For runner Allyson Felix, the Olympic video games are a lifestyle. She’s actually competed within the Olympics for almost all of her life. Now 38, the monitor and area champion has racked up 11 Olympic medals over the course of her profession since her first Video games in 2004 in Athens, Greece, on the age of 18.
For the primary time in 20 years, she gained’t be competing within the Olympics. Felix formally introduced her retirement from her signature races (the 100, 200, and 400 meters) in 2022. It’s an enormous shift for the Olympian, however Felix is much from distancing herself from the game.
Right here’s how she’s staying purposeful post-retirement, and the one factor she regrets from her lengthy Olympic run.
A purposeful pivot
Felix is probably not competing on this yr’s Video games, however she’s nonetheless doing her half to assist spotlight and fund high-achieving feminine athletes. Along with her Voice in Sport mentorship and her latest $20 million grant from Melinda Gates to handle maternal well being, she additionally partnered with Cracker Jack to steer the Cracker Jill Highlight Squad—an initiative to help the following technology of game-changing feminine athletes.
“There’s so many extra tales, so many extra girls in sport who want the visibility,” Felix says. “While you see somebody who seems such as you who’s doing one thing unbelievable, it exhibits that you would try this as properly.”
Felix’s personal inspiration got here from a number of fellow athletes, like Jackie Joyner Kersee, Serena Williams, and Lisa Leslie, to call a couple of.
“While you see somebody who seems such as you who’s doing one thing unbelievable, it exhibits that you would try this as properly.”
“Jackie at all times informed me to give attention to myself, and that it takes a extremely very long time to be nice at one thing. I feel that actually made me decelerate the method,” Felix says. “As athletes, you wish to have success immediately, however she made me perceive that it was actually concerning the lengthy recreation.”
Since hanging up her monitor spikes, Felix additionally began her personal working model, Saysh, in 2021. Saysh designs trainers for ladies, by girls, and even has a novel maternity return coverage. Clients can commerce of their Saysh sneakers for a brand new pair as their toes change with being pregnant—an vital factor for Felix as a maternal well being advocate and mom of two.
“I began Saysh out of necessity. I had been with Nike for nearly a decade, and after I wasn’t absolutely supported by means of my being pregnant I left,” she says.
Felix displays on how troublesome competitors grew to become when she began to consider increasing her household, selecting to attend to have children due to what she noticed her teammates undergo.
“They weren’t supported by means of their pregnancies. It was actually arduous to see that—to see girls cover pregnancies. I did the identical factor myself and educated at 4 a.m. so nobody would know that I used to be pregnant. We did all of this as a result of we have been making an attempt to safe new contracts,” she says. “It was a extremely troublesome time, in order that’s an enormous motivation for me in all my advocacy work. I don’t need some other lady to really feel like she has to decide on between her occupation and motherhood, and positively not have to cover bringing new life into this world.”
Felix might have moved away from competitors, however she’s redirected her vitality towards different issues she’s keen about that may make significant change for different girls.
“[Since retiring], I have been in a position to do issues I’ve needed to do for a very long time within the working house, but in addition persevering with to advocate for feminine athletes and spending lots of time on the Black maternal well being disaster,” she says.
What the Olympic monitor champion would’ve accomplished otherwise
As an 11-time Olympic medalist and 21-time world champion, it’s arduous to consider Felix would have any regrets. However with conversations round psychological well being coming to the forefront through the 2020 Tokyo Olympic video games, it allowed Felix to replicate on her personal psychological well being throughout her profession.
“On the peak of my profession, I in all probability wasn’t probably the most wholesome. I really feel like [I] had this mentality of at any price, [I] simply saved pushing ahead,” she says.
The shift that’s taking place on a world stage to de-stigmatize psychological well being is one thing Felix needs may have occurred sooner.
“I used to be so happy with Simone [Biles] and Naomi [Osaka] and what they’ve accomplished over time. I feel it actually has such an affect to have the ability to say that it is okay to not be okay. And it is okay to prioritize taking good care of your self. That may exist in the identical house as being an elite athlete,” she says.
“I don’t need some other lady to really feel like she has to decide on between her occupation and motherhood, and positively not have to cover bringing new life into this world.”
Felix displays on troublesome moments throughout her profession that she pushed by means of, like private points and a demise within the household. Regardless of the circumstance, she sprinted by means of them as an alternative of stopping to handle her psychological well being.
“I pushed by means of the whole lot, and I do not assume that was the most effective factor. I feel what I’d have accomplished otherwise is take a second for myself,” she says. “Self care was one thing that was form of non existent [back then]. If I’d have identified a few of these issues, I in all probability would have accomplished issues just a little bit otherwise myself.”
Now on the opposite aspect of her Olympic profession, Felix has extra time to apply self care in between her new endeavors as a businesswoman, mother, advocate, and sports activities commentator—however the shift from aggressive working is one she’s nonetheless adjusting to.
“The Olympics have been my life for therefore lengthy and making ready for them. I’ve had moments the place I am like, ‘Oh my gosh, I really feel like I needs to be preparing,’” she says. “So I am excited to take them in as a spectator and simply expertise it from a distinct perspective.”
