Wow! It was just about a year ago when I released the first episode to Kickin It With The KTrain. This is the 47th episode I’ve recorded and am super pumped for the year ahead. For those of you that follow me on social media I’m excited to reveal that tease I mentioned to you. So make sure you listen to the entire episode to get all the details. Here are all the links and discount codes to use. Eleven Labs http://elevenlabs.io/?from=partnercase295 Infinit Nutrition www.infinitnutrition.us Use code COON15 for 15% off. Synergy Wetsuits, www.synergywetsuits.com and be sure to use code kylecoon at check out. Visit www.bubbafoods.com to find where you can pick up a box of your favorite Bubba variety today. Please consider making a tax-deductible donation to help Zack and I offset the costs that arise with being Paralympic hopefuls at www.usatriathlon.org/kylecoon Thank you all for the support!

I first met Greg Billington in March 2021. Less than six months later Greg guided Brad Snyder to Paralympic Gold in the PTVI men’s race at the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo. I then got the pleasure of being guided in a half marathon by Greg in 2022 and serving on the USA Triathlon Athletes Advisory Council with him in 2023. As you’ll hear in the episode I’m quite ashamed that I hadn’t known very much about Greg prior to 2021, but I’m so glad that I’ve gotten to know Greg over the last few years. He’s not just a superb athlete, but an amazing person, guide and storyteller. His thoughts on his athletic career and life in general are ones we can all learn from. So sit back, and get ready to dive into learning a little more about Greg Billington!

There’s a power in quiet confidence. You won’t find this next guest blasting how good they are on social media, or strutting around wearing all the Gold Medals they’ve won. But when Kendall Gretsch speaks, trains, or races, you better pay attention because she’s one of the best champions you’ll ever come across. Kendall is a dual sport athlete and is one of only a handful of women to win gold medals at both the Summer and Winter Paralympic Games. She spends her late spring through early fall being a triathlete before transitioning over to Nordic skiing in the late fall to early spring. So I recommend grabbing a nice cup of hot coco, tea or coffee, sitting down next to a roaring fire and listening as Kendall shares her journey with us.

Mohamed Lahna is a two time Paralympian and the 2016 Bronze Medalist in the PTS2 Men’s Class of Paratriathlon. Mohamed grew up in Morocco and immigrated to the United States as an adult. I first met Mohamed at a talent identification camp at the Olympic and Paralympic Training Center when he was already a certified badass and I was a wet behind the ears pup. Mohamed is one of the most humble people I’ve ever met and it took some persuading to get him to share his story and brag on himself a bit. So sit back and enjoy as Mo and I talk about his story. We learn about what it was like growing up in Morocco, and some of the incredible adventures Mo has had the opportunity to be part of.

Today is Giving Tuesday, a day when we all pause to remember that giving back to our community whether through a financial gift/donation or through the giving of our time or talent matters much more to our community than anything else we can do. I personally have benefitted so much from organizations that are impacted by the generosity of people like you. Here are just a few of the organizations that have helped me on my journey.

USA Triathlon Foundation www.usatriathlon.org/kylecoon

The Seeing Eye: www.seeingeye.org

No Barriers: www.nobarriersusa.org

United In Stride: www.unitedinstride.com

Lighthouse Central Florida/Lighthouse Works: www.lighthousecfl.org

Tom Coghlin Jay Fund Foundation: www.tcjayfund.org

Challenged Athletes Foundation: www.challengedathletes.org

United States Association of Blind Athletes: www.usaba.org

Challenge Aspen: www.challengeaspen.org

Team See Possibilities: www.teamseepossibilities.com

Be My Eyes: www.bemyeyes.com

Dare to Tri: www.dare2tri.org

Remember, you don’t have to give money to give back to your community. Thank you for all of your support! Keep an eye on your vision!

I first visited the Seeing Eye in 2009 to be matched with my first guide dog. At that time I was just a teenager looking to get rid of my white cane, wanting to be accepted by my peers, and maybe gain a little more confidence and independence along the way. I didn’t just receive a guide dog when I went to The Seeing Eye, I continued my education on what it meant to stick to a values system, and continued refined ways of advocating for myself and others. But there was also so much more that I learned and am continuing to learn. In December, 2022, I was matched with my third Seeing Eye Dog and Hugh and I had the honor of representing the 18000th partnership in the history of the Seeing Eye. Sit back and enjoy as I chat with Dave Johnson, Director of Training and Instruction at the Seeing Eye about the history of this incredible organization and some of the philosophies behind why The Seeing Eye operates the way it does. Be sure to visit www.seeingeye.org to learn more and to donate to this life changing organization.

Meet Brad Snyder, my friendly rival, USA Paratriathlon and Paralympic Teammate, and friend. Brad and I came into elite Paratriathlon around the same time and have had some tightly fought battles out on the race course. Of course, Brad bested me in our last two contests and succeeded in bringing home the first ever men’s individual medal for Team USA at the Olympic or Paralympic Games in Triathlon. Sit back and enjoy as Brad shares his story, how he chose to go to the Naval Academy, how he lost his sight and found his way to being one of the greatest US Paralympians. We also chat about some of our memories racing against each other and that epic throw down we had in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin.

Time to introduce you to one of my other Tokyo 2020 Paralympic teammates. A guy who just like me came from more of a long distance triathlon background and just wanted to see what he could do at this short course stuff. Eric McElvenny is a U.S. Naval Academy graduate and served several years as a Marine Corps Officer before getting injured while on deployment in Afghanistan. Sit back and listen while Eric walks us through his journey. Be sure to visit his website at www.ericmcelvenny.com to learn more about the work Eric does as a professional speaker. And also, happy Veterans Day to all who have served and are serving!

Jack Chen grew up curious and as an inventor. He also pushed himself and never accepted that he would just be ordinary. After going totally blind by age 16 Jack went on to Harvard where he obtained undergraduate and graduate degrees in Computer Science. He then went on to work for start ups and found a passion for Patent Law which led him to get his Law Degree. I first heard about Jack when he and Dan Berlin were concocting this crazy plan to put together a team of blind and visually impaired cyclists to compete in Race Across America. I applied to be part of that team and got to know Jack and learned from him as well. Jack is now a friend and mentor and someone I can turn to if I need advice in any area of life. Be sure to pre-order Jack’s book Excelability at www.excelability.net/book and keep up-to-date with the release of the movie about our Race Across America adventure at www.surpassingsightmovie.com

It’s time to let you get to know the guy who was crazy enough to guide me at the 2020 Paralympic Games. My friend and mentor, Andy Potts. Andy has been an athlete for most of his life and has been competing internationally in some form or fashion for 30 years. Sit back and enjoy as we talk through Andy’s experiences as a swimmer and triathlete. Be sure to keep up-to-speed with Andy on Instagram and at his website www.andypottsracing.com