Fuelled by Beans Talk Series - Fran Chiorando
It’s hard to know where to start a bio for Fran Chiorando but in no particular order here are a few of the strings on her extremely well-strung bow. TV presenter, blogger, podcaster, broadcaster, OCR athlete, designer, plant-based advocate, and trainee psychotherapist.
Let's find out more...
Can you tell us a little about yourself?
When I started blogging I called myself “awesomely average”. I am a very regular person, who never wants to miss out on a thing. My goal in life is to help other normal people like me, make the most of what is out there and what they have in them. I do this through my involvement in sport, and also my therapy work with clients. I love variety, some weeks I am travelling, and some weeks I am in front of my computer writing or creating.
You’re Vegan and a proud advocate of following a plant-based diet. When did you become vegan and what were your main motivators?
I became vegan just a few weeks just after my daughter was born, back in 2017.Animal rights had always been very important to me from a young age, but I knew that I wanted to go completely vegan, and I’d never felt ready to take the leap.
One night when I was breastfeeding my daughter, Baby Mine from the film Dumbo was playing, which always makes me cry. I suddenly had a realisation that I was crying over a cartoon elephant mother & baby being separated, while my behavior meant that this was happening to real animals, mainly due to the dairy industry. I decided at that point that I was no longer willing to be complicit and decided to never consume an animal product again.
When did you first get involved in OCR and what did you love about it?
I did my first OCR (Obstacle Course Race) in 2013, a Spartan “Sprint” in Yorkshire. I’d seen the Tough Mudder brand for a while but hadn’t wanted to take on 10k, so this 5k option felt less scary.
I pushed myself the whole time and struggled, but loved the feeling of accomplishment, and the wide range of obstacles within the event. I immediately wanted to sign up again but had to wait until the next year as back then there weren’t many options. In 2014 I did the 3 Spartan distances completing the “Trifecta”. At the same time I started my own blog & brand called Mud Is My Makeup. As the sport was so new there wasn’t a ton of information available and I wanted to help educate others, plus encourage women into sport, which is something I am still passionate about today.
How did you get into TV presenting?
In 2015 I was contacted by casting agent who was searching for fit and interesting people for a new gameshow called Spartan X. They’d found me through my blogging and taking part in OCR.
I spent 3 weeks in Hungary filming this extreme show alongside another 11 athletes from around the world. At the end of filming, the head of the channel approached me and asked if I would be interested in working as presenter for their new programming. I jumped at the offer and spent the next year travelling and creating awesome TV.
How did you first get involved in OCR broadcasting?
I’ve always been a big believer of “do what you love and the work will follow”, and this is exactly what happened. I was asked to help out with some promo shooting for a Spartan Race, from there I met the producer who started creating the Spartan livestreams for Europe. He asked me to come on board, which was very scary as I had never done live TV before, but I had a very good knowledge of OCR to back me up, plus camera experience. I absolutely loved it! From there I was contacted by a company in the states who wanted me to work on their broadcast of the 24 hour event World’s Toughest Mudder. I’d never done one of these before, and when the owner asked me how I would do 24+ about a race brand I hadn’t run I replied; “there’s one thing I can do, and that’s talk for a very long time. Filling 27 hours of airtime isn’t easy but I can promise you I won’t stop.”
Since then I’ve covered a variety of Championship events across multiple brands, my longest being 24races, my shortest, coming up this October will be 100m!
Which do you prefer? Competing in or commentating on OCR?
I love both, it depends on the event and who is with you. Sometimes commentary can be hard, if you receive a bad picture, or results are unexpected it can be very difficult to give an accurate summation of what is happening, and I hate doing a bad job. Similarly with racing, some events you have a problem, or the weather is against you which makes it really tough. I enjoy the challenges and satisfaction of both, and love having the option of calling incredible pro athletes, while also getting to have fun myself with no pressure. I think it’s important for me to do the sport I talk about, to remember what it is these athletes are doing, so I can truly understand why they are there. Plus a little bit of mud never hurt anyone.
Some of the most extreme OCR races can go on for up to 24 hours, how do you keep focused when you are commentating on races like that?
Before my first 24-hour race I was worried about this. A few weeks before the event I took my daughter camping and the weather was awful. I was awake most of the night and thought “24 hours is a long time, how am I going to do this?”The event came around and we had a plan. Cover the start, and then come back at the top of every hour for a 15 minute recap. The athletes set off, and six hours later we thought we should probably take a break from chatting and get some layers on.
Somehow, it’s not difficult. I love the sport, and my main co-host, Will Hicks, is incredible. There can be times in the night when it gets a little tiring, in those cases I take 5 minutes to stretch my legs, get some air, and then carry on.
I tend to snack throughout the night rather than stopping for a meal, similar to how you would fuel an endurance race, plus stay hydrated. And of course, my favourite cup of tea is always by my side (I took my own kettle to the last WTM event in Texas!)
As the sun starts to come up something amazing happens, it’s indescribable. Seeing these athletes constantly run past (it’s a 5 mile looped course), a gorgeous sunrise, and warmth starting to spread, is something very special. It makes the long night worth it, and it’s here where I get really excited, get scribbling with my notes on lap times and gaps between athletes, as the race draws to a close.
Finally, which are your favourite flavour of Honest Bean Roasted Fava Bean Snacks?
Without a doubt, barbecue! They’re really flavourful without leaving me dehydrated.I’m very excited about how these are going to be my new travel snacks; as a very greedy vegan I always travel with snacks, I’ve had too many missed meals. But I’m a savoury girl and it’s hard to find savoury snacks that travel well without taking up loads of room or getting crushed.
