Guts to Glory
American Racewalker Record Holder
 A relative new comer to Racewalking Katie enjoys competing in racewalking and running. As a master athlete she believes in cross training with swimming, cycling and strength training to prevent overuse injuries and stay ahead of the aging curve. Katie works as a Personal Trainer and cycle instructor at the Sherwood YMCA. She is married with three grown children, two in college and one in the US Marine Corps. In her free time Katie is a K-9 search and rescue worker with NORSAR, North Oregon.
Regional Search and Rescue.
Events: Racewalking and Running
Current Residence: Sherwood, OR
Coach: Jim Bean and self
Club: Racewalkers Northwest |
Career Highlights:
• 2009 5k racewalk National Masters Champion, 10k racewalk, National Masters Champion
• 2010 5k racewalk National Masters, Champion, 10k racewalk National Masters Champion, 50k Nationals: 1st place masters, 2nd place open division, USATF Oregon Masters Racewalk Athlete of the Year, All American Racewalk: mile, 3K, 5K, 10k, 50k
All American Running: 5K, 10K, 15K, ½ marathon
• 2011 20k track racewalk American record (age group)*, 35k road racewalk American record (age group)*, 45k road racewalk American record (age group)*, 50k road racewalk world fastest recorded for age (47), 50K Nationals: 1st place masters, 2nd place open division , 10K Masters World Champion (age group), 20k Masters World Champion (age group), 5k Masters division 2nd place —Masters World Championships, USATF Oregon Masters Racewalk Athlete of the Year
All American: mile, 3k, 5k, 10k, 20k, 50k,
*pending records |
Katie Grimes never thought she would be an American record holder. Her children were swimming on the local swim team, and a group of swim team moms decided to enter the Portland to Coast relay race. Katie joined them and never looked back. That first race was in 1999. They didn’t break any records, but it was enough to catch Katie’s interest, and the next race, in 2000, was the Portland Marathon. It was a non-judged race, and this time she left the race being bitten by the marathon bug.
Katie knew she wanted to walk the long distances, and she knew she needed help to make it happen. She turned to the Internet and found Women Walk the Marathon, a tool for distance walkers. There she found herself with a group of women wanting to walk. At that point she had no idea of racewalk techniques or rules, but she learned how to pace herself in pace groups and discovered she was fast.
Katie moved on to coach Judy Heller, who has the distinction of being one of the best racewalk coaches in the state of Oregon. Judy taught Katie how to walk in a judged race, to follow the rules of race walking, and to use the proper techniques of a competitive racewalker. Her first competitive, judged race was in Eugene at the Hayward Classic in 2007. Judy’s advice for that first race was, “Walk your race, don’t worry about anyone else. These women are going to beat you.” She was right. Katie didn’t set any records in that race, but she came home with the decision that she didn’t want to lose again. Her training took a serious turn and she started walking seriously. Judy Heller has been her inspiration through the process of becoming a champion American record holder.
Katie entered every judged race she could find after that. Her goal: to become comfortable at being judged in an event. In the beginning her times were slow, but her technique was perfect. She kept training and racing until her speeds got faster, and in 2009 she began setting local records and placed first at USA Track and Field (USATF) Masters Nationals in both 5k and 10k distances. In 2010 she placed first in the Masters category and second overall in her first National 50k racewalk. It was in 2011 that she began to think she could set more records. While racing in the National 50k racewalk, the speaker announced that she had set a new American National record for her age group at the 35k mark. She’d always known she was good, but she had never thought of herself as an elite athlete. When she passed the 45k mark, they once again announced that she’d set another new American National record for her age group. In May Katie set her third age-group American record in the 20k track event.
Katie now trains with Coach Jim Bean in Salem, OR. Last July she had the opportunity to compete in Sacramento for the World Masters Athletic Championships. There she competed in the 5k, 10k, and 20k races. She placed second in the 5k and first in both the 10k and 20k races. She brought home gold medals and is proud to have represented the United States. Katie is now training for the Olympic trials set in Eugene in 2012.
The lessons Katie has learned along the way will take her far. She’s learned to have a season for training and a season for down time. While she trains two to three hours per day year around, cross-training in the pool, on a bike, and exercising with weight machines and free weights are extremely important during the off-season months. When it comes time to train for her sport, she spends more time walking and less time cross-training. She works toward her peak race. Every race leading up to the peak is simply a training walk.
Race walking is big in the state of Oregon, with lots of opportunities for competitive, judged walks. The community is supportive like a family. Katie loves watching people age well through the sport of race walking, being inspired by the man who walks a marathon at the age of 80 or the woman who wins her age group at 75. Katie currently coaches athletes at the Sherwood Regional Family YMCA in Sherwood, OR. She is committed to walking and exercising for the rest of her life.
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