Pint Size Powerhouse

Many of us wonder what our performance would be like if we started training years earlier. Katie June will not have to wonder, as she started triathlon at the tender age of 12. Not only did she start competing early, she has achieved more in a few short years than most triathletes will in a lifetime.

Katie started out by competing in, and winning, a few of the local youth triathlons. This inspired and motivated her to attempt her first sprint triathlon. When you meet Katie's parents, you will notice that they are not the overbearing or aggressive types that you often find at youth sporting events. In Katie's words…”My parents give up a lot so that I can race, and they're always supportive, no matter how a race goes. They put up with my training schedule, expenses, special food requests, and constant triathlon talk. Without their encouraging words and actions, I never could have gone anywhere with this sport.” Although very supportive of Katie, they are also very cautious not to put too much pressure on her. Katie does that well enough on her own! I was glad we were on the same page philosophically; at that age kids need to learn and have fun, and little more. Recognizing the potential in Katie, and with her parents' permission, we invited her to join Team Sport Factory as our most junior member.

Katie's mom, Whitney, also knew one of our coaches, Holly Marzetti, from the youth triathlon club. Holly is one of those coaches with a gift for working with children. She is an IronMan athlete as well as a physical education teacher on the elementary level and a perfect fit to coach Katie. Holly started taking Katie on rides, helping her with skill sets, and coaching her on a semi-informal basis. Under Holly's direction, Katie began to improve quickly-“Working with Holly has definitely been one of the biggest attributes to my success. Before I started working with her, I couldn't even get my water bottle out of the cage! She really helped me build confidence in my racing abilities, and she's given me so many pieces of advice to encourage me in the good and the bad times. Holly is enthusiastic and energetic, and she has taught me to lighten up a little bit and have fun. I am incredibly glad that I started working with her, because she has made me so much more confident and knowledgeable, and this has helped me be successful this season.”

At the start of the season, Katie was around 5 feet tall and maybe 90 pounds coming out of the water. While helping to fit her properly on her bike, I recommended she start thinking about something a bit lighter. Katie was on a recreational-level bike that weighed well over 20 pounds - almost 25% of her body weight. Fortunately, one of my athletes had a 650 tri bike for sale with a set of Zipps. Little did we know we were unleashing a pint-sized powerhouse.

Katie started off the season by winning her age group at the John Tanner Sprint, taking 7 minutes off of last year's time. Katie then went on to win her AG and place 6^th overall at the Rock N Roll sprint and Peachtree City Sprint triathlons. This started the “who is that kid on your team?” questions as she began to bruise some egos. Katie's climbing skill is her strength and she capitalized on it at the Hiawasee Tri; winning her first race. However, her best race of the season was the Emerald Pointe Sprint triathlon where she placed 4^th overall and had the 3^rd fastest run split of the day. Katie had learned to pace more effectively on the bike which allowed her to open it up coming out of transition 2. Holly had worked with her on staying aero, capitalizing on her climbing strength, and pushing a big gear on the descents as to not lose ground. She finished up on the heels of two of our elite team members, Kris Kester and Michelle Shoup, establishing herself as a force to be reckoned with in the sport of triathlon.

Katie joined her high school cross country team as a freshman this fall and quickly earned a top position on the team with a 5k PR of 18:52. What is next for her? “I'm looking forward to my first Olympic-distance triathlon next season. I've wanted to do an Olympic-distance race for some time now, but my parents haven't let me! My goal is to finish the race first of all, but hopefully place top 20… my goal is to get an All-American ranking. This will probably be the hardest goal to achieve because there are some very strong girls in my age group. My dream goal is to one day race as a pro and qualify for Kona. “ With the help of her coach, the support of her parents, and about 20 big sisters on Team Sport Factory, Katie will no doubt realize her goals.

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