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I spent years focusing on recovery and my why and finding joy in running again. I finally found that.
If you see someone flying down the trails in Colorado, it just might be VIS Mentor Bailey Kowalczyk.
Bailey is a professional Nike runner and two-time representative of the US on the global trail running stage. She’s also a Taylor Swift fan, a dog mom to Mowgli, and a lover of matcha.
Get to know Bailey in this edition of the VIS Meet the Mentor series!
Competitive running has been a part of Bailey’s life for as long as she can remember.
Bailey began racing when she was around 10 years old and ran cross country and track throughout college. After college, she hit the roads for some longer races before she fell head over heels in love with racing on the trails.
Though she’d always been running, it wasn’t her only sport.
While Bailey played soccer until high school, she realized that her favorite part about the sport was running—something her teammates considered punishment. This led Bailey to the track, the roads, and the trails.
As she began racing, Bailey placed pressure on herself.
“I had extremely high goals for myself and would get so anxious about competing and not being able to achieve them, that I started to lose sight of why I did the sport in the first place,” she says. Seeing a sports psychologist helped her bring balance back into her life—but her struggles in the sport were far from over.
Bailey ran for Clemson University in college, heading south for the warmer weather, the coaching staff, and the team environment.
But when a coach told her she’d be faster if she were thinner, her running quickly spiraled into a mental and physical battle. Bailey developed anorexia—cutting her college career short as she followed the road to recovery.
But she found her way back to the sport she always loved—healthier, happier, and stronger than before.
Now, Bailey runs trails professionally for Nike in Boulder, Colorado. She uses her platform to advocate for better understanding of eating disorders in sport, dealing with injury, menstruation, burnout, competition anxiety, and transitioning from the track to the trails.
Bailey’s transition into professional trail running was different than most, but no two paths look the same. For Bailey, the years she took off from high-level racing were critical for her success.
Now, Bailey’s love for the sport is greater than ever before. Prioritizing her health was crucial for that change. “Mental and physical health need to be the priority, and the rest will fall into place if those bricks are in place,” she says.
Professional running wasn’t something Bailey always planned for. But sports can take us to incredible places if we trust the process and care for ourselves.
Bailey studied Human Biology and Physiology in college and planned to go to medical school. When she had the opportunity to make her passion her career, she knew she had to take it.
“Running and life brought more opportunities than I could have imagined,” she says. When Bailey had the chance to run professionally, she took it.
While she’s not sure where the future will take her after running, Bailey plans to stay involved with women’s sports. She’s interested in careers in women’s exercise physiology research, orthopedics and medicine, or physiology.
Her biggest goal? Make a difference in people’s lives.
Bailey Off the Trails
When she’s not flying up and down mountain trails, Bailey is chasing a different goal: finding a matcha latte in every part of the world. You can find her—matcha in hand, of course—reading or hanging with family, friends, and Mowgli at the local farmer's market.
Bailey on Women’s Sports
Bailey sees women’s sports as boundary-defying.
Her favorite part about being a woman athlete is being a part of setting new standards for the “impossible.”
“I love that we don’t even know where the ceiling is because women continue to raise the bar time again and time again,” she says, “I don’t think a limit exists for women’s sports right now.”
Her hope is that women’s sports can receive the viewership, participation rates, financial backing, and credibility that they deserve.
Talk to Bailey About
Bailey joined VIS to be the Mentor she didn’t have when she was younger.
“I wish I had had a mentor at the time to tell me that these pressures I was facing were normal, and what resources and steps I could take to ensure my health and happiness were preserved and protected,” she says.
Sessions with Bailey focus on balance and community. She’s passionate about conversations around eating disorders, menstruation, and burnout.
Eating Disorders in Sport
Bailey battled anorexia in college. She knows firsthand the difficulties we might face when it comes to eating disorders in sport. And she knows that recovery is possible. “The pressure in sports is high, and it’s important to be surrounded by healthy individuals who remind you that health and success can coexist,” she says.
Taboo Topics: Runners and Menstruation
Bailey spent nearly a decade of her life thinking that not having her period was normal or even a sign of fitness for women runners. Now, she’s devoted to opening up dialogue about menstruation for young women athletes.
Burnout in Sport
When we compete at a high level for a long time, burnout can feel unavoidable. After dealing with burnout herself, Bailey wants to be a VOICE for navigating burnout and accepting that it’s normal to feel this way.
Connect with Bailey
When Bailey was in high school, she wished she had professional and college athletes to look up to. Now, she can be that athlete for you. “I want to be an advocate and ally for myself and others,” she says.
Through VIS, you can have the Mentors Bailey didn’t.
Connect with Bailey through her VIS profile and learn from our incredible Mentors on our sessions page.
