Our guest today is Olympic champion, Kikkan Randall, who played a massive role in putting USA cross-country skiing on the map, while also becoming a legend in the sport.
To name just a few of Kikkan’s highlights:
- In 2018 she won the Olympic gold medal in the Ladies Team Sprint, with Jessie Diggins
- She is a 3-time World Cup Overall Sprint Champion
- 13 World Cup victories & 29 World Cup podiums
- 6 Olympic Top 10 results
- 17-time US National Champion
- 5x Olympian
- 9-time World Championships Team Member
But before Kikkan was winning Olympic and World Cup gold medals, she was a runner, and she has never stopped being a runner.
In this conversation, Kikkan and I talk about running and how she got into cross-country skiing; some of the keys to her longevity; her experience of becoming a mother while also being a professional athlete — and how much attitudes still need to change for women in a similar position. And we also talk about the unthinkable: how Kikkan went from winning an Olympic gold medal to being diagnosed with cancer, and how she is doing today.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Growing up in Alaska (3:33)
- Running vs Skiing (5:46)
- A fork in the road (9:09)
- Resisting overspecialization at a young age (15:01)
- Gravel Racing (17:05)
- Boston Marathon (18:15)
- Running while being an XC skier (27:15)
- Being a mother and a sponsored athlete (35:29)
- From winning Gold to being diagnosed with cancer (45:54)
- Advocate for yourself (50:44)
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