Back Back

2x Olympic Triathlete Katie Zaferes on Adopting an Explorative Mindset

2x Olympic Triathlete Katie Zaferes on Adopting an Explorative Mindset
Subscribe | Apple | Spotify | Google

Episode Summary

Katie Zaferes, Olympic triathlete, talks about her rocky road to Tokyo--which included covid, crashes, and her father's sudden passing--and how she's adopted an "explorative mindset" for racing. According to Katie, it was the combination of the “try it and see what happens” attitude instilled in her from both of her parents, as well as her father’s sneaky plan to get her into triathlons, that contributed to her becoming one of the world’s best. As we talked about her current preparations for Tokyo just a few weeks away from the Olympics, we got insight into how she’s taken and applied the lessons she’s learned from the 2016 Rio Olympics. “I call it an explorative mindset for racing… ‘Let's see what I can do,’ rather than, ‘This is what I need to do.’” - Katie Zaferes

Show Notes

(2:34) Three different time zones and training in Spain…

(4:00) A truly international training team…

(6:09) Grocery stores, logistics, and technology…

(9:06) How has it been in Europe with Covid regulations?

(12:22) “It's also been really cool because in 2019, almost everyone on our team had been on the podium for the world triathlon series. And in 2018 Joel had four out of six of the overall podium spots with our squad. All three men were on the podium for the overall, and then I was on it for the women. So it's a really cool squad to be a part of.”

(14:24) When competitors push you to be great...

(16:36) A community of support during a challenging time…

(19:02) “So I was like, okay, I'll do this with you, only to find out years later that he might've had a little sneaky insight that maybe I would be good at triathlon. Cause at that time I was running track and swimming and he was thinking, oh, well this could go somewhere.” A dad’s influence and a start in the sport…

(23:44) “I call it an explorative mindset for racing… ‘Let's see what I can do,’ rather than, ‘This is what I need to do.’”

(26:54) The many lessons from Rio and the benefits of a sports psychologist..

(30:07) How tools in the toolbox made a difference on the bike…

(33:19) Taking ownership and communicating effectively…

(34:21) Crashes, training, and Tokyo…

(37:55) Navigating a rocky road…

References: 2019 Tokyo Qualifier Crash - Olympics.com Katie's Coach Joel Filliol - website Let Your Mind Run by Deena Kastor - Amazon

Guest: Katie Zaferes - website | Instagram | Facebook Katie's fav UCAN product: Cran Raz Energy

Hosts: Jon Rankin - gobemore.co | @chasejonrankin Bryan Green - maketheleapbook.com | @maketheleapbook

Learn More: UCAN - ucan.co | @genucan Your Personal Best Awaits

Back to Blog