In this episode of Going Mental, Olympic champion and Ironman legend Jan Frodeno sits down with Max Martin, CEO of the Enhanced Games, for one of the most controversial conversations in modern sport.

Together they explore whether the current anti-doping system is outdated, why Enhanced Games believes athletes should have the freedom to compete using medically supervised performance enhancement, and whether science should redefine what's possible in elite competition.

Jan challenges Max on athlete safety, ethics, fairness, longevity, recovery, sponsorship, financial incentives and the true meaning of pushing human performance. The discussion goes far beyond doping, touching on recovery, testosterone, peptides, longevity medicine, the Olympics, World Athletics, personal responsibility and the future of professional sport.

Whether you agree or disagree, this conversation forces one important question: What does it really mean to compete at the highest level?

Enjoy this episode!

Produced by Podstars by OMR

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Ultra running is often romanticized, but elite trail runner and physicist Francesco Puppi looks at 100-mile races through the lens of pure logic. Fresh off an incredible podium finish at the Western States 100, Francesco joins Jan Frodeno to strip away the sugar-coated heroism of endurance sports and reveal what it truly takes to survive the pain cave. From the psychological negotiation with extreme physical agony to the bittersweet reality of being handed two world titles months late due to doping cheaters, this conversation exposes the raw mindset needed to conquer the extreme limits of performance. Discover why real mental strength isn't about pushing harder, it's about having the patience to hold back.

Produced by Podstars by OMR

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Sam Laidlow has just rewritten triathlon history.

Fresh off his record-breaking victory at DATEV Challenge Roth, the French triathlon superstar joins Jan Frodeno for an exclusive conversation on Going Mental.

Recorded less than 24 hours after becoming the fastest athlete ever over the full-distance triathlon, Sam opens up about the mindset behind his historic performance, the relentless pursuit of greatness, dealing with pressure, building an elite team, confidence, setbacks and why questioning conventional wisdom became his greatest competitive advantage.

With Challenge Roth once again at the center of the triathlon world, this conversation offers a rare look inside the mind of the athlete who has just delivered one of the greatest performances the sport has ever witnessed.

Enjoy this episode!

Produced by Podstars by OMR

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In this episode of Going Mental, Jan Frodeno sits down with one of triathlon’s most iconic and polarizing figures: Chris “Macca” McCormack — 2x Ironman World Champion, 6x Triathlete of the Year, and one of the sport’s greatest storytellers.

From the fierce Kona battles against Norman Stadler and Faris Al-Sultan to the psychological warfare, self-doubt and relentless determination that defined his career, Macca opens up like never before.

Together, Jan and Macca explore the mindset behind elite performance, handling failure on the biggest stage and why the mental battle is often harder than the physical one. They also dive into athlete identity, retirement, fatherhood, entrepreneurship, and what happens when competitive obsession meets real life.

This is a conversation about resilience, vulnerability and the mindset that turns champions into legends.

Enjoy this episode!

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Produced by Podstars by OMR

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Fresh off one of the most remarkable victories in professional cycling, Demi Vollering joins Going Mental to unpack the mindset behind her dramatic Giro d'Italia Women comeback. Just days after completing an extraordinary Grand Tour triple, Demi opens up about the final stage that changed everything, why she was willing to risk losing her podium place to win it all and the mentality that allows her to thrive when the pressure is at its highest.

Jan and Demi dive into the defining moments of her career, including racing with a broken back at the Tour de France Femmes, dealing with panic attacks in competition, overcoming external expectations and why she believes movement is one of the most powerful tools for mental health. From the mountains of the Giro d'Italia and Tour de France to the deeper lessons about resilience, identity and courage, this is an honest conversation about what it really takes to become one of the greatest cyclists in the world.

Enjoy this episode!

Ryzon offers high-performance, fairly produced endurance apparel for triathletes, cyclists, and runners. The brand is globally recognized for combining technical innovation with a clean, timeless design.

Use the code “FRODENO10” to save 10% at Ryzon (valid until October 31, 2026).

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Scott DeRue has climbed Mount Everest, completed the Seven Summits, led global businesses through crisis and now serves as CEO of Ironman.

In this episode of Going Mental, Scott shares the leadership lessons he learned on the world's highest mountain, why reaching the summit is often the easy part and how high performers navigate uncertainty, risk, and pressure.

We dive into Scott's journey from a small town in North Carolina to becoming a professor, business leader, Everest climber and ultimately the CEO of Ironman. Along the way, we explore purpose, resilience, decision-making under extreme conditions and why the most meaningful growth happens outside your comfort zone.

Scott also reflects on what it means to "go mental"— not as losing control, but as finding clarity and focus when everything around you feels chaotic.

Enjoy this episode!

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What does it take to win Olympic gold after breaking your collarbone 
just weeks before the Games?

In this episode of FRODENO GOING MENTAL, Jan Frodeno sits down with Tom  Pidcock. The two-time Olympic Champion, Tour de France stage winner,  Cyclocross World Champion and one of the most exciting riders in professional cycling reveals the mindset that helped him recover from devastating injuries, manage chronic knee pain and perform under immense pressure.

He explains why he walked away from one of cycling's biggest teams, how 
he rebuilt confidence with his new team and what the Tour de France is 
really like from the inside.

The conversation dives deep into resilience, motivation, mental health, identity, expectations, leadership, and the challenge of staying happy while competing at the very highest level.

Enjoy this episode!

Ryzon offers high-performance, fairly produced endurance apparel for triathletes, cyclists, and runners. The brand is globally recognized for combining technical innovation with a clean, timeless design.

Use the code “IRONMAN10” to save 10% at Ryzon (valid until July 31, 
2026).

https://ryzon.net/en-int?utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=podcast&utm_term=pidcock

PILLAR Performance provides science-backed, clinically dosed micronutrition designed specifically for endurance athletes. Their supplements focus on optimizing recovery, sleep, and immunity without unnecessary fillers.

If you want to give it a try, use the code GOINGMENTAL at pillarperformance.shop — or, for North American listeners, at TheFeed.com. That’s GOINGMENTAL for 15% off your first purchase.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Jan opens up a deeply personal chapter by sitting down with his own sports psychologist, Henning Thrien. Henning has spent the last 15 years working at the intersection of human vulnerability and elite performance, including guiding athletes through the high-pressure cooker of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Pulling back the curtain on the raw emotional reality of world-class sports, he shares fascinating, extreme insights from his practice.

Jan and Henning discuss Henning’s self-definition of being a "mental trash can" for performers, why true growth is fundamentally impossible without embracing discomfort, and how the greatest champions handle the brutal contrast between deep pre-race anxiety and laser-focused autopilot. It’s an honest, unfiltered masterclass on what happens when superhumans face their very human limits and how they manage their needs to deliver when it matters most.

Enjoy this episode!

Produced by Podstars by OMR

PILLAR Performance provides science-backed, clinically dosed micronutrition designed specifically for endurance athletes. Their supplements focus on optimizing recovery, sleep, and immunity without unnecessary fillers.

If you want to give it a try, use the code GOINGMENTAL at pillarperformance.shop — or, for North American listeners, at TheFeed.com.

That’s GOINGMENTAL for 15% off your first purchase.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Olympic Champion and MTB legend Nino Schurter joins Going Mental for a deep conversation about pressure, flow, motivation and longevity.

Nino reflects on a career that shaped modern mountain biking. From Olympic gold and World Championship titles to the mental challenges of staying on top for over two decades.

A fascinating conversation about mindset, resilience and what truly drives champions.

Enjoy!

PILLAR Performance provides science-backed, clinically dosed micronutrition designed specifically for endurance athletes. Their supplements focus on optimizing recovery, sleep, and immunity without unnecessary fillers.

If you want to give it a try, use the code GOINGMENTAL at pillarperformance.shop — or, for North American listeners, at TheFeed.com.

That’s GOINGMENTAL for 15% off your first purchase.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In todays episode of Going Mental, Jan Frodeno sits down with cycling world record holder Vittoria Bussi. The first woman in history to ride more than 50 kilometers in one hour. But Vittoria’s story goes far beyond cycling.

A former Oxford PhD mathematician, Vittoria shares how losing her father changed the direction of her life, how she turned pain into performance and why obsession became her greatest strength.

Vittoria also explains how she built her own independent project outside traditional cycling structures, why she repeated one-hour simulations every single week in training and what it really feels like to push the human body to its absolute limit.

This is a raw and inspiring conversation about elite performance, mental strength, grief, purpose and what it truly means to go mental.

Enjoy!

Ryzon offers high-performance, fairly produced endurance apparel for triathletes, cyclists, and runners. The brand is globally recognized for combining technical innovation with a clean, timeless design.

Use the code “FRODENO10” to save 10% at Ryzon (valid until October 31, 2026).

More: ⁠⁠https://ryzon.net/en-int/discount/FRODENO10?utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=podcast&utm_term=goingmental

PILLAR Performance provides science-backed, clinically dosed micronutrition designed specifically for endurance athletes. Their supplements focus on optimizing recovery, sleep, and immunity without unnecessary fillers.

If you want to give it a try, use the code GOINGMENTAL at pillarperformance.shop — or, for North American listeners, at TheFeed.com.

That’s GOINGMENTAL for 15% off your first purchase.

Produced by Podstars by OMR

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What drives someone to race four major triathlons across two and a half continents in just six weeks — and still come out sharper on the other side? In this episode, Jan sits down with Olympic Gold Medalist and World Champion Kristian Blummenfelt to decode the mindset of the "Norwegian Terminator."

Kristian opens up about his "kamikaze" racing schedule, the devastating mental basement of a bad race, and why his deepest fuel isn't the joy of winning, but a fear of loss. Jan also shares a personal angle: after his 2022 crash and surgeries, Blummenfelt became one of the reasons he wanted to come back — to race him one more time in 2023.They dive deep into the split with his long-time coach, the transition to being self-coached, and the truth behind the 103 VO2 Max rumors. From the aggressive racing style of his hero Alistair Brownlee to the high-stakes "barking" in the Olympic village, this is a raw look at the methodology and the madness required to redefine the limits of human endurance.

Enjoy!

The Pod by Eight Sleep is a smart mattress cover. Optimize your recovery and wake up full of energy with Eight Sleep’s personalized temperature regulation, the secret to your deep sleep. Use code JANFRODENO at https://www.eightsleep.com/de/janfrodeno/ to save up to €350 off your order.

PILLAR Performance provides science-backed, clinically dosed micronutrition designed specifically for endurance athletes. Their supplements focus on optimizing recovery, sleep, and immunity without unnecessary fillers.

If you want to give it a try, use the code GOINGMENTAL at pillarperformance.shop — or, for North American listeners, at TheFeed.com.

That’s GOINGMENTAL for 15% off your first purchase.

Produced by Podstars by OMR

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices