Rachel Zilinskas, Former Georgia All-American, Enjoying Second Career in Triathlon<\/strong><\/p>\n

Filling the hole left by swimming was a complex challenge for Rachel Zilinskas<\/strong> when she left the University of Georgia.<\/p>\n

The void was obvious for the All-American swimmer. Since she was a child, first at Germantown Academy and then in Athens, Zilinskas took pride in the hours of work she put in. At two daunting, distance-heavy programs, Zilinskas thrived, as a national teamer in the pool and in open water, an all-purpose distance specialist who harbored realistic Olympic dreams.<\/p>\n

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Rachel Zilinskas at Nationals in 2014; Photo Courtesy: Griffin Scott<\/p><\/div>\n
By the end of her time in Athens, her body was done. But her spirit still craved the grind.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy last two years, there were of course wonderful highlights of getting to compete with my teammates,\u201d Zilinskas said recently. \u201cI got a few best times here and there in some off events that I hadn\u2019t swam in a while. But for me personally in terms of my swimming career, it was tough.\u201d<\/p>\n
When she relocated to the University of Minnesota, where she\u2019s pursuing her Ph.D. in biostatistics, Zilinskas wanted something to fill the gap. She tried running, in her competitive way building up from 5ks to half-marathons to a full marathon. She dabbled in cycling classes. And, given her open-water swimming background, the idea was floated soon enough: Hey, what about triathlons?<\/p>\n
A few years into her second athletic journey, Zilinskas is a professional triathlete, with a couple of high-profile top-10 finishes at Ironman events to her name. She\u2019s also rediscovered that training passion that was taken away by her college injury woes.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had done it before, so I felt like I could do it again,\u201d she said. \u201cThis was the way I personally was used to doing things. It\u2019s still difficult every day, just trying to plan out the day to try to execute what I need to get done in the best possible way. But all the while, the emphasis on triathlon has increased as I\u2019ve gone on.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2018It felt like a personal failure\u2019<\/h4>\n
Zilinskas\u2019s perseverance through her shoulder injuries is a testament to how talented a swimmer she is. In 2012, before her senior season at GA, she qualified for Trials in a slew of events. She ended up ninth in the 800 free and 15th in the 400 free, with the kind of classical 200-stroke, freestyle distance, 400-IM specialty that GA and Georgia are known to churn out. At just 17, she was on the short list of names to watch for 2016<\/a>.<\/p>\n
But her body didn\u2019t quite hold up its end of the bargain. She started her career in Athens on a high, helping the Bulldogs win the national title in 2014 by making three B finals at NCAAs. She followed it up with two A finals the next year, and still gutted out a 14th-place finish in the mile in 2016 as the Bulldogs won another team title. Down to her last day in a Georgia cap \u2013 she was 17th in the mile, 21st in the 400 IM and 26th in the 500 free at NCAAs as a senior \u2013 she was a contributor. As of the end of the 2022 season, Zilinskas remains fourth in program history<\/a> in the 200 back, sixth in the mile and 10th in the 500 free.<\/p>\n
But for someone so fastidious in her training, all those efforts came at a cost.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was really difficult, especially watching my teammates continuing to be able to do the yardage and do everything in the weight room and I couldn\u2019t,\u201d she said. \u201cIt felt like a personal failure. It truly wasn\u2019t; this was a very physical problem. But mentally I took it as a personal failure.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery time I would have to get out of practice early and not be able to complete a practice or have to transition to kicking, it felt like a lot of shame. Every time I would have to leave the pool deck, it felt like a walk of shame.\u201d<\/p>\n
When Zilinskas walked away from the pool, she was still in love with swimming. It just had become clear that it wasn\u2019t exactly in love with her.<\/p>\n
Diving back in<\/h4>\n
After getting her master\u2019s in statistics, Zilinskas began her Ph.D. studies in the Twin Cities. As engrossing as biostatistics is, she had time to fill, with a schedule no longer accommodating hours of mandatory daily training.<\/p>\n
She looked for new outlets in all the usual places \u2013 running, fitness classes, anything to get her by now healed body moving again. Even when she found something that scratched the physical itch, the mental aspect that came from nearly two decades of goal-driven competition was noticeably absent<\/a>.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I first retired from swimming, I think any former swimmer will tell you this, the transition into the \u2018real world\u2019 is very, very tough,\u201d she said. \u201cSpecifically the transition with how to exercise and I definitely struggled with that, knowing what was enough, knowing what was healthy. I tried a lot of different things, but I still kind of felt at a little bit of a loss not having a physical goal to work towards.\u201d<\/p>\n
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A post shared by Rachel Zilinskas (@rachzili13)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n