When Stephanie Schick stood at the start line of her first Ironman at age 20, she had no idea that her endurance sports journey was just beginning. A former competitive swimmer turned triathlete, Schick would eventually find her true calling in the mountains as a trail runner. Her story of going from pool to the mountain peaks shows how following your athletic curiosity can lead to unexpected places and profound personal growth.
Early Days in the Pool
Swimming was Schick’s first love. Growing up with a twin sister, Katie, and supportive parents who nurtured their athletic interests, she dreamed of competing at the collegiate level. Her father would gift the sisters DVDs of the Ironman World Championship each Christmas, planting early seeds of inspiration.
“My dad used to get us for Christmas the DVD of the previous Ironman World Championship, and we would watch it. He would say ‘you guys can do this someday,'” Schick recalls. “That seed had always been planted.”
A Bold Transition
During her senior year of college, Schick made the difficult decision to step away from competitive swimming. The collegiate environment wasn’t providing the motivation and fulfillment she craved. Instead of letting this derail her athletic pursuits, she chose to pivot – purchasing a bike and signing up for an Ironman with her twin sister.
“My entire high school career was about swimming. My whole life was about swimming,” says Schick. “The pressure was definitely high… but it helped that I had my twin sister right there next to me.”
Learning Through Challenge
With minimal cycling experience and a $500 bike, Schick tackled her first Ironman at Mont Tremblant. While her swimming background gave her confidence in the water, the rest of the race proved challenging. She particularly struggled with nutrition and GI issues during the bike portion.
“I fueled my Ironman with iced tea in my bottles and peanut butter sandwiches,” Schick shares. “In hindsight, I was not probably eating well, I was probably not fueling enough, and I wasn’t practicing enough.”
These struggles would eventually lead to several years of health challenges that forced Schick to step back from endurance sports entirely. During this time, she discovered strength training, which helped rebuild her body’s foundation.
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Finding Her Mountain Legs
After moving to California, Schick found herself drawn to the mountains. What started as hiking soon evolved into trail running as she watched other athletes tackle the terrain on foot.
“People were running by me and I was like, ‘people run up the mountains?’ That is wild,” she remembers. “But I also called myself out like, ‘why do I think that’s amazing? I can definitely do that.'”
The transition to trail running provided something Schick had been missing – a sense of adventure and endless possibilities. Unlike the structured environments of swimming pools and triathlon courses, the trails offered new challenges with every outing.
“Opening up this big map of Los Angeles and seeing every trail I can maybe go conquer… I love that because one, I feel like I’m conquering the terrain, and two, I feel myself improving,” says Schick.
Creating Personal Adventures
One of the aspects Schick most appreciates about trail running is the ability to create your own challenges. She describes how she set a goal to run from her front door to the Hollywood sign and back – a 20-mile adventure that required no race registration or formal structure.
This freedom to explore and challenge herself on her own terms has helped Schick find lasting fulfillment in endurance sports. The mountains have become her new training ground, offering endless opportunities for growth and discovery.
Advice for New Athletes
Drawing from her varied experience across swimming, triathlon, and trail running, Schick offers two key pieces of advice for anyone starting their endurance sports journey:
- Find your community. “Either find a community, a friend, a mentor or a coach – any type of guidance or people that are achieving what you might want to achieve in the sport is a great thing,” she advises.
- Prioritize body care. “If you’re going to look to increase your activity and set big athletic and endurance goals, first and foremost take care of your body,” Schick emphasizes. “Start slow and fuel a lot and set small goals along the way.”
The Journey Continues
Today, Schick has found her sweet spot in trail running, though she hasn’t ruled out returning to triathlon someday. The journey that took her from the pool to the tops of mountain peaks exemplifies how being open to new challenges and willing to adapt can lead to unexpected joy in endurance sports.
Her story reminds us that there’s no single path to finding your athletic passion. Sometimes the most rewarding destinations are the ones we discover while having the courage to explore new terrain.
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