Beyond the results...what keeps me smiling when the season is over!

Fredrik has helped Brian make the 2014 Olympic Team and helped me make history in the 2015 World Championships with my Bronze Medal! He helps us at key races with the best wax support possible sometimes working alone against huge teams of wax techs and coaches! He helped us without really knowing us yet and I will never forget his incredible generosity! Team Gregg owes so much to the kindness of Fredrik and the entire University of New Mexico Nordic Team! Thank you for helping us reach our goals and dreams!

Brian and I flew in late Monday Evening after staying in Sun Valley for an extra couple of days at the conclusion of Super Tour Finals and the 30K/50K Nationals Championships. I was very excited to earn another National Title and have Brian join me on the podium with his 3rd place finish. It was a great end to another incredible year for Team Gregg. We could not have achieved any of our accomplishments without the help and support of so many along the way. Although Brian and I did not attend UNM and we LOVE our Alma Maters UAA (University of Alaska Anchorage) and NMU (Northern Michigan University), we would also LOVE to help Fredrik get some more athletes for his squad! Do not hesitate to contact us (caitlincgregg@gmail.com) if you have any questions about our time with him and the team these past two years!

Double podium day thanks to Fredrik and the crew!

Fredrik did an amazing job with our skis but I cannot deny that I also have AMAZING SKIS!!! My Madshus skis have been absolutely incredible all season long (even this fall when I was sick with Shingles I knew my skis were rockets!). From new snow, to frigid temps, to wet snow and even in some of the toughest conditions (new falling snow like Falun!) my skis have been unstoppable! If you are looking for a new pair of skis, boots or poles I would not recommend anything other than Madshus!!!

We had a great ski on Sunday morning with the local ski community and the VAMPS in Sun Valley and we are psyched to come back for the 2016 Boulder Mountain Tour and get in some more K's and share more stories with them! A big Thank You to Mel and Muffy for helping us set up the ski!

Gorgeous Skiing!

The skiing was so great we ended up being out for 4 hours!

Our last day in Sun Valley featured a school visit with Liesel, Andy Gerlach's daughter, and her entire class. Andy has been a sponsor of mine for 17 years!!! That's an incredible amount of time and I am so grateful for his support over the years! I was more than willing to spend a few more days in Sun Valley to share my medal with the 5th graders at the Community School.

Talking about Goal Setting, Healthy Eating and Daily Exercise!

Sharing my own experience and why it is important to BELIEVE in yourself!

Signing foreheads!

Even for other classes!

Sharing my Bronze Medal with the group!

Returning home after a long a successful season is the best feeling. While some athletes head off on vacations, I can think of nothing better than to sleep in my own bed in my own house running with my dog and joining up with my community again. Ski racing is awesome and I am so grateful I get to spend six months a year on the road traveling around the world training and racing. Sometimes after many months of traveling and living out of a suitcase it used to be easy to forget how lucky I am to be experiencing this lifestyle, but thanks to my work with the kids in North Minneapolis I never take anything for granted anymore. When we landed and headed to baggage claim I was surprised by a Welcome Home party waiting for me with signs, bells and cheers! SO AMAZING! I have never been greeted so well at an airport before. It was awesome to get share my medal, stories and get help carrying our huge ski bags and duffle bags from everyone who came at such a late hour!

Welcome Home crew after midnight!!! On a school night!!!

We have incredible neighbors!!! Thanks to Gerald and Kari for the wonderful posters, ribbons and gifts!

My Awesome Friend Audrey (who joined me Sun Valley last week) left us a surprise of delicious food and essentials! Pineapple, bath salt, spinach, beets, cottage cheese and chicken! What else could a girl need :)

Our husky Lahti was also excited to have us home again!

I was pretty excited to see him too! Love this guy :)

Without more than a few hours awake, Brian and I were back at the Jerry Gamble Boys and Girls Club working with the kids and setting up our Run Club for the year. It's not easy but it's by far one of the best parts of my job as an Elite athlete!!!

I have been waiting since the day I won my Bronze Medal to share it with these kids!

I am truly lucky to have two parts to my career, both with goals and dreams!

I love that winning a Bronze Medal at the World Championships has meant so much to so many people! I have received lots of notes and messages from people who are inspired and motivated by my ability to pursue my dream and believe in myself no matter what the circumstances. I hope they realize that you do not need to be a part of a certain club or school or pipeline to achieve great things. I know that the kids we work with throughout the spring, summer and fall are up against much greater odds than I am in my skiing career. Seeing there smiling faces when I bring out my medal is the greatest feeling in the world (even better than standing on the podium itself).

My advice to others who are looking to reach their highest potential is to: find passion in your purpose and purpose in you passion. I hold this motto close to my heart when I am both training/ racing and when I am working with the kids. Without passion or purpose you will not be able to flourish and without both working together you will not succeed.

Below are some links to Team Gregg's Facebook posts and my Facebook post about our last week at Run Club and our first race of the season with the kids!!!

TEAM GREGG

Caitlin