Shangrila Rendon: Two-Time Guinness World Record Holder, on Redefining What's Possible in Endurance Racing

Shangrila Rendon did not grow up as an athlete. She ran her first 10K at 24, completed her first triathlon at 28, and finished her first Ironman less than a year later. Since then, she has become a two-time Guinness World Record holder, a finisher of more than 50 full Ironman races, the founder of Feisty Fox Coaching, and now, an official member of Team ENGO.

Two world records

In 2015, Shangrila became the fastest woman to complete five full Ironman races in five consecutive days. In 2020, she set a second record: the most 140.6 mile races completed in 34 days, nine of them, with every one finished in under 14 hours and a best time of 13:10:24. Both records demanded the same thing: backing up elite performance, day after day, with no room for a single off day.

A career built on distance

Shangrila was the first Filipino, male or female, to complete the Ultraman challenge, in 2015 and again in 2016. That same year, she became the first Filipina to finish the Double Anvil, a 4.8 mile swim, 224 mile bike, and 52.4 mile run. Weeks later, she placed first female overall and set a women's world record at the World Cup Quintuple Ultra-Triathlon, a 760 mile race across a 12 mile swim, 560 mile bike, and 52.4 mile run. She has since raced the Ultraman World Championships in Kona, completed eight consecutive Ironman races across Switzerland, and taken on the Red Bull Trans-Siberian Extreme in Russia.

From engineer to endurance athlete

Before any of it, Shangrila was an electrical engineer, with a bachelor's degree from UC Irvine and a master's from UCLA. She did not learn to swim until 29. In May 2014, she resigned as a senior engineer at a medical device company to race full time. Today, she is also a coach, speaker, and author, using sport and her own story to help others find strength through adversity.

Training with engo

Shangrila trains and races with engo to execute every workout with precision, without ever looking down. In her own words:

Shangrila Rendon, two-time Guinness World Record holder, engo athlete

Coaching the next generation

Today Shangrila runs Feisty Fox Coaching from Los Angeles, certified through USA Triathlon and the RRCA. She takes on athletes who commit to what she calls the 3Cs: communication, commitment, and consistency, and has coached them to Ironman finishes, double century rides, and Boston Marathon qualifying times. She also hosts the Feisty Fox Fire podcast, where she talks training, racing, and the mindset behind both.

Her advice to athletes on the fence