Triple Knot

At age 18, Grace Norman made history winning gold at the first ever installment of the 2016 Paralympic Triathlon event. Twenty four hours later she was tearing up the track, winning bronze in the 400m (the longest track race offered for amputees). Meanwhile back home, she was already 3 weeks past the start of her first-year year of college.  In this episode we talk racing experiences, overcoming injury, the biomechanical and controversial aspects of being an amputee athlete, what it means to be a Paralympian, and the current challenges Grace is facing due to COIVD-19. Hear from Grace on how she's worked with what she has and learned to not take anything for granted while balancing life as an elite triathlete, NCAA runner, and oh did I mention she is also a nursing major.

Some compelling info on amputee runners:

Grace's Team USA bio:

Recruited to play softball at NCAA D3 Bethany College in West Virginia, Sammy Seymour was not finding the team camaraderie she expected. Now approaching graduation, hear how Sammy put herself out there and ended up on the Bethany cross country and track teams. This conversation touches on finding and creating a supportive team environment, managing backwards thinking and differences in point of view, and the many experiences of learning and growing in a new sport on a small team at a small school.

After winning a Footlocker national title her sophomore year of high school in 2012, injury and surgery to both feet would side-line Anna Rohrer. However, she made an epic return to win the New Balance Nationals 5k on the track and then redeem herself as a Footlocker champion in 2014.

Now, as she concludes five years of running for the University of Notre Dame where she earned an undergrad degree in neuroscience and is about to complete her master’s in business; Anna reflects on how this opportunity allowed her to become a better version of herself as one of the most accomplished and resilient runners nationally. In this episode, Anna speaks on transitioning to college, gaining perspective while battling injury, faith, gutsy racing tactics, favorite memories, and some visions for a future in which tenacity will see her through to her full potential.

As a collegiate runner some of Anna’s accomplishments include...

How do they do it? This is a question that Taylor Knibb and Kyleigh Spearing, two of the top triathletes in the world get asked a lot, but one they often ask themselves as well. Even more admirable than the on-paper accolades, is the gratitude, humility, and wisdom in which the Cornell University seniors impart as they reflect on challenges faced, experiences had, and lessons learned. For Taylor and Kyleigh, success has been a matter of establishing strong support systems, incorporating fun, and rolling with the punches. In addition to triathlon, the dynamic duo were key leaders in taking their cross country team to the 2019 NCAA D1 National Championships after what was an extremely uncertain start to their season. In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, their enlightened perspectives and open attitudes are guiding them through the abrupt end of their collegiate careers in the presence of an unpredictable future.

Background for the Non-Triathlete:

With no sponsor, no coach, no team, and no training partners, Gracie Griffith’s plan might be a little unorthodox, but the 21 year old Clemson University senior is quickly emerging as one of the top marathoners in the country. Heading into the U.S. Olympic Team Trials for the Marathon on Feb. 29, 2020, Gracie was ranked 500th but managed to handle the adverse conditions to place 95th in a PR of 2:43.36. So how does the double major, double minor, law school bound student do it? In her two years of marathon-ing Gracie has recovered from stress fractures, refined her training, and attempted to join the Clemson XC team as a senior all while keeping joy at the center of her craft.

Everyone loves a good comeback story, but in order to reach the glory of the comeback, you have to go through the painstaking process of writing the story. Pen in hand, Princeton sophomore and NCAA D1 runner, Page Lester, is recovering from her third bone injury in two years. Page’s first draft with injury was in high school when a labrum tear in her shoulder ultimately ended her competitive swimming and triathlon career for the time being. Ever since, it has been a constant revision process of learning what it will take to get her period back and improve her bone density so that she can stay healthy to realize her potential as a runner. In turning the next page, the 2x Footlocker finalist, Team USA triathlete, and 2018 NCAA D1 XC Championships competitor gets real about the mental challenges that come with injury.

Bone Health & Periods in Female Runners (2004 publication but most comprehensive I could find. We need to disseminate the research in this field to a more general audience, increase awareness, and extend medical knowledge!!)

USA Triathlon Junior Elite Program Information

2017 DyeStat Article on Page

*Correction: email is [email protected] (no "the")

In a detour from the normal interview format of my podcast, I share my story of over-training, binge eating disorder, and the mental health struggles I have faced during my journey as a runner, swimmer, and triathlete from high school to college. Join me for some stories and thoughts on breaking stigmas and breaking silence around mental illness in the running community.

“Fly fast and free, why not me?” This is the motto that Nicole Clermont, an NCAA Division 1 runner at Boston College, runs by and what has kept her going through the ups and downs of massive PRs, winning a national championship, racing for Team USA, volunteering for the Special Olympics of Costa Rica, stress fracture recovery, eating disorder recovery, anxiety, and perfectionism. Nicole openly discusses using practices like journaling, spirituality, relationship building, and meditation to rewire her brain so that she thinks differently about food and body image in a way that allows her to honor the strong, confident, badass runner she is. Through learning self care and self love, Nicole’s healing is the groundwork for her continued growth, allowing her to rediscover what it’s like to feel alive, liberated, and free. Nicole has learned that “my body is either what will make me limitless or give me limits and I have to respect it,” leaving the message that “my voice has so much power, your voice matters... if you are struggling, you are not alone, you can get help, and you can be a successful runner no matter what your body type is.”

For more information on the female athlete triad, eating disorders in athletes, and some resources for seeking help, you can check out the NEDA website here: https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/eating-disorders-athletes

Murder is the 3rd leading cause of death for Native American women and is a normalized part of growing up on a reservation, so for 18 year old Rosalie Fish of the Cowlitz and Muckleshoot tribes, running came from a place of healing. Rosalie uses her platform as a multiple time high school state champion in Washington, and now as a collegiate runner at Iowa Central Community College, to advocate for indigenous rights and to give a voice to those silenced by the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women epidemic (MMIW). Hear from Rosalie on topics such as how “racism against native Americans is ingrained in our athletic society”, respectful ally-ship, the importance of mentors and community connections, transitioning to collegiate running, and how her mindset shifted from running for a PR to running “so that [her] relatives would be seen”.