What happens when being an athlete is part of your identity...but your body can no longer race the way it used to?

You find another way.

In this episode of the Find Your Edge Podcast, Coach Chris Newport talks with longtime Humans of Steel athlete Kris Bonot about a remarkable endurance journey.

Kris started triathlon in 2013, became a successful age-group athlete and eventually competed at USA Triathlon Nationals. Then an autoimmune disease and bilateral knee fractures dramatically changed their mobility.

But they didn't stop being an athlete.

Today, Kris continues participating in endurance events using an all-terrain wheelchair and is an advocate for making triathlon more accessible and welcoming to athletes of different abilities and identities.

We talk about:

• Going from age-group triathlete to adaptive athlete
• Living and training with ankylosing spondylitis
• Grieving the loss of running and redefining athlete identity
• Racing trails in a 40-pound all-terrain wheelchair
• How Kris trains for adaptive racing
• The challenges of adaptive and paratriathlon classifications
• Racing authentically as a nonbinary athlete
• Why representation and accessibility matter
• What it really means to have the courage to show up
• Why a changing body doesn't mean your athletic life is over

Kris's story is a reminder that sometimes finding your edge doesn't mean pushing harder.

Sometimes it means finding another way forward.

Ready for support with your own endurance journey? Explore Triathlon & Run Coaching

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