I have been an athlete long before some of y’all realized athletes come in bodies like mine. Swipe through the photos — almost thirteen years of movement. At every size, pace, and every stage of my health, I have always been here. I’ve run marathons and ultra marathons. Completed obstacle course races. Finished century rides on my bike. Lifted heavy on and off the platform. Skydived. Pole danced. I know what it feels like to podium and I know what it feels like to be the last one crossing the finish line while they’re breaking the course down. I have limped, recovered, rebuilt, and returned, 300+ times over. I never needed and REFUSE to wait for your permission to call myself an athlete. Some people love to challenge me about being a “slow runner.” Others slide into my inbox claiming I “DNF all my races” — which makes me laugh at how 10 DNFs out of 300+ equals 100%. Some try to shame me by insisting I “don’t run, I only walk,” as if walking somehow erases the work. I have walked parts, and sometimes most, of some races when my body demanded it — what’s your point? I have also run, trained, fought, strategized, and earned every single mile I’ve moved. I have run races while bleeding through my clothes, managing my pain in real time, and still chose to keep going — and there are photos in this carousel that prove it. Even the “influencer” entry assumptions are getting real old, especially to my finances. I cannot nor will not keep up with these story lines. I don’t move for your approval. I move because I can. I celebrate mobility because I know what it feels like to lose it. I honor rest because I understand what it takes to rebuild. I pivot when my body demands it because I am committed to longevity, not performing for the comfort of strangers. If it helps another feel welcomed in this space, this makes me feel whole. An athlete is not defined on speed, podiums, aesthetics or folks’ imaginations. An athlete is defined by the work — that includes rest, repair and respect for their respective ways of moving. So if my calling myself an athlete — particularly a runner, marathoner and ultra marathoner — makes you feel uncomfortable, kick rocks. Deal with it. To everyone else, thank you for being here.