30 | Trans Athlete, Coach, and Activist Chris Mosier: Claiming Your Legacy

Chris Mosier has made history many times before, as the first transgender athlete to represent the United States in international competition, appear in the ESPN Body Issue, and be sponsored by Nike.

 

This January, he once again blazed a trail at the Olympic Trials for the 50K racewalk, becoming the first transgender athlete to qualify and compete in the Trials in the gender with which they identify. However, injury nearly robbed him of the chance to make it to the starting line. 

 

On this week’s episode, Mosier shares the experience of having an injury he didn’t tell anyone about; how he’s changed his goals and perspectives through injury and other challenges, and the way his identity continues to evolve through his competition and his work as an activist.

 

A huge thank you to Fluid Running H2GO, the only app-based deep-water running system in the world, for sponsoring this season of the Injured Athletes Club. CLICK HERE and use code IAC 30 to take $30 off the full system or the digital bundle.

 

In this episode, we discuss:

• How injuries are viewed in triathlon and duathlon, and the advantage of being a multisport athlete (4:49)
• His early injuries, including multiple concussions, and how they affected him—including bringing him face to face with vulnerability (9:18)
• How he started racewalking, and when his most recent injury occurred (17:29)
• The way he coped with training for a major event while simultaneously managing an injury—including a little bit of what we might call bargaining (22:02)
• How he shifted his perspective to focus more on his advocacy (25:16)
• Meditation, how it’s helped him, and his app of choice (28:48)
• The ways in which he suppressed emotions from childhood on, how he’s begun to undo that, and how those lessons apply to the world right now (35:26)
• The leadup to the Olympic Trials and what it was like to keep his injury under wraps (41:05)
• A dramatic recap of the race itself (44:27)
• His key pieces of advice for other injured athletes, including offering yourself grace, remembering injury is temporary, and focusing on what’s in your control (51:51)

 

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Resources/links we mention:

• Chris’s website, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook page
• His New York Times profile from January
• His feature in the ESPN Body Issue
• His Nike ad, which aired during the Rio Olympics
• His episode of the Rich Roll podcast
• His website, Transathlete.com
• EDGE Athlete Lounge in Chicago, where he coaches

 

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• Join The Injured Athletes Club mailing list, for weekly news and updates
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• Email us at [email protected] with questions, guest suggestions, or other feedback

 

DISCLAIMER: This content is for educational & informational use only and & does not constitute medical advice. Do not disregard, avoid or delay obtaining medical or health related advice from your health-care professional because of something you may have heard in an episode of this podcast. You should not rely on this information as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please consult with a qualified medical professional for proper evaluation & treatment. Guests who speak on this podcast express their own opinions, experiences, and conclusions, and The Injured Athletes Club podcast hosts nor any company providing financial support endorses or opposes any particular treatment option discussed in the episodes of this podcast and are not responsible for any actions or inactions of listeners based on the information presented. The use of any information provided is solely at your own risk.