Kristie Concepcion is a successful personal trainer and accomplished endurance athlete. Her journey started in college when she invested in a gym membership to keep up with her boyfriend at the time, which led to a career in exercise science and personal training. After selling her personal training business, Kristie turned her focus to endurance sports and became a triathlete, completing Ironman races. However, after feeling burnt out from the long miles, she has now pivoted back to her roots in running and is preparing for her first 100 mile ultra marathon

Background and Pivotal Moments

Kristie was not athletic in high school, but she started working out in college to keep up with her boyfriend who was joining a new gym. They ended up buying their own commercial gym equipment and changing their majors to Exercise Science. They went on to open a successful personal training studio and sold it after eight years. Kristie then had more time to focus on endurance sports and started running marathons before gradually easing her way into triathlons.

Getting Started in Endurance Sports

Kristie got the idea to run a marathon after seeing an issue of Runners World magazine with the Disney Marathon on the cover. She ripped out the page and put it on her fridge as a constant reminder. Six months later, she completed her first marathon and felt like she could do anything. She went on to run several marathons per year and bike over 10,000 miles per year before starting to train for Ironman races.

Pivoting from Triathlon to Running

After completing her last Ironman race in 2019, Kristie felt burned out and wasn’t having fun anymore. She continued to ride and run but not for long distances. Running always gave her an inner peace and made her feel centered, so she decided to pivot back to running and focus on ultra distances. She wanted to push herself further and see how far she could go.

Preparing for Ultra Distances

Kristie is preparing for her first 100 mile ultra marathon by starting with a 50-mile race called Croom Fools Run. She wants to see how she feels during the race and practice fueling and hydrating. Kristie is hoping to learn as much as she can about hydrating and fueling properly, training efficiently with minimal chances of injury, and being part of the welcoming ultra community.

Goals for the 100 Mile Race

Kristie doesn’t have specific goals for her first 100 mile ultra marathon. However, just like her first Ironman race, she will be prepared but has no clue what to expect or how long it will take her. She wants to accomplish the challenge and see how far she can push herself.

Conclusion

Kristie Concepcion has had an amazing journey from being a non-athletic person in high school to becoming a successful personal trainer and accomplished endurance athlete. Her love for running has brought her to ultra distances, where she hopes to push herself further and learn as much as she can about training, fueling, hydrating, and the ultra community. Her story is an inspiration to those who want to challenge themselves and see what they’re capable of achieving.

Follow along as we update KC’s progress. Every month you will learn more about what her training involves, the ups and downs and how she is progressing.