#158: Tom Seabourne
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Brad catches up with Guinness World Record holding ultra-endurance athlete Tom Seabourne, a professor of Exercise Physiology at Northeast Texas Community College who has pushed the limits of human endurance with numerous finishes in what Outside magazine calls the toughest athletic event in the world: The non-stop solo bicycle Race Across America (RAAM). Tom and Brad reminisce about the old days where Tom was on the cheapest crew in the history of the race, while Brad was part of Johnny G’s most expensive crew in the history of the race. Tom was 103 miles from the finish line at 3,000 miles when he was eliminated on time. Heartbreak, but it got him “addicted” to the event, which he went on to finish several times. Cycling over 300 miles for 22 hours a day is pretty tough, but Tom’s crew follies were epic. Once, his team lost him in the California desert soon after the start. Another time his relay team members bailed in Utah! Tom also set a Guinness World record for the longest stationary bike ride of 185 hours – over 7 days (watching The Office re-runs helped pass the time)! The record performance, notwithstanding the “urine explosion” incident, that you have to hear to believe.
As a “horrible carb addict” during his ultramarathon cycling days, Tom actually developed Type 1.5 diabetes (fasting glucose 450!) despite being at 5% body fat. He also developed atrial fibrillation and atrial flutter, which are now becoming commonplace maladies among extreme endurance athletes. Learn what’s happening in the mind of an ultra king during these long efforts, which Tom describes as a flow-like experience.
