Sutton is a two-time Olympian, where she competed in two Summer Olympic Games: the 10-kilometer open water skin in Beijing and the 400 meter freestyle at the 2012 Olympics in London.
She was the first American woman to swim in the Olympics in both open water and pool swimming. “That was great. It almost feels like a different lifetime ago sometimes,” she recalled. “What I am doing now is more important even though I am really proud of myself and what I was able to accomplish.”
Sutton won the gold medal at the Pan Pacific Championships in 2010 in the women’s 400 meter freestyle, and she is a five-time USA Swimming national champion. She has earned five medals from major international competitions.
Ever since she retired from swimming, she took on another passion, which involves teaching swimming with Fitter and Faster. “It feels extremely natural. It feels just right,” she said. “I love being able to take everything I’ve learned from swimming, learn more about the business side of it, and apply it to a job that I am really passionate about.”
For young and aspiring swimmers, Sutton said, “Mostly, just have fun with it. Enjoy being a swimmer and getting in the water every day with your friends. If your goals are to go to the Olympics, just take it one step at a time and recognize the improvement as a whole.”
Digital transformation of the sport of swimming
On the impact of technology on aquatics, she said, “It is really cool to see how much smarter everybody is becoming in swimming. My brother was a football player in college and I saw how much technology, electronics, and testing goes into their training.”
“To see the improvements over the last 20 years in swimming is fantastic,” she said. “We have a long way to go with regard to what’s possible with technology in swimming.”
Regarding her use of technology in her daily routine, she noted that she is a fan of Orangetheory Fitness. “That’s my workout now,” she said. “We wear a heart rate monitor and we try to keep that heart rate in a certain energy zone. That has been really fun since it’s like a game.”
She is a firm believer of what the USA Swimming Foundation is doing and how they are getting kids in the water, getting them active and making sure that they know how to swim. “Swimming is a lifelong sport,” she said. “When you are able to teach a kid how to swim, it’s a lifelong gift that you are able to give them.”
Sutton defined the word success as follows: “Knowing that you did everything you could to be your very best.” “That’s all we can really ask for ourselves and others. To be the best that we can be utilizing our gifts and talents,” she explained.
To learn more about the Fitter and Faster Swim Camp, check out its official website.
