Petross Surprises Herself with a World's Win

Matthew Dale profiles women's 25-29 Ironman 70.3 World Champion Kaytee Petross

The good news arrived as Kaytee Petross soaked herself in a bathtub filled with ice.

Petross, 29, knew she had placed in the top five of her age group at the Ford Ironman 70.3 World Championship last November. But while reviving her tired and aching body 90 minutes after the race, she didn't know exactly where she'd finished.

Then her cell phone rang.

“Congratulations,” said a teammate who was also racing. “You won.”

After hopping out of the tub and wrapping herself in a towel, Petross headed for her laptop computer to confirm the news. And there it was: Kaytee Petross, Troutdale, Ore., first, 25-29, 4:37:32.

“Mom,” Petros said to her mother. “We’ve gotta go to the awards program.”

Winning not only necessitated a change in postrace plans, it also forced Petross to step out of her comfort zone. This is a woman who was given the Most Humble Award by her Ironhead triathlon teammates. A woman who admits, “I have a fear of talking about myself too much or being a showy person.”

Adds Petross, “I never thought I would be the star or the winner of anything. That’s how I grew up. That’s my background, what I’m used to. And I was OK with that. That’s why I’ve probably had a hard time dealing with the attention now.”

You would think a person who wins their age group at a triathlon world championship would boast a voluminous athletic resume. Star cross-country runner. National swimmer. Road bike wonder.

Petross’ background doesn’t fit. She was athletic, playing softball, water polo and basketball growing up in Portland. But she never earned a high school varsity letter, opting instead to work after school.

“I wanted more spending money,” says Petross. “I love to shop.”

Reflecting on her athletic youth, she adds, “I was always kind of mediocre. I was never horrible. But I never stood out.”

Petross’ father was a marathon runner. Kaytee, who admits she was “chubby” in junior high, began running with him some when she was 12 or 13. When Petross was 17, dad and daughter entered a Father’s Day 15K and won.

The plaque rests in her Memory Box, a round hatbox that sits in the top of her closet. Father and daughter both ran the Boston Marathon for the first time last year.

Petross, who attended York University in Toronto (she has dual citizenship) ran in college strictly for fitness purposes. Upon returning home after college, Petross added cycling to her fitness regime.

Former water polo player, runner, cyclist. Sounds like the perfect triathlon training ground. She had taken spin classes with her father in her late teens and some of the participants were triathletes.

“I had heard about triathlon and really admired that,” she says. “I guess it was a goal of mine.”

She entered a sprint-distance race at her gym six years ago, won it and was hooked.

“My body was exhausted, my legs felt like jelly during the run and I thought, ‘Wow, I did it.’ ”

Petross, who works in human resources for Adidas, waited four years before jumping to the 70.3 distance. Again, she fell hard, entering three races in the Pacific Northwest in 2006, placing high in her age group.

She hired an online coach before the 2007 season and the results serve as an endorsement to Mitch Gold and his Counterpart Coaching. Petross won her age group at a 70.3 race in Lake Stevens WA, then tested her skill against a more competitive field at Vineman.

“I know it’s a super competitive race,” Petross says. “I tried to manage my expectations.”

She placed fourth in her age group, qualified for the 2007 Ford Ironman 70.3 World Championship, setting her successful stage in motion.

Courtney Ries, a training partner of Petross’, says one of the keys to her friend’s success is that she cuts no corners.

Ries remembers in February of last year when a group of Ironhead teammates headed out for a training ride. On the return home the cyclists could take one of two routes.

“A hard hill or a harder hill,” says Ries.

The rest of the women took the hard hill. Petross headed with the men on the more difficult ride, which Ries estimates added five miles and at least 1,500 feet of climbing.

“It’s February, it’s Portland, it’s miserable, it’s cold and wet and gross,” recalls Ries. “She’s the type person who always did the little things that add up to make a difference. And she’s real honest. She doesn’t let people talk her into things she doesn’t want to do.”

That means a weekend dinner date must be at a reasonable hour, knowing the alarm will ring early for lengthy weekend mileage.

In a heavy 70.3 base-mileage week Petross typically will swim 16,000 meters, bike 250 miles and run 40 miles. She’s a time-management expert and benefits from working for a company that encourages and reflects an active lifestyle.

She usually runs with her German shorthair pointers in the morning. “They’re my protection and my motivation to get out the door and go,” she says. If she’s not running with the dogs, she’s swimming (Masters class) or pedaling on her trainer. At Adidas, she can drop in on a spin class at lunch, ride or run.

She’s stepping up to the Ironman distance for the first time this summer, racing at Penticton, British Columbia. Petros’ sense of perspective is demonstrated when you ask if she’s determined to one day wade into Kailua Bay and race at Kona.

“I don’t think (determined) is the word to describe it,” she says. “It’s something in the back of my mind, maybe a secret dream, but I also realize life happens. I’m going on 30. We want to have a family. (Racing at Hawaii) may not happen. I’m OK with that too. I’m a Libra. I’m all about balance.”

The modesty is genuine, not a contrived act.

About Petros’ 70.3 world championship, Ries says, “You wouldn’t know about it if somebody else didn’t do the bragging for her.”

Yet the woman is human. As long as the attention is in moderation, Petros doesn’t mind. She’s asked, in her small corner of the United States, how it feels to be a star.

She doesn’t hesitate when she replies, “It feels good. It does feel good.”

You can contact Matthew Dale at mdale@ironman.com.