Robyn Stevens - US Racewalk

Build Each Other Up ✨

On Saturday, February 8, Vacaville Parks and Recreation hosted an inaugural community ‘Girls and Women in Sports’ event.

Thank you, Elizabeth Crisante and Vacaville Parks and Recreation family, for the invite and to all who participated!

These were a few of the photos sent to me because I was focused on learning and connecting with our gems of community service and sports leagues present at the event (in rare form I didn’t take photos of my own). Thank you Claudia Wilde for the photos. has more with the kids and of others who contributed to the success of this event.

I hope for more events like this!

Darla Williams (Head Women’s Volleyball Coach at Solano College) has multiple degrees and does a lot to uplift Solano County women athletes. Darla isn’t pictured but gave wonderful advice for kids and women in attendance. 🏐

Atlanta Olympian🥇 and Monarchs 🦋💜 Hall of Fame athlete, and active with a variety of programs including Sport Diplomacy Sports Envoy to promote greater understanding of inclusion in sport, Ruthie Bolton 🏀 had us laughing and inspired throughout with her stories 💛☺️.

Our local FleetFeet-Vacaville 👟👟owner and Ultra runner, Carol Gilpin, is an inspirational Boss Mom/Athlete/Business Owner/Nutritionist and will have a pop-up at Susan Armenta’s Race Walk Clinic that will take place at Vacaville High School on May 3rd (early registration is available by scanning the barcode ⬅️ on the flyer 🙌).


Amy G is former SF Giants Sportscaster & 8-time Emmy Award-Winning Producer Emceed this event and shared her own lessons learned the hard way (a story) about when she did her first (and never again) marathon at the LA Marathon—with zero training 🙀. All, we DO NOT recommend running ultras without training 🚨❌⛑️. Plan for at least 5 months 🫶

Excited to do more with the community and to announce 📣 BeGOLDEN Success👩‍💼 💼 empowering you to succeed with integrity by learning how to proactively align your values with all you do and commit to. 🏆💛✨


🎶 🎧 - Fred Bouchai

🤼‍♀️🏋️‍♀️🥋🤸‍♀️🧘‍♀️

On this first day of celebrating ‘National Girls and Women in Sports’ week (though we are here and celebrate 24/7, 365 ♾️), I want to applaud 👏 and the numerous athlete moms, may be moms, and may have been moms for the progress we continue TOGETHER to 💛✨

Happy and honored to join the ambassadors of and in support of our collective mission for FairPlay AND a level playing field (which is also our work).

I’m 41 and during my prime pregnancy years there were too many risks and roadblocks in regards to what options exist (or don’t exist) for athlete-moms and athletes during our prime in sport coinciding with comfortably planning for motherhood during what is also our prime years for pregnancy—for me their were and still are huge risks as a female athlete to trust I can provide a stable financial base for supporting my kids through the costs of meeting basic needs as well as provide opportunities for them to explore their dreams and talents.

Not all Olympians and events in the Olympics are offered equality in financial support and access to healthcare—even among women athletes we are not treated with equality for our merit of what it takes to become an Olympian, which only 0.000001% of the world population achieve (that’s less Olympians worldwide than we have billionaires and millionaires) and most of us barely make enough to cover our own basic needs to have the privilege to consider motherhood for ourselves.

Freezing our eggs while we’re in our prime years on the competitive circuit as athletes is an extremely costly option and has its own additional risks (data breech and in general reliably safe—and trustworthy—storage).

To all the STRONG 💪 women out there, I see you, I hear you, I’m with you, let’s keep uplifting each other and moving forward TOGETHER.

Happy ‘National Girls and Women in Sports’ Day!

I have so much gratitude for the STRONG 💪 women who inspired (and STILL INSPIRE) me daily! My mom Carolyn , all my grandmothers and my Great Aunt, my sister , long-time mentors Claudia Wilde and Susan Armenta , Cynthia De LaCruz , my bestie Ashley , and women in sport heroes during my early years as a youth: Nadia Comaneci 🇷🇴 🤸 🔟 , Susan Armenta (before she became a mentor, coach and friend) 🇺🇸 👣 🏆 , Peggy Fleming ⛸️, Marla Runyan 🏃‍♀️, Joan Benoit 🏃‍♀️, and the “Sugar Plum Nut” Yanina Cywinska 🇵🇱🩰 📕 📖 ; and women sport heroes who inspire me in the race walk event: Maria Perez 🇪🇸 👣 🏆 and Laura Garcia 🇪🇸 👣 ✨, and Paralympian 🇺🇸 🏊‍♀️ ; To the additional women who didn’t know they were inspiring me to push the envelope during my early years of competing: Wanda of West Wind Flyers and Maria Rousso (whom I never met and I don’t know who she is or what she is doing now but I saw her and her brother’s name in the event programs often, which inspired me to be mindful of what I do with Sport during and after U18 years) 🫶

And cheers to the billions more empowering women—one of whom I hope to call President someday. 💛

✨


Photo cr: Jonathan Su , my physical therapist and friend

Walking away from people complacent to corruption doesn’t mean hate toward the person(s). Actually, it’s the opposite of hate…I walk away because I care about and value integrity.

Complacency to corruption is the antithesis of peace, fair play, respect—complacency to corruption is the antithesis of integrity.

I have respect for myself and I have respect for being among the example of the many GOOD and genuine we need more of in this world.

I want better for us all. So many of us need and want hope, so let’s come together to embody hope. 💛

Being GOLDEN is being consistently honest and genuine toward others, one’s self, and accountability of reality.

Always be golden 🌟✨


💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛


August 8 is SafeSport awareness day. There’s a long way to go. Trauma informed personnel need to increase in addition to knowledge and competency. Complacency to corruption needs to be held accountable/cleaned up. 💔❤️‍🩹

My coach, Jacinto Garzon 🇪🇸 ( ), deserves a post of his own.

Jacinto is among the BEST coaches in the world and it’s not expressed regularly enough how grateful I am for his supportive guidance and his reliable IMPECCABLE training expertise. He doesn’t stop at being a great coach, he is also a remarkable human being, friend, teacher, and contributor to the sport and event through expertise and community service.

❤️✨ With Jacinto, Athlete health and overall wellbeing come first and foremost. Strong results are the result.

Specifically for me I can attribute the following to the help of Jacinto:

⬆️ [Scroll through photo carousel]

THANK YOU 🦁🐂🐂🐂 ❤️✨

Un León Maestro de Toros 🌟

#
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Photo credits and extended acknowledgments:

There’s so much I love about this photo. Olympic Trials 🥇 champion title defended successfully ✅☺️.

Compositionally, the photographer captures so much—seen and unseen, obvious and subliminally.

Thank you for this snapshot 🥹🤗

A BIG VIRTUAL HUG to the City of Springfield, Oregon, for your cheer and another fantastic Olympic Trials on this gem of a course (down to each detail and good memories created here). 💚✨🌟

In 2021 on June 26th I saw my Olympic birth come to fruition, punched my ticket to Tokyo with a hug from my Mom, Dad, Sister, Niece and Nephew, several friends whom have seen me along and through this unique journey the Universe has orchestrated. 💛✨🐾

Sometimes, often times, we don’t know why or how things will turn out or when. While we as humans to try control outcomes, very little is in our control. The beauty we seek is when we release ourselves to embracing whatever happens when we dedicate ourselves to doing and giving our best in every moment each day and minute we’re gifted each breath.

Tomorrow, June 29th, I place foot to flow on the roads of Springfield Oregon, again on the same course as 2021–this time with a different dream I aim to set in motion to come to fruition.

This one is especially for those who have supported me throughout my life. This one is for you: Mom 🦋 🌹, Dad 🐉 , Claudia ✍️ , Kal-El 🗒️ , Susan and Cynthia, Jacinto Garzon 🇪🇸(you, who have thick and thin seen me through the lowest of lows and the highest of highs with unwavering support and love). Thank you for being pure gold in this journey of Life journeys, and in my life. 💛✨

🐾 April, this second half of my Olympic journey that began in 2016 has all along been inspired by you. Your profound impact on my life continues to pull me through challenges and overcome anything thrown my way. Curveballs, by now, have become our specialty home-run hitters. 🙃🙂 ☄️

🇪🇸

I’ve been traveling 🧳 🗺️ and dancing with the Sun, so this post is a week late.

Dear A Coruña, my team-Guadix Spanish teammates 🇪🇸, and my coach Jacinto: THANK YOU so much for adding to the sunshine 🌞 of gratitude I am overflowing with for this experience and outcome.

My mom and my bestie know the compounding added stressors and interruptions to proper rest that kept popping up since April 25th through the weeks leading into this race, so they have the best idea of how amazing this race result felt for me and the genuine elation! 😄🥹☺️🤗

My finish time of 1:35:48 (chip) is my unexpected fastest and most comfortable race performance I have had since my battle the past 1.5 years with long-haul covid 😃☺️ (and while dealing with ongoing sport manipulation carried out by direct 🇺🇸 race walk competitors abusing their power on the National RW executive committee and as AC reps).

This race result puts me back at the top in both Olympic distances in the race walk for USA women: Mixed Marathon Relay (1:36:48 in 🇹🇷) and 20km performance here in A Coruña (1:35:48 🇪🇸). 😃🥹

If there’s something that’s been continually reaffirmed for me throughout my athletic and life journey (in general) is this: Nothing can knock me down until death itself. I am strong enough already, and I am stronger with each experience.

Integrity and gratitude fulfill my life with moments and loved ones that I cherish with ALL my heart. ✨

For those of you who have stuck by me, rise above WITH me, hug and high five me, dance with me, cheer with me, smile with genuine love and respect for integrity and honest efforts … I see you and I thank you. 💛✨

There’s still so much to sort through and resolve regarding the ongoing sport manipulation affecting my Olympic Paris showing but one thing is for sure, honesty can’t be beat. Ever. The winner is the honest one.

With so much love and gratitude, be GOLDEN. 💛✨🤗
____________________________
Photo cr: Pepe Bermudez Solis (1-4, 7), Mom (5&6)
✨
🇪🇸

NEW AMERICAN RECORD 🚨 ✨
3:12:53 (Nick Christie & Robyn Stevens)
Mixed Marathon Relay

THANK YOU, , for a wonderfully hosted World Team Championship that doubled as our World’s first ever Olympic Game selection event for the exciting new event of Mixed Marathon Relay. 💛

New history had its start in Antalya last week and I am overflowing with gratitude to be alive and part of it.

April 21, the road was smooth and the 2km course delightful even in a slightly warm temperature. I can’t say the road getting there and afterward are smooth but on that day, a disjointed TeamUSA race walk squad came together in Unity and supported one another in synergistic team spirit—demonstrating how beautifully powerful a relay event can be 💝.

I didn’t know what to expect other than for it to be an experience that bests any previous performance by our squad.

We had the most perfect Staff for the race walks in the history of teams I have been on, the location absolutely gorgeous, food and other needs plentiful, and key people in my life present on location—my Dad, long-time mentors Susan Armenta and Ron Daniel, my coach Jacinto and Spanish squad of Spanish pizzazz. My Mom and Claudia were VERY present in spirit 🤗 🇹🇷 ✨

Nick and I, 🇺🇸 Team 1, placed 41st overall and 26th for Paris Games selection (Top 22 go, so we came up short)…but if it weren’t for ongoing sport manipulation we possibly would have squeezed in.
🙄🤨🤷‍♀️

I walked close to 2’ faster than my previous aggregate with a 1:36:48 total. Splits - 47:38/49:10.
Fastest Aggregate 🇺🇸 ✅ (SB)

I owe our medical staff Erika and Ena a BIG HUG for keeping my back from entirely stiffening up between legs, otherwise my second leg may not have gone as smoothly 😅.

Natos and Celina Corvera who were 🇺🇸 Team 3 successfully finished second for USA. Jordan Crawford 🇺🇸 Team 2 battled heat stroke and survives 💪 Whew!

Amy Begley, Susan Armenta and Lauryn Williams ARE rockstar support staff along the course! 🫶

Thank you for a wonderful (possibly last) World Team Championships for me. 🥹

Barreling through adversity is what I’m long accustomed to.

One foot in front of the other.

2023 is the year of shedding toxic people from my life and leaving them behind while transforming through the trauma of being pushed around and disrespected by negligence, and USA race walk representatives continuously manipulating sport. I’m ready for 2023 to be over regardless of a few gold nuggets.

I qualified for Budapest23 as BEST USA race walker (18th in World) and also for Santiago23 Games as our Area and National BEST at race walk….but I was left off due to misconduct of sport manipulation carried out by USA “teammates” who have become consumed too much by a false sense of “victory” that they fail at authentic wins and integrity.

My training has been screwed with right and left by this ongoing misconduct as I navigate bouncing back from long-haul covid.

6km (3 laps) into this race on Dec 17th, I wanted to stop. I imagined coffee at a cute cafe and an Uber to someplace magical in Ireland….and never look back.

But I kept going.

I kept and I keep going despite stomach issues, the disappointment in my federation’s governing body and representatives for continually letting us all down with their complacency to misconduct (even awarding the misconduct), and despite making no sense to continue if is going to punish successes achieved with integrity and the spirit of pure heart (while USATF opt to celebrate sport cheats).

I continued with integrity…I kept walking even though that reprieve ☕️, I imagined, is more fulfilling….because if I stopped before 10km I would hate myself.

I kept going.

My 10km split is still fastest of female USA entrants. I was going to stop at that point but I kept going because that’s what I do: keep going even though others want me to fail so that they don’t have to work as hard at cheating. 😏

I pressed on regardless of feeling miserable the entire way because gratitude for my coach and for the wonderful hosts of Ireland are encouraging during these moments. Thank you.

5th OA, 1st 🥇 USA. SB