2019 Member Spotlight – Kate Ahrens

How did you get involved in triathlons?

I had a boss in my early 20’s who realized I loved running and had been a high school swimmer. He suggested I would probably do well in triathlon to which I replied “but I don’t want to deal with a bike!”… within a year he had fully convinced me to give it a tri and now I love dealing with bikes!

What was your favorite triathlon moment?

On the second loop of the Ironman Mont Tremblant run I saw my mom at the turn around and she said “See you at the finish!” I think I’d been so afraid something would happen (so much CAN happen) but her saying that made me realize I would actually finish an Ironman. It was the best feeling.

What is the biggest mistake you’ve made in a triathlon?

I broke a toe 48 hours before my first 70.3. Because I was doing yard work. Without shoes on. In hindsight it wasn’t smart…. Then there was the time I forgot my water bottles and all of my nutrition 70.3 Ohio in 2018. Shout-out to Margaret Moral for saving me with a spare water bottle! Mistakes and overcoming challenges are one of my favorite parts of triathlon. When you are racing you generally know something will likely go wrong. To me life is all about how you handle situations when things don’t necessarily go according to plan.

What do you enjoy outside of triathlon?

I love hiking and being outdoors. I am definitely a mountains>oceans voter which is ironic because….

What do you do in your day job?

I am an active duty Coast Guard officer. My concentration is engineering and I currently get to travel all over the world seeing commercial vessels. It can create some challenges balancing my training but I’ve realized that this is a season of my life where long course triathlon has to take a backseat and I am having a blast focusing on running races and short course tris!

Any fun facts about yourself that you’d like to share?

I am from a very small and famous sports town—Cooperstown, NY. Though its famous for baseball (Go Nats!), it’s such a small area that people get to try a little of everything and there’s a lot of physical space to explore. I feel like my triathlon life is so connected to my roots there because I was really encouraged to try a lot of different activities. People even swim the length of the lake (9 miles) for fun!