Waking up at 4am in Atlantic City, NJ, to drive to Bader field for a triathlon is not a typical Sunday morning for many. Senior Katherine Maloney and her dad left the Mariott Hotel that they had arrived at the night before, driving an hour to get to the transition area so Katherine could pick up her gear. Hitting bad traffic that Jersey is notoriously famous for, Katherine started to get jittery (biproducts of coffee in her system).
Luckily, she got there just in time, with the gear station closing at 6:30am. With adrenaline rushing through her system, she put on her gold cap and prepared for the first triathlon competition: swimming. She left the rest of her gear—sunglasses, helmet, road bike—on the rack from the night before, sneakers, socks and towel to dry her feet from getting out of the water. The competition started in the salty, foggy water. In her wetsuit, and swim cap, she secured her goggles, preparing for the race. At 6:40am, a loud boom—the race had begun.
On September 14th, two-sport athlete Katherine Maloney participated in the 2024 USA Triathlon Olympic and Sprint Distance National Championship. Katherine Maloney is a 23-year-old Kinesiology Major, with a Dual Degree in Nursing and a Minor in Spanish. She first qualified for the competition when she participated in a Sprint Distance Triathlon in Hiannus, Cape Cod, in June. Her friends, Gordon alums Stephen Mayo ‘24 and Zach Atouie ‘24 wanted to do a “tri” and all three participated. She placed first, qualifying her for nationals. While Katherine was “very excited and honored”, she was nervous at first. “Like, I was going to do something big, and I wouldn’t be ready for it,” she said and with that, her dad encouraged her to do it.
Growing up, Katherine’s dad had been “her role-model and inspiration”, driving her to swim practice and encouraging her to relentlessly and fearlessly pursue her goals. He had also done triathlons prior to a biking accident. Both competitive, he had inspired Katherine to get into golf as well. Her whole family, along with friends and coaches, have been supportive. “I was so excited to hear she would be participating in a tri,” her swim coach, Jen Bayreuther, said. “Pete and I have both participated in many triathlons and applaud her cross training this summer.” Currently, Katherine is on the Gordon Swim team and Women’s Golf Team (which she helped start last fall).
Katherine first started competing in triathlons at 13. She saw her dad and his friends did train and compete in Iron Man challenges. Her family friends also inspired her, as one of them runs Sweet Water swim studio, with an infinity pool actually in her basement. Katherine’s last triathlon prior to Nationals was when she was 15 but noted that “life got busy.” Still, she wanted to get back into triathlons.
Her training process consisted of swimming at the Masters group that she helps coach at the NorthShore gym, as well as a 3-mile run around her lake in Wakefield Mass. She swam 3-5 times a week to prepare for swim season as well, along with weight training. While she was less prepared for biking and is “not a biker yet”, she took spin classes during the summer to prepare her for high intensity movement. Given her busy schedule as a two-sport athlete playing Golf and Swim, along with working over the summer, her regimen was not as intense as some, but still one that she took seriously.
“Training for a triathlon is like a job,” noting that she could afford to train less since it was a sprint distance. Her biggest goal was to eat healthy in moderation (not restrictive), having a balanced meal and lifestyle. “Viewing food with a positive mindset”, she added.
Treading air with freestyle swim movements at the dining room table of our Tavila Apartment, Katherine describes the pulling and kicking she experienced while completing the 750-meter swim. “I had a girl grabbing my shoulder.” Swimming in open water with no lanes, there was a slight current. The swim caps were based on varying age groups—with a specific color assigned to each for identification purposes. Other cap colors corresponded with varying age groups and genders: female, male, non-binary, as well as mixed weight groups competing, including Athena and Clydesdale (over 200 lbs and competing).
Competitors had to sight, a practice of looking up and ahead when swimming, and keep the buoys to their left shoulder to avoid disqualifications. “The swim felt great, it was a lot of fun,” Katherine said. She placed 6th in the 20–24-year age group, completing the swim in 10 mins and 24 seconds. Katherine had been swimming since 6th grade at age 11 and has loved every second of it. She said that swimming has opened so many opportunities, helped her mentally and physically in all aspects of her life. Swimming helps her mull things over or provides a reprieve from thinking. “I truly love swimming… It does so much for you than you think it ever could.” Her swim team has been amazing and like her family. Her swim coach Jen called her “one of a kind…a strong leader, humble and excellent at her sports.”
With her tri-suit underneath (a full body suit that you can run in, along with padding in sensitive areas), Katherine began the bike. Emerging from the water, she ran to her bike. She put her sunglasses on, her bib number, her running shoes, clipped her helmet on and then touched her bike– the order is important to avoid being disqualified. The bike was 20kms which she completed in 43 mins and 8 seconds where she ranked 27th for Team USA. It took place on flat terrain, coming on and off exits and cycling on blocked off interstates.
Following the bike, she went right to the run. Competitors must dismount in a certain spot, biking, hopping off to avoid disqualifications. “The Run was where you had to dig deep and keep going…You really have to find that deep drive when you’re on that run,” Katherine said.
The run was a 5K which she completed in 24 mins and 9 seconds. She placed 15th out of 39 from Team USA rank for National Champs (20-24). Her total finish time: 1 hour and 21 minutes, 19 seconds. The athletes finished on the boardwalk of Atlantic City and had to take a shuttle to the finish line. Katherine’s finishing time was her best 5k time, compared to her 25 mins at the 5k she competed at when she was 15, and said she was most proud of this.
“Everything hurt,” she said through a laugh, but the coffee gelato at Caesar’s Palace afterwards with her dad made the experience sweeter. She described the triathlon as a “great environment, [with] everyone supportive and cheering you on,” even as they were competing.
Colleges and universities like University of Michigan and Liberty had teams competing in the triathlons and created entire programs in recent years dedicated to training for triathlons. Her friend Stephen Mayo who competed with her in the triathlon is continuing this into grad school. She called the triathlon “an awesome experience that she hopes to do again.”
Her go-to motivational music is Latin music, and upbeat 80s music. “The adrenaline before the water is kind of like your music, caffeine, it’s everything… It dies off a little bit, but you find that second wave.”
Leave a Reply