Transitions: In Sport and In Life

Transitioning from swim to bike, from bike to run, from one chapter of life to the next. For triathlete and surgeon Dr. Casey Knight, transitions have defined far more than her races. 

Originally from Canada and now raising her two children, Chloe (9) and Noah (7), in Boston, Knight has navigated a journey from collegiate club triathlete and pre-medical student, to surgeon, mother, and triathlete. 

Two decades after her last race, it was the stillness of the pandemic that drew her back to the multisport community she’d always loved. 

Another transition — this time, a return to the sport that shaped her. 

Before she was a surgeon and mom, Knight was a collegiate triathlete who had no other worries in the world. She loved the grind, early mornings, and team camaraderie. 

“Almost by accident, as I was transitioning out of competitive team sports, I ended up training with the McGill University Tri Team,” said Knight. “I was in the right place at the right time and... the community right from the beginning, and as it continues to be now, was so supportive.” 

After graduating from McGill, life shifted. 

“I couldn't spend as much time training and racing while I was training for my medical career, so I stayed active with sports that included running, biking and swimming. However, I was not in a triathlon mindset. I left the sport for over 20 years,” said Knight. “When COVID hit and the world effectively shut down, the open water and open roads were still open. I took advantage of that. I ended up working with a coach who eventually suggested that I was a still triathlete and I needed to put myself put back into the proverbial ring.” 

A year after returning to training, Knight signed up for her first Ironman 70.3 race in 2023, “just to see if I could do it.” She completed that race and went on to win her age group at the Boston Triathlon (Olympic distance) a month later, qualifying her for the 2024 USA Triathlon Nationals in Atlantic City. She also qualified and competed in the 2024 Ironman 70.3 World Championships in New Zealand. 

Now she is training for the 2026 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championships (in Nice, France), the 2026 USA Triathlon Olympic Distance National Championship, and Challenge Roth (140.6-mile race in Germany) this summer.  

In reflecting on the community aspect of the sport, Knight recalls the day before the 2025 USA Triathlon Sprint and Olympic Distance Nationals in Milwaukee, she found herself in line at the bike tent with an unexpected flat tire due to a broken valve. “The mechanic told me he didn’t think they could fix my tire in time for the race,” she said. Then, a woman she’d never met before stepped forward. “She said, ‘I have a spare wheel. Would you like to use it?’ It turned out to be Leslie Battle who offered me her spare without hesitation.” 

That selfless act of kindness stayed with Knight. 

“I didn't know Leslie before this interaction, but these are the types of people and positive interactions that we need to be showcasing. This sport is about challenging ourselves and being competitive, but it’s also about supporting and raising each other up” Knight said. 

The interaction with Battle, who is a longtime triathlete and ambassador in the multisport community, reminded Knight why she fell in love with the sport in the first place: a sense of camaraderie that goes far beyond competition. These experiences led her to the USA Triathlon Foundation Training Camp, where she met others who shared that same belief in triathlon’s power to unite and uplift. 

For four days at the USA Triathlon Foundation Training Camp, Knight trained like an elite triathlete with fellow age groupers, swimming, biking and running at the United States Performance Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. Their star coaches included Olympic medalist and mother Katie Zaferes and her husband Tommy Zaferes, fellow former elite triathlete Alicia Kaye, elite running coach Jeff Moreno, and IRONMAN world champion and triathlon legend Mark Allen. Together, the group of athletes trained and learned about various aspects of the sport, while contributing to the Foundation’s mission to support and promote the virtues of triathlon, and to open pathways for all to swim, bike, and run.