Kathy Garrett: Climbing Back, Again and Again 🇺🇸
From Houston, Texas, Kathy Garrett represents a powerful strand of SISU Racing — resilience earned the hard way, quiet strength, and a refusal to give up on something she loves.
An experienced road racer turned Zwift competitor, Kathy’s story isn’t just about results. It’s about rebuilding. Again. And again.
From Running Shoes to Race Bikes
Kathy’s first athletic love wasn’t cycling — it was running. She raced everything from 5Ks to marathons. Competition was part of her identity.
Then an accident triggered a downward spiral with her back. Running was no longer possible.
Instead of walking away from sport, she pivoted.
Spin classes at the gym became the starting point. Her husband encouraged her to try bike racing. She hadn’t been on a bike since childhood — but she bought her first race bike, joined a local shop team, and quickly got hooked.
Road races. Crits. Stage races. Time trials.
The competitive fire was back.
But the road wasn’t smooth. Years of pain management injections followed. Two more back surgeries. Each time, she had to restart from zero. Each time, she rebuilt.
Top Five at Texas State
One of Kathy’s proudest achievements came after her second back surgery — a top five finish at the Texas State Road Race (40+ Cat 3/4) at Fort Hood.
To place in a large field after starting over yet again wasn’t just a result.
It was proof.
Proof that setbacks don’t define you. Your response does.
Zwift: A New Beginning
Her final surgery happened during the height of COVID, when IRL racing shut down. That’s when Kathy turned to Zwift.
What began as a training tool quickly became a new racing home.
Zwift offered competition without the risk of crashes. It allowed her to train consistently while managing her back. And most importantly, it brought back the joy of racing.
Her favourite series? ZRL — painful, relentless, but deeply rewarding because of the team dynamic.
The Rider: Endurance Over Explosion
Kathy describes herself as a climber with endurance. She loves hilly races and hard climbs.
Sprint finishes? Not her strength.
But give her a long drag uphill or a sustained effort, and she’ll settle into her rhythm and grind.
In her pain cave — now upgraded from a garage setup to a dedicated “his and hers” Zwift room — she fuels rides with 80s and 90s rock and pop. Coffee comes before the ride (a must) and again afterward while relaxing with her cats.
She’s an early bird rider, preferring to get workouts done before the workday begins.
Mindset: One Day at a Time
After everything she’s faced physically, Kathy’s philosophy is simple:
Take it one day at a time.
Set smaller goals that build toward bigger ones.
Listen to your body.
She has learned not to overdo it. Recovery matters — especially with a history of back issues. Trying to stack too many hard sessions into a week was an early mistake. Now she trains smarter.
Cycling has taught her something that carries far beyond the bike:
Never give up on something you love.
Some days you want to quit. Some days you feel sorry for yourself. But if the passion is still there, keep reaching.
SISU Racing & The Arctic Loons
Kathy is a long-standing member of SISU’s Arctic Loon ZRL team — named after the Finnish black throated diver. Though, as she jokes, they often drop the “Arctic” part and are simply “a bunch of crazy Loons.”
What she loves most is the spirit.
The Loons are welcoming, supportive, and competitive all at once. They race hard but laugh constantly. The chemistry has stayed strong across seasons.
As the lightest rider on the team, Kathy discovered some unexpected advantages — particularly on the old New York TTT “escalators.” While her teammates were grinding and powering up, she was gliding up the gradient with minimal watts, laughing quietly to herself.
In TTTs she shines pacing the climbs and rolling terrain — earning her the nickname Mountain Goat.
Club Championships & Women’s Leadership
Kathy plans to race the SISU Club Championships again this March and is especially looking forward to the ITT and Climb disciplines. With newer New York routes offering a better mix of flats and hills, she’s excited for the challenge.
As the inaugural Women’s C Grade Club Champion, she knows what it means to earn that title. Reclaiming it? That would be special.
She’s especially excited about SISU’s International Women’s Day event on March 8th, hosted on the Watts the Limit course.
Her message to women across Zwift:
Save the date. Join the ride. Show up.
Whether you’re racing, riding, or just starting — there’s a place for you.
Looking Ahead
For 2026, Kathy is taking a slightly more relaxed approach than her structured IRL racing years. The priority is keeping her back healthy and continuing to improve in ZRL.
No grand declarations. Just steady progress.
Which, in many ways, defines her whole journey.
SISU, in Her Words
When asked to finish the sentence:
“SISU Racing is…”
“…never giving up and perseverance even when you feel you can’t do it or want to give up.”
From marathoner to road racer to Zwift climber, from surgery tables to start lines, Kathy Garrett embodies exactly that.
Perseverance.
Resilience.
And the quiet power of climbing back.