At 13 years old, Katie became interested in increasing her fitness level and living an overall healthy lifestyle. This decision led her to become a runner, and her running community encouraged her to start training for triathlons. The rest is history, as the saying goes.
Katie Trains for Her First Mini Marathon with YMCA Running Group
In 2017 Katie ran her first 5k at 14 years old, and the next year she joined the Y’s Mini Marathon running group to train for her first half marathon.
Her mom, Julie Dolen, says, “The Y's Mini Marathon running group was full of amazing people that really watched out for Katie and never left her to run alone—which greatly calmed this mom's nerves as she was only 15 years old at the time. I was always more than willing to provide hydration stops for the runners on their longer runs!”
YMCA Advanced Swim Lessons Get Katie Triathlon Ready
After completing her first half marathon, Katie added cycling and swimming to her training schedule with a goal to complete her first 70.3 Ironman when she turned 18 (the minimum age to compete). This is when she enlisted the help of Irsay Family YMCA Advanced Swim Coach Tom Addington.
Katie was already swimming at the Y 2-3 times per week, but she wanted a swim coach to help increase her endurance and speed.
“Coach Addington is an experienced swim coach who has worked with triathletes in the past. He definitely helped Katie increase her speed and get ready for the race!” Katie’s mom said.
Katie’s race was originally slated for December but was rescheduled to April 18th, 2021 due to COVID restrictions. These extra few months gave Katie and Tom even more time to get ready for the big event, and her early morning swim training sessions before class really paid off!
“Katie has been a great person to coach,” Tom said, “because she is coachable and asks questions. We started off with working on her stroke technique, then progressed to the training phase. I was really excited about her results from the 70.3 race and can’t wait to see her cross the finish line in the full Ironman.”
Train and Recover at the YMCA
Not only has Katie had great success training for her races at the Y, but she is also able to recover at the same location! Her sports doctor and physical therapist both practice at Franciscan Health Sports and Medicine located in the same building as Irsay Family YMCA at CityWay!
We are proud of Katie’s accomplishments and are grateful to be a part of her training and healthy lifestyle. If Katie’s story inspires you and you’re interested in mini-marathon training or advanced swim lessons to focus on stroke technique, endurance training, or triathlon training, sign up online at INDYMCA.org.
