Before there was LCB, there was MBK, one of the few fierce athletes on the scene with the courage to take the race from the gun. She embodied the mindset of gratitude before it was cool, and always raced with the biggest heart.
Her openness in sharing her journey as a pro and as a mom has been nothing short of inspirational for countless athletes. Through 16(!) years of pro racing, starting with IRONMAN Arizona in 2009 and ending there last Sunday, she's defined relentless drive.
"IM has been a great teacher--showing me what it means to live fully, love deeply + believe relentlessly," she wrote in her retirement announcement on Instagram.
MBK took a chance on us when we were the new kids on the block. She was the first pro woman to toe the line in a ROKA wetsuit, swimming a 47:37 on her way to winning IM New Zealand in 2013—faster than she’d ever gone before. We were so proud to have her support, and never forgot the thrill of watching that race. And the dozens of IRONMAN and IRONMAN 70.3 wins she's notched since.
Congratulations on a legendary pro career, MBK!
Presenting 7 pearls of MBK wisdom earned over 25 years of racing:
On Perseverance
"Discipline is easy. Staying when it hurts, when no one is watching, is the hard part." -Insta
"It's okay to be ordinary in some things + extraordinary in others. What matters is showing up while never letting success get to your head nor failures to your heart." -Insta
"Always chip away at what you love. There isn't anything worth it that gets hand delivere to you, we need to earn our bacon + work hard for it." -Insta
"All you can do is trust your process, do all the little things, and compete. It's those little things that help to make the bigger things happen. It's about showing up every day and doing what you can to become a better athlete and racer." -TriRating
On Facing Setbacks
"In life + certainly in IRONMAN racing, it's so easy to be consumed in DOOM. The stillness. Dark pockets. Alone in your pain. This is just trivial race "doom" that we sign up for + relish in when we conquer it + finish something that we didn't think we could triumph over in the moment 👊🏼" -Insta
On Aging
"I'm not as resilient as I used to be + my ability to pivot has lessened--I am at peace with this...It took me awhile to climb up the mountain _ now I'm taking my time descending. I relish in the journey knowing that often--the journey is far more important than the outcome." -Insta
On Gratitude
"One of my consistent mindsets is to always recognize the privelege of GETTING to do what we GET to do. There is no HAVE to in this equation. Whenever life is challenging, it is important to continually remind myself that 'I get to spend time with my son' or 'I get to bike on the trainer for a couple of hours.'" -Rudy Project
