Past Races

Jacqueline Sanders

Cincinnati, Ohio

What is my "WHY"? The surface level response is that I enjoy competition and challenging myself. I was a division one athlete in college at a mid major school before deciding that I enjoyed running and made it my sport of choice as I entered adulthood. I suffered from multiple stress fractures after a few years running, some of which were likely due to inadequate fueling. I started doing triathlon to help protect my bones and found that the cross training, coupled with the right nutrition, suited my body very well and now I am three years into this sport. The deeper reason is that I believe my training is a window into my character and current state of mind. Am I willing to work hard for what I want? Am I willing to sacrifice for my goals? Am I able to set aside expectations and just "enjoy" a run or ride with my friends or am I getting too "results driven"? I have found that the answers that I find to these questions in training are found in other areas of my life, arguably the ones that are more important. I have found that as I grow as an athlete, and that does not necessarily mean faster, I also grow as a human being.