MLM September/October 2016

Kristin Kauffman Flagstaff allows my husband Dave and I to have a life that is full of nature. We enjoy snowshoeing up Agassiz to watch the sunset and mountain biking on new and favorite trails. We can escape to the great outdoors without having to drive far; nature and all it has to offer is just right outside our back door. This is truly a blessing.

I’ve always been an athlete; in fact, I always say soccer was my first love. My brother and I spent countless hours at the soccer field and. in Wyoming, we played through sun, snow, rain and wind. At age 12, I began swimming competitively and soon fell in love with open-water swimming and the desire to swim Alcatraz, which I did later in life.

I continued to play soccer through my college years and then started competing in triathlons. I did my first sprint triathlon at age 23. A few years later, I finished Ironman Arizona—2.4mile swim, 112-mile bike and a 26.2-mile marathon. This accomplishment changed my life. I knew that if I could complete an Ironman, I could do anything. I started coaching new triathletes, and it is still my favorite thing in the world to see new triathletes cross the finish line for the first time.

Today, I focus my efforts on CrossFit. I love the concept of CrossFit because it teaches people functional fitness. This means when I am 70 years old, I will still be able to bend over and tie my shoes and get off the couch. CrossFit allows makes you focus on the here and now. You can’t think about your job, your sick kid, financial troubles or any other situation while you’re suffering through wall balls or daunting overhead squats. You have to think about what you’re doing in that moment. It forces your mind to be present.

I used to just want to be healthy and fit for just myself, but now I have a new motivation—our son, Dash, was born in May. I want to model health and fitness and introduce him to the lifestyle and community that made me believe in myself enough to be the first person in my core family to finish high school and in 2014 finishing my master’s degree. I want him to know that anything is possible. I can’t wait to watch him pick up his first barbell, ride his first bike and run through the aspens of Flagstaff.

What drives me? My friends and family and the experience of nature that comes with living this amazing town of Flagstaff. september-october16 namlm.com

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