Chris Mosier is a trailblazing athlete, coach, and the founder of TransAthlete.com. In 2020 he made history by becoming the first transgender athlete to compete in the Olympic Trials in the gender with which they identify. Prior to that, in 2015 he became the first openly trans man to make a Men’s US National Team. Following the national championship race, he was instrumental in getting the International Olympic Committee policy on transgender athletes changed, and in June 2016 he became the first trans athlete to compete in a world championship race under the new rules, where he was the second-fastest American man in his group. He has been called “the man who changed the Olympics” by the BBC and New York Magazine. Chris Mosier is a six-time member of Team USA, representing the United States in the sprint triathlon and the short course and long course duathlon, which is a run/bike/run event, a two-time Men’s National Champion, and a Men’s All-American
“Excelling in any area of your life takes time and consistency, so focus on becoming a better version of yourself in some way, every single day.”
Who is ‘The Chris Mosier’?
I am many things! Athlete and activist are always listed first, but I am a husband, a bunny caretaker (we have three incredible bunny roommates!), and a community builder. In sport, I am a multisport athlete and 6x member of Team USA in duathlon & triathlon, and most recently have been competing in racewalking (yes, you read that right!). In January 2020 I competed in the Olympic Trials for the 50k Racewalking event. Beyond sport, or perhaps because of sport, I am a passionate advocate for LGBTQ+ rights and inclusion in sport.
Your motto is “Be who you needed when you were younger.” Why is that important to you?
When I was looking for examples of who I wanted to be and how I could possibly show up in the world, I didn’t see people who were like me – I didn’t see transgender people, specifically trans men like myself, in sport. When I finally made the decision to transition and to tell others I am trans and to continue to pursue sport at a high level, I realized what a difference it would have made if I had seen me today when I was younger. I want to be the person I needed when I was younger – and the person others need to see today.
How did you discover CBD?
My wife put me on to CBD! She was researching natural solutions for chronic pain associated with endometriosis, and she found a lot of relief pretty quickly after starting a daily CBD regimen. Seeing her success in using it was all the proof I needed – it didn’t take long for me to realize this was something I could use to help with my own recovery from the pains of training, and when I learned more about the other benefits around sleep, anxiety, stress relief, and reducing inflammation, I was hooked.
“I quickly found that CBD helped me manage the stress and anxiety that also come along with a high-performance lifestyle.”
As a professional athlete, what are the benefits you see in Hemp-derived products?
The focus for me is always overall health and wellbeing, and figuring out how I can sustain high performance for the longest period of time. I want a long career and a long life! It is critical to take the best care of myself and my body that I can. I started taking CBD to help relieve pain and to improve my sleep, which is so important for recovery and performance as an athlete. But I quickly found that CBD helped me manage the stress and anxiety that also come along with a high-performance lifestyle. For the past three years (pre-COVID-19) I was traveling about 120 days of the year in addition to training. Now that I’m no longer traveling because of the pandemic, there is a whole different set of stressors and anxiety. CBD and CBG have helped immensely, but the biggest game-changer for me recently has been the CBD Muscle Gel – I use it before and after training and my body feels better now than it did five years ago. I recently suffered a torn meniscus and I really fell in love with the gel as I worked to rehab my knee and leg. I can’t say enough good things about it.
What is your advice for young athletes to compete at a professional level?
Keep grinding! Excelling in any area of your life takes time and consistency, so focus on becoming a better version of yourself in some way, every single day. And remember, you are more than the sports you play and the team you are on. While being an athlete is an important part of my identity and the identities of many others, it’s not the sole determination of our value or worth in this world.
Where can people keep up with you?
I track all of my training and advocacy on Instagram @thechrismosier – connect with me there!