Primal AF

Cathal McCosker's Unshakable Mindset

• Jimmy Napolitano

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"Cal" upfront looks like the athlete he is.  Here's what you dont know: you can't put him in a bad situation.   The way his mind works, it does allow for weak thoughts!   Find out what Cal over comes and his journey with a Primal mindset through the  OCR world.  

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hello.

Jimmy:

How's it going? What's going on, man?

Cathal:

It's going good. Yeah,

Jimmy:

Cool man. So you're, in the UK, huh? Yeah. Yeah. Manchester, I say it right? I know there's a lot. Yeah, there's a lot of like simple, talents that I fuck up. It's like Birmingham. I'm like, they're like, no, dude. It's, Birmingham. Yeah. Yeah. I was just say it really fast. So you are I've, seen you on Instagram, so you are a, like a pretty good athlete, like OCR and at least looks like it.

Cathal:

I wouldn't say good. I've only just dived into it really. I first started doing ocr, doing tough Mothers. Oh yeah. And then that's when I fell in love with it. And then last year started doing Tough Mud Invent, and that's where I've just completely fallen in love with it. And I just wanted to keep doing more and more. So this year I'm trying to do as many as I can. Setting P, doing PBS and just crushing it, getting on the podium, winning bases, and that's what I want to do this year.

Jimmy:

You've already been on the podium?

Cathal:

Yeah. I came third place in called Born Survivor and that was completely outta blue. I was not expect expecting that at all, but it was such a great result for

Jimmy:

me. Son of a bitch. It took me like 18 months. I just got my first one like two weeks ago. So what is what's, your your wheelhouse of I guess distance?

Cathal:

I've al I've always run. I used run doing like when I was less and my brother's a big runner as well. So I've done like road racing, cross country, and like trail races. I, I love them all really? I think my favorite distance is 10 K. It's just, it's still in between the fast distance and quite long distance. Yeah. It's still a solid good, fast time doing them.

Jimmy:

Yeah. I'm, with you. Cause I did, I started off with like beast and, 21 21 Ks. I did a, I did an ultra. Ultra Beast, which is 50 K. So it was about 33 miles. It's a long day. Yeah. Brutal. But the yeah, the 10 Ks man, that's where it's at. Yeah, definitely.

Cathal:

It's, you can do it just so quick. You just get your head in the game, get your mind focused, and just get it on with it.

Jimmy:

Yeah. And you're lucky, man, cuz you got everybody over there, you got Liams and you got Matt Roberts over there so you guys could just hang out. How far away, are you from

Cathal:

I was saw Liam and Matt that last weekend that obstacle course Jim in Midlands. And that's the first time me meeting them in person. Wait, last year? No, last week. Sorry. Oh, last

Jimmy:

week. I was gonna say, how was the Midlands last year? Yeah.

Cathal:

And it was quite a like, surreal moment. Cause I've never, I've only spoke to them over Zoom or over Facebook, and I've seen them in person. It's wow. And so I was chilling with them for a bit and then they were giving me tips on the low rig and like monkey bars and the hoops. All the things you need to do to get food that obstacle quicker.

Jimmy:

So if we were, writing a book on Cal's life, I feel like we're pretty much. We're at the, either beginning or at the very beginning and middle stages of it. Everybody's had highs and lows. Where, can you tell us like a little bit about your personal journey? How, you got to where you're at, like maybe like a history?

Cathal:

So I've got an older brother. He loves running and that's where I've got a bit of an inspiration from. So I've always, we've, I've always wanna be like slightly better than him. Obviously you've got that si sibling rivalry. But he, does more trail racing up uphills and obviously I'm not used to it. Uphills living in Manchester, it's pretty much flat. So whenever I go to see him, he takes me up all these mountains and North Wales and it's, I can't even keep up with him, but no, it is good. He does support me in what he he does and gives me tips on. Running and racing, which obviously is very nice of him.

Jimmy:

So what, tips has he got for, going up, up and down the hills?

Cathal:

Just listen to yourself as in what Li says. It's almost maybe what Li and Mitch said Uhhuh. And it's not just his advice. It is just li listen to yourself, go at your own pace. Run, your own race. Cuz if you're starting chasing somebody else, You're gonna be knocked halfway through the race then, aren't you? And then you're gonna struggle and not do it as best as you can.

Jimmy:

You had something go on with, your eye, right? Your, was it your right eye?

Cathal:

My right eye, yes. So when I was around six and seven I lost of sight in my right eye due to injury. So since then I've been blind in that eye since. It has, I don't wanna say it's drawn me back. When I was growing up, I did do excuses to say I can't do that sport cuz of my eye. But now I'm thinking I regret doing that cause it now it doesn't hold me back. Cuz when I meet people that don't notice it and then when, they, when I meant it to them, they're, oh shit, I never knew about that, about you. So now I just don't let it bother me. It's just keep moving forward.

Jimmy:

I didn't know it until I, read your bio on it. Yeah.

Cathal:

Yeah. It's, pretty crazy. Obviously I've had operations on it and so many surgeries on it, so in hope for me to be sick, to be able to see from it. But nothing has worked, but I'm hopeful for the future. That's something we'll, Come out and I'll be able to see two hours again.

Jimmy:

So it's possible that you could actually see out of it again,

Cathal:

possibly. There's a stem cell research is the main option I believe, but obviously there's so much advancements in medicine every year. I could have like aine 10 years time

Jimmy:

get out of here. So how does that work?

Cathal:

Oh, I dunno. I'm no doctor, but I, am hopeful. I am hopeful. Why bet. So you can't see out of it at all? I can't see a thing. No. It's, just black.

Jimmy:

How would you, how does that affect your, running?

Cathal:

I think cuz the injury happened when I was so young. I got used to seeing through Just the one eye. And I've just you just get used to your, options. So I can't say anything to, in my professional vision to the right of me, but, so anyway, you're just looking forward during races. You don't, you're not looking to your right. You're not looking to your left. You're just looking forward.

Jimmy:

Okay. Yeah. Then I guess that makes sense. How's the depth perception?

Cathal:

I think I've as, again, I've adapted to it since I was little. It's, just cuz it's happened. So when I was so young it's, I've just got used to it by now as it doesn't bother me. I've, lived a normal life. I can still do normal things I two with people with two eyes can do so it doesn't hold

Jimmy:

me back. So you really never let it affect you at all

Cathal:

until now? Yeah, I think. Growing up, especially during school times, I was picked on a bit for having losing sight in one eye, being blind in one eye. But now it, it doesn't affect me at all. Cause I can still do normal things. I still live my normal life. Even if I have two eyes now I'll still have a normal life.

Jimmy:

So what do you think the biggest challenge was when you were I guess maybe as a teenager growing up?

Cathal:

I think it's just not letting it affect me. I think that was the biggest challenge for me. Obviously getting picked up at school was, quite tough, but having friends around me help that. But it's, just the sport network I've had during, with this injury has really helped me.

Jimmy:

Dude, that's pretty cool because that's like a, common theme with a lot of people I talk to is sometimes people start off in a bad environment and they get fucked from it, right? And then eventually they choose, they either choose or they grow into a, better environment and that's where they find success. But it seems like you got a like a leg up, and you already had a good support system, even though they were some dickheads Eric picking on you, but Yeah. But you had who was, who do you think was your biggest support? Like back then, back at that time?

Cathal:

I think it's my family, my, my mom, my dad, and my sister. I think cause we all joke about my eye now my family, and it's something we laugh about. And I think turning something negative into something positive is also very good. Obviously losing a sight is awful but if you turn it into something funny and positive you can't change history's gone. So you may as well just laugh a bit of history and have fun in the meantime.

Jimmy:

Dude, the best and most resilient people have that same mindset. Is there another time where you've using that used that same format where it took something negative and turned it into a positive?

Cathal:

I, I think that's, how I, live my life really. It, if you get driven a, bad hand you, just have to make the most of it. Because shit's gonna happen. Shit's gonna throw, in your life, get into your life, and you just have to deal with it and move on. Dig yourself out the grave and pull yourself out.

Jimmy:

That's pretty cool. That's pretty freaking inspiring. What do you think, what do you think your goals are? I guess flash forward, right? What do you think your goals are moving forward? For what's your next big

Cathal:

step? Oh, I wanna win ocr, Ben. Definitely. I want, I wanna be on the top. On the top. I'm doing my first part on this year Southwestern England. I definitely wanna get in the podium for that. With, I'm doing tough minorities again, so I want to definitely do 50 kilometers during those events. So I just wanna keep. Everywhere to do. I wanna do better for the next one. Keep striving for

Jimmy:

better. What? What do you think drove you to do the OCR event? What? Because right now it, I, you're right. It's addicting and it's like a passion, but what do you think? Yeah. What do you think got you started on it?

Cathal:

I did my first tough murder when I was in that, I think it was 2018. Did that with my brother. And then I was hooked on tough mud then. And I was doing other races like other 5K 10 K races, either they were trail log road races. And then I found them a bit boring cause I kept, doing them and over and again. And I found him a bit Sammy, if yeah. So then I said last year let's do some tough On events up and down the country. I can get there. I can drive camp there no issue. So that's what I did last year. And now I want to, obviously I wanna travel the world and do OCRs. I wanna come to America, do them go, to other European countries and do them. It's just what

Jimmy:

I wanna do now. That's a pretty big goal. It's funny, when I first started with Primal, I don't know if I was the first American or not. I know it was, I know there wasn't a lot of us if I was, but it's, grown and you know how they send, out those forums every once in a while was like, Hey, how we doing? I always had very good things to say, except for one thing. You're like, how can we improve? I'm like, get shit over here in the us. I'm like, the only motherfucker over here. Yeah. So eventually, like we started growing and there's been a lot of people that have been signed up over here in the us so I, I've been asking and asking, and I, eventually put it on a goal sheet of mine. I was like, I am going to host. A primal headquarters stateside. I was like, these motherfuckers over here having all this fun and like doing all this crap. I'm hosting one over here. So the cool thing is on July 14th through 16th, I finally did it. So I there's a Spartan race here at a place called Palm. It's a pretty big mountain yeah, so far there's 10 of us that are coming over, but it's gonna be like the first primal state side, so I'm pretty pumped about that. That's pretty

Cathal:

cool. Yeah, I saw that on your Instagram actually. Yeah, man.

Jimmy:

It's cool because once you get a. A bunch of people that are like-minded and you get'em put together. It's it's almost like you're unstoppable and it's fun. You get to you're eating the same stuff. You're talking about the same stuff. It's all like-minded. It's all people just like you.

Cathal:

Yeah. That's what you need to be surrounded by like-minded people and then that will strive you to go further.

Jimmy:

Absolutely. This is this is gonna be a blast. Yeah, I have I have good friends here that live really close to where I live right now that are coming up. Got people flying from Houston, from Florida. It's, gonna be awesome. UK Yeah, dude, hop over with Matt and Liam. They're coming over.

Cathal:

I see what I can do. I might pop myself over. It sounds like a blast. Be uk B usa.

Jimmy:

Ah, man. It's all the same team. It as primal versus the fucking world. That's what it should be. I know, right? I, need to get one of those flags that Liam has when he Oh yeah. Then but yeah, I used to think that I used to, do this for the podiums. I almost changed my mindset. It's like the, races are now the fun part. They're just the reward for, I think the goal is longevity and being able to be like 65 years old and still outrun my kids and bench press the woman, but the, racing that, and being with people, that's the fun part. I could almost. I could almost give a shit where I place. I'm just gonna, just fucking at 10 k. I just fucking send it. Just send it and see what happens. Just have fun. Yeah.

Cathal:

You have to enjoy yourself. You have to enjoy yourself running cause it's such, I enjoy the sport so much. And since finding ocr, I've enjoyed the sport even more cause it's, I find it more difficult cause you're using your whole body instead of just your legs.

Jimmy:

That's how I got sold on it. Yeah. Like one of my, one of my really good friends, he was like, and this was during Covid, he was like, Hey, what is a runner's biggest weakness? I was like, strength. He was like, what is a weightlifter's biggest weakness? I was like, running. He was like, what if there was an event where you took everybody's weaknesses, put'em on the same field and see who came out? I'm like, I wanna see what this is. He, sold me on Spartans with the quickness. But yeah it's, pretty cool. What what what was I gonna say? Oh, what was your what do you think your most difficult race that you've done so far was, and like what happened during it?

Cathal:

I did a half marathon not so long ago. It was the snow half marathon. And it's advertised as one of the UK's hardest half marathon. Oh, really? I thought, yeah. I thought, ah, be easy. This, they always say these doing races it's, gonna be easy. Oh, it was back hell. It was just uphill. It was a lovely day. Like it was steep and it was just brutal hill. But I enjoyed it. That's. It was tough. It was a tough race and it was just a normal, it wasn't an c r race, it was just a normal road race, but it was a brutal uphill. When you're thinking get near the end of the race, there was another hill and it just hit you. But coming down that hill and then you see the crowd near the end cheering you on. And that's what I love the space about. End of races to crowd up the end cheering

Jimmy:

you on. What happened? Is there anything happened like physically during the race to your body? No, it was, it

Cathal:

It, was just the hill because I'm, not used to doing hills. But seeing that hill and then seeing other people struggle, I've felt like that some other people are struggling. It's not just me, but it was such an enjoyable race.

Jimmy:

That's crazy. There's man, Speaking of which, like last year in September there was this race at Killington and it's, it was the same thing for Spartans. It's the hardest OCR R race in the nation. I don't think it's the world because I think there's one over in Spain, not my Orca or there's some someplace over there. I think that's harder, but it's the hardest one here in the US and it's the very first one that I attempted and I. And I dn fd it off of time. Yeah. Like it's all, it's like the motherfucking mountain there is you pull up to it, it's God damn, I gotta go up that seven times. But I was going, I, one of my friends went with me and he, was faster than me. Yeah. But I I went out the gate and you went up a little bit of the mountain, then you went down and then there's like a, mile climb up. Or almost two kilometers, right? Yeah. So I'm going up, my feet are hurting, and it's just a bunch of weird shit. And I'm going up this mountain and I'm like, oh man, everybody's passing me. I'm like, almost dead. Last in my heat, my friend passes me and he's probably on the top of the mountain and I'm like, halfway. So I'm, thinking he's gone. I go another two or three kilometers. Now my body is starting to like I have all this nutrition. I have primal, you know the primal nutrition Yeah. And everything. I have salts on me. My body is getting like wrecked going up at this mountain. The left side of my body, like fully cramped. So I'm like it's a 21 kilometer race. I'm like seven or eight kilometers in and I can't move. I'm like sitting at the top of this thing. I'm like, please God, let me finish. Not only that, the shoes I was wearing, they were so unstable. Every time I tried to run fast downhill, I would roll my ankle and fall. So I did that seven or eight times. So I had all these excuses and I finally went to the the Olympus wall? Oh yeah. I usually never, get that, but that week I was studying some film that Matt Roberts gave me on how to do it. So my body's cramping, like my left side is cramping, just everything's cramping. So I'm like sitting there and I'm looking at this wall and I was like, you know what, just fuck it. Just go fast. Just do whatever you can. And I like, I go through it. I'm like, holy shit. I was like, I hit the bell and I was like, I got it. And all of a sudden, like no more cramps. I was still sore from him, but I couldn't feel him. Yeah. So I run to the next one that scared me and it was called the Stairway to Sparta. So I've seen it over in the uk, but this one is a little bit different because you have to jump up about eight feet and you know the, knobs that are on Olympus wall? Oh yeah. You have to climb those up first, and then you go to the ladder part and then you go over. So it scared me because I failed that one before, but I got over it. I'm like, holy shit. And then one of the next ones was a spear throw. When I nailed it I'm, good at the spear throw. Yeah. I'm like, clean race motherfucker. I had all these excuses. I was feeling sorry for myself, but as soon as those things started snowballing, I was like, oh my God. And I started flying down the hill. Then I saw my friend, who unlucky for him, lucky for me, he ran outta water. Yeah. And I ended up passing them. Never it was so funny because after that there was like, nothing could stop me and I finished that race. So it was just, it was the hardest race mentally because it's, it bit me before. And it sucked the first time because the first time I was. I was training really hard and I came home with nothing. No metal, no time doing nothing. I was like, man, fuck. So I had to come back and, master that one. Yeah. It sucks, dude. It was a tough, I highly recommend it.

Cathal:

Might get back,

Jimmy:

dude, come over. If you're gonna do one race, I would do that one. But yeah that was my hardest race. Yeah.

Cathal:

But you look, you probably look fondly on that race, don't you? What's that? You probably look quite fondly on that race.

Jimmy:

Oh God. Yeah. Actually that was the first race that my, my kids and my, wife went to as well. So that's the first time they seen me at the finish line. And that was special to me, especially to see my kids there. They, ended up doing the kids' Spartan race, so it was just a fun weekend just being with good friends. Yeah. Again, cuz I didn't go by myself this time yeah it was just, really cool. But I don't know. Getting, back to you what do you think, do you have any specific goals besides getting on podium for the future? I think,

Cathal:

I think that's what. At the minute, I think racing for me is my main focus. I'm quite happy with my health at the minute. I think there's so many things I can improve on, but I think now I think running an ocr r the season started, so I may as well get on with it and do the best I can in any race I do and see if I can get any podiums or any wins

Jimmy:

out of it. What do you think, what do you think is like your biggest motivation or the thing that, like that gets you waking up in the morning or the thing that motivates you to, to just achieve?

Cathal:

I think it's just myself. I think I'm quite a driven person. I want to succeed, so when I get up in the morning, I plan my day what I'm gonna do, and then once I do it, it's done. It's a win take. Take as a win and move on. And then hit, the gym in the evening and just put some music in, zone out, ignore everything else in the outside world and just hit it hard.

Jimmy:

Yeah, no doubt. So have you ever had you, have you ever had those walls where you didn't feel like training?

Cathal:

I think before, Primal, I think I had, I did. I booked a few races, did the race, and then. Stop. Stop running at all and just be lazy. Eat, crap, eat shit food, and then a couple months later, finding another ways bucket train for it. It's just that up and down cycle. Getting to a peak of fitness and then dropping down to absolute slob. But now with, since I joined Primer, I've stayed at a level of fitness that I'm comfortable with and that I, can take a week off, but still do a race next week and still smash it.

Jimmy:

Dude, there is a lot of people that want to be where you're at. Yeah. Not only physically, not only being able to do that, but mentally as well because you found a, great way to, stay almost on top of. Anything that drags you down. If, somebody was just like having a shit time and having trouble getting, to where you're at, what advice do you think that you'd give them?

Cathal:

Just listen to yourself. I think in order to succeed, you need to find something that you're good at or something that you're really driven. Or one to do. It doesn't have to be running or OCR racing. It could be any sport you want to do. It could be swimming, it could be playing football. It's just doesn't matter what sport it is or what anything you want to do doesn't have to be sport. It could be anything. But just find something you love and do it cuz we, I work a nine to five, seven to five jobs. Seven, seven o'clock jobs to five. And it's long, days, Monday. Monday to Friday and then the weekends I've got races and I enjoy that meeting people in the OCR community and talking to them. And it's just a really nice community to be in cause they're all so supportive of everything. So you need a people who are struggling to find that, go out and find something you're interested in. If you're not interested in running,

Jimmy:

find something else. Man, that's some great advice. So it's almost like you're saying like, just follow your passion and when you're passionate about something that will drive you. Yeah. Yeah. A hundred percent. Damn said. Yeah, that's, I, that's legit advice. I think anybody could learn from that one. But I don't know, man. I think that's about it. I think we nailed unless, there's anything else you wanna talk about. It's pretty good story and it's pretty inspiring.

Cathal:

Yeah I think we've all touched on everything that I wanted to

Jimmy:

say. Where, all so what's your Instagram again?

Cathal:

Kahala Kahaka.

Jimmy:

Cool. So I'm gonna put that in the show notes. That way people will follow you on your journey and hopefully just be inspired, man. Yeah, because you got some really cool pictures up, up there. Most of it's racing, but yeah. But yeah, that's dude, that's legit, man. I appreciate you coming on. Yeah, I

Cathal:

mean, have to be on.

Jimmy:

Awesome. All right, brother. Good luck this season. I'll be watching you and I gotta get you the US man. Yeah, definitely. All right, brother.

Cathal:

All right. Cheers. Now.

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