IRONMAN Insider™, A Triathlon Podcast Presented by Maurten · IRONMAN Productions®

IRONMAN Insider presented by Maurten - Episode 42 - Hannah Berry

·46 min

Matt Lieto opens with genuine praise for Hannah Berry. He calls her one of the most quietly consistent and respected athletes in long-course triathlon and points to her fourth-place finish at the Ironman World Championship in Kona as maybe her strongest performance yet. The conversation begins in New Zealand. Berry explains that she lives two hours north of Taupō in Mount Maunganui, and that the family place in Taupō gets used for races and training camps when it needs to. That local detail gives the interview some weight. It keeps the talk grounded in routine, place, and the practical side of building a life around endurance sport. Lieto keeps the questions open and easy to enter. He moves from where she lives to how she approaches racing alone, and Berry talks about becoming comfortable doing her own thing. That confidence sits at the center of the episode. She says it lets her stay within herself during races instead of chasing every move, which matters most when the front of the field starts to pull away and the temptation is to force something. The bike leg becomes the clearest example. Berry describes seeing the women ahead on the course, understanding that they would probably come back to her, and deciding to let her heart rate settle before they closed the gap. That is the lesson. Lieto follows up on the tactical side, pressing her on how aware she was of the women behind her and whether she was tempted to force the pace before she had the legs for it. Berry says the smarter move was to wait. She talks about the difference between racing hard and hitting your head against a wall, and why confidence sometimes means backing out of a bad effort in time. The episode keeps returning to patience. It lands on the idea that endurance racing is often won by athletes who can tell the difference between caution and panic, and who know when letting the race come to them is the right call. The close is warm. Lieto thanks Berry, mentions looking forward to seeing what she has for 2026, and leaves listeners with the sense that more strong racing could still be ahead.

As heard by us

A calm, useful race conversation about patience, restraint, and trusting the plan.

Hannah Berry gets a measured sitdown that frames long-course racing as a test of restraint as much as power. Matt Lieto presents her as one of the sport's quietly consistent and respected athletes, a two-time Ironman champion and perennial podium threat, and keeps circling back…

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Why you'd press play

For when you want Kona-level patience without the noise.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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