XX Factor: Diana Nyad Goes the Distance

Outside Podcast

Sports, Wilderness

4.4 • 2.1K Ratings

🗓️ 17 May 2017

⏱️ 28 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

What does it take to swim from Cuba to Florida without a shark cage? According to Diana Nyad, the answer is passion bordering on obsession. Nyad first attempted the 111-mile crossing in 1978. Thirty-five years later, at the age of 64, following four failed efforts that left her devastated, she became the first person to complete the crossing, stroking for 53 hours almost nonstop. During her swims, Nyad encountered near-deadly box jellyfish stings, horrendous saltwater chafing, hallucinations, and sea sickness. Now she's turned the experience into a one-woman play that she wants to bring to Broadway. Outside contributing editor Florence Williams drops in on the unstoppable athlete and amazing storyteller at her LA home to talk about her long journey—and where she's headed next.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	This episode of the Outside Podcast is brought to you by Ariai Co-op.
0:07.0	Did you know that about half of all people who go outside, who hike trails and climb mountains and run rivers and sail oceans are women and
0:16.2	girls that they make up more than half of the consumers of outdoor clothes and gear.
0:21.6	There are girls and women outdoors always.
0:25.6	I think where they're missing is in the media.
0:28.5	Stacy Mulraney is the creative director behind a new REI effort called Force of Nature. They want to make the
0:35.0	outdoors the largest level playing field on Earth. There are plenty of girls and
0:40.7	women doing amazing killer stuff outside and it's not always documented
0:46.0	it's not always told. Stacy's got her own amazing killer stories like that
0:50.8	time she decided to go fight forest fires.
0:54.0	She just finished up her last semester of college in New York City.
0:58.0	You know, I think my mom thought I had lost my mind and yeah a I had some shocked faces but it just seemed like I wanted to do
1:07.2	something that I'd never done before and so I was on the road in a giant van that they call a crummy for four months.
1:16.9	And that was, you know, you're working 12 to 16 hours a day.
1:22.2	And you're camping every night and you're hiking and you're cutting
1:26.5	trail.
1:27.5	Stacy was one of just a handful of women out there.
1:30.8	When there's a great adventure story told, it's so often a guy and we are turning a
1:38.0	spotlight on women and the amazing stuff that they're doing because you can't be what you can't see.
1:44.0	REI is showcasing new gear and launching new classes, new events, and new adventure travel
1:49.8	programs designed for women by women.
1:53.0	Check it out at RE.com.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Outside Podcast, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Outside Podcast and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.