Heather Jackson facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Heather Jackson

Personal information
Born	(1984-04-24) April 24, 1984 (age 41) Exeter, New Hampshire
Height	5 ft 4 in (1.63 m)
Weight	125 lb (57 kg)
Sport
Country	United States
Sport	Triathlon
Team	Wattie Ink. Elite Team
Coached by	Joe Gambles
Medal record Representing  United States Women's track cycling Elite Track Cycling National Championships Bronze 2009 Individual Pursuit Elite Bronze 2009 Omnium Elite Women's triathlon Ironman Triathlon World Championships Bronze 2016 Individual Ironman 70.3 Silver 2013 Elite Bronze 2012 Elite

Heather Jackson was born on April 24, 1984. She is an amazing American athlete. She competes in two sports: triathlon and track cycling. In triathlon, she came in second place at the 2013 Ironman 70.3 World Championship. She also finished third at the 2012 Ironman 70.3 World Championship. In 2009, she won two bronze medals in track cycling. These were for the individual pursuit and omnium events. She won them at the USA Cycling Elite Track National Championships.

Heather Jackson's Athletic Journey

Early Sports and College Life

Heather grew up in Exeter, New Hampshire. From age six, she loved playing ice hockey and soccer. She went to Phillips Exeter Academy. She wanted to play both sports in college. But she decided to focus on hockey.

She played for the women's team at Princeton University. She was even captain of the team twice! Heather was so good that she tried out for the under-22 national ice hockey team. She trained with the team candidates. However, she did not make the final team.

In 2006, she graduated from college. She earned a degree in political science and East Asian studies. In 2007, she moved to Chiang Mai, Thailand. There, she taught English at a private school. She met people who were training for Ironman Malaysia. Heather decided to join them and compete in the Ironman race.

Becoming a Triathlete

After a year in Thailand, Heather returned to the U.S. In July 2007, she competed in Ironman Lake Placid. She was an amateur, meaning she wasn't a professional athlete. She finished 10th in her age group. This result qualified her for the Ironman World Championship that year.

In 2008, she started teaching 9th grade world history. She worked at the Harker School in San Jose, California. Here, she began training with Team Alcis. This group was made of top amateur triathletes. She qualified for the Ironman World Championship again as an amateur. She even won her age group (18-24)!

Switching to Triathlon Full-Time

Heather also became very involved in track cycling. She even made the USA Olympic team. She trained with them in Los Angeles. At the national competition in October 2009, she won two bronze medals. These were for individual pursuit and omnium.

However, it was hard to find sponsors in women's track cycling. Also, individual pursuit was removed from the Olympic program. So, Heather decided to fully switch to triathlon. She became a professional triathlete.

Success in Ironman 70.3 Races

Heather first focused on Ironman 70.3 races. These are half-Ironman distances. In 2009, her best finish was second place at Ironman 70.3 Austin. The next year, she placed 5th at the 2010 Ironman 70.3 World Championship. She improved even more the following year. She finished 4th at the 2011 Ironman 70.3 World Championship.

Heather continued to get better race results. She won the tough Wildflower Triathlon. She even set a new record for the long course. In 2012, she earned a podium spot. She finished third at the 2012 Ironman 70.3 World Championship. The next year, she kept improving. She placed 2nd at the 2013 Ironman 70.3 World Championship.

Moving to Full Ironman Races

In 2014, Heather won her third straight Wildflower Triathlon. But she placed 13th at the 2014 Ironman 70.3 World Championship. In November that year, she raced her first full-distance triathlon. This was Ironman Arizona, where she took third place.

In 2015, she almost won Wildflower Triathlon for the fourth time. She missed it by just three seconds. She then raced Ironman Texas and finished 11th. But she bounced back to win her first full Ironman race! This was Ironman Coeur d'Alene. She overcame an 8-minute gap after the swim. She beat Amanda Stevens and Kim Schwabenbauer. The 2015 Coeur d'Alene race was very hot. It even started an hour early because of the heat.

In her first Ironman World Championship, Heather placed fifth. She started the running part in 14th place! On July 24, 2016, she won Ironman Lake Placid. She set a new course record for women with a time of 9:09:42.

Notable Achievements

Here are some of Heather Jackson's best triathlon finishes:

See also

In Spanish: Heather Jackson para niños