#2 - Dave Alley - Ultra Endurance World Record Holder

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Born to Kick Arse Podcast Episode 2

Dave Alley Ultra Endurance World Record Holder

Show notes: http://borntokickarse.com/episode2 Intro: This is the Born to Kick Arse Podcast with Matt Tommasi, found at http://borntokickarse.com/episode2 Welcome to the Born to Kick Arse Podcast where youre introduced to the most fascinating people on the planet. Learn the ingredients of greatness that you can apply to your life, and now your host Matthew Tommasi. Matt: Dave Alley is an extraordinary man. I had the pleasure of interviewing him and the thing that struck me most was how humble he is. It is hard to comprehend the enormity and scale of his achievements, and the pain and suffering he endured. David Alley is the only person to have cycled and run around Australia, and holds three world records. World Record #1 Fastest Cycle Around Australia

14,251 km 37 days 20 hours 45 minutes

World Record #2 Fastest 10,000 km Run

127 days 10 hours 51 minutes World Record #3 Fastest Run Around Australia

13,383 km 169 days 15 hours 31 minutes

Dave is an incredible human being and a true inspiration. He was born to kick arse. Enjoy the interview. Matt: So Dave, welcome to the very first episode of the Born to Kick Arse Podcast. Dave: Hi Matt, great to be here thank you. Matt: Can you tell us a bit about yourself and share your experiences with firstly riding a bike, and running? Dave: Well I guess it all started for me back in 2011, or probably prior to that really, back in 2008 where preparation started for my first journey, which was to cycle around Australia. That journey saw me cycle 14,251 km and completed the journey in 37 days, 20 hours and 45 minutes. And in the process I was fortunate enough to take off just over 3 days off the previous record held by Canadian Perry Stone.


So, look it was a big decision for me to take it on and something that happened as a result of the birth of twins that I had and they were born three months premature at 28 weeks gestation. And as a result of their birth it was a really life changing moment for me. I was so proud of what they had done and work that they did to get through that first effort, just to be with us first of all, and then overcome all the various medical conditions and hurdles that they had particularly in that first 3 months was really over whelming. And to see two little human beings, especially when they are your own go through something like that, and pull out the other side virtually unscathed was amazing. It was a life changing moment for me and I guess as a result of that I really wanted to do something as a thank you to the hospital. It didnt sit well with me just to take these babies home and to say thank you and leave it at that. I felt that I needed to do more. I guess at that time in my life as well I was looking for a challenge something out there that I could do and something to push me out of my comfort zone. I got together with my best mate Dave Lees who became my manager and he was again himself looking to take on a challenge and do something out of the ordinary. We got together and as a result of coming together and having several discussions the idea of cycling around Australia was born. From that discussion, initially we decided that I would cycle around the country and would ride approximately 100km a day, and that we would call into schools and community groups along the way, and raise money and awareness for a charity that was linked to our occupations of policing and teaching and education. We got together and decided that we would raise money for the Royal Flying Doctor Service. Things progressed well and my training was going well. When it was suggested to us that perhaps I go to the University of Queensland and see if they would be interested, from a preparation side of things. So I did that, I made an appointment to see the head of sports science over at the University of Queensland. They were terrific and they jumped on board. A number of tests were conducted on me and as a result of that testing and some consultations it was suggested that I look and see if there was a record for such a journey and whether someone had actually done it before. Following on from that Dave did a number of enquiries and searched to see if there was such a record and he came back from those enquiries and he said Ill dangle a carrot for you. The carrot was that yes it had been done and that there were no Australians in the top five. In first place was a Canadian, a guy by the name of Perry Stone who cycled around the country in 41 days and 5 minutes. Then there were four Europeans.


So that was the carrot that was dangling in front of me, and then Dave asked me what I thought the record would be for such a journey. I said to him that I thought that anyone that could cycle at 200km a day over that sort of distance and time, I didnt think was (a) possible and (b) that it would ever be beaten. He came back and said, Look the record was 41 days and 5 minutes and that Perry had cycled on average 341 km per day each and every day with no rest days. And honestly we laughed at each other on the phone, and immediately ruled that out and went back to our original plan. But then as training went on and we started putting the logistics together of the trip, I started to really break it down. I had some email communication with Perry over in Canada and from that I was able to work out that he averaged around 25 km per hour, but cycled for at least 15 hours a day. I thought that I can ride at 25km an hour comfortably, but the problem was maintaining that for 15 hours or more each and everyday. I guess from there breaking it down just into sizeable chunks was what made the difference for me, particularly mentally in taking on the challenge. Time went on and training was progressing well and we decided to conduct a 5 day trail. And that 5 day trial was done in early January 2011, which everyone in Queensland and probably from around Australia would remember, was the devastating Queensland floods. I had a minimum of 100mm of rain everyday for that 5 days and conditions were really, really tough. But I came back from that with a lot of confidence and thought if I could cycle through those conditions then I dont think it is going to get much worse than that anywhere around the country. Following on from there we decided to hold a 10 day trial. Which I basically did a lap of Queensland. We came back from that one and I was ahead of world record pace, and I think as a result of that, thats when the self-belief really kicked in. We really changed our thought patterns and our focus then on, lets have a go at this record, its there and we are above schedule, and lets change our focus and go for it. So thats what I did and I was fortunate enough to come back as I said in just over 3 days ahead and averaged 377 km a day over the 14,251 km journey. The support we got from that we raised just over $30,000 for the Royal Flying Doctor Service and we had over a million hits on our website, and the following we had on Facebook and other social media was really mind blowing. We didnt think that it had got that big and got out amongst the community, and from that I had so many people contact me and let me know that by doing what I had, it made a real impact on them in a positive way.


Dave and I now, I guess our debrief of the event, discussions were then held on was I up to a second challenge, and I felt I was. Again we followed the same process and we tossed around a few ideas between us and as a result of that the idea of the run and an attempt at running around Australia was born from that. I guess from that there were a few things that came out of that, in that no one had ever cycled and run around Australia. No one had taken on both. I not only wanted to do the run but also to complete it in record time as well and have a go at Pat Farmers record set 16 years prior in 1999. So thats what led to the run and again that was a similar process in that it was about 3 years in the making as it was with the cycle. I set off on the 19th of April from Lismore in northern NSW, and completed that loop. That was 13,791 km in 175 days, at just over 79 km a day, and I was lucky to take just over 5 days off Pats record on the run. Its been an incredible journey and an incredible last 10 years of my life to get where I have. Matt: Its hard to imagine what youve been through its quite extraordinary. I guess I wanted to delve into your mind and find out some of the deeper drivers and motivations and stuff like that. Firstly, I know through some of the long runs Ive done there gets to a certain point when you really start to doubt yourself. Your mind starts to play games on you and doubt starts to creep it and you start to question whether you can keep going, or you question why you are out there. Was there a particular point either on the run or the ride, when the major doubt really started to kick in and do you remember where you were in Australia when that happened? Or when those thoughts started to come into your mind? Dave: Yes look I think to answer that, it was a real roller coaster of emotions each and everyday of both journeys where Id have periods where I just thought I physically couldnt go on, I was that fatigued both mentally and physically that I thought that my journey was over, I couldnt push on. But through my training and just being able to do it and repeat the process so many times I knew that if I just pushed through that barrier that I could carry on that it was possible. I think that out of both journeys though moment where the lowest point and where I thought look this is over was on the run and that was almost exactly halfway through the journey. I was about 130 km south of Port Headland.


Matt: So where is that, W.A.? Northern W.A.? Dave: It is Northern W.A. An infection in my big toe. As the infection started to spread I started to feel more and more ill when time went on. And it gradually got worse and worse and the toe became more painful. Until the point where I stopped and the crew came up to me and they took some photographs of the toe. At that point I hopped into the van and I passed out briefly and when I awoke I didnt know what was going to happen first, whether I was going to throw up or whether I was going to pass out. It was a terrible feeling. From that a doctor on the east coast of Australia said to go to a medical facility as quickly as we could, and thats what we did. My manager Dave Lees and I set off for Port Headland and we left the remaining crew at the point where I stopped. We marked that and got our GPS co-ordinates and we set off to Port Headland and it was pre arranged to head into a medical centre there. I was in quite a bit of pain. We got into the medical centre and the doctor took one look at my foot and said, Im sorry, but its over. The feeling I had at that point I cant really put into words. My doctor was liaising with him over there trying to come up with some sort of plan to be able to carry on. One of the rules and regulations of the run was that each and everyday I had to complete a minimum of 20 km, and if I failed to do that in any 24 hour period then the record attempt was over. So I had that in the back of my mind as well and it was that extra pressure of not only the injury knowing that if I didnt complete my 20 km in a day the whole thing was over. We managed by a bit of persuasion to allow the doctor to let me go and he treated it as best he could. The following day I has the toe operated on and had the nail removed and the toe tidied up as best as we could and got the medication and antibiotics and off I set. It was really at the point where, when I got into the medical centre the doctor made it fairly clear that if the infection spreads into your organs then it could be the end of you. Thats how serious it was. For the next four days I did half days, I did 40 km days. Matt: You were just pumping out marathons everyday, instead of double marathons! Dave: I was. I was trying my best to get through at least a marathon each day. That was really tough as well because I was in a lot of pain and not knowing whether the toe was going to heal or what was going to happen was really tough. Not only that, as I said we were at the half way point of the trip and at that particular point we couldnt have been further from home if we tried. It was really tough. And also the fact I


had built up a lead and it had taken me 7,000km to build up that lead, and in the space of a week I was seeing that lead just disappear before my eyes. So that was certainly the toughest period of both journeys. But look I was able to carry on. Matt: In life, outside of these two adventures the cycle and the run. Have you ever failed at something that you can remember? If so, what did you do to overcome that failure? Dave: Ive certainly had my ups and downs theres no question about that. Ive been involved in sport, certainly not endurance or ultra endurance sport as a young guy. But certainly I been involved in sport for as long as I can remember even as a young boy. Through those adventures it is something that I pass onto my children now. I think thats where sport is just a great thing for everyone to be involved in because its such a leveller. We all have our days where we are on top of the world and things couldnt have gone better but gee there are a lot of days in there as well where I certainly had my struggles, Ive had my defeats. And I think its something thats got to come from within. Being able to pick yourself back up and push on and I think when you do that and the you have a subsequent victory it just makes it so much better, and you get so much more out of that. And self-belief, I think the big lesson there is everyone has their setbacks, everyone has their times when theyre knocked over. But coming back and believing in yourself is the key. Matt: Did you have any morning rituals or routines prior to setting off for the day? Was there any superstitious things that you did or was there something that, you had to have a coffee in the morning without a doubt? Or was there anything, some sort of routine that you had to do every single morning before starting the day? Dave: I guess there was nothing sort of quirky or out of the ordinary that I did, but I certainly had my set routines that we followed each and everyday on both trips. Particularly on the run every morning once I set off, I would always walk for the first kilometre or two as a warm up. And what I used to do was, I used coffee really as a reward for me. And what I would do is make sure I got through that first hour and once I got through that first hour, which was always the toughest everyday. I would reward myself with a coffee. Its amazing as something so simple as having a cup of coffee, how much of a boost psychologically when you are under taking something like this. Its those little things and little treats that you really look forward to each day particularly when you are in some of the more remote sections of the country. Matt: What motivates you and where do you draw your inspiration from? Dave: Look I think the inspiration for me to take on the things that I do it comes from, first and foremost from my wife and kids. They inspire me everyday to do what I do. To


have them and their support and love and know that they are behind me is a huge thing. I couldnt do it without them. I guess another huge motivating factor for me particularly when I had the toe incident, was the fact that I had so many people that backed me and believed in me. Plenty didnt. Plenty said it couldnt be done, that no one could do the cycle and the run. But there were a lot of people that did. Whenever I felt down or felt like I couldnt carry on I just had to think of those people. My crew would had given up, on the bike they had given up 6 weeks of their life to be with me, unpaid, to be there and just be part of the experience. On the run the crew gave up 6 months of their life to be there and support. Again without reward, just to be there. If I was going through a tough period, I just thought of all those people or I only had to look in the eyes of a crewmember to know that quitting wasnt an option. This was never, both attempts were never my records or my attempts or my adventures, they were ours. And I will always speak of them in terms of they were ours. Because I think my family and my crew deserve the rewards as much as I do because of the sacrifices they made. I only ever had to think of those people, my sponsors and if I was to stop or quit and pull out, Id have to ring home, Id have to ring sponsors, Id have to ring supporters and say Id stopped and it was a phone call I just wasnt prepared to make. Matt: And how many times did that thought enter your mind? Was it countless? Dave: It was. It was daily. Everyday I got to a point where, I was coming across the Nullarbor, it was howling wind, it was raining, it was -5, every muscle and bone in my body ached. Everything inside of me told me to stop, that this was silly. Why are you doing this to yourself why are you pushing on? Why do you do this to yourself? Theres no need. You could be at home with your wife and kids and live a normal life. I knew I had to dig deep, I knew I had to find a reason why. Dig deep within myself and ask why are you doing this? For those reasons I mentioned I would just push on. I believed in my mind there was no other option. Matt: Did you have any spiritual realisations at all? Often you cant put into words certain insights, but did you have any spiritual realisations thousands of kilometres into your journey? Dave: I definitely had my moments. Its really hard to put into words, but I think we always said on both journeys that once I turned off at Townsville and got off the Eastern Seaboard that they game changed. And to me, thats when the races if you like to call them races really began for me. Is when I turned off at Townsville and got into the remote parts of Australia and was out there on


my own and plugging away. Just to be there at sunrise and sunsets at those moments when I am all alone and we were thousands of kilometres from anyone or anything, you do have those spiritual moments. But very hard I guess to single out and put into words. Matt: What about patience? What did you learn about patience? Dave: Patience is a trait I would have said 10 years ago was probably my weakest link. Being patient. I wanted things, I wanted them then, I wanted them now and that was it. Through this whole process it really is I think one of the keys to success is patience. Ultra endurance events arent won quickly. Theyre not won in a sprint. Its all tactics and really listening to your body. Thats the big thing I got out of these adventures is, you have to listen to your body. Its different on different days. You can go through the same process and same routines day in day out. At some point you are gonna have your bad days and you are gonna have your good days, and there is no reason for either. It just happens and thats how we are. I think you have really got to tap into your own body and know what your limits are and know what you are capable of and really tap into that. Matt: Just on limits, I know the body has a limit at some point the body is going to break, but are there limits to the mind? Dave: I dont think there is. I have no doubt at all that the two work together. I guess the thing that has really blown me away the most in all these adventures is that its just unbelievable if you tell yourself that you can do something and you truly believe it, you can make it happen. I really believe that. If you had have said to me 10 years ago that I would have pulled off the things that I honestly would have laughed at you because it just seems so far from reality that it just couldnt happen. But the power of the mind really is amazing. I dont think people really understand that enough. I dont think that we tap into our mind power enough. To tell you something or share an experience I had a prominent Brisbane sports psychologist share this with me. It really stuck with me not only then but it has through the years. He said, Dave theres a zero, thirty, seventy rule. There have been a number of studies done on this. And when you perceive yourself to be at zero, when you are down and out, you think your days over and your race is done and you believe in your mind its zero, its just a warning mechanism going on inside your brain. At that point you really only 30% done in actual fact. Which means that we have got 70% fuel left in the tank, both mentally and physically. Which is huge. So if we are only tapping into 30% of what we are capable of, I think even if we were able to change not only that but all aspects in our life by even 10%, imagine the impact that would


have on us as individuals. And across the board its just amazing that really stuck with me that zero, thirty, seventy rule. Matt: What about mental toughness, can you share some insight into that? What is mental toughness to you? Dave: Look I think mental toughness to me is those periods, the periods of toughness, the periods when it might be 47 degrees and you are battling traffic, you are battling fatigue that you have never felt before in your life and being able to push on. Being able to dig deep like you have never before and find a reason to carry on. Its commitment. Being committed to the cause. And again that self-belief, youve gotta have that self-belief. Youve gotta have that commitment and youve gotta have a deep reason for wanting to do what you are doing. And if you can tie all those things together and dig deep, to me thats what mental toughness is all about. Its not on the good days rolling along and everything is great, its about the bad days and when things arent going well and how deep you dig that I think epitomises what mental toughness is for me. Matt: Would you say you are stubborn by nature? And what I mean by that is if someone prior to the actual run or the ride, and there would have been many people. All the doubters saying that you cant do it, why are you going to do it, you shouldnt do it and all those sorts of things. Are you the type of person who secretly holds onto that and within yourself takes that as a challenge? Like, Im going to show you. Dave: I do. Theres definitely a stubborn streak in me. I gain a lot of motivation, when it is all said and done, it may sound silly but Id like to thank the doubters and knockers more than I would the supporters. Because theyre the ones that really got me over the line. The people that doubted me, questioned me, just came out and said it cant physically be done. The satisfaction from being able to prove those people wrong never leaves you I dont think, it always stays with you. Matt: Id like to find out your secrets to success. Who is the first person that comes to mind when you hear the word successful and why? Dave: Thats a tough question. To me I think with these type of things the record was always, or the records were all about something for me to strive for and something for me to try and attain. But it was never really what it was about or what Im about. What was important to me more than anything and I said this to my crew on both occasions was I want to get to that finish line and have nothing left in the tank mentally


and physically. And I want to be able to get up the next day and the subsequent days after that and look in the mirror and be able to say to myself that I gave it my best. And win, lose or draw, what mattered more to me than the record was having that level of satisfaction that I had achieved me best, and that it could never be taken away from me. That I had done my best. So I think to me, successful people are those that are happy. Those that arent afraid to go out and have a go, and whether they win, lose or draw theyve had a go and theyve done their best. And its the happy people, and I think thats what we should all be striving to do. No matter what your passion is in your life, I think you need to go for it and I think dont hold back. There is the old rocking chair test. That is often talked about and I think of that often. Its where you picture yourself as an 80 or 90 year old person sitting in your rocking chair in your nursing home and you are looking back on your life, and to be able to sit there and smile and have that deep level of satisfaction within yourself, that you have achieved things in your life and you have lived the life that youve wanted to. I dont think anyone can beat that. If you are one of those people that can do that then you have become a huge success. Matt: Do you have a mantra or a success quote or anything that you resonate with or that used to help you get over those tough times? Dave: I love quotes and sayings from people who have been successful in all fields. But I think for us something that we talked about as a group was that we would leave no stone unturned. When I left on Day One, on both trips, I knew that I had done the preparation that was required to get to that point, and then what happened after that was largely out of my control. But I wanted to feel as though when I left on Day One, that we had left no stone unturned, wed done all that we could for me physically and mentally to start, and that wed done all that we could logistically. And discussed all the what-ifs and the contingency plans. Yeah, leaving no stone unturned is a big one. Matt: What do you think are the most important ingredients or attributes in goal setting? Dave: Goal setting I think, first and foremost you have to decide what it is that you want. Thats number one. Before you can put any goals of plans in place you really have to have the end goal in mind and you have to have the passion for it. Once you have done that what I always do is then just break it down from there and go ok what do I need to do to get to that point, what do I need to do on a daily basis? I think taking action on a daily basis is what you have to do with both my events that I have done, each and everyday I didnt have one day off where I wasnt doing something towards make the ride or the run happen. So if I was recovering from an injury, I was working on logistics, or I was working on strategy or all of those other things. You must take daily action. The commitment and that


passion, you can have all of those outside influences and external motivators which you need, and theyre important. But at the end of the day it has got to be that intrinsic motivation. Its got to come from yourself and from within, it all starts from there. Matt: I know a lot of runner experience a state known as runners high, and those who run further, I know theres the ultra runners high. Are you able to describe what youre feeling when you are in that state? Dave: I have experienced that myself, and again fairly regularly when I was out on the run. Thats the state that you want to be in. Thats the state that you want to achieve. Because I think when you are in that state thats when you are performing your best. People would say to me when did you perform your best? How did you feel at that time? I think the answer is you are not thinking about anything. Its a state that you go into where time just seems to go so quickly and as a result you are so relaxed and so in the zone that you are going through that repetitive motion. I think when your mind goes into neutral and you let your mind wander off onto different things thats when you can really achieve your best. And when you are forgetting how your body is feeling, youre forgetting about where you are camping for the night and what youve eaten and what you need to eat, whats happening with the weather. When you take away all those things and let your mind wander its a great state to be in. Matt: On your adventurers, what has it taught you about yourself and the human spirit? Dave: I think definitely that its taught me we are all capable of so much more than we think we are. We seem to limit ourselves in all aspects of our life to what we perceive is our limit and what we can achieve when in fact we are capable of so much more than we ever thought we are. I believe that with what Ive done. Its something that I never thought I would achieve and go on and do what Ive done. Its something I didnt think was possible, but when I started to believe that it could happen and I put processes and procedures in place, and firm schedules and those sort of things. It happened. And I look back on it and I know for example the cycle when I first started I rand my manager after my first long ride and I said Ive just ridden 60 km in one ride, can you believe that? and we were so excited. And we look back now and we laugh, but at the time that was a big deal. Having those short-term goals which get you to where you want to be, its all so important. Matt: When youre in a remote part of Australia and you look up and you are approaching a sign that says such-and-such a town is 30 km away, another town is 155 km away and theres a city thats, and you look up and there quadruple digits like 1600 km away. What


does that do to your psyche? Do you just try and not look at the fact that Adelaide is 2000 km away, do you just try and focus on the next step? Dave: Yes, exactly. Its really breaking it down to, I never with both adventures I can honestly say I never set off and really thought about the enormity of the whole thing. I always broke it down. First of all I would take it day-by-day and then as I got to the start of the day Id break it down to hour-by-hour, and even if I was doing it really tough I would take it down into chunks of time and say to myself Just get through the next 4 or 5 minutes. And then Id get there and say, Reassess. Id use things. The signs were, they could go either way. Id try and use them as my friend. So I would look at the sign and set myself a goal. If a town was 30 or 40 km away, Id say, How long is it going to take me? Set yourself a target to get to that town, or lets make it there by the end of the day. Wouldnt that be great if I could make it. And I would break it down into steps like that. But I would never look too far ahead as there were so many external factors that I couldnt control like the weather and the traffic and all those things. It really was a matter of just breaking it down day-by-day and then step-by-step. I did that right through to the last day. We even had a conversation with 10 km to go in the run and we said even then, Lets not get complacent because if I trip over on the edge of the road or something like that the whole thing is over. So it was really a matter of maintaining the focus day-by-day. Some days were better than others, and never panic. Lets just stick to the goal and get there. Matt: At what point do you know you had it in the bag? Dave: To be honest. Not until I ran through the gates at Oaks Oval with about 100m to go, with my family. I tried not to get carried away with the emotion of it and knowing that there was a big crowd there to welcome me. I tried to get that out of my head and just focus on each step. Once I entered the front gates and had my wife and kids beside me, I knew there was no stopping me then. Matt: And what was the emotion like when you were approaching the finish line knowing that for the past 14,000 km everyday you would have been plagued by the question of why? Every single day why am I doing this, why am I out here and then the realisation that you can see the finish line and suddenly you are flooded with all these answers. Dave: Yes I think definitely more so on the run than the bike. I guess the bike was all over and done in under 6 weeks. But with the run having had the same routine and doing the same thing day-after-day, week-after-week, month-after-month, 6 months of running, basically 2 marathons each and everyday without a rest day.


Crossing that finish line it was really emotional. It was a whole host of emotions. It wasnt just one thing. Certainly relief was a big one. The fact that crossing that line and realising that I didnt have to run the next day, this was over. And seeing family and friends that I hadnt seen for 6 months and who I knew had followed me each and every day and seeing them, and I guess knowing that I didnt have to go through anymore pain. That, that was it and just the satisfaction. As I said before the feeling that you know what, Ive crossed this finish line and Ive given this everything I have. Ive got nothing left to give. Ive done my best and if someone comes along and beats this record, thats ok with me because Ive done what I can. Im really proud of myself and what I was able to do and to do it in the time that I wanted to. It was terrific. Matt: I guess if you had the Dave Alley before the run, or even the ride, and the Dave Alley after the run, just the spiritual growth or spiritual evolution is something that you would never come down from. Dave: No it isnt. I still find it hard. I still get people now that will come up in the street and say congratulations that I dont know and talking with people sharing the experience. Its something that I love to do now. Its sort of the next phase for me now is being able to get out and do some public speaking and go out to corporate companies and share my experience. Speak at schools is a great one and to let others know that they are capable of things. It is something that no prize or anything can compare. Its that feeling within. Its just something I know can never be taken away from me. Matt: Well its, youve earnt it. No one can ever take that away from you and the blood, sweat and tears youve shed over 14,000 km, twice, its quite incredible. If you could make a phone call to the 20 year old Dave Alley what would you say to him? Dave: Thats a good question. What you I say to him? I would say Believe in yourself and dont be afraid to go out and do the things you want to do. Dont feel as though conform with what society tells you have to do. Do what is your passion, do what you believe in and follow it. Matt: What about, with regards to advice, whats the best piece of advice you have ever received? Dave: The best advice I have ever received is along those lines is, to follow your passion, stay true to yourself and most of all the one thing that we all strive for no matter our backgrounds, where we live what we do for work, we all want the same thing and thats to be happy and I think thats what we need to strive to do. Whatever that is that makes you happy then go for it.


Matt: What is your vision for the future? Do you have anything go on behind the scenes that you are working on? Dave: Im often asked now will there be a next adventure? Will there be a race around Australia 3? What am I planning? I think there will be something there will be another adventure. What that is at this stage I dont really know. Im still throwing around ideas and not really putting any pressure on myself but just talking to my wife and my family and tossing around ideas 0f things that I could do to carry on with the future. In the meantime Ive just taken on a new position with the Queensland Police. Whats happened is Im working on the south side of Brisbane now and Ive been given 10 of the toughest kids there are there on the south side of Brisbane. And my role with them is basically Ive been given 20 weeks to turn these 10 kids lives around. These are 10 young boys between 14 and 16 have had life really tough and have committed a number of offences and have just fallen off the rails and this is really their last chance at life and to make something of themselves. For me now thats a huge challenge for me and if I can turn some of those boys lives around and for me thats the same if not better than anything Ive achieved myself. Thats my focus now and what Im sinking my teeth into. Coupled with that Im sure there will be another adventure do the road. Matt: Can you tell us about your business and your charities? And where can people find you online? Dave: Again thats another busy part of my life now, is my wife Hayley and I have started our own business Alley Health and Fitness Australia. I guess there are a number of branches off the tree for us but we are trying to have a holistic approach to health and fitness. Where we work closely with a number of health and fitness professionals and people that Ive worked with on the bike and the run and we are doing personal training and group training, fitness testing and workshops and seminars. A big component for me is getting out there and just sharing my story and doing some public speaking, which I really enjoy and Im getting a lot out of. That coupled with my work with the Queensland Police are my big focuses now. With the fund raising we raised just over $30,000 for the Royal Flying Doctor Service on the cycle. And on the run, we are closing donations off shortly in the next couple of weeks, but we are looking at getting close to $100,000 that we have raised on the run for the White Cloud Foundation. Which deals with people, families and carers suffering with depression and anxiety. Really proud of those figures of what we were able to, not only achieve with the cycle and run but also that the fundraising and promotion of the charities side of it that comes along with it. They were terrific and if people want to follow my adventures and what is happening they can do so on Facebook at Dave Alley Race Around Australia, and also at Alley Health and Fitness Australia on Facebook.


We have also got a website with the run and ride with is racearoundaus.com.au. People can get on there and find out more about us what we are up to next and what happening. Matt: Ill put all the links in the show notes so people can get a hold of you contact you that way. Dave: Thats terrific. Matt: Before we go is there one parting piece of advice that listeners can take away and implement in their own journey? Dave: My advice to people is to get out there and live. Make it happen. We are not here for a long time unfortunately so youve really got to make the most of what youve got and just get out there and enjoy life and make the most of it. Make yourself proud, make your family proud. Matt: It has been a real honour speaking with you. Ive definitely learnt heaps of lessons and Im sure all the listeners have as well. Thanks very much for your time Dave. Dave: Thank you, its been a pleasure. Matt: If you have made it this far in the Born to Kick Arse Podcast then you have done well. I want to continue introducing you to the most fascinating people on the planet so you can get and inside look at their approach, mindset and secrets to success. Hopefully these interviews will inspire you to take steps towards reaching your own goals no matter how big or small. One common theme all these people have is they are proactive and I need you to be proactive right now by subscribing, rating and reviewing this podcast on iTunes. I also need you to head over to borntokickarse.com and subscribe to my newsletter. Please also tell one close friend about this podcast. Someone like you who also kicks arse and wants to realise their full human potential. Welcome aboard and catch you next time.

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#2 - Dave Alley - Ultra Endurance World Record Holder