She Biked 1,200 Miles to Find Her Father's Final Resting Place | National Geographic

I don't seek out pain or want to feel pain. It's more that I've learned really sticking with something and putting your time and your energy in—on the other side of that, you're a bigger person. I do seek out those kind of experiences where I am gonna be stripped raw and it's not going to be comfortable. Not taking any risk in your life or ever venturing outside your backyard or out of your comfort zone, it's boring and really limiting.

My dad was shot down in the Vietnam War when I was just three years old, and so was a house full of girls, and my mom was on her own. My sister and I were home alone a lot when we were young. Growing up that way taught us to take care of ourselves, to be independent, to be self-sufficient. There was never the sentiment that girls don't do certain things or back that way. Even when I was living out of my car with no health insurance, my mom never said, "Well, you're not making the right choice." She really empowered us and supported our decisions.

I've been an athlete all my life, starting in high school, and I've done rock climbing, running, adventure racing, kayaking, and most recently, ultra-endurance mountain biking. People ask me why so many different sports. What motivates me the most is the opportunity for exploration and personal growth. Most people, when they look at a professional athlete, they only see the wins, but for as many times as you stand on the podium, there are twice as many where you fell down.

As a professional athlete, I have built up a strong exterior to not show weakness and be confident all the time. In this ride down the Ho Chi Minh Trail, to find my father's crash site, I really had to let go of all of that. This journey became the focus of my documentary, Blood Road. This ride was hands down the hardest thing I've done in my life physically, but really, the physical part of the journey didn't end up being the biggest challenge. I don't remember my dad, but I really do believe that he brought me there to teach me a lesson that he was bothering me at this point in my life.

He brought me down the Ho Chi Minh Trail to teach me. I've learned that I can use my bike as a vehicle for change, whether it's raising awareness and funds to clean up bombs in Laos, or simply riding and mentoring women in my own community. Fear and pain are incredible teachers, whether that's learning to mountain bike at age 38, or taking the biggest, most intense, most important ride in my life. When we really educate ourselves, the fear will dissipate, or at least get pushed further down the road.