Katya was born in New York City, but grew up in the slightly less cosmopolitan small farming towns of Kentucky and Southern Illinois. A ballerina at the age of four, her parents soon added gymnastics lessons to the mix to “keep her from bouncing off the walls”.

When not at the gym or doing homework in the car en route, Katya could be found horseback riding or chasing renegade cows on the family farm. When a serious knee injury Senior year in high school ended her plans of a gymnastics college career, she did not give up on her dream of competing as a Stanford varsity athlete. Instead, she chose to pick up an oar and row crew for the Cardinal, while fulfilling pre-med requirements and earning a degree in Human Biology.

Craving even more of an endurance challenge, Katya attended an on campus triathlon team run practice her Senior year on a whim. Her fate was sealed. Despite having no experience in any of the three sports, she accepted a teammate’s offer of borrowed bike and gear, and entered an Olympic distance race later that same week. Clinging buoy to buoy, she survived her first open water swim and, once on land, quickly worked her way up to 2nd place. . .until it was realized she’d forgotten her helmet and was promptly disqualified!

Since then, her approach to transitions and race preparation has changed a bit, but her passion for the sport of triathlon and racing has not. In 2005, Katya upgraded to elite status. Her three years in the pro ranks have included multiple top 10 Ironman finishes, including a 4th place finish at Ironman France in 2006.

Outside of triathlon, Katya has enjoyed her experiences modeling for companies such as K-Swiss, Triathlete Magazine, Her Sports, Competitor Magazine, Jelly Belly, Oakley, Under Armour, and Road Runner Sports. She is also currently pursuing her Masters in Public Health.