Ali O'Donnell's Story of Becoming a Professional Xterra Triathlete

In this conversation, professional triathlete Ali O'Donnell discusses her journey from being a road triathlete to transitioning to XTERRA and becoming a professional triathlete. She talks about her first professional race in Athens, Greece, and the qualification process for the XTERRA World Championships. Ali also shares her experience of transitioning from soccer to running in high school and her decision to join the triathlon team at CU Boulder. She discusses the challenges she faced in the early stages of her triathlon career, including body image issues and the pressure to perform. Ali also reflects on her time at CU Boulder, including winning the national championship in 2017. Ali shares her experience of transitioning from collegiate triathlon to professional Xterra racing. She talks about her journey, including her first Xterra race, qualifying for Xterra Worlds, and the challenges she faced along the way. Ali discusses the mental and emotional aspects of becoming a professional athlete and the excitement of traveling and racing in different locations. She also shares a challenging race experience where she had to overcome illness and push through to the finish line. Ali emphasizes the importance of having a strong why and the growth that comes from facing challenges! This is a great interview and we hope you enjoy it! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/d3-mikericci/support