Female 20s Winner
Julie Pickler by Leah Fisher Nyfeler
J
ulie Pickler made her debut this year in the AFM FITTEST; the former collegiate and pro athlete was looking for a challenge and goal to work toward. Two things swayed her: pictures of last year’s event that showed competitors having fun and an email from a friend—“Alex Earle said I should do it!” As a heptathlete, the variety of the AFM FITTEST appealed to Pickler. She’d started out in high school in basketball, volleyball, and track; an area coach spotted her and introduced Pickler to the heptathlon. That’s a two-day, seven-event track and field competition that involves four events on Day One (100 meter hurdles, high jump, shot put, and 200 meters) and another three events (long jump, javelin, and the 800 meters) on Day Two. Pickler excelled and received a full scholarship to Washington State University, where she garnered five Division I NCAA All American awards, before becoming a pro athlete with Asics. Just in case you’re thinking, “That’s right—I think she went to the Olympics, too, and was one of AFM’s 10 FITTEST before,” you’re wrong; that was Pickler’s twin sister Diana, also a heptathlete at Washington State. The sisters are close, and Pickler snapped photos at the AFM FITTEST all throughout to send to her sibling, who currently lives in California. These days, Pickler combines quite a few of her loves with her profession; she’s the Wellness Specialist at Apple Inc. “The best way to describe [my job] is to keep/influence/motivate Apple employees to be healthy,” Pickler explained. “I absolutely love my job as it offers so much variety, from planning events to counseling Apple employees about their health results. I have amazing co-workers and a supportive manager who allows me the flexibility to get workouts in the afternoon and take walks around the building throughout the day with my co-worker.” She loves to cook (though she doesn’t like following recipes) and eat (her summer favorites are a Caprese salad, fish, and hearts of palm as a snack). Though Pickler didn’t specifically train for the AFM FITTEST, she credits a lot of her success to Move Austin Fitness. She’d joined the gym two months prior to the competition. “I’m very picky with gyms, workouts, and trainers, and I have finally found my niche in Austin,” Pickler said. She’s been training with Katy Duggan Freshour, Jared Freshour, and Jake Norman three days a week, with a variety of strength, mobility, endurance, and speed workouts. “I believe in a balanced approach in order to achieve optimal fitness,” she explained, and that includes maintaining healthy and nutritious eating patterns and incorporating fitness into her fun activities. Pickler and her boyfriend love to take “surprise trips” (in fact, the two headed off to Estes Park the day after
the AFM FITTEST) where they hike and camp. She recalled a fun trip with a 10-hour hike that involved sliding down glaciers and punching holes in the surface with their feet in order to ladder back up. Pickler has an effervescent personality, a bright smile, and an easygoing sense of fun but there’s a real competitor contained in that lithe frame. She laughed and talked a bit about the healthy rivalry between her and her twin; she said they had a pattern growing up, that she’d be better at first and then Diana would catch up. She’s clearly not afraid of a tough competitor, as she said she’d encourage her sister to come try out the AFM FITTEST. “I will certainly be back next year,” she exclaimed. “I am looking forward to it because I will be in the same age category as Judy [McElroy, reigning overall woman champion] next year! Oh my goodness, I can’t believe I will be 30!”
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