Allie Burdick is a multi-sport athlete that has competed in some pretty high-prestige events: both in the duathlon and the triathlon.
Allie Burdick, Post Tri
The Opening Question is a Loaded One
When talking to multi-sport athletes, I’m never sure which way to go with the opening question since there are different angles to come from in terms of favorite race distances.
On the running front, Allie is like many folks that I’ve talked to (both on the show and in person) that seems to enjoy the half marathon distance.
When it comes to triathlons, she’s most comfortable with the sprint distance. She’s yet to run an Iron Man distance, and doesn’t really have any plans to go that far, but she’s open to the idea of a half iron at some point.
She did mention a disdain for the 5k, whether she’s running a stand alone race or dealing with it at the end of a sprint triathlon.
Either way, racing that distance is no fun at all. And I couldn’t agree more!
Peer Pressure Wins Again
Allie started running somewhat seriously in her 20s, in part because of the encouragement of some of her friends.
After running a 5k, she realized she was on the fast side and started to really take the sport seriously.
(I’m assuming she ran said 5k because she was still new to running and didn’t know any better…)
Once she had a taste of racing, her competitive nature took over and she was hooked.
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A Triathlete That Fears Swimming?
Allie focused primarily on running for awhile, and triathlons weren’t really on her radar because she had a legitimate fear of swimming in open water.
When she was pregnant with twins, a friend (damn peer pressure!) suggested she set a goal of participating in a local sprint triathlon a few months after the boys were born, and she accepted the challenge even though she had some trepidation when it came to jumping in a lake and swimming a quarter mile.
Saying she was ill-prepared for her first tri is a bit of an understatement, but she managed to finish the race no worse for the wear.
And as with that first 5k she ran several years before, overcoming her issues with the swim fueled her competitiveness and she was hooked on the challenge of competing in multi-sport events.
Duathlon=No Swimming? Yes Please!
After getting into the multi-sport world, Allie learned about a multi-sport event that doesn’t require her to get in the water: the duathlon!
Once again, she was hooked on a new challenge and a new way to push herself athletically.
The duathlon also provided Allie with the opportunity of a lifetime: the chance to represent Team USA at the World Duathlon Championships.
The World Championships took place in Spain, and competing at that event with some of the best athletes in the world was intimidating and amazing all at the same time.
Allie talked about how cool it was to compete in the event, but the overall environment was incredible as well.
The fans, the flags, the languages–the whole thing sounds incredible and obviously is something she will remember for the rest of her life.
She ended up finishing the World Duathlon Championships Top 10 in her age group, and was the 3rd US woman. Not bad at all!
The Rock Says Allie Burdick is a Bad Ass!
A Runner at Heart
We spent a lot of time talking about the different multi-sport events that she’s competed in, but when I asked Allie if she had to pick only one discipline to compete in she didn’t hesitate to say that she identifies herself as a runner first and foremost.
As we were wrapping up our chat, I asked her to share something that really stands out to her from her running career.
The first thing that came to mind for Allie was running the NYC marathon in 2015, but not because it was a great race. In fact, it was a bad day for her, but she managed to talk herself out of having a pity party mid-race and finished in a good place and was proud of her effort for that day.
Allie Burdick
If you’d like to connect further with Allie, make sure you check out her website. Also, say hi to her on Twitter and/or Instagram!
As Always, I’d Love to Know What Stood Out to You From this Episode! Let Me Know Your Takeaway in the Comments Below!
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