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, born on April 24, 1984, is an amazing American athlete. She is famous for competing in triathlon races. She also used to be a track cyclist. Heather has won many big races, including placing second at the 2013 Ironman 70.3 World Championship. She also finished third at the 2012 Ironman 70.3 World Championship. In 2009, she earned two third-place medals in track cycling 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 the age of six, she loved playing ice hockey and soccer. She attended Phillips Exeter Academy, a well-known school.

Even though she wanted to play both sports in college, she decided to focus on hockey. She played for the women's team at Princeton University. She was so good that she became team captain twice!

Heather even tried out for the under-22 national ice hockey team. She was invited to train with the team candidates. However, she did not make the final team roster.

From Teaching to Triathlon

Heather graduated from college in 2006. She earned a degree in political science and East Asian studies. In 2007, she moved to Chiang Mai, Thailand, to teach English.

While in Thailand, she met people who were training for an Ironman Triathlon race. She decided to join them and competed in the Ironman competition.

After a year overseas, 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 yet. She finished 10th, which qualified her for the Ironman World Championship that year.

Becoming a Professional Triathlete

In 2008, Heather started teaching 9th-grade world history. She worked at the Harker School in San Jose, California. There, she began training with Team Alcis. This group was made up of top amateur triathletes.

She qualified for the Ironman World Championship again as an amateur. She even won her age group category (18-24 years old).

Heather then became very involved in track cycling. She trained with the USA Olympic team in Los Angeles. At the national competition in October 2009, she won third place in two events: 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. Because of this, Heather decided to fully switch to triathlon.

Success in Ironman 70.3 Races

When Heather became a professional triathlete, she first focused on Ironman 70.3 races. These races are half the distance of a full Ironman. In 2009, her best finish was second place at the Ironman 70.3 Austin race.

The next year, she placed fifth at the 2010 Ironman 70.3 World Championship. She improved even more the following year, finishing fourth at the 2011 Ironman 70.3 World Championship.

Heather continued to get better results in triathlon. She won first place at the tough Wildflower Triathlon. She even set a new record for the long course there.

She then earned a medal by finishing third at the 2012 Ironman 70.3 World Championship. The next year, she kept improving. She placed second at the 2013 Ironman 70.3 World Championship.

Moving to Full Ironman Races

In 2014, Heather won her third straight Wildflower Triathlon. However, she placed 13th at the 2014 Ironman 70.3 World Championship.

In November of that year, she raced in her first full-distance triathlon. This was Ironman Arizona, where she took third place.

In 2015, Heather almost won her fourth Wildflower triathlon in a row, missing it by just three seconds. She then raced Ironman Texas, where she finished 11th.

However, she bounced back to win her first full Ironman race at Ironman Coeur d'Alene. She overcame an 8-minute gap after the swim to beat her opponents. The 2015 Coeur d'Alene race was very hot, so it started an hour early.

In her first time competing at the Ironman World Championship, Heather placed fifth. This was impressive because she started the running part of the race 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 hours, 9 minutes, and 42 seconds.

Notable Race Results

Heather Jackson has achieved many impressive results in her triathlon career. Here are some of her notable finishes:

See also

In Spanish: Heather Jackson para niños