#katestrong

June 2017. Kate, my friend Cindy’s daughter was hit by a car while she was fishing with her dad. I remember the phone call from Becca like it was yesterday. It is so hard to not be emotional as I type this and recall the details. I know it was the longest yet fastest I probably drove to get somewhere. I don’t know if I ever prayed as hard as I did that day and the following days after for this little girl. Kate is a spunky, cute as a button and adventurous 3 year old. She was fishing with her dad and had been going back and forth across the roadway with her dad from one side of a bridge to the other. The road was not a busy road at all and slightly narrow. A lot of speculation about bad parenting and why this and why that after the accident. There is a lot to the story that I don’t know. I wasn’t there, I arrived to the accident scene, spoke briefly to the PA State Trooper, found out that they had taken Kate by ambulance to the Meadville airport. So, I zoomed there, knowing that if Cindy hadn’t made it up there that someone would need to keep the other kids so they could be with Kate. They were life flighting her from there to Children's. There were good signs initially after she was put in the ambulance, she was fighting them and crying for mommy. Cindy had made it there by the time I made it. I ran out to the ambulance as I wanted to see Kate and hold Cindy and Becca...because I didn’t know how bad it was. I found out that JT had just walked to the other side of the road, heard a car, told Kate to stay where she was and just as the car crested the bridge, she stepped out in front of it, was hit and thrown some distance. She was hit on the left side of her body. Before they could put her in the chopper for her life flight, they had to intubate her because if her brain started to swell or her airway started to close, they wouldn't be able to do it in the chopper. I prayed and prayed and cried and cried. Things got worse before they got better. I went to Pittsburgh to visit and was not able to see her the first time because she had been intubated, and they un-intubated her to wean her off of the pain medications she was on. They didn’t know the extent of damages she might have, cognitive or otherwise. The days went on, we prayed. Little Kate became rather famous in the area, her story was well known, still is. I believe she is a miracle. I am not sure if she would be considered fully recovered, as I think she still attends some therapy's and appointments for follow ups, but the work that God has done in her, through her, it is simply amazing. I was able to go visit her again once she was in the rehab facility. She had a cast on her left leg, but at that point was trying to walk on it, she said my name while I was there. It took a little bit for her to start talking again, but it’s getting there. She is only 3, actually going to be 4 very soon. During the time that she was in the hospital when things were touch and go and so many uncertain things happening, we had a prayer service at the church for Kate. Miracles happened. EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. that there was a major milestone in her recovery, it is because she was being prayed for ALL OVER THE WORLD!!! People wore little pink bracelets that said #katestrong. Cindy painted a bunch of rocks and put them all over different places with instructions on what to do if they were found. If you are interested in her story, you can find it here: https://www.facebook.com/prayersforkate/

Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”

At Velosure we deal with all kinds of bike riders and this week we caught up with Kate Strong who won her age group at the Long-distance Triathlon World Championships. No biggie for an athlete who has dedicated half a life to sport but how about winning gold after just over a year from her first marathon. She has a great story that anyone with a day job trying to compete at an elite level will resonate with.

PB: Hi Kate. I know it’s really hard to fit into a couple of sentences who you are and what you do and what made you take up triathlon but can you try so I don’t have to.

KS: Hi Paul. Well, I took up triathlon in 2013 as I realised this had been a dream of mine for quite some time and today was the best day to start, so I did! In triathlon, I am 2014 World Champion for my age-group in long-distance triathlon (that’s 4km swim, 120km cycle and 30km run) and Australian AG National Champion for 2015 in Standard distance triathlon (1.5km swim, 40km cycle and 10km run). Who I am now: I am a coach and mentor to businesses in the food & fitness industries.

PB: So you’re Welsh but you’re an Aussie?

KS: I’m Welsh-born and Aussie trained. I’ve dual nationalities and choose to compete in green & gold for the time being.

PB: So at the time you won your World Championship you were working full time. We all know they don’t give those things away. What advice can you give to our readers about working and training? Is it more about quality than quantity or just getting in and doing the hours before and after work?

KS: I was working insane hours: I owned a guest house and restaurant and worked long hours seven days a week. I had many justified reasons not to train so setting a realistic timeframe and goals was foundational to my success. We are all guilty of over-promising and under-delivering and if we fall into this trap too often, we’ll burn out, fall ill and lose momentum. I also strongly recommend listening to your body and eat close to whole-foods. What this means is whilst training, if you feel flat and are under-performing; then stop. Take a break (for ½ hour/one day) and return refreshed. You’ll get a lot more out of the training session. Also avoid processed foods - eat as close to ’natural’ as possible. This reduces you overloading your body with toxins and working harder to get rid of this waste and also keep you in peak performance for training.

PB: Have you done any bike racing or are you a through and through die hard tri girl.

KS: I’d love to mix it up and complete a single-disciple competition! I adore triathlon and it will also ways stay close to my heart, but I also like other sports and competitions too. If you know a good bike competition for me to enter, I’ll be there!

PB: You mention that you’re a vegan. Was that a choice to help with triathlon?

KS: I am a vegan - though prefer to say I follow a “whole food plant-based” lifestyle. It was not a conscious decision to avoid animal products, I just found that by reducing and eventually eliminating my dairy and then meat consumption, I was training harder, quicker and stronger. Plus my recovery was quicker and I slept better, so it was a no-brainer for me to continue this lifestyle.

PB: So you’re back in Wales now-I won’t ask you to compare the weather but where’s the best place to ride.

KS: I love cycling along the south Welsh coast near Llantwit Major and Cowbridge. It’s about 30km from my home and loads of gorgeous windy British roads, stunning views and the compulsory fields of sheep!

PB: I hope you have a mountain bike and use it!

KS: I do own a mountain bike and went mountain biking in the French Alps over summer. I’ll be looking forward to discovering the Welsh hills in the New Year.

PB: That sounds like a great plan. Thanks for the chat and we look forward to following your progress in triathlon.