In this episode of Limitless, I sit down with André Du Rietz, the Swedish age group triathlete whose IRONMAN Kalmar finish became much more than a race story.
André was on track for the best performance of his life. After a strong swim and bike leg, he was chasing an ambitious 8 hour 30 minute finish when everything changed. With around 35 km left on the bike, a puncture and broken valve ended the race he had planned.
Most athletes would have stopped. André started running.
He ran beside his bike in cycling shoes for roughly 35 km to transition, with broken cleats, scraped toes, and hours without proper water or nutrition. Then, instead of calling it a day, he changed into running shoes and completed the marathon.
But what stayed with me most was not only the physical endurance. It was the deeper story behind the mindset. André speaks openly about bullying, depression, false confidence, anger, therapy, forgiveness, and learning that while we cannot always control what happens, we can choose how we respond.
This conversation is about what happens when the goal disappears and all that remains is the next step.
For anyone going through a difficult season, André’s story is a reminder that resilience is not always dramatic. Sometimes it is simply refusing to stop, asking for help, letting go of old pain, and moving forward one step at a time.
Contact André to collaborate:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/a.durietz/
Find more episodes: https://www.nickjonsson.com/podcast
