{"slug":"nick-pelletier","name":"Nick Pelletier","official":"https://nickpelletier.ca/","hook":"What does the next stroke ask of you?","deck":"An endurance athlete on returning after unfinished attempts, the limits of preparation, and the practical work of continuing.","bio":"Nick Pelletier is an ultra-endurance athlete and adventurer based in Kelowna, British Columbia. His official website describes his shift from college baseball toward swimming, cycling and running, and features Sink or Swim, a documentary about his Okanagan Lake swim. In this appearance, he tells Keith and Jon about separate attempts, difficult conditions, rebuilding confidence and the mental work of long-distance efforts.","topics":["Endurance","Setbacks","Support crews","Attention","Adaptation"],"chapters":[{"title":"Sophia's original guest introduction","context":"Entry point from the owner’s current opener-inclusive interview handoff.","seconds":0,"sourceTime":"00:00"},{"title":"From baseball to endurance","context":"Entry point from the owner’s current opener-inclusive interview handoff.","seconds":122,"sourceTime":"02:02"},{"title":"How the Okanagan Lake attempts developed","context":"Entry point from the owner’s current opener-inclusive interview handoff.","seconds":577,"sourceTime":"09:37"},{"title":"Trusting the crew to make a call","context":"Entry point from the owner’s current opener-inclusive interview handoff.","seconds":767,"sourceTime":"12:47"},{"title":"The shoulder problem on attempt two","context":"Entry point from the owner’s current opener-inclusive interview handoff.","seconds":989,"sourceTime":"16:29"},{"title":"Finding calm on long efforts","context":"Entry point from the owner’s current opener-inclusive interview handoff.","seconds":1267,"sourceTime":"21:07"},{"title":"Solo cycling and uncertainty","context":"Entry point from the owner’s current opener-inclusive interview handoff.","seconds":1425,"sourceTime":"23:45"},{"title":"The next stroke, step or day","context":"Entry point from the owner’s current opener-inclusive interview handoff.","seconds":2199,"sourceTime":"36:39"},{"title":"Documentaries and where to follow him","context":"Entry point from the owner’s current opener-inclusive interview handoff.","seconds":2408,"sourceTime":"40:08"}],"takeaways":["The shoulder story belongs to Nick’s second attempt.","The crew’s decision to stop is part of the account and remains in context.","Nick describes using other endeavors to rebuild confidence between attempts.","The next-stroke discussion combines Keith’s metaphor with Nick’s attributed quotation."],"quotes":[{"text":"Shoulder just stopped working.","speaker":"Nick Pelletier","context":"Nick is recounting his second Okanagan Lake attempt; do not attach it to the completed third swim.","seconds":993.029,"sourceTime":"16:33","cue":"435"},{"text":"So on that second attempt, again, made it about 50K.","speaker":"Nick Pelletier","context":"The sentence establishing the attempt’s identity.","seconds":978.069,"sourceTime":"16:18","cue":"429"},{"text":"It's one stroke at a time","speaker":"Nick Pelletier","context":"He distinguishes continuous efforts from multi-day journeys with rest.","seconds":2199.472,"sourceTime":"36:39","cue":"961"}],"sources":[{"label":"Official biography","url":"https://nickpelletier.ca/about/"},{"label":"Documentary and athlete website","url":"https://nickpelletier.ca/"}],"date":"2026-09-28","episode":3144,"appearanceId":"3ddeb1867cfc81bc9b0efbc85b4266a2","episodeId":"3b3eb1867cfc8119aa15f2d302a90c4c","timebase":"Current full-cut coordinates, including the original opener lead-in.","full":[],"moments":[{"id":"01-shoulder","title":"When His Shoulder Stopped Working","hook":"HIS SHOULDER STOPPED","story":"Nick recounts changing his equipment after the first Okanagan Lake attempt, then encountering a different problem: his shoulder stopped working. The clip is about the second attempt, not the eventual completed third swim. That matters because perseverance here includes an unfinished effort, learning and returning later. The surrounding interview also makes room for the crew's responsibility and his trust in his father to help make a call. The cover is a planning metaphor, not an injury reenactment or proof of a medical outcome.","context":"Nick recounts changing his equipment after the first Okanagan Lake attempt, then encountering a different problem: his shoulder stopped working. The clip is about the second attempt, not the eventual completed third swim. That matters because perseverance here includes an unfinished effort, learning and returning later. The surrounding interview also makes room for the crew's responsibility and his trust in his father to help make a call. The cover is a planning metaphor, not an injury reenactment or proof of a medical outcome.","seconds":977.919,"sourceTime":"16:17","post":"My shoulder stopped working. That was attempt two, not the swim I eventually finished.\n\nAfter my first Okanagan Lake attempt, I changed the equipment I'd been using. Then the next attempt brought a different problem with my shoulder.\n\nThe complete story has three attempts. It has changes, a crew and decisions that weren't just mine to make. My dad was part of all three, and I trusted him with a central role in knowing when an attempt had to stop.\n\nWhen I spoke with Keith and Jon, I wanted to explain what actually happened along the way, not just the finish at the other end. The unfinished efforts are part of that story.\n\nThis clip is one moment from our Center Stage conversation. My documentary Sink or Swim goes through the two failures and the eventual completed swim.\n\nWhat did a setback teach you before you tried again? Watch the clip below.","assets":[],"covers":[{"filename":"shoulder-horizontal.jpg","url":"/guest-packages/nick-pelletier/shoulder-horizontal.jpg","bytes":141596,"sha256":"026d687369c7712ad007882d588ca8060972e4e4efca9cd43b37063587b7e05c","dimensions":[960,540],"approval":"Approved illustrated artwork"},{"filename":"shoulder-vertical.jpg","url":"/guest-packages/nick-pelletier/shoulder-vertical.jpg","bytes":301290,"sha256":"b2335d1936e25c2e2512196ab7e69faab9c35a06ad7675b9486cbef2db36e529","dimensions":[960,1706],"approval":"Approved illustrated artwork"}],"nativeDownloads":[{"filename":"nick-01-shoulder-horizontal-NATIVE-1080-PRIVATE-REVIEW.mp4","bytes":37340702,"dimensions":[1920,1080]},{"filename":"nick-01-shoulder-vertical-NATIVE-1080-PRIVATE-REVIEW.mp4","bytes":16729823,"dimensions":[1080,1920]}]},{"id":"02-next-stroke","title":"Nick Pelletier on Taking the Next Stroke","hook":"ONE MORE STROKE","story":"After describing an attempt stopped by currents, Nick and Keith talk about bringing a large effort back to the next step or stroke. Keith recalls a lesson from Kilimanjaro. Nick agrees and credits an ultra runner with an idea about each step being evidence against the story in the mind. The moment is an exchange between the host and guest, not a claim that Nick delivered a complete one-stroke method in this clip. The surrounding full interview supplies his discussion of continuous efforts, multi-day journeys, crew judgment and conditions beyond his control.","context":"After describing an attempt stopped by currents, Nick and Keith talk about bringing a large effort back to the next step or stroke. Keith recalls a lesson from Kilimanjaro. Nick agrees and credits an ultra runner with an idea about each step being evidence against the story in the mind. The moment is an exchange between the host and guest, not a claim that Nick delivered a complete one-stroke method in this clip. The surrounding full interview supplies his discussion of continuous efforts, multi-day journeys, crew judgment and conditions beyond his control.","seconds":2026.202,"sourceTime":"33:46","post":"One stroke at a time is how I bring a huge distance back to the present.\n\nA continuous swim or run is different from a bicycle journey where I can stop and sleep before the next day. I talked with Keith and Jon about how I think through both.\n\nIn the continuous efforts, I come back to the next stroke or step. On a long trip, I deal with the day in front of me. There are still conditions and problems I can't control. Making the next action smaller helps me keep my attention where I can use it.\n\nThat doesn't mean every attempt ends with a finish. I've had efforts stopped by equipment, injury and conditions. Those experiences are part of why the next manageable action matters to me.\n\nWatch this moment from Center Stage.\n\nWhat helps you come back to the next step when the whole task feels too big?","assets":[],"covers":[{"filename":"next-stroke-horizontal.jpg","url":"/guest-packages/nick-pelletier/next-stroke-horizontal.jpg","bytes":128830,"sha256":"aeb021a2b9fdc5ec3a6be011b616270577ec40fc264814a8c16cf52818957e4b","dimensions":[960,540],"approval":"Approved illustrated artwork"},{"filename":"next-stroke-vertical.jpg","url":"/guest-packages/nick-pelletier/next-stroke-vertical.jpg","bytes":287265,"sha256":"d3a53579e077c72805fae6d5f8184920133b80f8345c6d4d94f186650daaa8e5","dimensions":[960,1706],"approval":"Approved illustrated artwork"}],"nativeDownloads":[{"filename":"nick-02-next-stroke-horizontal-NATIVE-1080-PRIVATE-REVIEW.mp4","bytes":60809141,"dimensions":[1920,1080]},{"filename":"nick-02-next-stroke-vertical-NATIVE-1080-PRIVATE-REVIEW.mp4","bytes":18582349,"dimensions":[1080,1920]}]}],"fullPost":"I gave someone else the authority to help make the call.\n\nOn my Okanagan Lake attempts, I wasn't alone. I had a crew on the water, and my dad was there through all three.\n\nBeforehand, I gave him an overarching role in knowing when I needed to come out. That trust mattered. When you're the person doing the effort, other people can see parts of the situation differently.\n\nMy solo bicycle journeys have another kind of responsibility: when something goes wrong, I have to handle it myself. I talked with Keith and Jon about that difference and about the support behind the lake swim.\n\nThe full Center Stage conversation includes the attempts, the journeys and the documentary work that lets me share what happened.\n\nWho do you trust to tell you something you might not want to hear? Watch the full interview below.","gates":[],"faqs":[{"question":"Who is Nick Pelletier?","answer":"Nick Pelletier is an ultra-endurance athlete and adventurer based in Kelowna, British Columbia. His official website describes his shift from college baseball toward swimming, cycling and running, and features Sink or Swim, a documentary about his Okanagan Lake swim. In this appearance, he tells Keith and Jon about separate attempts, difficult conditions, rebuilding confidence and the mental work of long-distance efforts."},{"question":"What does this conversation explore?","answer":"An endurance athlete on returning after unfinished attempts, the limits of preparation, and the practical work of continuing."},{"question":"When did this appearance air?","answer":"2026-09-28, in episode #3144, with Keith Bilous and Jon Andersen."},{"question":"Are the clips live?","answer":"These are recorded highlights. The vertical frame’s LIVE and airtime text promote the recurring show."},{"question":"What can I download?","answer":"The full interview is available as a low-bandwidth review and a 720p download. All four H/V highlight videos and four dedicated H/V story covers are separately downloadable. Approval states remain individual."},{"question":"Where can I learn more?","answer":"Use the guest’s official sources linked beside the biography."},{"question":"Which attempt does the shoulder story describe?","answer":"Nick explicitly identifies it as the second attempt. The opener’s association with the later completed swim requires clarification before release."}],"fullThumbnail":{"filename":"nick-full-interview.jpg","url":"/guest-packages/nick-pelletier/nick-full-interview.jpg","bytes":322696,"sha256":"87c9c2a10cfbec8cb3884f826450e94496fa35201d65191bc39c2eb619311c09","dimensions":[1920,1080],"approval":"Approved illustrated artwork"},"youtubeVideoId":"atA1eoFGxtQ","youtubeStatus":"","canonicalUrl":"https://mornings.network/shows/center-stage/guests/nick-pelletier"}