NZ SAS Soldier to America’s Cup Champion: The Remarkable Story of Marius van der Pol

Marius van der Pol has lived a hell of a life. He’s been a member of the NZSAS – New Zealand’s elite special forces unit - and is now an America’s Cup-winning grinder with Emirates Team New Zealand. In this episode we talk about what it takes to pass SAS selection, his insane physical feats (including breaking NZ’s 500m indoor rowing record), how he emailed his way into Team New Zealand, what it’s like grinding in the cyclor cockpit, the pressures of running the team’s comms systems, and how he balances it all with being a father of three. We also hear about his time managing MIQ during Covid, a wild story about “Goose Eggs”, and his new project - “The Forge” - an intense personal development course that sounds like Outward Bound on steroids. This was a quietly extraordinary chat. Marius isn’t someone who loves the spotlight, but the more we heard, the more impressed we were - and it sounds like everyone who’s worked with him feels the same. This episode is brought to you by the TAB. Got a hunch? Download the new app today and get your bet on. 00:00 – Why Marius is a reluctant guest 05:15 – Training pain stories 12:45 – Breaking NZ’s indoor rowing record 18:30 – SAS survival stories 22:10 – What makes a great SAS teammate? 30:15 – Cold-emailing Team NZ for a grinder spot 38:00 – America’s Cup performance 40:42 – Losing a mate in the unit 54:00 – Why Team NZ culture wins 1:06:30 – The race that meant more than the Cup 1:20:10 – Family life, parenting & discipline 1:22:00 – Creating ‘The Forge’ team-building concept 1:26:00 – Reflections on legacy & leadership