Past Races

Catie Baldridge

Sterling, Alaska

I am a casual masters swimmer and triathlete. I am currently training for my second Lavaman. I grew up swimming on a club team and spent several years coaching that team after college. I swam at South Dakota State University in college. I would like to get more involved in coaching again because I enjoy helping people learn to swim. After Lavaman, I am considering a 70.3.

My Why
Swimming has always been part of my life. It’s the one thing that could calm me down and make my day better. But when I hurt my shoulder in college, I couldn’t do what I wanted to do anymore and I wasn’t happy. I began doing triathlons to enable me to swim without putting too much pressure on my shoulder. It gave me an outlet from everything else going on in my life. I’ve come and gone from the sport since graduating from college. But about a year ago, I realized just how much weight I had gained in the 10 years after college. I was still doing periodic workouts and races, but had no training plan or goal. I wasn’t happy, nor was I taking time for me, and we all need that. Swimming and learning more about biking, running, and triathlons puts me in a better mood and puts everything else going on in my life in perspective. That’s my why.