ATHCO

Athco

ATHCO is a podcast for athletes who want to turn their passion into profession. Real conversations with athletes, founders, and creators who've done it. Sharing the playbook so you can too. The training. The business. The mistakes. Everything you need to build something meaningful from your passion.

  1. 5d ago

    024: From Zero to IRONMAN 70.3 World Champs in 8 Months

    Twelve months ago, Jake Bird had never owned a bike and couldn't swim 25 metres without stopping. After a few beers at a New Year's Eve party, he signed up for an Ironman 70.3 on the spot. Eight months later, with no athletic background, he qualified for the 70.3 World Championships. He documented the entire journey on Instagram from day one and four months into posting, off a single race, he landed an ambassadorship with Ironman itself. His first brand deal came at 6,500 followers. In this episode, Jake breaks down the whole playbook: how he used seven years of managing influencers to grow his own following, why talking-to-camera content beats viral videos, why a focused niche is more valuable to brands than a huge audience, and the brutal reality of training 16+ hours a week alongside a full-time job. Part comeback story, part social media masterclass. 🔗 Follow Jake  Instagram: @jakeebird 🔗 Follow ATHCO Instagram: @athco.cc YouTube: ATHCO 🔗 Follow Us  Daniel: @dannyjd_ Jannis: @jannisrothermel

    024: From Zero to IRONMAN 70.3 World Champs in 8 Months

  2. Jul 6

    023: What Running 100 Miles Teaches You About Yourself

    Michael Obery is one of the most recognisable faces in Cape Town running. What most people don't know is that years ago he was battling drug addiction that nearly killed him. The turning point came watching his younger brother head out for a run at 5am while Mike was still coming home from a night out. His first run was 2km on the promenade. It snowballed into an obsession and by accident, into one of Cape Town's biggest running communities. He's run Boston twice and the UTCT 100-miler, where he walked the final 70km to the finish because he refused to quit. In this conversation we get into how running pulled him out of addiction, how he accidentally built Must Love Hills and Community Track Club, why running is "more than just yourself," what 100 miles teaches you about your limits, the global running boom, and the Two Oceans controversy that dragged in his photo by mistake. 🔗 Follow Mike Instagram: @mikeobery 🔗 Follow ATHCO Instagram: @athco.cc YouTube: ATHCO 🔗 Follow Us Daniel: @dannyjd_ Jannis: @jannisrothermel

    023: What Running 100 Miles Teaches You About Yourself

  3. Jun 27

    022: How to Run Marathons and Still Stay Jacked

    Keaton Mac Farlane was the kid picked last in PE. He started going to the gym at 15 to escape everyone and his high school nickname became "Creatine." Ten years later he's done marathons, ultras, and Ironmans while staying jacked year-round, and he's trained over 200 people. In this episode he breaks down how to combine running and lifting without losing muscle, and why most hybrid athletes get it wrong. His most surprising take: when he cut from six gym days to three and added cardio, he looked his best ever and got stronger. He explains exactly why cardio can make you bigger, not smaller. We also get into his hot takes. Why you should stop counting reps, why your legs are always cooked, the honest truth about PEDs, and why building muscle is way simpler than the internet makes it seem. 🔗 Follow Keaton:  @keatonmac  🔗 Follow ATHCO @athco.cc  🔗 Follow Us:  @dannyjd_  @itsjaaannis

    022: How to Run Marathons and Still Stay Jacked

  4. Jun 17

    021: From Ironman World Champs to Top 20 at Comrades in 2 Years

    Carla Johnson got into running because of a boy. Her first marathon was a 4:20 she hated. A few years later she qualified for Kona the Ironman World Championships while working full-time in a mining job, sleeping seven nights a month in her own bed and training 28 hours a week. Then she walked away from triathlon at the top, discovered running was her real calling, and two years later became a top 20 Comrades runner who just went pro. In this conversation she breaks down the whole journey. Why she left triathlon, what it actually takes to become a professional runner in South Africa, why she ran a silver at her first ever Comrades when everyone said just finish, how she approaches brands as both an athlete and a creator, and the concept of "runflation" that's quietly reshaping the sport. Part masterclass, part origin story, all heart. 🔗 Follow Carla Instagram: @carlajohnyy 🔗 Follow ATHCO Instagram: @athco.cc YouTube: ATHCO 🔗 Follow Us Daniel: @dannyjd_ Jannis: @itsjaaannis

    021: From Ironman World Champs to Top 20 at Comrades in 2 Years

  5. Jun 5

    020: She Podiumed at Her First HYROX. Here's How.

    Stephani van Zyl did rhythmic gymnastics for 16 years. Her mom coached her. Her dad was supposed to be a South African Olympian. When gymnastics ended at 19, she spent five years trying to find the next thing triple jump, running, resistance training but injuries and scoliosis kept pulling her back. Then she found HYROX. First race ever: 3rd overall in Women's Pro doubles. First solo: 10th overall, 3rd in age group. Two races, two podiums. In this conversation, she breaks down why she approaches HYROX stations as mechanical problems rather than fitness challenges, why mobility matters more than most athletes realise, what Pilates actually does and doesn't do for your body, and why she thinks the best thing you can give a young athlete is a gymnastics foundation. We also talk about training at 4:30am alongside a full-time job, competing with scoliosis, and why she waited years to post on social media because she's a perfectionist who wasn't ready to put herself out there. 🔗 Follow Stephani Instagram: @stephani_van_zyl 🔗 Follow ATHCO Instagram: @athco.cc YouTube: ATHCO 🔗 Follow Us Daniel: @dannyjd_ Jannis: @itsjaaannis

    020: She Podiumed at Her First HYROX. Here's How.

  6. May 27

    019: He Went From Addiction to ASICS FrontRunner Captain

    David Fick went from gym bro to 2:35 marathoner. Running saved his life after addiction his cousin dragged him to a run club in Durban and everything changed. Seven years later, he's the team captain of ASICS Front Runners South Africa, coaches over 20 athletes, and is chasing sub-2:30 at Berlin with a newborn due weeks before the race. But this conversation is really about what he thinks SA runners are getting wrong. His take: we're chasing distance when we should be chasing speed. Everyone wants Comrades but nobody wants to run a fast 5K first. We're building the roof before the foundation. We also get into what it takes to become an ASICS Front Runner, how to train while being a full-time dad, why he quit a marathon on purpose because of wind, and the illegal shoe debate for everyday runners. 🔗 Follow David Instagram: @daveyontherun 🔗 Follow ATHCO Instagram: @athco.cc YouTube: ATHCO 🔗 Follow Us Daniel: @dannyjd_ Jannis: @itsjaaannis

    019: He Went From Addiction to ASICS FrontRunner Captain

  7. May 18

    018: A Joke Became South Africa's Fastest Growing Drink Brand

    Michael Tones has been building brands since he was 10 labeling bottles in his family's factory in Durban. His dad was a serial entrepreneur who risked everything and lost everything more than once. Michael watched and took notes. Years later, a mate said "toss me a naughty water" on a Friday evening. By Monday he'd trademarked it. No plan, no product. He sold his house, went R700K in, spent a year getting the flavour right, then had 375,000 cans banned by the government because the can size was illegal. R1.5 million scrapped. He started over. In this conversation we get into the real side of building a product brand in South Africa why he does the opposite of what every other brand does, the partner who demanded R1.4 million for worthless shares, why giveaway competitions kill your brand, why he didn't take a salary for two years, and why he thinks consumer products in SA are the biggest opportunity nobody's taking. 🔗 Follow Michael & Nawty Water Instagram: @michaeltones / @nawtywater 🔗 Follow ATHCO Instagram: @athco.cc YouTube: ATHCO 🔗 Follow Us Daniel: @dannyjd_ Jannis: @itsjaaannis

    018: A Joke Became South Africa's Fastest Growing Drink Brand

  8. May 9

    017: He Ran the Entire Length of Japan to Save Lives

    Michael Larter's girlfriend Amiee took her own life in 2017. After years of depression and healing, he founded the Amiee Howard Foundation to get teenagers access to therapy the group who can't afford it and don't have medical aid. Then he ran across countries to fund it. First South Africa to Namibia, 772km in 14 days. Then the entire length of Japan 3,300km, solo, self-funded, pushing a baby pram with all his gear. No team, no physio, no support van. Just him. In this conversation, he takes us through all of it the viral video he posted before his first marathon, the visa denial that rerouted him from the US to Japan, what it's like to run through a country where you don't speak the language with nobody around for days, and why every kilometre was for someone else. 🔗 Follow Michael Instagram: @michaeluncharted Foundation: amieehowardfoundation.org 🔗 Follow ATHCO Instagram: @athco.cc YouTube: ATHCO 🔗 Follow Us Daniel: @dannyjd_ Jannis: @itsjaaannis

    017: He Ran the Entire Length of Japan to Save Lives
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About

ATHCO is a podcast for athletes who want to turn their passion into profession. Real conversations with athletes, founders, and creators who've done it. Sharing the playbook so you can too. The training. The business. The mistakes. Everything you need to build something meaningful from your passion.

Information

  • Creator
    Athco
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    23
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Athco
  • Show Website
    ATHCO

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