Jamie Whitmore

Whitmore's first competitive sport came at the age of 5 when she began swimming. She later competed in softball and volleyball before finding her niche in track and field in the eighth grade.

She quickly found success as a distance runner and earned a scholarship to California State University, Northridge, where she competed in cross country and track and field.

After graduating in 1998, Whitmore decided to pursue a career as a professional triathlete. By 2001, she was racing mountain bikes professionally, and one year later she won her first XTERRA off-road triathlon on the small island of Saipan. Whitmore went on to become the most successful female athlete in XTERRA history, with 37 wins, six national titles, and one world title.

In March 2008, Whitmore learned that the source of the lingering pain in her leg was cancer—a spindle cell sarcoma that had wrapped around her sciatic nerve. Over the following year, she underwent multiple surgeries, radiation treatments, and battled infections that left her fighting for her life. After relearning to walk and giving birth to twin boys in 2010, Whitmore went on to win a gold and silver medal at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games.

When she is not training or racing, Whitmore coaches high school cross country, track and field distance, and dryland conditioning for an alpine ski team. She loves inspiring the next generation of student-athletes and helping them push beyond their own expectations.