How Jenny Emick Balances Motherhood and Racing (and Everything in Between)

Jenny Emick doesn’t just race triathlons. She does it while managing a full-time job, raising two young kids, and squeezing in long training sessions wherever they fit. Based in Oakland, CA, Jenny is 37 years old, a proud mom of two “pirates-in-training” (ages 6 and 3), and somehow finds time to train for long-distance triathlons between school drop-offs and soccer practices.

For Jenny, the chaos is part of the fun.

“I come from a long line of women who’ve redefined what fun looks like—Wildflower, Kona, Xterra, Western States, half marathons on all seven continents. You name it, they’ve done it,” Jenny says. “And often with a little extra flare, like hula dancing across the finish line.” That family legacy, plus a lifelong habit of diving headfirst into challenges that scare and excite her, is what led Jenny to endurance sports. What started as a way to carve out some personal time in the middle of a hectic schedule quickly became something a lot bigger. She started training more seriously, racing harder, and chasing goals that pushed her limits.

Last year, she hit a big milestone by breaking the 5-hour barrier in a 70.3 race in Salem, Oregon which was her first time doing so. “I narrowly missed a world championship slot,” she laughs, “after dropping two spots for having to stop to pee. Classic rookie move.” Instead of backing off, she doubled down. She hired a coach, signed up for Ironman 70.3 La Quinta, and went all in to see what she could do with structured training. That mindset paid off: Jenny qualified for the 2024 Ironman 70.3 World Championship in Marbella, Spain.

She’s kicking off her journey to Spain at Wildflower.

Technically, Wildflower isn’t a new race for Jenny. She’s been part of it since she was six years old. “I had the very serious job of crewing for my family’s big events,” she says. “We had personalized t-shirts, chants, water handoffs, and a front-row seat to the kind of moments that stick with you. The energy and fierce competition left an impression, so you could say that the desire to compete at Wildflower started at a young age.”

While this year will mark her first time actually racing the Wildflower course, Jenny is bringing that same energy she’s had since childhood. Now coached by Felicity Joyce and racing with Team Flick, she says Wildflower checked all the boxes. “I wanted a race that had that perfect blend: tough course, beautiful setting, community vibes, and guaranteed suffering,” she says. “Wildflower was the obvious choice.”

From cheering as a kid to training as a mom, Jenny’s approach to racing is pretty simple: go after the things that scare you, stay consistent, and bring the people you love along for the ride. Wildflower marks the official kickoff to her season, and with the Ironman 70.3 World Championship in Spain on the horizon, it’s the start of something big. And as a longtime ROKA fan, Jenny’s starting line just got even better. She won Wildflower’s wetsuit giveaway and will be racing in a brand new ROKA suit.

Spain might be the destination, but Wildflower is where her next journey begins.