When ‪@jackultracyclistofficial‬ devised a plan to ride one million meters of elevation in a year, including 52 Everests on 52 different climbs, he wasn't quite sure how it would all pan out, but he successfully completed the challenge and raised $500k for charity in the process. This year-long, World Record-breaking effort was par for the course for Jack, who has built a career around feats of endurance that hardly seem possible. But his journey to the heights of extreme ultra cycling had an unlikely beginning. Diagnosed with depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder in his early teens, Jack struggled with addiction and spent time in rehab before channeling his focus and passion into cycling. Quitting his career in construction with little plan aside from turning non-competitive cycling into a full-time gig, he found a niche tackling solo ultra challenges and raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for mental health charities along the way.
Jack sat down with Payson in Girona to talk about growing up in Perth, Australia, his struggles with mental health and addiction, and breaking into the ultra cycling world by deciding to do the Taiwan KOM climb -- considered one of the toughest on earth -- four times without stopping.
Chapters:
00:00:00 Career overview and discovering ultra cycling
00:12:20 OCD and depression
00:17:53 Growing up in Perth and struggling with addiction
00:35:15 Finding purpose in endurance cycling
00:48:30 The 1,000,000 meters and 52 Everests project
01:08:39 Readjusting to normal life after the challenge
01:13:17 Moving to Girona
01:16:21 Upcoming projects
01:26:08 Nutrition and chronic fatigue
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