A few words with Alicia Kaye
Alicia Kaye had a great 2013 season with big wins at St. Anthony's, Cap Tex and Oceanside and is about to defend that Lifetime Cap Tex title in Austin again. We checked in with her to see what else she is up to.
Slowtwitch: We appreciate your time Alicia.
Alicia Kaye: Absolutely. I appreciate this opportunity.
ST: What are you up to right now?
Alicia: Watching the Tour of California, fulfilling Endurance Shield orders, eating dinner, drinking tea and waiting for banana bread to finish cooking in the oven so I can seamlessly transition into desert.
ST: Does that mean you enjoy cooking and baking?
Alicia: Absolutely. Baking is my favorite. My specialties are cookies, brownies, banana bread and carrot cake.
ST: If I recall correctly you were born in Canada.
Alicia: Yes. That’s correct. I was born in Smithers, British Columbia. I spent the first 22 years of my living and racing in Canada. In 2005 I met my husband, Jarrod Shoemaker and we were quickly engaged and married, and so began the process of becoming an American citizen as well.
ST: When and how did you meet Jarrod?
Alicia: At a baggage carousel in the San Juan airport in June of 2005. We were on the same flight (I was connecting from Canada), and we were both waiting for our bikes. We were racing the Rincon Continental Cup; we both came 5th.
ST: Who approached whom?
Alicia: In my head, I walked up to him and said, "You waiting for your bike too?" Though Jarrod would probably say he approached me.
ST: Are you two competitive at home when you play board games?
Alicia: I’m not competitive about much outside of triathlon. Jarrod is very competitive at everything. We do play a lot of board games though! Our favorite is Bananagrams.
ST: Your most recent race was the St. Anthony’s Triathlon, a race you had won in 2013.
Alicia: Yeah. That was a tough day for me. I desperately wanted to come back and defend my title. I had a great swim and bike, but a terrible run. That was a difficult day on me emotionally and it took me a few days to put it behind me.
ST: You had the fastest bike split.
Alicia: I was pleased with my bike in St. Anthony’s. Over the last few years, I’ve really established myself as a strong rider, but naturally I believe I can be faster.
ST: How much faster?
Alicia: It’s hard to say. I think I’m more focused on the how much more power I can produce, knowing that that will result in faster splits. I don’t like to put limits on anything and keep my mind open to the biggest and fastest numbers possible.
ST: What were your expectations going into this year’s St. Anthony’s race?
Alicia: I wanted to win but I also I had specific performance goals I wanted to hit. Not achieving my expectation for the run and ultimately the finish was disappointing, but it’s a long race season and I’ll have more opportunities.
ST: So what is next for you?
Alicia: I’ve got Cap Tex on Memorial Day in Austin. This will be the second race in the Lifetime Series and I’d like to improve upon my performance in South Beach.
ST: Looking back at 2013, how would you rate that season?
Alicia: Eye opening. 2013 was a very special season for me. I say eye opening because I never thought I could achieve those kinds of results until I won St. Anthony’s. Working in a squad environment with my coach Joel Filliol helped me tremendously. My 2013 season completely changed the expectations I have of myself, and it boosted my confidence. I believe in myself more than I ever have in my career.
ST: What would you consider the highlight of 2013?
Alicia: It’s a tie between winning St. Anthony’s and winning in Oceanside. St. Anthony’s was a bit of a surprise to me. There were 10 other girls that I expected to win that race before me; however, my coach had prepared me to win. It was one of those special races where I executed my plan perfectly. Oceanside was special because there was a tremendous amount of pressure on me. I had a lot to lose and a lot to gain in that race; a critical error was going to cost me $75,000. But if I could execute another solid performance, I was going to win $108,000. That was a lot of pressure.
ST: Would you say that Joel helped you cope better with pressure?
Alicia: To be honest, I had never really been under much pressure prior to my 2013 season. For St. Anthony’s there was no pressure on me – no one expected me to win that race. Joel and I saw that race as an opportunity to race, and maybe beat, some really fast girls. Oceanside was a different story. Joel reminded me that I didn’t need to have a season best or career best race in Oceanside, just to have a good result and Lifetime Series title would be mine. However, treating as just another race doesn’t work for me. I have to be honest with myself about what’s at stake. Joel has taught me to focus on my own race, the kind of effort I want to put out, and to not focus on the money. We focused on the positive sensations that would come from winning in Oceanside. Those sensations are what motivate me; the checks just pay the bills.
ST: There are many fast athletes who train with Joel. Have you been able to draw inspiration and energy from them?
Alicia: Absolutely. The squad is young and it’s great to train alongside such talented athletes who are still relatively new to the sport. I wasn’t able to attend the squad camp in New Zealand this year, but Helle Frederiksen and I had our own mini squad camp here in Clermont, FL. It’s been amazing to watch the ITU athletes crush it on the WTS circuit and it’s also fantastic to see Helle excel at the 70.3 distance. She might convince me to come over to the dark side by the end of this season- we’ll see!
ST: I would describe your race kit as very distinctive. Do you get approached often at events with inquiries as to where it came from?
Alicia: Triflare approached me after Cap Tex last year and we began working with each other shortly after that. Triflare race suits are definitely an upgrade from my previous race suits. It’s incredible the amount of attention they attract on race day; I get more comments on the suit than my performance!
ST: While that might be flattering, I assume you want folks to notice your performance.
Alicia: For sure, but I think the suits are so surprising to people that it’s the first thing they notice, even if I’m leading the race.
ST: You mentioned Endurance Shield earlier and that is something else you juggle in addition to training and racing. How is that going?
Alicia: Endurance Shield has been an incredible learning experience. We weren’t looking to start a business when we embarked on finding and creating a better sunscreen. Our brand has been growing every year. It’s been especially fun to introduce our products to pros, in triathlon and other sports.
ST: How competitive of a market is that business?
Alicia: Very competitive. It’s a pretty saturated market, but we didn’t like anything that was on the market. We knew that other athletes had to be feeling the same way. Plus sunscreen isn’t an option anymore – it’s a necessity, but that doesn’t mean it has to suck. You can ask anyone that uses our product- it doesn’t feel like sunscreen but it performs like one. Skin cancer is no joke- it kills. We’re very focused on the multisport industry right now, but our products are not just for athletes. All of our products are meant for both males and females, of all ages. Our focus is to make products inspired by triathlon, for the entire family.
ST: Do you think skin cancer is not much on the mind of folks as they are racing and training?
Alicia: I know Jarrod and I weren’t thinking about it living in Boston. We never raced with sunscreen because we felt that it impedes your skins ability to sweat and cool itself. Our goal was to make a product that we wanted to wear and once it was on, we didn’t notice it. I think now that I’m in my early 30’s, skin cancer is something I’m thinking about. It’s affected many of friends, training partners and family. I’m not willing to stop doing triathlon, so I protect myself the best I can by wearing sunscreen and covering up. I now get yearly skin cancer screenings as well.
ST: How often do you apply it and what routine have you developed so you don’t forget it as your mind is focused on a race.
Alicia: I put on sunscreen to all exposed areas of skin before any session I do outdoors – even if it’s overcast and raining. I have sunscreen on my bathroom counter, kitchen table and on a shelf in the garage so I’m reminded a few times before I get out the door to apply it. I also wear sunscreen if I’m going to be in the car for longer than 15min. I apply sunscreen to the tops of my hands, arms, ears and face. I also keep sunscreen in my purse, swim bag and run workout bag. I always travel with sunscreen to races – even if I’m flying. Our sunscreen is also a moisturizer, so it does double duty. We make a 2oz that I put in my swim start bag. In this bag I’ve got everything I need to bring to the start line. I put on sunscreen just before I do my swim warm up. I also have another tube back in my transition bag so that I can reapply at the finish line. I suppose it’s just a part of my pre-race routine now.
ST: What other hobbies and interests do you have?
Alicia: I’m an avid reader. I usually read 1-2 books a week.
ST: Is there anything else we should know?
Alicia: I did my first triathlon at 11 years old and started racing pro when I was 14.
