Pro Talk: Katie Zaferes on Olympics, Triathlon, Resilience, and Legacy Ep 83

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Mm-hmm.

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Thank you. Thanks so much for having me. Awesome.

So I, like, ever since I was a little girl, I was like, oh my gosh, I want to be an Olympian. So what— and of course that never panned out, but in my, in my mind, in my heart, I can like pretend to be an Olympian. So what was that process like for you to go through training and racing and then actually being there? What was that like?

It's funny because I never grew up with that dream to be an Olympian. Like, I did sports all growing up. Um, a lot of them when I was younger were more team sports, so soccer, lacrosse, and swimming was also a main one at that point. Um, but I pretty much did any, any— well, not every sport, there's so many, but like quite a variety. And then like as I, um, kind of like got through high school, I really shifted to like running only to stay in shape for soccer. That was the beginning. That was the That was the focus. And then I ended up being pretty good at it and going to Syracuse University, which is Division I for running. Um, and so I never really, like, even then, like, it was like, okay, I'm gonna do this in college, I'm gonna run. And then I was going to school to become a physical education teacher for K through 12, got my degree in that, was looking. And during that time I got recruited by USA Triathlon for their collegiate recruitment program. And that was like, I guess, a little bit of a shift because the program is made to like find the next Olympians and to recruit from single sport, like athletes or like talent ID basically. So the fact that I was a runner in Division I and had a background in swimming, that was what, that was the reason they were recruiting me. But even when they were recruiting me and I knew like it was tied to the Olympics, but As we were actually talking about before we went on air with the podcast, like world triathlon draft legal Olympic racing isn't actually that well known and like that common here. And so I had no idea what I was saying yes to, like when I was like, okay, I'm being invited to the Olympic Training Center to train for triathlon, but I, I don't actually know what it is. And obviously like. Mainly through doing, I kind of have figured it out. But there was a huge naivety to it, and I think that actually benefited me because it wasn't ever like getting ahead of myself in my goals. It was kind of like, okay, like I'm trying this out, I'm seeing what I can do. And that was really like my first couple years. And I started in 2013 and ended up, uh, well, 2013 was my first professional year. I guess I did like Between, I think I was recruited in like the fall of 2011. So it, between like the fall of 2011 and 2013, like I'd done age group races. I did Chicago Tri, I did a whole bunch in upstate New York that, I mean, I like love local triathlons. So like I, I was getting a little bit of exposure, but started 2013 as a professional and ended up qualifying for 2016 Rio Olympics and. Even going into that, I was like, still felt new even though I'd had like quite good results on the world stage for like where I was at and how long I'd actually been in the sport. But I, I, I felt like I was still like learning and getting my bearings. And so it was really like after that that I feel like I really engaged with like, oh wait, like I'm a professional here. I can, I'm world leading. I'm like, were at the top of like the, um, the rankings. And so then it was like, okay, like let's see like how to take more ownership in this, how to like make myself even better. And I think it was pretty much— so it took, to answer your question in the like long-winded way, it just took me a really long time to get to the, to get to the point of like really taking it all in. And even like my first Olympics, like in Rio, I, I went one of my biggest— not, I don't know if I'd call it disappointments, but at the time, like, I went to the race, I was like focused on the race, not the Olympics. We were staying in, not in the Olympic Village because we were, that was, uh, like 90 minutes or 2-hour drive away from our venue. So we actually stayed at a hotel on the beach and like I could really just focus on the race and like kind of like tunnel vision to the point where I lost I knew I was at the Olympics obviously, but like lost sight of like the whole experience. And then I raced, I was disappointed, I was sad. And then the Olympics were over because we were the second last day. And I was like, whoa, I just like missed the Olympics. Like I just like went and participated. And when people from the outside and like look at it, it's just this really incredible experience. And I just felt like, oh, I didn't really get that. And so my goal was if I ever got to qualify for another one, I would make sure that that wasn't the case, no matter how my performance was, no matter what it, like, I ended up doing in triathlon that I was gonna take in, that I actually get to experience this. And, and one of like not very many people who gets to go to the Olympics and much less twice. And I did. So I, I redeemed myself in experience and performance, which was great. Yes.

And in the, in the 2020 slash 2021 Olympics, which holy smokes, like what the heck was it like training at racing in the midst of a pandemic. Do you feel like that— what, I mean, it sounds like you enjoyed the experience, but from an outside— from my point of view, I'm like, oh my gosh, that looks really hard to like not have your friends and family there. Everybody's wearing masks, like you've got all these protocols in place. So did it feel that way to you or was that a different experience?

It was a complicated experience overall in the sense that like 2019 I was world champion, had climbed the rankings like one, one step at a time for the few years before that. Then 2020 hit, which is obviously like when the Olympics was supposed to happen. So the quad from 2016 to 2020, like as athletes, like we're really counting on that being 4 years. Yeah, like, yeah, like the build. And it was really— 2020 was a super interesting time because it's uncharted territory. Like, what do you do? And for me, I'm all about like energy preservation. I was like, if I go hard for this year without even knowing if we're like— in the beginning we didn't even know if we'd get race opportunities. By the end of the season we were able to like race, but I, I didn't want to do too much physically or mentally that would make me not ready for 2021. The pro— not the problem with that, but what ended up happening was I was fine with building, and then, um, in April of 2021 my dad passed And that was, uh, like, yeah, well, the Olympics was in July, the end of July, and I hadn't qualified yet. And, um, obviously, like, at that point, like, when my dad passed away, I was just like, well, I don't even know if I want to do triathlon anymore. Like, you— I don't know, I hope no one experiences loss like that, but you just feel like kind of frozen about like, does the world keep going on? Like, is normal life ever going to like restart? And So that was probably— COVID was something, but then that was probably like the wonkiest thing because it was just really uncharted territory, even more so than COVID. And just like, hadn't— I had no idea like how to like put myself back again. And it was funny because I was actually just looking at an old planner And I was like, oh, I took like a month off of training with my dad. But I was actually like, I went home, I was abroad when he passed away and I went home and then I thought I was there for a long time and I just looked at, I was there for 2 weeks and then back in Spain because basically I was like, okay, like I can't freeze my life forever. And thankful so much in all the ways for my coach, Joel Filho, because he's guided me through. Just in general training and racing, but also a lot of like huge life events. And it never felt like a rush. I never like, or concern or pressure to be back for the Olympics or qual— like I ended up, so the, I, so the original Tokyo qualifier, I crashed out and like was a very bad crash and didn't end up finishing the race. And then The next one was Yokohama, which was one month after my dad passed away, and I actually raced it, but really not very well. And so I ended up getting, uh, discretionary selected to race in Tokyo in 2021. And it was crazy because I was like, oh my gosh, like there was this moment before the Olympics when we had our chance to like talk to the high performance team with USA Triathlon, and they were able to be like Why are you like ready or whatever? And I had this, like, you know, when you do fake confidence and you're kind of like talking, but you don't really like engage with, you're like, this is what I'm supposed to say, but I don't actually feel it. But man, I was so confident on that call that I was gonna be ready for Tokyo to the point where I got off the phone, I was like, oh geez, like, I hope this comes to fruition because I felt it and I like really believed it. But I was like, that was like a lot of confidence for where like, what I've done in the past, like, couple months. And then yes, for Tokyo, like, it was so— it was weird because it was COVID things. But for me, after Rio, like, I hadn't really seen the village with people in it by the time I went to the village. It was like the last 2 days, like, actually it was being packed up in Rio. And there was nobody— I like walked in the dining hall in Rio and nobody was there. It was like 2 other people. And it just felt like really desolate at the time. I mean, I went to closing ceremonies. That was incredible there because it's like passing the torch to Tokyo. But for Tokyo, it was like every— like all the athletes at the village were there. And actually, like, my family didn't get to be there, but Tommy did because he— my husband who works as a photographer. So for me, it was like, I don't know, obviously I wish like The biggest thing I wish is that my, like, mom and my sisters and, like, I don't even know who all else was coming to or planning to, but I, the biggest thing I wish is that they were there. But as for, like, the other parts of the experience, like, that was really good. And because our, well, I don't think this was supposed to happen, but because our, like, race is open circuit, we actually had, like, people, like, fans, like, out on the course. But, um, So I think from the out— it's funny because from the outside I'm like, yeah, it probably looked not as great, but from like my experience, it was, it was really good.

That is so cool. That is so cool. So now the fun part, the most recent Olympics. What was that like? Because we know that you weren't on the Olympic team. So how did you process all that? Like, what was that like as part of your career and your experience.

So for Paris, um, so I had my son. So after Tokyo, like, the idea was to start a family, and I didn't really think that I'd come back to world triathlon racing, mainly because the lifestyle is very hard, and the way I have come to know it, to do it successfully, is really like unsustainable with a family because like my coach is international and I thrive in a daily training environment. So like being with him, with the group. So when we had Kimball, I was like, I don't, I don't know if this balance is for me. But as, but as we got closer, I was like, well, I like my job, I'm not tired of it, and let's see how it goes. And so that's kind of what I did and in preparing for Paris. And, um, so I, yeah, had my son in July of 2022, was racing in March of 2023. Not super well, but what was there, um, really starting like at the bottom because what happened for pregnancy clauses was there wasn't one and then they created one in January of 2023 when it started in January of 2023. So my ranking that I'd left like With Tokyo, like what I'd done up till Tokyo and in that season in 2021 was basically just like, nope, like, like you're, you're at the bottom. So I had to start getting with world triathlon, and I know we were going to talk about this because it's a bit different than like long course. Um, so we're world triathlon racing. You need to collect points to get to the races and even be considered for the Olympics. And even within like your country, you have to be in like the top 5 to get a spot on on the, on the start list. So if it's a full start list, if it's not a full start list, there's all these like nuances to it. But anyways, generally speaking, I had to get my ranking up, so I had to start from the bottom. So Paris was a goal, and I actually got pretty close, but I didn't, didn't end up, um, qualifying as alternate. And so it was different from being from like a different perspective, and the goal really like I mean, I was actually home because they gave us the option of being in Paris or just staying at home and being pretty much on call if like anything happened with the athletes. And I chose to stay here and be on call, a lot of it because of like Kimball and training and just in general. So I was cheering from here and trying to do my best to support the athletes. And I think it was interesting because There's a lot of things with the Olympics that are nor— like, um, like the media will hype things up in a not so positive way leading into the Olympics, and it happens every single, like, every single lead-up. So like, for us, obviously, for the Paris Olympics, it was the river. And I think that's a hard thing because there's a lot of like the reality of the world right now is if you're in a city and in the middle of a city, like it's really hard to find like super clean water. So it's a challenge and I don't know, I still don't know what the best thing to do is. But obviously for them, for the athletes there, that was the biggest like kind of like we like figuring out. And for the US athletes in particular, I mean, it's So for the US athletes in particular, I think they all like didn't have their best, finest day in the individual races. However, the relay was incredible to see because I also think like, wow, that was quite the rebound of like putting themselves all back together. And the mixed relay is such an exciting race and so like so cool to be a part of. So to have like a 3-way sprint at the, at the end with the ladies was just like cool to see from the outside. But, um, it's so fun, like, watching all the people who, like, I've come to know over the years. Like, I didn't, didn't really have a problem not being there. It was just like watching and cheering from, from a distance.

So that's so cool. So we've mentioned ITU and mixed relay, and we haven't mentioned SuperTri yet, but, um, So kind of, so most of the athletes around here, and side note, you are in Cary, North Carolina. We're also based in Cary, North Carolina. So it's so cool to see like on your Instagram feed, I'm like, oh, she's at Bond Park right now. Like, that's so cool. You know, like right around the corner. Um, but so many of our athletes know triathlon as say Ironman 70.3 or Ironman or sprint triathlon. There is, you know, some knowledge of Olympic distance triathlon, but what you are talking about is very different. So walk us through what— I know you mentioned points, but like, what is ITU style racing? What is mixed relay? Cuz that is my new favorite race. Mm-hmm. But every time I say it, people are like, I don't know what you're talking about. So I don't know if it doesn't have like a sexy enough name. Um, and then let's touch on SuperTri cuz I'm kind of excited to talk about that.

So, okay, perfect. Uh, so world triathlon, the racing style I, I've done primarily is draft legal world triathlon. SuperTri is also draft legal, um, completely different than World Triathlon. So it's like a little bit confusing. So I'll start with just World Triathlon racing. And World Triathlon racing is basically the pathway to the Olympics. So, um, you have like, yeah, you have to get points to get on the start list. It is, it's different obviously from like non-draft in the sense that you're able to— so swim, pretty much similar, like you're all starting off together. Um, our start Well, our start list can basically be like 55 to 75, I think, for the, for the start. And everybody goes off together. The difference is once you get to transition and going onto the bike, you can ride in bike packs. So you can draft, you can be tactical. All of our courses are really technical. So, um, well, I guess they all vary in tech, like the technical aspect of it, but it'll be like for a 40K bike, which, which is about 22 miles. It'll be, um, like 8 to 10 laps. So yeah, short circuits, lots of corners. Um, and then when we get off like the bike for transition, it's onto the run. If it's a 10K, it's 4 laps typically. And so that's like our standard way of racing. And, um, by getting— by doing well in races, you climb the rankings. There's basically 3 different levels of racing in world triathlon. So like the, um, like entry level would be Continental Cup, America's Cup, or European Cups. You get to the secondary level, it's World Cup, and then the top level is World Triathlon Championship Series. So that's like the rankings you're like aiming to be at, um, as an athlete and the highest, the highest level. So when you get, when you have a world champion, it's coming from that World Triathlon Championship Series ranking and that like grand final, um, aspect. And we don't only race Olympic distance, that's the, that's the distance that's in the Olympics. We also race sprints, we also race super sprints with World Triathlon now. Um, and we also race the mixed team relay, which you have mentioned a little bit. And it is relatively new in the sense that actually Tokyo was the first time it's ever been in the Olympics. So I think that's like part of it is that just like it's just new. It's new.

Yeah.

And the secondary part is there's like no exposure in the US to world triathlon racing unless you like really are looking for it. Because unfortunately, like right now it's not like broadcasted, um, to a wide range of audiences. You really have to like, uh, I can't even, I've said it so many times for interviews and I can't even remember this. It's embarrassing. Um, like The— hold on, I'm gonna make a shout out. Yeah, Tommy, what do you watch it on? Yes, triathlonlive.tv. Okay, triathlonlive.tv. Cool.

Tommy to the rescue!

That's how easy it is to see our sport. Um, so like, for the mixed relay, it's incredible because So I'm trying to— so for Tokyo, it was— so it's 2 men and 2 women on a team, and we all do a mini triathlon, then tag off, like literally high-five each other.

Yeah.

So for like when I did it in Tokyo, the pattern was female, male, female, male, and you're doing the whole race, right?

This isn't like swim, tag out, bike, tag, you know, you're doing the whole thing and then tagging out to the next person.

Exactly. So you do a 3— about a 300-meter swim, 7K bike, and about a 2K run. And those distances can vary like slightly. And then tag off to the next person. For Paris, and I think beyond, um, I think for this year they're doing the same. It's going to start out male, female, male, female— or not start out, but start out with a men and end with a woman. So I love it because like it's so unpredictable and you have to have like 4 like very strong athletes. And if something goes wrong, it's really— it really is impactful. And that like happens for us in like Basically, the shorter the distances or like repeat distances, the bigger the impact of like blunders or things that go wrong. And so, um, like for Paris, with the— I think one of the athletes crashed for the French team who was probably one of the— well, not probably, like a medal favorite for sure. Yeah. Um, and they ended up getting 4th, which actually ended up like, to me, getting— for them, after what they'd kind of gone through, I was like, well, 4th seems like very good, but obviously not home.

And then I think the course was wet, wasn't it, that day?

Yeah. And also for like the, um, women's individual too, it was wet. I don't— can't remember for the men's it was wet, but, but yeah. So that's really— that's the style that I do. That's the style I like really love, and I really hope to grow in, in our area, in our country. But it's hard because like Like I was saying, if you want to watch it, it's not super easy to find it. But also, if you want to race it, it's not super easy. There's just very few races in, in our country, or even in, um, like the Americas. So, um, it's, it's something that is the biggest thing I hope changes over the next few years, is just like having more races.

So if anyone listening wants to hold a race, well Funny you should say that cuz we do have a racing company. So, and that is one of my goals is to get that style because it's also family friendly. You know, I mean, obviously you, you have like your, uh, high-level athletes. That's a little bit of a different category. And then there's, you know, the rest of us who are like, I wanna try this and I can handle like swimming back and forth a couple of times. And you know, riding, I've heard it called the parking lot triathlon, uh, which I don't know if that's nice or not, but like That's my jam. Like, I love to go fast and then be done and go home for lunch.

So SuperTri is definitely your, your style because that literally happens. Like, yes, the Malibu Triathlon that had, um, SuperTri Malibu that we've done in the past, and we're thinking about everyone in the fires of Malibu right now and sending out lots of love to them.

Yeah, yeah.

Um, That one's all done in the parking lot. Like, oh my gosh, the parking lot. Um, and so like for, for those races, it's even, even shorter than like the mixed relay. It's the closest I would say to a mixed relay distance for each, like the individual athlete, what an individual athlete is doing in the mixed relay is really similar to SuperTri, but SuperTri, yeah, it's a It's a really, really cool format and just like series in general. And I know they're like trying to get in more into the US and it's just, it's so unforgiving. Um, that like style. So like SuperTri as a, well, I don't, I don't even know if I can explain it that well, but it, it has a bit more to it than a traditional triathlon in the sense that like the formats are different. There's like ways to earn like shortcuts, we call 'em short shoots in within the race. It's kind of changed a little bit over the years, so I'm not exactly sure how like this coming, like 2025's format will be. But in the past we've like, in the past couple years we've been racing more as a team and like you can get like discipline points for like fastest, fastest swim, fastest bike, fastest run. And that's kind of what earns you the short shoot or earns your team a short shoot that can then go to an athlete. There's a bit more like Like, it's almost like gamified in a way. Gamified. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, it is. And, and so like the formats that they've done in the past are kind of like Enduro, Eliminator. Um, and so like the Enduro was my favorite and it's like swim, bike, run, swim, bike, run, swim, bike, run. There's no breaks in between. You just go straight from running back to the swim. So it's like you carry your goggles, like after you get out of those first two swims, you're like carrying your goggles and you're like swimsuit still and putting it on as you're like running. Because you're transitioning this time from like the run back into the water again. So like, it really, I love this format because I think it really finds the best triathlete in the, in the race because yeah, there's no room for error. There's no room for weaknesses. You have to be good at swimming, biking, running, and your transitions too. Because even as, even though it is draft legal, because of all the moving pieces to it, it starts to like. There's not so many like big groups that just you start together, you stay together. Like it really breaks that apart and breaks it down. So yeah, I love it. Also don't love it on a bad day, but I— yeah, I bet I'm, I'm a big fan of it. And like you, like we were initially talking about, is like it's all done in such a small like space and area. And I think that's really exciting for what, like how it can be repeated in other places and done because the amount, like, I think logistically, I, I don't know, but I'm sure you know for putting on many races, it's logistically challenging.

Yeah.

To put on a big race or to put on really any race at all just because of like shutting down roads, finding the like water, like, yeah. And putting all the moving pieces together. So at least in my head, this one, this one is a little more manageable in a lot of ways.

Yeah. Yeah. That I saw the, uh, SuperTri, I saw the, um, London race.

Where you were third.

And, um, that look— it just looks brutal.

Well, it's not even nice. It's not like, oh, like bringing in like professional athletes to like nice clean paved like roads. Like, it's like chunks of roads are missing in London. You're like, like, it really— I mean, to admit as an athlete, you're kind of like, well, I wish this was a little more like flowy and nice. But it does— it just shows that like you really don't need the ideal scenario to like have a good race, have an exciting race. And, um, yeah, again, that one's done in like Canary Wharf, which is like pretty populated in, in London, but the amount of like imprint it puts on like the city is like so minimal.

Yeah, yeah, fascinating. Well, one of the thing, as we're talking about racing, it's making me think of how I've seen you race so many times, and what sticks out to me is that you probably have some of the best sportsmanship I've ever seen and embody positivity and are just so gracious. Um, what, what do you think has really shaped that? Like, do you feel that way, or is there something that's happened in your journey that has made, like, you just look to be so thankful to be out there racing. And I think sometimes people are just like, oh, I placed second, like, woe is me, I'm terrible. And that's not to say anything badly about those folks, but I, it just seems like you're just so joyful when you're out there. And I, uh, I honor that about you. So how do you think we all can embody what you are really, what you have really embodied with sportsmanship and positivity.

Well, thank you very much. That's a really big compliment. I think, like, I mean, obviously, like, a lot has been shaped by, like, my parents. And I think, like, the coaches that I've had also, like, having a bigger focus on, like, trying to get the most out of myself, but not ever making it, like, my self-worth or um, like have any impact on like my day or like the value of me as like a human. And I feel like in the— I've always kind of felt that way. Like I was— I guess my general like theme of like sport and life for me has always been like trying to get better but never really having like a ceiling of like expectations in a way. Yeah. And I think that's benefited me in, in like, one, like being able to achieve a lot, and then two, never really feeling like, like I feel like I haven't met my goals, but it'll be like, it's not like, well, I haven't met my, my goals forever. It's like I didn't meet my goals today. And I think that helps with like not being, I mean, I've been disappointed, I've been sad, I've cried after races, like don't get me wrong.

Yeah.

But I think it's just always thinking like there's another opportunity to be better. There's another opportunity to execute in a more, in a way that is cleaner, I suppose. And I guess like the other side of that is like with my competitors or like people who I'm racing against, I would say I'm really competitive. I'm probably more competitive with like Tommy than I am with anyone like on the race course in the sense of like training-wise. I'm like, like, I'm always like, wow, the thing to make me get the most out of myself is like put me in a group ride or put me with Tommy. And I'm like, for sure gonna like try to try, I'll, I'll get to the point of like pretty, pretty dang tired. But I think with, there was a shift, right? Like when I first started triathlon, because, because I don't think I ever like planned to be a professional and kind of like fell into it in a way, like for when I was racing at Division 1, like it was the highest level I knew at the time. And I was just again, like incrementally trying to get better and trying to learn what I was doing and how to be, be a better like athlete. And then when I got to triathlon, it was new again and I was trying to learn the sport. And then when it got to like a shift in that, the main thing I felt when I first was standing on the start lines, it's just like, oh man, like I'm like, they're so much better than me. Like, they're like— I put them— I put the other athletes, especially at the highest level when I was so new to it, like kind of on a pedestal of like them versus like me. Not in a competitive way, but just in like kind of an isolating way. And after, I don't really know what the like shift was, but then I started just being kind and trying to make friends. And then racing became a lot more enjoyable because I was like trying to get the most out of myself, but racing with people I like enjoyed. I like, I mean, there was, there's so many good memories from training and racing, but like one that just sticks out in this is like, I was super nervous before Tokyo and I'd had like really like, like usually I'm a pretty strong swimmer. I had like pretty bad swim swims leading into the race in Tokyo for my like two, the only two races I'd done in like 2021 before that. And I was, we were warming up and I was with Jess Learmonth and Summer Rappaport and, uh, I think Georgia Taylor-Brown. And we were just, we're like, so two of them are British athletes and then me and Summer Americans. And we were just doing starts together, like literally warm up for the race and like It was working out perfectly. We were like getting on each other's feet, like doing the acceleration. And then in the race, like, I think that like calm, like having done that with them had like a calm me a bit to the point where in the race, like the gun went off, dove in the water and I was straight on feet, like Jess's feet, or I, I think it was Jess's feet. And it was so easy, like it was so easy and smooth to the point where I was like, I remember thinking, there must be like another pack to the left of us. Like, there's no way this has been this clean and this well, like, executed. But it was. And then like in the race, it's like, no, I don't know. It's, it's, they don't have to be like Americans for me to feel like teammates in a race. And when it comes to the run, like I'm trying to, like, obviously you're trying to beat everybody and on the bike I'm trying to like drop everyone. Like, it's not like a passive mindset. It's very engaged and competitive, but I think just like The overall enjoyment of like being with people, knowing like if I'm working with other athletes on the course, like that's only gonna benefit like me and whoever, like who I'm working well with. Maybe not everyone on the course, but like, like this, uh, at least a small group. And it, I think those are the things you're gonna remember, right? Like I'm not gonna remember my places for very long. People forget like what I've achieved. Like, people will forget what I've achieved. The athletes I'm like recruiting have no idea what I've done like right now from my job that shifted. Like, and I think I've always like known that wasn't the most important. And so like my, like, I think for like your question that I rambled on about again, sorry, um, it's just like what to tell other people. And it's really like, focus on the process. Have like, don't, don't focus on the outcome. That's uncontrollable. You can't control how some, what someone else's day is like. I can't control, like, I mean, I guess you can control if you crash, but like, there's things that happen in races that are unpredictable, like, prior to it. And I, the thing I love about triathlon is it's so multifaceted that it's really Um, you must be having a terrible day for it to have gone like nothing can be identified as something good.

Yeah.

And on the other side, like it would have to be a stellar day to just look at it and be like, gosh, I crushed it. Like there's some races I've won and I've been like, nah, like, like not that I got lucky, but it's like, well, that really could have gone a completely different way. Like, yeah.

Yeah.

Um, And so I think just focusing on the process, bringing in your friends and family. I used to be like, oh, I don't wanna see my family before races. I don't wanna engage with like, like don't, don't come to the hotel before I race. Like after the race, great. And then it like, thankfully it shifted. And especially now when I think of like my dad and passing, like I'm so glad that mindset shifted cuz my dad passed away really unexpectedly, very early. Like he's, 60. And so like the fact that I had like 2018, 2019, even in 2020 we ended up staying with my mom and dad all through COVID, like all that extra time with him because I wasn't so focused or so serious about triathlon that I missed life and I missed time with him or like with anybody really. So I think that's like, yeah, that's my biggest Takeaway.

Yeah, that's really cool. So you mentioned, and, and you are now retired officially, right?

Yes.

Is that weird to say?

Uh, yes and no. Like, really, I felt ready, and it's like a huge reason I retired was at one point I thought, well, I'd be pretty good at long course. I still think I'd be pretty good at long course, but I'm like, I don't have any goals, and until I have goals again, um, I'm ready for a shift. And then obviously I'm still very involved and went straight from retirement right into like a new, new project and a new thing with coaching and starting a team here and using like my experiences from specifically world triathlon.

So, um, obviously tell us about that. Like what, how are you involved? What's the name of the company? Like who are you recruiting? Let's tell us the things.

Yeah, so it's a USA Triathlon program called OXO Collective. It's new, it's starting, it's based here in Cary, but with the partnership of the US Performance Center in Charlotte. And so we have resources through that there. Um, so like there's the Olympic and Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, and while I would say it's not exactly like that, like we'll be like off campus but having like resources like that. So sports med, strength and conditioning, um, nutrition services, mental, um, like sports psychology services. So it's really, really cool for the athletes. And like a huge part of why this program evolved is a lot based off of like my experiences. So when I got recruited for the collegiate recruitment program, like they brought me into a daily training environment right away where I had a coach. I was with other athletes who were also part of the collegiate recruitment program, really like learning the sport. And I thought that accelerated my growth in track, like world triathlon racing. Increasing so fast because of just having that, like, it's development because we're obviously new and learning a ton of things, but it's at like a high level in an environment that's like, have like really supported. And I always felt so grateful for that. And over the years it's kind of like fluctuated with USA Triathlon, like doing that. Um, but in the past couple years it has become less centralized so that more so they're still recruiting. And actually Tommy's in charge of it. He's the talent ID assistant manager. And so— or development manager. Sorry, I get his title wrong all the time. But so he's actually recruiting the athletes. And then we don't necessarily need to say like, hey, like you need to be here, but it's another option for athletes to be at. And so basically they come to Cary. I'm, I'm coaching, we have an assistant coach, Tommy's like, he has his like USA Triathlon job with like recruiting and with development, but he's also going to be heavily tied with the program. And then we'll work with the strength and conditioning plus the US Performance Center. So it's like a really good opportunity for athletes to be really facilitated in learning. And like our goal is for all these athletes to like graduate from the program. So the idea is not to coach them for decades, it's more to be like, like 2 to 4 years or some— somewhere in that window. And when they start becoming like money-earning professionals, it's like, okay, you're probably like ready to move on. And yeah, I think, um, and so like it's a multifaceted kind of program in the sense that we're working on like developing it here, bringing in the athletes here, helping them grow, but then also like helping facilitate that transition to another another group, another area. And like, so like I said, it's all based off like my experience in the daily training environment with the collegiate recruitment program. But also that's how Joel Filio, my coach, has run. And I just think being in person with your coach for like majority of the year is so beneficial because like, I don't know, do you do online coaching as well?

We do online and group coaching. So in, in person at TAC. Actually, yeah, I knew you did. It's so meaningful and I'm, I'm so glad you're saying this. I didn't prompt her to say any of this, but I, even on a, uh, I mean, I, gosh, I, I don't even know if I would call us amateur, like apologies to all the, our athletes who are listening, but like we do this for fun. You know, we're, we're, we're not paid to do it, but we want it to be an opportunity where you learn how to swim, bike, and run and do it better so that you feel more confident and can take these and, you know, strength train and your mobility and your nutrition and your sports psychology so that you can embrace these tools and bring them throughout a lifetime of being active and creating that community, like making friends. Like, like you had mentioned, you know, like, hey, I started to make some friends on and it made it so much more enjoyable.

And like for like in-person versus not in-person, like obviously like not very many people can pick up their lives and come to be in person with a big training environment. But like the amount of like mental load it takes off and like logistical like energy that you put in as like an individual when you're just trying to control like your, your schedule and your life. And like for me as a, I'm like as a mom, my life completely changed from when I was in the daily training environment and I had to relearn or try to relearn. I don't even think I can say I successfully did it by the end, by like retiring, but like how to create successful systems with my new life. And it's funny because Carrie, obviously, I think is like the perfect place for daily trading environment, hence why we're bringing it in here, because it has everything you need and all the resources and more. But like, as me as an individual, I struggled without having my team and my coach here because it was doing— facilitating everything on my own and being a mom and like I'm the type of person who like really thrives on like someone being like, okay, you're gonna swim at 8:00 AM, you're gonna ride your bike at 11:00, you're gonna go run in the afternoon. And having like other people, I like love having other people to like meet up with. And like you said, the social aspect of just having other people do the same thing. 'Cause people are like, I think one of the common misconceptions of like an elite athlete or professional athlete is like, you're motivated 100% of the time. And I'm like, no, no, no. Like, I struggle as much as any person of like not wanting to get out the door. But when you have people to hold you accountable and like a team or a schedule, like it really takes that load off. But so that those days that are probably the worst, you're not just sitting home being like, doo doo doo doo doo, when am I going to go out? You're like, okay, we're meeting at this time.

So yeah, yeah, that's really cool. So you're saying you're human too?

I am human. How about that?

So what would you— what do you want your legacy to be as either a professional athlete or a coach or a mom or a wife? Or what does that— I know that's kind of like a massive question.

It's a massive question, especially when you're like, as a mom and a wife too.

And let's see. So Kimball's 2, right?

Yep, 2 and a half.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Um, I think it's really exactly what you were mentioning before, and like, I really appreciate that. It seems like maybe my legacy is heading that way of just being someone who brings something to other people while doing— while chasing my own goals. And, um, like, as a coach, like, I really just want athletes to achieve similar things to me in a similar way, in the sense of knowing they're valuable as a human outside of racing, and not— and knowing that we're really just trying to help foster them being the best version of themselves, like, on the field and off the field of play. So I think that's probably the biggest thing. And just as a mom and a wife, it's probably not that much different. I'm just like trying to be the best version of myself every day and knowing that like one bad day doesn't really take away from that, but always like living in gratitude and yeah, just working towards being better.

That's amazing. That's beautiful. Katie, any last, uh, tips for folks, or any last shoutouts or things that you want to mention?

I think my biggest tip is to, like, use an explorative mindset for racing. I think so many people think, like, races determine, like, success or fail, like a test. And I just feel like when you open it up to, like, I always use the phrase like, let's see what I can do versus like, I have to do this. And I feel like when you open it up to like, let's see what I can do in a race, it opens it up to like so many more possibilities without the pressure of like, I need to get age group podium, or I'm like, not like this is like a bad race because I think races shouldn't be really defined by the outcome. They should be defined by like those other goals that you have. Within the race. So like those 10 or whatever, how many, what you wanna write out before the race. So I think that's like a big, like the big piece of it. And also like never like undervalue consistency because that's probably the most important, like consistency, keeping things simple. Um, as, as like a professional, those are probably the biggest things that my coach like really, like, I don't even, I wouldn't even say he harped on, but he made possible with my training and also like my development. It was just about like consistently putting in the work. Like nothing was overvalued, nothing. I mean, I don't know, maybe things were undervalued actually, but like nothing, nothing, no huge emphasis was put on like any one thing, one race, anything. So it was just like kind of just working towards the, the bigger goals. Day in and day out.

Yeah, that is so cool. And where can people find your sort of— was it Auxo?

Auxo. Yeah.

And spell it for us because that's what I'm struggling with. It's not OXO like the spoon company or like—

Oh, yeah, yeah. It's A-U-X-O. It's Greek and it means growth. And so that was the big reason that it came about. I can't actually take credit for the name. It was our high performance general manager. He came up with it. Um, but I loved it because like the whole emphasis on our group is just like growing as an, growing as an athlete and human and setting them up with like the skills to do that. And so we are based in Cary. Um, there's, there's like the press release that has a little bit more on the group and the time standards. And we do have an Instagram that I am, um, not thriving on putting content up at the time, but we, our official like launch of having the group in person is more in the May timeframe. Like right now we're just kind of like, um, a few athletes are here, but a lot, like a few more are going to move.

Yeah.

In like the May, June timeframe.

So, cause you're, you're targeting like 18 to 25, right? Yes.

Yeah. And like right now the, the athletes who are part of the group are more in the 20 to 23 age range. And that's probably like the sweet spot with like some of the outliers, like younger and older. So, um, yeah, that's, that's kind of our group.

I love it.

Awesome.

Well, Katie, it has been an honor to have you on. Thank you so much for sharing your experiences and your tips and your wisdom. And, um, hopefully we'll be doing some local, uh, races now with, you know, planting the seed on like mixed relay and some cool stuff. Um, so yeah, thanks again, Katie, and thanks everybody else for listening.

Oh my gosh, I would love that for the Racewise. And yes, we will definitely stay in contact and thank you for having me.

Awesome. Thanks for listening to the Find Your Edge podcast. If you like what you heard, don't forget to subscribe on your favorite podcast platform so you never miss an episode. And if you're interested in learning more about our endurance coaching, sports and wellness nutrition, metabolic and sweat testing, triathlon training team, or our triathlon training library, be sure to check us out at theenduranceedge.com. And don't forget to follow us on social media at The Endurance Edge. Thanks again. And we'll catch you next time.