Since Ironman Florida was this past weekend, I decided to dig up one of my favorite stories of all time.
Honestly, I was shocked I was given the go-ahead to write it because it deals with the topic of religion.
A subject many publications are afraid to touch.
So kudos to Triathlete Magazine for allowing me to pursue this idea I had shortly after I crossed my first Ironman finish line in 2023- almost one year ago today.
The day after the race, I heard that pro triathlete, Jocelyn McCauley, did something interesting at the awards ceremony... By placing third, she had earned an invitation to compete at all-female Ironman World Championship in Nice, France.
But, she turned down her slot.
Why would an elite athlete decline the opportunity to compete at a World Championship?
The race fell on a Sunday, and she doesn’t race or train on Sundays.
That was the topic we tackled in the article- Would You Give up a World Championship Because of Religion?– which focused on the many reasons why Jocelyn made her decision.
I also interviewed two age-groupers for the story: Miriam Cole, a Jewish triathlete who turned down her Kona slot, and Troy Rodgers, a triathlete and preacher.
Three triathletes. Three different faiths. One purpose.
What follows is bonus content from those interviews that never made it into the original article, but was just too good to let sit languishing on my laptop for all eternity.
* Special shout out to my friends and Triple Threat Life subscribers who competed at Ironman Florida, Pinhoti 100, and AthHalf over the weekend. Congratulations Ricardo, Ian, Mark, Signe, and Emily!
Why give up a World Championship?
Professional triathlete, Jocelyn McCauley, is very open and honest about her faith. She’s a Christian, a Mormon, and follower of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
She explains that there was a time (back in high school) when she did train on Sundays.
“I’d go on these really long runs out in nature. It’s the church of the long run. I’m out in God’s creation soaking up the energy, and I loved it,” she says.
Then, she started running with the BYU cross-country team. For those who aren’t familiar with BYU, it’s a program that’s as well-known for its cross-country dominance as it is for their decision to abstain from competition on Sundays.
“During my senior year of high school, I went from walking on the team to earning a full scholarship. I took 35-40 seconds off my mile PR and all different things. In my mind, God was helping me with these amazing physical achievements. I felt as though if I ever competed on a Sunday, it would be like closing the door in his face,” she says.
That was a long time ago, and Jocelyn is a professional triathlete now. But she’s still stuck with her decision not to race, or train, on Sunday.
Now she’s not saying this is something everyone has to do. There are plenty of athletes who are religious and they still train and compete on Sundays. In the article, Jocelyn talked about this simply being a personal decision that reflects how she chooses to honor the Sabbath day.
But there’s an added layer of complexity here because Jocelyn is also a professional athlete. Triathlon is what she does for a living, to help support her family, and pay the bills. She also has sponsor contracts and brand obligations.
She’s saying no to a lot of money by not competing at a World Championship.
But it’s also a matter of pride and accomplishment. It takes hard work, dedication, and commitment (sprinkled with a bit of luck) to deliver a performance that will even get you a World Championship slot.
Jocelyn said she’d turned down 70.3 World Championship slots in the past, but there’s something about an Ironman World Championship that’s a bit different...
Sometimes, a decision you make can cause a ripple effect that spreads into the lives of those around you. That’s what happened when Jocelyn stood on the stage at Ironman Florida and said no to accepting her slot.
The slot then passed down to fourth place and a very excited Erin Snelgrove. As it turned out, Erin had qualified for Kona in 2022, but had to turn her spot down because it conflicted with her wedding. For both ladies, it was a full circle moment.
“I think that’s why we all love the roll-down ceremony, right? It was so cool to be able to do that,” Jocelyn says.
Faith provides perspective, not restriction
Turning down the slot was the attention-getting aspect of the story, but I wanted to go deeper. I wanted to know if Jocelyn’s faith impacts her journey as an athlete.
Does it change the mindset with which she approaches triathlon?
Does it help provide perspective when dealing with a bad race or training day?
“I’ve always said that I have different spokes in my wheel that help me round out myself as a human,” she says. “Triathlon is a spoke, being a mom, being a wife, and my faith are all spokes. I have all these different things in my life that give me energy and purpose, so it helps when one spoke might get a bit broken.”
But there’s one thing that helps keep everything in perspective.
“I know I’m a child of God, and that’s the most important thing in my life. If something in triathlon isn’t going quite as I’d like it to with my athletic identity, I can fall back on my divine identity,” she says.
Still, she admits that she has her “triathlon is stupid” days as much as anyone else.
Be brave enough to live your truth
There’s something to be said for being so steadfast in your convictions that it not only influences how you act, but also how you treat other people.
The PTO posted a video clip of Jocelyn being lapped by Taylor Knibb at the PTO US Open in Milwaukee. I remember watching that race with my husband and seeing Jocelyn shout something at Taylor. She was cheering on her competitor… in the middle of a race.
So I asked Jocelyn about it.
“That embodies triathlon,” she says. “Because of being open and sharing my faith, it kind of creates this Christian triathlon community around me, and I love it. If I’m living my truth openly, it gives other people the opportunity to do the same, whether that’s a Christian or something else. I’m happy to honor all walks of life.”
Jocelyn remembers a special experience that happened at Kona the year before. She was sitting on an all-female pro panel and was asked the ladies to talk about their “why.”
Jocelyn was quick to jump in.
“I explained that I believe I’ve been given certain gifts from God, and I use triathlon as a way to share them. Then, every single one of the women on the panel shared about their Christian faith. Two women even came up to me afterwards and said they were so glad I said something. If I hadn’t, they wouldn’t have felt comfortable being open about their faith in that way.”
That’s why Jocelyn is so open about what she believes. By living her truth and sharing about her faith, she encourages others to do the same.
I could end this post right here. But I was able to interview another incredible person for that same article, and there’s so much about his story that’s worth telling.
Words of wisdom from a triathlete, and preacher
35-year-old Troy Rogers is a triathlete and a preacher. He lives in Oklahoma and serves at the Northwest Church of Christ in Lawton.
He’s been competing in triathlons since 2019, and it’s something he thoroughly believes has enhanced his ministry.
“When you’re passionate about something, or feel the weight of its importance, as I do with my ministry, if you don’t manage it carefully, what you once loved can become a burden and a source of stress,” he says.
Although he’s talking about his calling as a preacher, I’m sure many of us can say the same thing about triathlon.
“Triathlon, specifically full distance racing, changes you. It makes you stronger, and at the same time, more appreciative of the life you’ve been given. One of the struggles many people face in their life and faith is being discontent. A good way to battle that is to put your phone away, get outside, and swim in the lake, ride your bike, and run around the park,” he says.
“With that being said, any triathlete will tell you it’s very easy to allow the sport to consume your life. My ministry helps remind me that there are things that matter more than training and racing.”
Rogers explains that our bodies matter, and how we care for them is important.
“Many find they’re able to have a deeper connection with their faith when they care for the body that God gave them. Triathlon and faith aren’t two separate items that I try to compartmentalize and balance. They compliment each other, and I hope in doing so, they make me a better man.”
Again, you could stop reading right here. But if you keep going, you will learn why a woman turned down the highest honor in triathlon.
“Why I turned down my Kona slot.”
55-year-old Miriam Cole of Illinois first heard about triathlon when she was 38. At the time she had an 8-year-old, two 6-year-olds, a 4-year-old, and a 2-year-old.
When the youngest went off to preschool for a few hours a day, she found time to train for her first sprint triathlon- an all female race.
“I had zero athletic background. I cried when I crossed the finish line and, like many, I became hooked: pushing to become better, faster, and go longer,” she says.
At the age of 42, she qualified for Kona by winning her age group at Ironman Wisconsin. She happily accepted her slot, paid her entry fee, and then looked at the calendar…
The date of Kona in 2011 was going to be October 8th, the second Saturday of the month, and Yom Kippur.
For those not familiar with the Jewish faith, Yom Kippur is the “Day of Atonement.” It’s a time when followers ask forgiveness for their shortcomings and resolve to be better human beings in the year to come.
As a way to aid in this introspection, they don’t eat or drink anything for 24 hours. Just prayer and meditation.
Miriam remembers a childhood that was rich in Jewish tradition. She was taught to speak Hebrew and learned much of the Torah. Later on, her own children went to Jewish day school, and she keeps a kosher house.
Miriam’s father is Israeli. While his parents escaped Eastern Europe ahead of WWII, their entire families were killed by Nazis in the early 1940s, many of them at Auschwitz.
For Miriam, the most important part of her faith is that it connects her to the past.
“It’s the honor and respect I feel towards my parents and grandparents, and all the Jews who came before me, who believed and practiced as I do, and many of whom died because of these very beliefs,” she says.
It’s also about the basic principles of goodness, fairness, and compassion.
“Give charity. Show compassion to all. Judge no one. Treat others how you’d like to be treated. Stand up for the little guy. Be a leader. Do what’s right even if no one else is. Be true to your beliefs, even when it’s hard to,” she says.
She feels that last one would’ve meant nothing at all if she would’ve accepted her slot for Kona.
But that doesn’t mean the decision was easy. Miriam actually wrote to Ironman and requested they change the date of the race… She laughs now saying it was a bit naive. While they refused her request, they did refund her entry fee.
Since 2010, Miriam qualified for Kona eight times and has raced on the Big Island five times- the last time in 2018. To this day, she still competes in 70.3 and Olympic triathlons, but she won’t race on Yom Kippur, Rosh Hashanah, or the week of Passover.
For Jocelyn, Troy, and Miriam, triathlon is an integral part of their lives, but so is their faith. Through their words and actions, they provide a valuable reminder to us all.
Whatever we think, and believe, should be shown in how we choose to live our lives.
I know this is a bit different than my usual practical posts about triathlon and mindset skills. So let me know if you like reading stories about amazing athletes doing incredible things, and I might include more!
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