Episode 570: Kendall Chase – US Olympian and MIT Rowing Coach (Beyond Running Series Episode 2)

In today’s episode, I’m excited to be joined by Kendall Chase, a US Olympian in rowing and current assistant coach for MIT’s rowing team. We dive into Kendall’s journey from growing up in Colorado to representing the United States at the 2020 Summer Olympics in rowing, becoming an elite cyclist, and later transitioning into coaching. Kendall shares the ups and downs of her career, including a traumatic brain injury she experienced while cycling at the professional level and how she overcame it.

We also talk about her coaching philosophy and what it’s like to work with athletes at MIT. As a fan of the book Boys in the Boat—which, if you’ve been listening for a while, you know I’ve referenced plenty—I couldn’t resist bringing in some of my rowing questions inspired by the book. If you’re at all interested in rowing or have ever wondered what goes into Olympic-level training, this conversation is full of insights. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

What we talked about:

3:00- Rowing chit chat: her career, coaching, and all about the sport itself

36:30- Her brain injury from a cycling injury

55:00- Becoming an Olympian

1:04:00- Athlete Ally

1:08:00- End of podcast questions

Show notes: