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Olympic Cross Country Skier

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Skirt Sports Podcast: Kikkan Randall Made a 10 Year Plan & Won Gold

March 1, 2019

Sometimes we choose to do things that push us out of our comfort zones. Sometimes those things happen to us and we have to dig in, embrace the discomfort and use all of our tools to push through. Kikkan Randall has experienced both categories. Kikkan is a lifelong skier. Her family moved to Alaska when she was young so most of her formative years were spent there. She’s a talent. Pure and simple. A natural athlete who gravitated to skiing. She has competed in 5 Olympic games. FIVE! While she raced at the top level in the world for over 15 years, it wasn’t until 2018 when she and her teammate Jessie Diggins won gold in the Team Sprint – the first ever gold medals in that event!

To listen to the podcast click HERE.

Kikkan’s athletic career alone is something we can all glean knowledge and inspiration from. But the next chapter of her life started three months after her gold medal. She was officially retired when she felt a lump on her breast and was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer at 35 years old. This is the chapter she’s still writing. Through it all, she has used exercise as a tool to help during treatments and guess what? Just for kicks, she jumped into her first endurance race – the  50km Birkie! Like me (racing the 29km Korte), she was also stepping outside of her comfort zone and doing a long distance race for the first time.

Today we talk about:

Alaska: Growing up in eccentric Alaskan culture as a runner and a skier
What it took to become a pro/elite skier
The 10 year plan
Competing at the top level in the world for over 15 years
How she met her husband Jeff Ellis & their evolution as a married couple pursuing athletic dreams – separately and together
Becoming a mom (to now 3 year old Breck)
THE RACE! What it took to win GOLD in PyeongChang 2018
Why teamwork is the key to success
Cancer: how, why & what now
Jumping into the Birkie & exercising through her treatments
What we didn’t talk about:

Her non-profit Fast & Female – Kikkan is empowering girls everyday!

Kikkan is a very special person. Since this interview, ESPNW wrote an article about Kikkan and described what they call “the Kikkan Effect.” Here’s how the author Bonnie Ford describes it, “a powerful vortex evident long before her diagnosis. It pulls people toward her and spins them back out, doing things they might otherwise resist. They hear her in their heads: Come on. It’ll be fun. We’ll be better.”

I think Kikkan is just one of those people who on the outside is like the girl next door, so she’s real and approachable, but on the inside is like a superhero, able to push herself mentally and physically further than most people can ever imagine. But the effect is real. Her Positivity is contagious.

Post-Note: Back to the Birkie for a minute. It’s funny. We texted before and after the start. I told her there was a bet to see who would win – me in the 29k or Kikkan in the 50k. At 2:48, she texted me this sentence, “That was hard.” I wrote back, “I can’t wait to hear about it. But the most awesome thing is that I beat you.” Of course she averaged 3:22 per k for 50k and I averaged 5:13 per k for 29k but a bet’s a bet. So the Kikkan effect has begun!

 

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Awesome weekend in Bellingham for the Ski 2 Sea re Awesome weekend in Bellingham for the Ski 2 Sea relay race.  The Delicate Flowers took the top spot in our division, a proud accomplishment for a group of working parents!  The race was fun but the time with friends was even better!  The sun was pretty nice too ☀️😎. Already thinking about how to improve for next year!
#ski2sea #delicateflowers #relayrace #friends
A perfect Mother’s Day, spent all outside ☀️ A perfect Mother’s Day, spent all outside ☀️! Being a Mom is the best job I’ve ever had, learned from the best role model a kid could ask for!  Celebrating all the Moms out there and just soaking in the family time ❤️! ⁣
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#mothersday ⁣
#outsidetime ⁣
#familytime ⁣
#llbeanambassador
Time to get your boots wet! 💦⁣. Just because Time to get your boots wet! 💦⁣. Just because it’s looking a little messy out there doesn’t mean there’s not fun to be had… for all ages! Nothing better than an exploratory walk to connect three generations.⁣
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#llbeanambassador #beanoutsider #springslush #beanboots
Probably one of the last snow bike rides of the se Probably one of the last snow bike rides of the season but a fun way to get out and appreciate our great planet on Earth 🌍 Day! ⁣
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This winter has been especially epic snow-wise ❄️ so we’re getting to enjoy 😊 our favorite winter activities a little longer.  I really hope we can all work together and do our part to preserve winter for generations to come! ⁣
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#earthday #protectourwinters #beanoutsider
Because, how can you not have fun brushing your te Because, how can you not have fun brushing your teeth in matching pajamas 😂. Got our day off to the right start!

#llbeanambassador #matchingonesies
Awesome day adventuring in the mountains 🏔️ w Awesome day adventuring in the mountains 🏔️ with several other families.  So fun to take parenting out of the box and bring the kids along for a favorite pastime from life before kids.  The kids got a great ride and the parents got a great workout!! ⁣
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It was a good reminder how energizing it can be to be out in the mountains, entertaining ourselves with snow, sticks and great company!! ⁣
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#llbeanambassador #beanoutsider #adventurewithkids #snowfun
It was a snowy Easter Egg hunt this year, made it It was a snowy Easter Egg hunt this year, made it a little tricky to find some or them!  This has been the winter that just won’t stop and we are loving the extra chance to play in the snow! ⁣
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#llbeanbassador #beanoutsider #snoweaster
Sweet sunshine and fresh tracks!! Hoppy 🐰 Frida Sweet sunshine and fresh tracks!! Hoppy 🐰 Friday everyone!! #anchoragenordicski #springskiing
Finally found the sun ☀️ in Sun Valley! Had a Finally found the sun ☀️ in Sun Valley!  Had a great family ski day with three generations!  So fun that we can all ski together. ⁣
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#llbeanambassador ⁣
#beanoutsider ⁣
#threegenerations⁣
#afamilythatskistogether
A fun mother-son day aboard the NSAA Ski Train 🚂 !  Took a 4-hr train ride into the wilderness and then got to hop off and ski for a few hours before enjoying some live polka band entertainment on the way home.  I brought the tow strap so we could cover a bit more ground. ⁣
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It was fun to be on my OTX backcountry Nordic boards to explore off track for a change! ⁣
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I feel so lucky to be able to share the wonders of Alaska’s outdoor playground with Breck. ⁣
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#skitrain⁣
#beanoutsider⁣
#livetoski⁣
#alaskaplayground ⁣
#mothersonadventure⁣
Having an amazing visit to Holmenkollen! It’s b Having an amazing visit to Holmenkollen!  It’s been 5 years since I had been back.  So many friends to hug and high five.  A long trip just for the weekend but so worth it!  And the racing has been fantastic.  Can’t wait to see the women race 50k today for the first time, they are going to crush it! ⁣
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#holmenkollenskifestival ⁣
#oslo ⁣
#skifamily ⁣
#fiscrosscountry
Beautiful March days ☀️are a great time to sha Beautiful March days ☀️are a great time to share the joy of sliding on snow.  Thanks to some friends from the local oncology community for joining me on the trails and being partners in promoting exercise as medicine!⁣
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#advancedoncologyassociates ⁣
#anchorage ⁣
#magicmarch ⁣
#nordicski
Happy Anniversary @jessiediggins !! Hard to believ Happy Anniversary @jessiediggins !! Hard to believe it’s been 5 years since this amazing night, it still feels like yesterday.  So fun to see all that you and the team have done since 💪🏻!⁣
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Today I take a moment to close my eyes and relive that most incredible feeling of satisfaction for what we accomplished together and my supreme gratitude for all the people that were part of making it happen. ⁣
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Cheers 🥂 🇺🇸🏅🎉 ⁣
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📸 @flyingpoint 
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#oneteam ⁣
#usskiteam ⁣
#crosscountry ⁣
#goldmedal ⁣
#anniversary ⁣
#pyeongchang2018 ⁣
Excited and proud to be speaking today at TEDx Anc Excited and proud to be speaking today at TEDx Anchorage 2023. The theme is ENTROPY and it’s been quite the journey to bring some chaotic ideas together for my presentation tonight. ⁣
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Feeling the nerves like an Olympic race, time to get the butterflies in formation!  It’s already been awesome getting to know the inspiring cast of speakers… there are definitely going to be #ideasworthspreading !! ⁣
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#tedxanchorage ⁣
#entropy
Happy Valentines Day ❤️! Love comes from many Happy Valentines Day ❤️! Love comes from many places and Breck and I are super lucky to have such a fun and amazing family that rallies for an early morning celebratory breakfast!
Hey ski fans, fun news to share… Chad Samela and Hey ski fans, fun news to share… Chad Samela and I will be commentating the upcoming World Championships on @skiandsnowboard.live with the @usskiteam !  Action starts Feb 22nd.  Tune in and join us! 🥇🥈🥉🎿🌎🎉 ⁣
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#worldchamps ⁣
#liveaction ⁣
#plancia2023
Happy National Girls & Women in Sports Day! So ma Happy National Girls & Women in Sports Day!  So many of my favorite memories from sport have come from the women I’ve learned from, the teammates that have made the days so memorable and  from all the things we were able to accomplish TOGETHER. Today we celebrate the victories, the near misses, and the moments of courage just to get out there. ⁣
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#gogirls ⁣
#girlsinsport⁣
#womensupportingwomen
Fantastic weekend sharing ski tips and stories wit Fantastic weekend sharing ski tips and stories with at the inaugural Ski de She weekend!! A big thanks to @fischernordic for bringing me in and to the @americanbirkebeiner team for putting on a great event!! #livetoski #birkie #skideshe #womenwhoski
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