those things.

I'd love to talk to you about how it also applies to career. Job and family and like, how have you seen that show up in your life?

Casey Taker: I think a lot of times fear is what stops us. It's what stops us from taking risks. Um, obviously it's, it's the human, it's the human safety net. You know, we're, we're designed to keep ourselves We're designed to keep ourselves safe, we're designed, um, but staying too comfortable. Doesn't, doesn't get you very far.

You know, you can sit in a perfectly air controlled house all day and, and control everything around you, but you're not, you're not gonna see much. Um, and so I think when you can look at, am I, am I scared? Because there's something to be scared of. Sometimes you need to be scared if you're flying down a hill on, if you're flying down a [00:08:00] hill in Lake Placid on a bike, you need to have some level of fear in your body that's going to help keep you safe. Um, if you're looking down the next big career decision or something like that, sure, there are some things you need to consider. You need to, you need to know, okay, like from a financial perspective, from a lifestyle perspective, from how does all this stuff maybe gonna affect that? But I think a lot of times we overanalyze and we're, we're.

We're quick to make excuses for ourselves or we're we're quick to set something to the side because it may be big and scary, whereas more we can learn to kind of face big and scary, the less scary it is. Um, I actually, there's a, a, I have a phenomenal colleague, uh, Susan Ture. She's a coach and, and she's got a psychology degree and, um, she's absolutely brilliant.

But she, she gave this great speech. We were at an open water swimming conference in Boston, um, beyond the Breakers, and she gave this great, I'll never say it as eloquently and as well as she does, but it was basically like throughout your life. You start to notice that you gravitate toward the people who have the same level of [00:09:00] risk taking that you do. And so this is gonna change like as you evolve and as you grow and as you learn. Um, but the more you can, the, the more you can find those networks of people that, that are at the same level of risk taking that you are. You're going to find yourself stronger because you have that support system, but you're also gonna see other people taking risks.

And then, so taking risks doesn't become as scary. And, and I just thought you hear that and it's like, um, because you start thinking, you know, entrepreneurs hang out with entrepreneurs. Why? Because we're jumping off the side of a cliff every single day. Um, or, you know, and in corporate business, the, the people that tend to be successful because they take big risks in the time that it matters. They get together and they're discussing these things and they're talking these things out and they want to be around one another 'cause they want to learn from one another. So, um, yeah, I think that's just been level of, of learning fear from risk and, and gravitating toward people that are, are similar.

Mindset has been just insanely powerful across the board.

Greg McDonough: That's really helpful. [00:10:00] Um, and you're right, right, we, we tend to gravitate towards. And if we're not gravitating towards those that are similar and are risk taking or are habits or you name it, we should be like, we should be a lot more aware of, hey, the people around me aren't doing the things that I'm doing right.

And maybe this isn't the right set of folks to get me to my next goal. Um. Casey, I'd love to know how you got into swimming open water. Like give us the, sort of the history, the background of, of where, because you're, you're unique, I think, um, in what you're doing and what you've accomplished. You know, some of the, just some of the feats that you've, you've pulled together and just loved, like where did that start?

Was it

Casey Taker: yeah.

Greg McDonough: some childhood swimming pool event or like, just give us some background on you.

Casey Taker: No, I, I was actually, um, I am, I'm gonna be fully honest again, no fear here. Um, I held my nose anytime I went [00:11:00] underwater until a, about eight years ago, um, 10 years ago. And. I grew up, we, we were, I was a kid that played in the water, but I didn't swim. Like, does that make sense? I knew how to swim. I could play in the water.

We were at the lake. We were, you know, knee boarding and, and tubing and, and things like that. We were going to the ocean, playing in the water, boogie boarding, I was never, never a swimmer. Um. actually got into the o the sport of open water swimming. Um, uh, I'll say this, my, my dad was an endurance athlete, uh, from I think when he was, you know, probably 35 on.

So I was around it, I was adjacent to it. Um, mountain Biker, trail Runner. Um, you know, he was doing all sorts of awesome crazy things and. so I was exposed to the world that way. Um, I went out and crewed for him at the Leadville 100 mountain bike race when I was in college. And, and that kind of got me like, Hey, this is pretty cool. Um, but then I was working in sports after college. I was actually working on the NASCAR circuit, doing corporate [00:12:00] hospitality, garage tours, that kind of thing. And. Through that, met a sports agent and you know, when you're an event person, you just get lumped in this, you're an event person bucket. And so they were actually starting a, a project following the Beijing 20, you know, 2008 Olympics with, you know, that was such a monumental year for swimming, that they had projects with a lot of the Olympians coming out of that to host open water swimming events with their, their name. so I, you know, he is like, you're an event person. I need event people. Will you come work on this project with us? Um, and so that was the first time that we kind of jumped into hosting open water events. So I will say I was, I was in the mix hosting events long before I ever actually became a swimmer. Um, and then, uh, that went on for a little bit and then kind of followed some other career path things and put that off to the side. Then it found me again in, in 2015 and kind of jumped back in with a, a few of the team members, [00:13:00] um, from that old team and, and some new people. Um, and from there, you know, we were working on a, a larger swim series.

Um. we did some events in Florida and in Texas, and, yeah. And then, uh, an opportunity came up with Ironman. And so, yeah, it's, I will say I am the most hodgepodge, you know, I didn't come from, um, I didn't come from swimming. I didn't come from, you know, and you can tell it 'cause I, you look at my swim stroke and, you know, that girl did not swim in high school or college. Um, but I think it, it's, it's great. Like, it's great to be an adult that learns to do something like that. It's humbling. It's thrilling. It's. Um, it, it's been quite the adventure and I think being willing to jump in on the athlete side. When I went to work for Ironman, I was like, you know, my whole job was convincing people this was a great idea.

Can, you know, let teaching people that this could change your life and helping people navigate this space. And I was like, I feel, I feel kind [00:14:00] of silly if I haven't done it myself. So I just kind of jumped in there to triathlon and, and started working my way up the, the distances.

Greg McDonough: You know, one of the things that I love about hosting this show is getting the chance to talk to people who are behind the scenes for the events that our audience gets to participate in and, and where my mind was going when you were talking. Like how as an event person, event planner. Event organizer, how is organizing an open water swim sort of different than a triathlon?

Obviously the sport's different, but I suspect there's some nuances that us as an audience member or a participant don't really appreciate that we should.

Casey Taker: Yeah, I, I think with that and, and, you know, you deal with this summit triathlon, 'cause obviously you've got that swimming component. Um, it, it's a slightly, it's a different mindset. Most open water swimmers, it's a little bit more of a minimalist style, um, sport in terms of [00:15:00] people are out there to enjoy the ocean.

People are out there to challenge themselves, but, but people. Have this love of the water and have this love of the water for how it makes them feel. And so when we're looking at crafting an event, what we wanna make sure we're doing is not only building this competitive space and building this atmosphere of you're about to do something epic and big and you know you're a rockstar, also how can we make sure that people not only. Feel comfortable in the water, but learn to enjoy this along the way. So it's, it's really working on, what I think has really been so special with some of the projects we're working on now is we've created this awesome ecosystem for open water swimming, where with our salty sports society. Uh, Florida series.

We, we've got this grassroots, you know, kind of Florida based series. It's a little more like localized and, and gives people a chance to dip their toe in and try something new in a little bit more relaxed environment. [00:16:00] Um, then we've got, you know, ocean Man USA coming on the scene and we're working with them and we're creating this, you know, national series that's, that's going to be that world class style event where you can. You can go and you can have that weekend where you're a little back, I'm going to go do something epic and it's gonna feel epic. 'cause it's gonna be big and loud and it's just gonna encompass me the entire weekend. Um, and then we also have, you know, we're working on a lot of that, that lifestyle training piece of how do we. Teach people to, you know, we're working with Swim Ride Academy on, on how do we, how do we create a system where people can come in, they can, you know, if they know how to swim already, they can improve their form and improve their stroke. And then from there we can work on getting faster. And then from there it's also more of that, how do we let you enjoy this so much that you, you wanna. You wanna do this to stay healthy, it becomes just like going outside and going for a run. You know, it just becomes part of your every day or your, your every week routine. And there's such a big opportunity with swimming [00:17:00] because it's not quite as hard on, on your body as a lot of other sports because it doesn't take the equipment, that other sports, you know, it's not as high of a barrier to entry.

But, uh, there's also that connectivity to the water that really makes it unique and. tell everybody, it's one of the few sports you can't take your phone in the water with you. Like it's one of the few sports where you really have the excuse of completely disconnecting, um, from technology and, and really taking some time to yourself, which I, I think really makes it special.

Greg McDonough: Yeah, one of my favorite. Favorite. Now one of my favorite stories, uh, I was doing the Potomac River Open Water Swim. It was a seven and a half mile swim, and I had my own kayaker, and it was the longest distance I've ever done. And I don't know, I'm probably halfway across and I'm just having a terrible day and I'm like leaning on my kayaker and I look up and there's this channel buoy that I assumed was gonna push me out into the Atlantic Ocean within minutes.

And I was gonna be in England and hours. And it, it completely changed my mindset and I [00:18:00] got my head down and I just started moving towards the other shore to finish. Just that, that fear, back to your point about fear and pushing that envelope, but I tell you now, in any open water condition, I feel pretty comfortable.

Like I know, sort of like I've hit that limit at times and gotten through it. Um, and, and to the point about open water like that seems to be this, the number one barrier to triathlon. And I'd love to under hear from you about like the work you're doing at Ironman and expanding the sport. How much of that emphasis was on the swim versus the bike versus the run as you were trying to grow the sport globally?

Casey Taker: Yeah, we certainly, there were, there's a lot of barriers to entry when we were looking, you know, working with Ironman, it was everything from your current lifestyle. Like obviously, you know, you've got folks that have a larger family or have a larger work presence, or like, there's a a million different barriers to entry.

And so when we were looking at that, it's all right, we [00:19:00] need to help people understand how this fits into their world. It should not be. If you bring something into your world and it's this constant rub, there's no sustainability in that, right? So it's very much how does this fit into your world? looking at, all right, now we've identified your, your specific barriers to entry.

Let's look at some tools and resources that can help you, help you, you know, get, navigate those. And then also that community piece. It really is. I think the work we did on the tri club program and the work we did with, with Ironman U and coaches and, and people realizing the value of a coach, like it's so much more beyond just a training plan.

It really is your sidekick that is there to help support you and help you navigate how to take this big goal that you have and place it into your life and, and make it work and make it. Enjoyable. And, and you know, not every minute's gonna be fun of course, but how to really make it part [00:20:00] of your life, not something, something you're gonna do once to just check that box. Um, and, and that's what I think was, was so neat with our work with tri clubs, our work with coaches, and then as we're looking at helping people get over kind of mental fear and, and everything, it really was having that sort of community environment where. They go out for a swim and there's 10 other people in the, you know, you know what I mean?

Like, you, you have these open water swim groups that have popped up all over the country and it's, it's a space where you can go out there and people are gonna be around you, and you're gonna have people that are like, all right, I'm, let's, let's swim that first, you know, a hundred meters together. And great.

Maybe that's what you do today. Like maybe it's you're gonna swim a hundred meters parallel to shore, and then you're gonna get out and you're gonna give yourself a pat on the back and you're gonna enjoy the wind today. And then you're gonna come back out here next Saturday and we're gonna go 200. And then, um, I think it, it's, it's it making sure that people are aware of the different [00:21:00] opportunities that are out there and it helps them. about the space, feel inspired about what they're doing, and then also just navigate and, and know how to take that and bring it into their life and make it work for them individually.

Greg McDonough: That's super helpful. Um, what I was thinking about. Is at some point in time, right over the Ironman history. It went from a couple people in Hawaii, right to where it is today. But at some point the light switched and has caused people, us, many of us, to get tattoos to where the brand, like as you think about the history.

From an insider, somebody who's been sort of in the mix. What was that? There's a lot of theories out there, and I, I could probably peg a ton of stories, but I'd be curious what your answer to this question is, is when, when did it switch for iron? Like when did it become a cult versus just a sport?

Casey Taker: I think [00:22:00] moment that media and the people within the sport that were telling the stories took the lens, and it wasn't just about who were the, the five people at the front of the field. They took the lens and they opened it up and they started showing the what, who did show up. Right. And I think when that storytelling started. All of a sudden people, you know, when people didn't just see some uber fit person that's running six minute miles and, you know, crushing life, they started seeing the story of Bob who looks just like you do and is out there, and he's gonna finish in 17, but it's, it's gonna be pretty tight. So I, I really do think that the moment that, that the stories got bigger, Pros are super important to the sport and, and it definitely adds a certain, it, it helps us add a certain [00:23:00] element and it cre it gives people, you know, someone to root for and there's nothing like being out on course with those pros when they're zoomed by you and you, you just feel like, oh my gosh, I'm out here with them and that. I really do think it's when that lens expanded and the storytelling started and people were learning about just the average everyday people that were out there giving it a go. Um, and then I also think it, you have a lot of these, I mean, obviously Julie Moss, like you have a lot of people that failed publicly.

Greg McDonough: Yeah.

Casey Taker: We're willing to talk about it and we're willing to, you know, get out there and say, yeah, I gave absolutely everything I had and I had to crawl across that finish line. Or, I didn't finish today, but I'll tell you what, I'll be here next year. Um, then, you know, again, one of my favorite stories of all time, and I, I told this to the, the year we had, uh, the first all women's year in Kona, we had so many women that were there and, and super nervous and everything.

'cause they were, they were taking on something big. And I said, look. This is what I want you to think about. This is a Bob Babbitt story [00:24:00] that was on one of his podcasts and it's absolutely great, but Lynn LaMere ca Lynn lame, came out here. The first female, she was on a fixie bike. She had one gear. She had a basket on the front with a boombox and a towel in it in case she needed to stop and take a break at the beach. And she just came. She just came out here to have a day, and so. When you're out there and you, you know, you, you're at your wit's end. Just think about that. Like she's just out. She, she came out to try it out and just to see what it was like and just to see if she could do it. And, and I think that, again, those kind of stories where you break it down into something that feels very tangible, um, really helped the sport and really help people see themself in the sport.

Greg McDonough: That's awesome. So I have to ask, what's the worst tattoo you've ever seen? Worst Ironman tattoo you've ever seen.

Casey Taker: I, no bad Iron Man tattoo because it means someone, you know. Um, I will say, you know, I've, I've seen some that [00:25:00] I'm like, you spend a lot of time training for this. I wish you'd spend a little more money on the tattoo. Like,

Greg McDonough: Got it.

Casey Taker: You know, it was just like, I, this, this, this might've been done in a garage.

Greg McDonough: Yeah.

Casey Taker: So I would,

Greg McDonough: Well, let's take it the other way. How? How about the best?

Casey Taker: um, oh, I, I love tattoos that tell a story. Um, I've

Greg McDonough: Hmm.

Casey Taker: I love it when people pull in, uh, there's some element in there that tells a story about their day, whether I've, I've seen. know, tattoos where people, there were a lot of jellyfish on course that day, and there's a jellyfish wrapped around the Iron Man, or I've seen where, you know, it, it's, you know, the, it's a little steeper than usual because it, they, it was a hilly course, or I just love tattoos that tell a story because I feel like when someone says, holy crap, like, it, it just, it just gives you a sense of what that person went through that day.

It's not just saying, I did an Ironman. It's like, oh my gosh, I survived this and, and I just think that. What a personal reminder to not only know you survived in Ironman, but there was something super specific that [00:26:00] stuck with you, that you survived that is obviously gonna help help you survive more in the future.

Greg McDonough: that's fantastic. Um. You mentioned earlier your work with Ocean Man, um, and that's a, a new series, new concept. I'd love to give the audience a little bit more flavor on, on what that event is, what that series is. Can you give us a little bit more color on that?

Casey Taker: So Ocean Man is the largest, uh, international open water swim series in the world. Uh, they are spread all across the globe. Um, races in, I believe they've had races in, in over 35 countries at this point. Um, global network of swimmers and we are so excited. There has never been a race on US soil. And so there is a group, um, that has basically looked, come in. They are set to launch Ocean Man USA. Uh, we're kicking off with Miami in November and this first race will be the first race on US soil, but it's gonna kick off a [00:27:00] series that's gonna continue to grow across the country and it just think high level pageantry world class event. That wraps around the open water swimming community.

So, uh, offering distances from 2K, 5K, 10 K Ocean kids, which is gonna be a 500 meter. And then we've even got a relay event that's gonna be a three by 500. So really great opportunity for folks that either wanna get in multiple races, maybe they're doing the 10 K on Sunday, so they wanna do, you know, a relay to warm up. Something fun with the family or people just doing their first event. They're not quite ready for something like the 2K, but they definitely wanna dip a toe in and, and get some experience so they can partner up with some friends and have a great weekend just doing a relay. So, super excited about that.

It's gonna be a two day event. Um, we're looking at some pretty dynamic, uh, destinations. That's kind of what Ocean Man is, is known for, is that idea of. Welcoming people to these iconic destinations and crafting, you know, curating these incredible [00:28:00] weekends where you are, are literally surrounded by people just like you, um, and taking some time with the water.

So we're really excited. I think it aligns with a lot of, um, kind of our passions, but also the. I think it's what the world of swimming needs right now. Um, and, and again, I didn't grow up swimming, so I'm not gonna speak to the, to the politics of swimming, but I think that pools are getting harder to get into. I think that people are just finding that sometimes training with a master's team that the scheduling doesn't always work with their lifestyle. So being able to create an opportunity for people to compete at a high level. Outside of the pool is going to, I think, help continue to build pool swimming. We all know to be successful in open water, you've gotta get in the pool and you've gotta put that time in. Um, but it's also just gonna give a chance for people to, to try something different and step, step back into nature. In the same way that a lot of people are gravitating from road running, they're advancing into trail running because they like that connectivity to nature and [00:29:00] that chance to, to kind of connect with an environment in a different way.

Greg McDonough: So we've got an audience member listening to the show right now with her palms are sweaty. The fear is building the open wa like just the whole concept. Of open water, ocean, man. Let's convince her to, to put the toe in the water. Like what would you tell her if she, she came to you and said, I'm really thinking about this, but I don't want to do that and I don't wanna do like all these, like, let's talk her out into the, into the water.

Casey Taker: So the, the first thing I would do, um, is number one, give yourself the grace to know it's baby steps. Um, sometimes the endurance industry, it, can be intimidating because when you hear, we all tend to talk. about our big adventures and things like that, but everyone started somewhere, everyone started doing that first 25 meters in a body of water and just getting comfortable.

So I would say number one, look [00:30:00] at open water groups in your area and if you don't have one, uh, go on Salty Sports Society. Feel free to drop me an email. Happy to help you find one, um, and try to find a group in your area. community around this space is really the glue that helps bring

Greg McDonough: Right.

Casey Taker: Keep people connected, keep people moving forward. And so having that community support and having people around you, um, is gonna be really important. just take it baby steps. Go out that first day, communicate with people, Hey guys, I'm brand new. I'm pretty scared. You know, someone's gonna volunteer to, to sit with you. Or, or just ask or even ask a family member like, Hey, I wanna go out.

I, I, I don't know how far I'm gonna go. Can you, you know, whether they're in a kayak or on a paddle board, or they're just gonna walk beside you for a little bit while you stay in the shallow end. You only need three feet of water to, to get a good swim stroke in. So you can, you can start right where the minute. You start feeling uncomfortable, you can just stand up,

Greg McDonough: Hmm.

Casey Taker: and, and just ease yourself [00:31:00] in and give yourself the grace to get a bit comfortable, and, start going from there. We, joke, you know, open water swimming, we always say we, live life buoy to buoy. It's really easy to jump into something and you're just looking at the finish line or you're just looking at where you wanna end up. And it seems so far away and, it's terrifying. Where really, you just need to get to that first buoy. It's just like running or anything else. You're like, I'm getting to mile marker one, and then we're gonna see what happens. I'm get, so you have to just break it down and know that you've got a community that's that's here to support you. And I promise if you lean in you let the fear go. You talk to the water a little bit, uh, you're actually gonna find that you're enjoying this a lot more than you think you will.

Greg McDonough: A hundred percent. Um, you know, it's interesting that you mentioned. You just need to start. You can just start in three feet of water, right? Enough water to get a full swim stroke in. And I never thought [00:32:00] about it that way, right? Because like for running or bike cycling, you can stop when you need to and get on your feet and take a break.

But I've always had this mentality of like, for swimming, you can't really stop.

Casey Taker: Yep.

Greg McDonough: But you certainly can, if you choose where to, like you, you stay close to shore. You're just going up and back and as you're taking small steps to get more comfortable in the water, swim in water that you can stand up in.

Right? Um, that's really insightful.

Casey Taker: Yeah. And they also have the swimmer safety buoys. It's a super simple, it, it's got a, a nylon belt and a little nylon strap and it attaches to an inflatable tube. You know, those, number one, I, I think any swimmer, if you're going out in the open water, you need to have that on just so that people can see you.

Greg McDonough: Mm-hmm.

Casey Taker: Boats can see you, fellow people can see you, but you've also got a built in. Like, I need a minute. Like I, um, and so being able to take one of those with you. Um, and, and have that kind of safety of, I have something to hold onto if I need a minute. Um, will [00:33:00] really help. But, and that's what I mean with that time in the pool too.

Like take some time and get comfortable in the pool, get comfortable with treading water and get comfortable with swimming in the pool and, and kind of find yourself, I mean, you can do a ton in your community pool. You don't necessarily have to go out and get a, a pool membership. You can go to the community pool.

Most of them, oddly enough, are between 20 and 23 yards. I don't know why they left out that extra tube to, um. Just start swimming there and just start feeling the water and just start letting yourself enjoy it there first, and then start looking at your open water options.

Greg McDonough: You know, I resisted. The safety buoy for years and years and years. And I probably, three years ago I was at a friend's lake house and there's a lot of boating and I bought, brought one down with me. And I, to your point, I love it. Um, and I also appreciate it. It gives you a little bit more height. So like if you're trying to cite and you just, you're, you're in the moment, your goggles are fog, maybe it's overcast and you've got shaded goggles, like it just gives you that extra [00:34:00] six to nine inches over the water to kind of figure out which direction you want to go.

Casey Taker: Yeah.

Greg McDonough: I will say though, some of them you can put your iPhone in. So the con, the comment you made earlier about you can't bring your phone, maybe we should, uh, re-engineer some of those buoys.

Casey Taker: Yeah, maybe that should be, Hey, no more. No more, uh, putting phones in your, in your buoy. Um,

Greg McDonough: right.

Casey Taker: No, and I understand where that's come from. You know, folks that are doing these long distance swims and though they've got support, you know, um, I really blame it on, people wanna take pictures in the water, but, um, it's, that's not a bad thing either. I mean, again, it's, you're out there enjoying yourself. So, um, if you can do it in a safe manner and maybe just turn the notifications off while you're out there,

Greg McDonough: Yeah,

Casey Taker: on ya.

Greg McDonough: Um, Casey and audience member wants to get in touch with you. What's the best way to get in touch with you?

Casey Taker: Yep. Uh, just go right on salty sports society.com. Uh, if you shoot an email to the contact form there and everything, that'll go directly to either myself or my business partner, Matt. Um, he's also my life partner, so, [00:35:00] uh, it it'll, it'll end up in the house. So one of myself, um, or Matt, and, you know, we're, we're happy to help people.

It's, it's a. Scary space. It can be a scary space if you don't know what you're doing. And so we wanna make sure that, that people feel comfortable, they feel supported, they feel prepared. Um, and yeah, we, we also wanna just, this is a good time. Like you, you start talking about going to an open water event and you're like, wait, so we're gonna be out on the beach, or we're gonna be out on the lake shore and we're gonna play in the water, and then afterward we're just gonna hang out on shore and do cool stuff.

Hmm. It's not a bad way to spend the weekend.

Greg McDonough: It's not a bad way to spend the week, and we'll include those links, uh, in our show notes for sure. So if you didn't ca write 'em down quick enough, just scroll down and you can find them. Casey, it's been awesome having you on the show. I could chat with you about open water swimming and the events you're putting on.

And now you, you're getting me thinking about changing my race schedule for the rest of the year. If you got value out of the [00:36:00] show today, please subscribe. Please share this with your community. Get out in the open water. Try those first few steps.

Um, you'll love it. Casey's right open water. Swimming is fantastic. Um, so is triathlon. So is anything really outdoors that that's athletic? Um, I really enjoyed exploring your endurance mindset and the way you frame that at the beginning of the show. Uh, thank you for your time. It's been great connecting.

Casey Taker: Yeah. Thank you for having me so much. We'll see you soon.