1/16/2011

Pro-Triathlete Profile: Kathy Rakel


This week we introduce you to one of our professional women triathletes, USAF 1LT Kathy Rakel! Hopefully some of you will have the chance to meet Kathy this year, because you will quickly find her enthusiasm for life, for triathlon, and for others to be contagious! We're proud to count Kathy among our ranks as she pursues might triathlon goals but also serves her country, full time, as an Air Force Officer.  
 
Name: Kathy Rakel
Nickname: Katch-A
Age: 26
Do you have a Twitter account where people can follow you? A blog? Yes!  Twitter (@kathyrakel), blog (www.kathyrakel.blogspot.com), and on Facebook

Do you have a significant other and kids? single and am patiently waiting to meet the right person
When did you get into triathlon and why? My first triathlon was the summer of 2005.  The challenge of the sport appealed to me.  However, I only began training competitively as a triathlete in the fall of 2007.  I am a former basketball player and golfer!  I also play ping-pongJ
Do you have a favorite race? I haven’t raced enough to have a favorite race!
What is your best race memory? My best race memory is becoming the first woman in the Air Force to win the Armed Forces Triathlon Championship (June 2010).  A close second would be completing Ironman Arizona (April 2007) in 11:46:42.  I was a relatively new triathlete and really had no clue what I was doing, but I loved the challenge and finished!
When you reach the point of the race where you have to dig down deep, what do use as personal motivation? I can’t think much when I’m truly digging deep in a race, so I use strategies my coach teaches me to deal with the pain.  If I am seeking motivation, winning is always a great motivator!
What is your favorite leg of a triathlon and why? Does the finish line count?  This is definitely my favorite part because it feels so rewarding! 
What is your favorite pre-race food? I intentionally don’t let myself have a favorite pre-race food because what if I can’t find it before the race?  But, my normal pre-race breakfast consists of a bagel, powerbar, and a banana.
What is your favorite post-race food? Cold Stone’s Birthday Cake Remix ice cream.  However, I substitute the rainbow sprinkles for cookie dough!
Besides triathlon, what do you do for fun? Triathlon IS my funJ  I also love just relaxing with my friends and family.
Why Team RWB and supporting the military? I love that Team RWB focuses on wounded veterans and endurance events.  In much the same way that I find the sport challenging and the finish line rewarding, I know wounded veterans would feel the same satisfaction, if not more!  They are the true heroes of our nation, and I want to help them in anyway possible! 

Significant Race History/Results:
- 2010 Armed Forces Triathlon Championship (1/23, 2:00:04, first female in the Air Force to claim this title)
- 2010 Ixtapa ITU Triathlon Pan American Cup (7/30, 2:02:52, top-American)
- 2010 Las Vegas Pumpkinman Triathlon (1/106, 2:25:46, new course record)
- 2009 Buffalo Springs Lake Half Ironman (1/25 W25-29, 5:04:23)
- 2008 Best of the US Amateur Triathlete Competition (9/41, 2:23:20)
- 2007 Ironman Arizona (2/23 W25-29, 11:46:42, did this race for fun as a relatively new triathlete, current record holder for the fastest Ironman ever by a female cadet at the US Air Force Academy)

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