What happens when a sport becomes part of who you are…and suddenly your body can no longer do it the same way?
For Kris Bonot, the answer wasn’t to stop being an athlete.
It was to find another way.
On this episode of the Find Your Edge Podcast, I talk with Kris, a longtime Humans of Steel athlete whose endurance journey has included age-group triathlon success, an autoimmune disease diagnosis, bilateral knee fractures, an all-terrain wheelchair, adaptive racing and learning to redefine what being an athlete looks like.
But this conversation is about much more than racing.
It’s about identity. Grief. Accessibility. Gratitude. Belonging.
And the courage to keep showing up when the way forward looks completely different than you expected.
From stressed-out parent to competitive triathlete
Kris started triathlon in 2013 as a parent of two toddlers looking for a way to cope with stress.
After running enough to develop significant shin splints, a physical therapist suggested swimming. Kris learned to swim, realized a bike was the only missing piece, bought a road bike on Craigslist and completed a first sprint triathlon.
Then they were hooked.
Kris went on to compete successfully as an age-group athlete throughout North Carolina while balancing a growing family and demanding 12-hour shifts as a physician assistant.
When training harder wasn’t the answer
In 2020, Kris’s body began changing.
There was severe back pain. Swollen Achilles tendons. Pain in the wrists, elbows and shoulders.
Initially, it seemed possible that stress, work, parenting and training were simply catching up.
But rest didn’t fix it.
Eventually, Kris was diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis, an autoimmune form of inflammatory arthritis. Finding medications that helped was a process, but eventually Kris was able to return to training and racing.
In 2022, Kris won their age group at the Outer Banks Triathlon and qualified for nationals. In 2023, they competed in USA Triathlon Nationals’ nonbinary division.
For Kris, being able to compete authentically and be recognized that way was deeply meaningful.
When everything changed again
Not long afterward, another flare began.
Then, following a Thanksgiving race through Umstead, both of Kris’s knees became severely painful and swollen.
MRIs eventually revealed fractures in both medial femoral condyles. Kris was told to remain non-weight-bearing on both legs while they healed.
Then came another devastating realization: the cartilage associated with the affected areas had also been damaged.
Kris’s orthopedist knew their history as a triathlete.
Instead of saying, you have to stop, he offered something different:
You’re going to have to find another way.
That distinction mattered.
What does adaptive triathlon look like?
Kris started researching almost immediately.
Because many of the races they enjoyed with their children involved trails and gravel, a traditional racing chair wasn’t necessarily the answer.
Kris eventually found the GRIT Freedom Chair, an all-terrain wheelchair that uses levers connected to bicycle chains to independently drive the wheels.
It weighs about 40 pounds.
Add gravel, hills and mud…and moving that chair through a trail race becomes a serious endurance effort.
Kris now trains specifically for those demands with high-intensity strength work such as rows, chest presses and push-ups, sometimes followed immediately by swimming.
As Kris jokingly describes it, racing the chair is essentially a cardio chest press.
Accessibility in triathlon is improving, but there’s more work to do
Kris’s experience also exposes an important issue within endurance sports.
Traditional paratriathlon classifications and equipment requirements don’t necessarily accommodate every athlete or every disability.
Kris discussed the value of newer open adaptive divisions, which can create more flexibility for athletes to participate using the equipment and approach that works for them.
But accessibility isn’t only about rules.
It’s also about helping athletes realize:
You are welcome here. There may be a way for you to do this.
That includes everything from race marketing and representation to transition-area access and simply making it clear that a triathlete doesn’t have to look a certain way.
As Kris puts it:
Triathlon could be for everybody.
What happens when your athlete identity changes?
One of the most powerful parts of our conversation wasn’t about equipment or race rules.
It was about grief.
When Kris realized running on their legs was likely no longer part of the future, they had to grieve something that had become deeply connected to their identity.
At one point, even looking at old race medals became painful.
Eventually, Kris came to an important realization:
What happens next doesn’t erase what came before.
The races still happened.
The accomplishments still count.
And being an athlete doesn’t have to disappear simply because what athleticism looks like has changed.
That’s a message that extends far beyond adaptive sports.
Injury, illness, aging, parenthood, work and life can all change the way we participate in endurance sports.
Sometimes the goal isn’t getting back to exactly who you were.
Sometimes it’s figuring out who you can be now.
The courage to show up
Kris also shared a story about talking with a young nonbinary athlete who was disappointed with their race performance and felt they didn’t deserve their place on the podium.
Kris’s response was powerful:
Showing up authentically takes courage.
The clock doesn’t determine whether you belong.
Neither does your pace, your body, your gender, your equipment or how your race looks compared with someone else’s.
That gets at something we believe deeply at The Endurance Edge:
Endurance sports should help us discover what we’re capable of, not create another standard we have to prove ourselves against.
What endurance athletes can learn from Kris’s story
Kris’s experience is unique, but the lessons aren’t.
- Your identity as an athlete can evolve.
A changing body doesn’t erase everything you’ve done or everything you may still be capable of doing. - There may be another way.
The solution might not look like what you originally imagined, but different doesn’t automatically mean less meaningful. - Accessibility matters to all of us.
Kris points out that illness, injury or an accident can change anyone’s mobility. Thinking more inclusively makes endurance sports better for everyone. - Your body deserves respect, even when it changes.
Performance matters. So does appreciating what your body has done and finding ways to work with the body you have today. - Showing up matters.
A finishing time doesn’t determine your worthiness as an athlete.
Triathlon should be a place where more people belong
At The Endurance Edge, our vision is to build a healthy community through endurance sports.
Kris’s story is a powerful reminder of what that can actually mean.
Not making everyone race the same way.
Not expecting every athlete to look the same.
But creating opportunities for more people to experience the confidence, community and sense of accomplishment endurance sports can provide.
Because sometimes finding your edge isn’t about going faster.
Sometimes it’s about finding another way forward.
Want support for your own triathlon journey?
Whether you’re working toward your first triathlon or trying to become a stronger, more confident athlete, personalized coaching can help you build a path around your goals, experience and life.
Explore Triathlon & Run Coaching at The Endurance Edge
And if you’re looking for an affordable way to train with a supportive endurance community:
Explore The Endurance Edge Triathlon Club & Group Training
FAQs
What is adaptive triathlon?
Adaptive triathlon allows athletes with disabilities to participate in swim, bike and run events using adaptations appropriate to their abilities. Kris discusses both traditional paratriathlon classification and newer open adaptive approaches in the episode.
Can you participate in triathlon with a disability?
Depending on the athlete, event and available accommodations, yes. Kris’s experience demonstrates that participation can take different forms, although accessibility and equipment rules vary between events.
What is ankylosing spondylitis?
In the episode, Kris describes it as an autoimmune form of arthritis that primarily affects the sacroiliac joints but can also affect tendons and other joints throughout the body.
How does Kris Bonot race on trails?
Kris uses an all-terrain GRIT Freedom Chair with a lever-driven propulsion system and trains their upper body specifically for the demands of moving the chair across gravel, hills and trails.
Why does inclusion matter in endurance sports?
Representation, accessible race environments and flexible participation options can help more athletes see endurance sports as something they can participate in rather than something that isn’t designed for them.
