MORE THAN STARS AND STRIPES

How the last-place kids mean just as much as the first

Race day is something that most teams look forward to and train for all year, the chance to prove themselves by putting their colors on display for everyone to see on the podium. The debut race of Three Cats Racing at Marathon Nationals was different. I think starting that race was one of the biggest accomplishments we have. The team that raced that day is composed of three members, Nathan, Sam, and Erik each at different stages of life but all sharing a love and a desire to get out there to prove we can. Each of the three cats had a story of grit and determination to tell with this race. Nathan, who suffered a severe concussion in November 2024 which forced him to take the winter months off and recover instead of gaining the fitness he so desperately wanted. However he bounced back only to be hit back down again, finding out through tracking data that something funny was going on with his heart, after many trips to the med tent and then to his doctors he was formally diagnosed with a condition called SVT(Supra-Ventricular Tachycardia) meaning that his heart would randomly beat upwards of 200 BPM and then just drop (not optimal for bike racing) .

Because of this, Nathan had surgery to correct his condition while sadly forfeiting the second part of the season he had worked so hard to come back for. After he recovered from surgery, he immediately hopped on a flight to Mexico, and by the time he got back (with a cold), he had effectively two weeks to get into shape after all his setbacks. Something to know about Nathan is he is a stubborn one (one of his best features) however it led to his downfall in course recon by not fueling properly -but everyone must learn some lessons the hard way. The week leading up to nationals is traditionally a taper week (that's what Sam was doing) but Nathan decided to optimize his time on the bike by riding as hard as he could at Cutaway bike camp all while breaking his bike (Sam and Erik didn't yell at him at all :). On race day Nathan gets on the line as happy as a clam and when the whistle blows watches as the entire 15-16 field goes sprinting past, only for a majority of them to crash out in the first turn, that right there shows the importance of riding your own race not just following the crowd.His race goes pretty smoothly -sure his legs were tired, his fitness could have been better, he forgot what a dump bottle was and rode around with four bottles for a while but that's pretty seamless for Nathan. Going down one of the toughest trails of the day he flats and has to spend the time fixing it but that happens in bike racing. Nathan triumphantly gets to the line of his longest ride ever. Three months ago we didn't know what the future held for Nathan. Sure its not a stars and stripes jersey but its a finish he didn't think he would get and a promise of new beginnings. When you have the heart anything is possible

The other part of the race crew had a much smoother last couple of months but a much more turbulent year. Sam never thought she would line up to race competitively again but after her Dad’s cancer diagnosis and her TBI setback she decided she was going to go as hard as she could into cycling and see what happens. Her race day felt surreal; she almost couldn't believe she had actually made it there. Her race was much more turbulent than Nathan's ( check out her blog Here:) One of the worst parts of her race was the heat exhaustion, which they later found out she was especially susceptible to due to the medications she is prescribed to prevent headaches after her TBI. It was one of those things that she could do nothing to avoid and just had to go through it. Despite all the problems she went through on race day she finished that race strong and could not be prouder. It's still not a stars and stripes jersey, it's a finish coming from a place of pain and grit; a finish she'd never thought she'd get.

Erik is our coach, who hasn't raced in 20 years but decided to do it simply for his kids. This rag tag group of teenagers who make him go even more gray than he already is. He gave up a fast and smooth race to race alongside Sam while praying that they wouldn't catch Nathan ( They didn't; he had 2 hours on them). Erik's year hasn't been exactly smooth either, his son Mat, another key part of Three Cats broke his back in May (we love you Mat), so three cats were down a musketeer. But throughout the stress that comes with living an adult life Erik helped build and foster kids' passion about bikes. It isn't a stars and stripes jersey but it's building a future for kids that love bikes. Two other members, Beth and Lia also had important jobs to take pictures and be the support we knew was needed. Lia was too young to race Marathon but trained alongside Sam and Nathan so when the time comes she's going to kill it as well as kill her XCO races later in the week :)While none of us went home with a stars and stripes jersey we went with something that will last much longer. The lesson that when you are doing it for yourself and you want it nothing will stop you. Even our support team, Karen in the feed, was so prepared some of the elite teams were coming up to her asking for ice because they didn't expect the Virginia heat and humidity. Of course the teams were given the help they needed and Karen was the rock all her athletes needed her to be, she doesn't get a stars and stripes jersey but we think she should. This is what we mean when saying be the light you want to see in the sport.

All of this goes to say that bad things happen to good people all the time and there is nothing you can do about it. Nationals for us was a comeback tour, a proof that we can be knocked down and come back,stronger and happier. You have the choice, you can be mad at the performance because of the numbers or you can be proud of the process that got you to the line in the first place. While nationals’ main goal is to see the best of the best shine, there is also an undercurrent of success in every athlete that gets the honor of getting to that line. Sometimes the story isn't about the kid that won but the kid that came in last. Go out, be safe, have fun and keep an open mind in everything you do