Admittedly, this has been a tougher than usual segment to complete. I have had a number of challenges in my own life that have distracted my attention. But I will not say they have prevented me from completing the post. In fact, one door closing opened another door of information and insight to help inform the post. The act of sitting down and writing has been put to the side – on more than one occasion, for long enough – so today I said to myself “just start”.

And here we are.

At the starting line of the third and final segment of this series, it’s only fitting that I share a special interview I had recently with a professional TRIathlete. This triathlete just happens to be my younger cousin, Sophie Chase.

Sophie has grit running through her veins – as you will read from our conversation – and it was always so impressive to see her crushing goals, and continually setting the bar higher and higher for herself as our family followed her throughout her career. Here is just a snippet of her pro career.

2019 New Plymouth ITU Triathlon World Cup, 9th
2018 Sarasota-Bradenton CAMTRI Sprint Triathlon American Cup and North American Championships gold medalist
2018 Surf City Escape Triathlon champion
2017 Puerto Lopez CAMTRI Triathlon American Championships gold medalist 
2017 Nautica Malibu Triathlon champion

Bear in mind, she ran for Stanford on a full ride, and was a Virginia state champion swimmer in high school – among many other accolades – so you can see why Team USA gave her a bike and an opportunity to complete the trifecta.

She is also a Stanford grad and a phenomenal writer as you will read. There are some powerful takeaways within these lines for all types of athletes looking to level up. I was amazed about how many of Angela Duckworth’s discoveries were reinforced through Sophie’s insights.

I hope you enjoy the interview as much as I did.

What were 2-3 keys to maintaining elite performance both at the collegiate and professional levels? 

Consistency, Adaptability and Sustainability 

Consistency 

I very much agree with you that “moving the needle” and building “brick by brick,” each day is an integral part of maintaining elite performance. It’s not about any one workout, drill or weight room session, but weeks stacked on months stacked on years of work. In the world of endurance sports, it’s tempting to be a “workout hero” and do “flashy” or insane workouts that you can post on Strava for the world to see. In reality success comes to those who do the work quietly without much fanfare, are greatly in tune with their bodies and show up on the start line fresh and dialed in. 

Adaptability 

In endurance sports, we constantly face changing dynamics both in training and on race day. We control what we can control – the effort we bring each day, our mindset, our recovery processes (sleep, nutrition, relaxation, etc.) – and respond to obstacles or changing dynamics we are faced with. As a collegiate and pro, I constantly had to adapt to a variety of different variables. Collegiate, and especially professional sport, requires a lot of time traveling, living out of a suitcase, dealing with many demands on your time, and training and racing in less than ideal circumstances. During the COVID lockdowns I even had to resort to swimming in a 50 degree lake since all the pools were closed! 

Sustainability 

The best athletes know when to turn it on and off and how to balance doing the hard work and recovering. My “guns-blazing” approach to training and the pro triathlete lifestyle led to early success, but I quickly became injured and burned out. Maintaining a long-term, process-oriented mindset is absolutely crucial if you want to have a long, healthy (both physically and mentally), athletic career. Extremely hard training without equally balanced rest may lead to success in the short-term, but eventually the body (and mind) will breakdown if we don’t respect it’s need for rest. When the body breaks down we can no longer be consistent. 

How did you maintain a positive attitude when you were sidelined by injuries? What role did your personal level of grit play in recovery?

I put up a physical list of my goals to continue to stay motivated, focused on my “controllables” (doing my rehab exercises, getting extra sleep, focusing on good nutrition), and spend time with people I care about and support me. Passion and perseverance certainly played a role in my recovery from several injuries. Throughout my career so far, I have had 4 stress fractures, multiple bouts of IT band syndrome and underwent hip surgery to repair my labrum in 2023. I also recently went through pregnancy with my daughter in 2024, which was extremely eye-opening and formative in how it tested me in all of these different arenas – my ability to adapt, remain consistent and maintain a sustainable approach to training I was doing. 

If we are merely externally motivated, obstacles like repeated injuries might be enough to cause us to give up. Internal motivation, namely my “why” for continuing had to be well-defined to help ride the waves of difficult times. For me, my faith always helped me remain steady during these time. James 1:2-4 states “consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” I think this perfectly encapsulates the mindset of an elite athlete. The best athletes understand that trials are an opportunity to grow from, become stronger both mentally and physically and produce greater resolve and maturity. 

Who was the grittiest athlete you competed against? Why do you rank them as such? How did you respond to competing against them?

Jackie Hering is a 41 year old professional triathlete and mom of two who is absolutely the grittiest woman and athlete I know. After 15+ years as a pro, she exudes a quiet confidence and maturity that only someone who has accomplished and gone through which she has would. She is a multi-time Ironman champion, 4 time Ironman World Championship finisher and finished #2 in the 2024 Ironman Pro Series Ranking (our version of a ranking system). Jackie has gone through literally everything and anything, and has always come out on the other side wiser, stronger and better than before. She is a master at listening to her body, understanding when a new stimulus is needed (a new coach, different approach to training, new environment, etc), and making the best of less-than-ideal circumstances. I have talked to her quite a lot since my pregnancy and soaking in all of her wisdom in how she came back from her pregnancies. I always responded to competing against Jackie with immense respect for how she carries herself and always looking to her as a model to learn from.   

What is your opinion on developing grit? Is it possible? Nature vs Nurture?

I think its a little of both. 

I think there is definitely an intangible “fire” that all elite athletes have innately, but it is something that needs to be developed, nurtured and directed. A fire without direction or management will completely burn down everything in its path. As a young pro, I was very much “mismanaged” and trained under coaches that didn’t necessarily have my long-term career and physical/mental health in mind. As a result my extreme zealousness for training and “killer-mindset” led me down a road of disordered eating, overtraining and mental health issues. The best coaches know that “grittiness” is developed just as much in the moments that we push athletes hard, as when we hold them back from themselves. 

What I have noticed among the many pro endurance athletes (runners, triathletes, swimmers, cyclists, etc) I have encountered over the years is the best of them have a well-defined “why” they get up and do what they do each day. Love and passion for the sport and all of its good-bad-and ugly is a commonly cited “why.” Many are also people of faith or have a “greater purpose” such as inspiring their children. Whatever that “why” is, it has to be powerful enough to get you through the darkest times, and also keep you humble during the successes. I think anyone can tap into that aspect of elite performance. I personally know many amateurs that have developed grit overtime because they have a “why” that transcends obstacles they may face. 

What advice would you give young athletes looking to go from local to the national and possibly international level?

Build a support team (coach, teammates, nutritionist, therapist, etc.) around you that genuinely care about your long term health (physical and mental), are willing to ask the tough questions and be with you through the peaks and valleys. 

Be patient with your development and stay focused on the process, rather than short-term outcomes. It’s tempting to take short cuts, especially in endurance sports. I have seen countless female endurance athletes get too lean, too quickly and compromise their long term health, in exchange for short term success. At first I ran super fast when I lost a lot of weight, but I paid the price with low bone density and a number of stress fractures in the years that followed. It’s not worth it.  

Stay humble and grateful. It’s natural and deserved to get excited when success comes. Remembering where you came from and being able to look back and reflect on all the hard work is what we should ultimately find satisfaction in. A humble, “chip-on-the-shoulder” mindset can be a powerful tool to continue pushing especially when we finally make it to the top of our sports.