002 - You Can Quit If You Want - Amy Gawlik

She finished a triathlon, shot a wedding that same evening, and once woke up in a Mexican ambulance at mile 111 with a broken collarbone, still convinced she could finish. Forty more miles into the dark and a breakdown at mile 60 of her first 100-miler: Amy Gawlik is not someone who does things halfway. In this episode, Nathan and Matt sit down with Amy, triathlete, ultrarunner, wedding photographer, single mom, and Okape's own photographer and brand collaborator, to talk about what physical pursuit has actually cost her, what it has given her, and what she hopes it leaves behind. Amy shares how a flyer in a bike shop led to her first sprint triathlon, how a six-year break from the sport ended with a return to Ironman racing, and how she went from her longest run ever being 38 miles to crossing the finish line of Rocky Raccoon 100 in Huntsville, Texas at the 25-hour mark. She talks about the specific moment at mile 60 when she told her mom she couldn't go on, what her mom said back, and why that exchange gave her everything she needed to finish. The conversation goes deep on the relationship between physical discipline and entrepreneurship, how training for extreme endurance events shaped how Amy built and runs her photography business, and what it felt like to watch her daughter Ava complete her first triathlon while standing on the other side of the finish line. This one hits different. In this episode: 01:25 Introduction and Amy's background in triathlon 02:28 From swimming in high school to her first sprint triathlon in 2007 09:54 How a bike shop flyer changed everything 12:29 The Cozumel Ironman: mile 111, a crash, and waking up in an ambulance 21:49 The six-year break and what brought her back 23:31 What triathlon taught her about building a business 30:57 Mile 60 of Rocky Raccoon 100: the breakdown, and the moment that saved the race 37:47 Why she signed up for a hundred miles in the first place 42:57 Hallucinations, raccoons, and a man in black at mile 94 46:11 What physical pursuit has given her that nothing else could 48:42 Ava's first triathlon, and planting the seed for their first Ironman together 50:45 What remains About Amy Gawlik Amy Gawlik is a wedding and portrait photographer based in Austin, Texas, with 16 years in the industry. She is also a competitive triathlete and ultrarunner who has completed multiple full Ironman races, podiumed at Galveston and Cabo San Lucas, and finished her first 100-mile trail race at Rocky Raccoon in February 2025. She is Okápe's photographer and visual brand collaborator. About Okape Okape is an achievement-gated performance apparel brand built on the belief that physical pursuit creates the conditions for self-reckoning and personal becoming. You don't buy Okápe first. You earn it. What Remains is hosted by Nathan Baumeister and Matt Carlson, co-founders of Okápe.