Advocacy in the Triathlon Space, Reclaiming Your Rest + Pro Cards with Sika Henry
Sika Henry is a HOKA ONE ONE sponsored triathlete, 2X marathon champion, 2019 IRONMAN World Championship finisher and was named Athlete of the Year as part of the 2020 Outspoken Women in Triathlon Awards for her advocacy in the triathlon space. On May 2, 2021, Sika made history becoming the first United States Black triathlete with a professional card. Through the Challenge Cancun event, she qualified for her USA Triathlon Elite license and this stemmed from not giving up even after facing a huge hurdle in April 2019 where she went through a horrific bike crash during a race. Despite being sidelines for two years, she committed herself to making this vision come into full fruition.
By day, she is a corporate analyst for Ferguson Enterprises that manages to do two a day workouts to train for a host of events. She is a graduate from Tufts University with her degree in economics. While pursuing her studies, she became a NCAA All American in Track and Field as a collegiate high jumper. Soaking in all of these accomplishments can make a person have a strong sense of pride and mental fatigue.
On this episode, Sika Henry and Latoya Shauntay Snell talk about the joys of being acknowledged for your accolades while setting healthy boundaries on yourself and others while thriving in the public eye. Sika and Latoya explore conversations on impromptu breaks at the height of a career, self inflicted pressures of representing marginalized communities and absorbing in your accolades while it's still happening. Henry and Snell discuss the lack of diverse representation in the triathlon world, how they handle pushback when challenged from hecklers and what Sika loves to do during her downtime.