The man who rolled across America: Gabriel Cordell, Series 1 Episode 10

Explicit content warning

05/04/20 • 37 min

Gabriel Cordell became the first person to roll across the United States in a standard wheelchair - giving Rob Pope a lot to chat about with him as they shared tales of their incredible journeys travelling the width of North America.
Supported by a team of volunteers, the 3,100-mile journey from California to New York took 100 days to complete, and saw Gabriel pushing his chair for an average of 30 miles a day.
In the episode, Gabriel lays bare just how torturous this journey this really was, describing everything from the savage terrain he faced in Pennsylvania, as he rolled for 450 miles across the Appalachian Mountains (losing 15 pounds along the way), to the agonising shoulder pain he experienced as he reached mile 650, leaving him temporarily unable to roll his chair another metre.
But, as he reveals to Rob in the episode, it was such a willingness to withstand pain that saw him reach the finish line in his hometown of West Hempstead – and something, he says, we are all capable of. The difference, he says, in somebody accomplishing something extraordinary or not, is simply about overcoming the 'threshold...'
Gabriel also reveals the series of life events that later culminated in him seeking redemption through this Herculean physical and mental challenge – a journey that began 20 years previous when a car accident changed the course of his life forever.
Listen to all episodes and discover more about How to Be Superhuman at http://redbull.com/superhuman

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The woman who ran barefoot across Britain: Anna McNuff, Series 1 Episode 9

Rob Pope catches up with British adventurer Anna McNuff, who ran 2,352 miles completely barefoot across Great Britain. That's the equivalent of 90 marathons over everything from gritty tarmac to muddy moorland.
"By the end, the last two weeks, I was just a shell of a woman. I just wasn’t even there. I was going through all the motions but mentally I was gone..." reveals Anna, as she explains to Rob the mental toil she was feeling as she approached the London finish line -- having travelled all the way from the Shetland Islands.
From how she coped mentally with such a long (and often painful) journey, to how her body also learned to adapt to the relentless stress and exposure, Anna gives an epic insight into the workings of her mind and body as she pushed them to their limits.
Anna also reveals what went into preparing for the challenge – namely, the one-and-a-half years she spent learning to run barefoot – as well as her motivations for doing it. And she reveals some of the unforgettable moments and encounters she had along the way that made all the hard graft worthwhile -- including one particular 24-mile run that she enjoyed with one giant, and very inspirational, lobster...
Read more about Anna and her adventure at https://win.gs/BarefootBritain
Listen to all episodes and discover more about How to Be Superhuman at http://redbull.com/superhuman

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The woman conquering the world's toughest mountains one by one: Sasha DiGiulian, Series 1 Episode 11

Boundary-pushing big wall climber, Sasha DiGiulian, holds multiple first ascents and more than 30 female firsts for some of the world’s most revered and difficult big wall climbs. In this episode, Rob Pope chats to Sasha about her journey from six-year-old indoor climber to world-renowned pro and free soloist - touching on her historic ascent of the Rocky Mountains Trilogy as the first woman (and only second person ever) to complete the trio of climbs in one season.
From unexpectedly having to free solo one of her earliest big wall first-ascents as the holds crumbled away in her hands 1,000ft up without any protection, to experiencing the exhilaration of climbing in a flow state whilst conquering the 5.14-grade Rocky Mountains Trilogy in 2018, Sasha chats about the risks and rewards that come with climbing when the ground is way beneath her feet.
She describes the moment she thought she was paralysed, and reveals the method she sometimes uses when she’s feeling scared of falling mid-climb by discussing her relationship with fear.
“Even after 20 years of climbing, I don’t think fear ever goes away.”
Listen to all episodes and discover more about How to Be Superhuman at http://redbull.com/superhuman