Rogeema Kenny - Ultrarunner and 2x Ironman finisher. 1st person in South Africa to finish a full Ironman in hijab. She believes that your life choices should never be a limiting factor in your goals and achievements. Don't change yourself, change the game

Rogeema shares her story of pushing her own limits and proving to people, especially other women, that nothing is impossible if you set your mind to it.

Rogeema talks about her early years and not being sporty, never being picked for sports teams, and not knowing what to do at the gym. She shares her journey of starting as a runner and moving into triathlon, including learning how to swim at 35 years old and signing up for her first 5k race. 

Rogeema discusses the challenges of going from a half marathon to an ultra marathon, hitting "the wall" while running, and why you need time to recover when running the longer distances.

Rogeema also talks about the mental preparation needed before race day, the importance of putting in the training, and working with a sports psychologist to reprogram her mind for success. Rogeema also discusses her mental health struggles after becoming an Ironman and the importance of having a tribe and community.

Throughout the episode, Rogeema emphasizes the power of visibility and inspiring more Muslim women to enter the world of triathlon and running while wearing a hijab. She wants to show young girls that anything is possible and encourages listeners to not change themselves, but instead to change the game.

To connect with Rogeema, listeners can visit her website at www.rogeemakenny.com and follow her on Instagram @rogeemakenny. 

 

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Show notes

• Who is Rogeema
• Growing up in Cape Town, South Africa
• Starting as a runner and moving into triathlon
• Woking as a freelance management consultant and project manager
• Her early years 
• Not being sporty and never being picked for the sports teams
• Learning how to swim at 35 years old
• Doing her first sprint triathlon
• Being into health and fitness
• Her running journey 
• Getting her black belt in karate
• Signing up for her first 5k race
• Building up the distance over time
• Not feeling like a real runner
• Not knowing what to do at the gym and feeling lost
• Having an accountability buddy
• Starting to run half marathons, marathons and ultra marathons
• Her love for running  
• How running helped with her mental health 
• Feeling a sense of achievement after doing something difficult
• Why endurance sports change you as a person
• Why you should do hard things
• Making progress in running and increasing the distances 
• Following a training plan for the ultra distances
• The challenge of going from a half marathon to a half marathon 
• Hitting “the wall” while running
• Why you need time to recover when running the longer distances
• Why you need to train hard and do the tough sessions
• Building up your resilience muscle
• Doing her last Ironman in tough conditions
• The challenges of race day and overcoming them and feeling even stronger at the finish
• Mental preparation before the race 
• The Power Pose - Amy Cuddy - Ted Talk  
• Why you need to put in the training
• Getting ‘switched on’, on race day
• Not being a naturally athlete and having to work for every little gain
• Working with a sports psychologist and re programming her mind for success 
• The power of professional help and why it’s invaluable
• Book: The Brave Athlete: Calm the F*ck Down and Rise to the Occasion by Simon Marshall Phd, & Lesley Paterson  
• Learning to control your emotions
• Blog: The Dark Side of becoming an Ironman - Mental Health Struggles
• Dealing with her mental state changing after the race 
• Trying to understand what was happening
• Needing a tribe and a community 
• Happy hormones and exercise 
• Rest and recovery after an Ironman
• Doing social races and social training 
• The women who inspired her to start triathlon
• Lucy Charles-Barclay - World Triathlon long distance champion @lucycharles93
• Chrissie Wellington TGP episode 
• Khadijah Diggs @khadijahtriathlete 
• Inspiring more muslin women to enter the world of triathlon and running while wearing a hijab
• The power of visibility and seeing other women out there competing 
• How to connect with Rogeema
• Final words of advice 
• Wanting to show young girls that anything is possible

 

Social Media

Website: www.rogeemakenny.com 

Instagram: @rogeema