Athlete Race Recap: USA Triathlon Olympic Distance National Championship

On Saturday, September 14, 2024, Carolyn Classen raced at the USA Triathlon Olympic Distance National Championship in Atlantic City, New Jersey!

Five years ago, Carolyn reached out to me to inquire about the coaching services I offer.  In that initial email, she told me that her favorite distance of triathlon is the Olympic Distance and that she was “so excited” to have placed 21st in her age group at that year’s USA Triathlon Olympic Distance National Championship.  She told me some of her goals and that she was seeking a coach because she “needed someone to save her from herself.”  Carolyn is like many other athletes out there; one of the biggest jobs I have as an endurance coach is holding athletes back from doing too much too soon.

Let’s fast-forward five years.  Carolyn and I have been working together for all of these five years, and we’ve walked together through dozens of races, many life events, and thousands of workouts.  Earlier this summer, she had a massive life change when she took on a new job.  Right around that same time, she started to feel the niggle of an old injury.

To manage these things, we approached her training and goal-setting the same way we always have: By identifying what was realistic in terms of training frequency, intensity, and overall load.  In other words: We fit her training into her life; we did not try to fit her life into a training schedule.

In July, Carolyn had her best result at a Half-Distance Triathlon ever.  And on Saturday, Carolyn swam, biked, and ran her way to TENTH PLACE in her age group and to a spot on Team USA.  TENTH PLACE in her age group…in the entire country!  Getting a spot on the podium at USA Triathlon Nationals was a dream come true for Carolyn.

I wrote about Carolyn’s result at IRONMAN 70.3 Ohio in July, and in that Race Recap, I mentioned that I didn’t think that it was a coincidence that she had her best result ever at that time.  I feel the same about this past weekend’s result. 
Among other things, Carolyn trusts the process (including when I tell her something different from what she wants to hear), is incredibly consistent, and takes recovery very seriously.  All of this added to her 15 seasons of experience as a triathlete has led her to being able to unlock her potential and achieve some of her career-best performances this season.

Congratulations, Carolyn!

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