Women Who Win: Katie Bennett
May 29, 2018
The D10's Women Who Win, brought you in collaboration with ADAY, spotlights some of the incredible female athletes who take to The D10's playing field each year. Meet Katie Bennett of Uber Technologies.
After attending my first D10 in New York as a spectator in 2015, I knew it was an organization I needed to join. I was immediately attracted to the intensity of the competition, the camaraderie between the participants, and the genuine desire to do something greater than one’s self. After volunteering in 2016, I finally took the leap in Chicago in 2017 and have never looked back.
What makes competing in The D10 a big part of your life?
Competing in the D10 has impacted every part of my life. It has made me more disciplined at work, more comfortable with being uncomfortable, and has led to a healthier lifestyle overall. Sports have always been a big part of my life, but post-college it was difficult to find something that I could work toward year-round. I ran on the club cross country/track and field team in college, which held daily practices and meets. But after joining the working world, I would sign up for road races where there was nothing holding me accountable to running PRs. After joining The D10, I have been able to find a way to stay competitive, train for multiple events, set goals and achieve them. This has led to greater discipline at work, because I can take the confidence from completing very difficult workouts and apply them to my day-to-day as a salesperson. Also, to train at a high level requires eating the right things, getting enough sleep, and often times skipping out on happy hours, which has led to a healthier lifestyle.
Share an example of how "digging deep" on The D10's playing field carries over to perseverance in life and business.
I think what’s true for most of the athletes who compete in The D10 is that the results in the gym and on the playing field translate into real life. For me this is especially pertinent because I work in sales. The way I look at almost everything in my life - whether it be running, lifting or my career is that what you put in, is what you get out. Sales, like training, is largely effort- and numbers-based. If you increase how often and how well you perform a certain activity, you will more than likely increase the results. Every time I finish my leg day with a 3 x 500m row, I remember that it will help me to achieve the optimal result on game day. Similarly in my career, every time I am in a lull in a sales cycle, I remember to keep my head down and work through it, because that is the only way to have success.
What do you wish more women knew about competing in The D10?
I wish more women knew that while the events are difficult, they are achievable. When I started training in January of 2017 for my first D10 in August of 2017, I could not do one pull-up. I had always been a runner and hadn’t worked on pull-ups since high school. By August of 2017 I was able to complete four pull-ups. Fast-forward to May 2018 - my goal is 15 on game day. I think a lot of women read the list of events and think that it would not be possible for them to ever successfully compete. While it does take a lot of work, the process is incredibly rewarding, and the results do come.
