We have seen some outstanding and noteworthy accomplishments over the many years from our team and athletes here at Purple Patch Fitness over the years.  We are gifted to see so much progress and hear so many life-altering stories as we tick away the years of triathlon and performance coaching.  But I can say in all my honesty that this is a first-timer for me as a coach.  I want to give a deep congratulations to our epic athlete, Susan Henning, for completing her 100th career triathlon last weekend at the famed Escape from Alcatraz triathlon.  But it wasn't just enough to finish the 100th race, she did it with authority by putting together a tremendous effort on the day to come in 5th in her Age Group in a field that always draws the best athletes from around the world.  

 

Now, the easiest part of writing this about Susan is to say congratulations for the thing we value over all in performance coaching, consistency and commitment.  She clearly embodies everything we could ever ask for when coaching an athlete.  But, the really interesting and more important piece of this message is the person that Susan is, and the tremendous contribution and influence she is on the sport of triathlon, and the world as a whole.  Susan is a pure embodiment of selflessness and caring in human form.  Hailing from the mountains of Colorado, Susan has worked in many capacities, always for the service of others and her fellow human kind.  she has worked as an outdoor Firefighter in Colorado, and currently is a Registered Nurse living and working in Sacramento.  She balances some very sporadic and difficult schedules to commit to her training and maintains great balance in keeping things regular.  

 

We initially met Susan as she was the VOLUNTEER President for the Sacramento Triathlon Club for many years.  So when she is not working as a nurse or training, she is helping connect and inspire others to get into the sport comfortably and with local support.  She will always put others first, even above her own training, if asked to lead a ride or a swim for the team.  She has been one of the greatest ambassadors we could ever imagine being lucky enough to work with, and thus more importantly than the "congrats" on her 100th race, we really just want to THANK her for being such a wonderful part of our team.  

 

In closing, while the accomplishment is amazing and the first time I've ever shared this type of news, we are even more stoked and proud of the person that Susan is and that we can call ourselves her coaching team.   You can absolutely find Susan at most of the local races in California (as I always do) with her wonderful partner in crime Greg, and their lovely and energy-FILLED young pup named Murdock [both seen in the picture here in Napa Valley, and we hear he is quite the Open Water swimmer].  We wish her a great few days of rest and then it's right back to work as she gets ready for IRONMAN Canada this year!