Guest Titan: Steve King, legendary sports and events announcer and decorated ultra-athlete.
Tea of choice: Steam Tea’s Bombay Chai
What we cover: “Life has meaning only in the struggle. Victory and defeat are only in the hands of the Gods. So let us celebrate the struggle.” —Swahili proverb.
In 2006, my husband Chad and I got bitten terribly by the Ironman bug. The vibe, the paradigm-busting, the goals set and achieved. And all of this on a backdrop of the incomparable voice of Ironman Canada’s long-time, much-adored announcer, Steve King. However, the more we got to know about Steve, the more we realized his contribution to Ironman was just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. A decorated ultra-endurance athlete himself (we are talking world class race walker, ultra-marathoner, and UltraMan competitor, etc. etc. and yes, etc.), Steve has leant his passion and talent to countless events in the capacity of race announcer, and as an often-heard commentator for media outlets including CBC, TSN, ESPN, and CTV, and was listed as one of this country’s Top 50 Most Influential People in Triathlon. He is a multi-time author, enthusiastic musician, and well-respected addictions counsellor in his hometown of Penticton, British Columbia. In our exclusive chat, this fascinating man also discusses his career on the London Stock Exchange and as a Private Investigator (Steve King, P.I., indeed!) in the UK. And shares the most shocking revelation of all: Steve King, known for his long, wavy locks of thick Tom Seleck-like hair, once had an afro. (True story.) Internationally respected, it’s no surprise Steve was listed as Next of Kin when a friend was heading off on a bit of a journey… into outer space. (How many people have been listed as Next of Kin to a flipping astronaut heading out on a mission? Steve has.) (I guess that would make him inter-galactically respected?) There is only one word to describe him, and it’s no exaggeration. Steve King = Legend.