Kait Boyle is an inspiring human. These days, you might know her for her impressive accolades including 24-Hour World Champion in 2018, AZT300 record holder, winner and second in the men, and 2x winner SOLO 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo. She didn’t always ride a bike or have a love for bikepacking or ultra-endurance events. She grew up riding horses and later found climbing and skiing. As a NOLS instructor and with her Masters in Environmental Education, she constantly is in teaching and leadership roles. If you follow Kait on instagram, you might have noticed that the last 12 months have been trying for her. Almost exactly one year ago to the day, she got in a severe car accident. Her truck was t-boned on an icy road leaving her with a quadruple fractured pelvis, broken sacrum, broken fibula, and a ruptured bladder. Between 10 days in the hospital, 5 weeks in wheelchair, and 4 weeks on crutches, she had a long way to go to move forward. She was able to ride the roller coaster of devastation and gratitude and positivity and was on her bike again a total of 5 months after her accident. The community stepped in to support her during this time through a very generous GoFundMe campaign. This year, she’s giving back through the Cairn Project non-profit to get more girls outside and has spent the last 84 days (the amount of time she was stuck indoors due to her accident and recovery) outside.
Topics Discussed in the Podcast
- NOLS & leadership in the backcountry
- what sports contributed to Kait’s self-confidence
- decision to go from riding a bike to racing
- men vs. women in ultra sports
- how to pace long races
- nutrition for ultra racing
- mental tips on how not to quit
- self-care tips for bikepacking
- her car accident & recovery from injury
- the power of GoFundMe and social media
- The Cairn Project fundraiser she is working on