On vacation in Italy, Leandra Zimmermann laced up her shoes and went on her first run. With her father by her side, Leandra began running around the streets of the famous country. She was just eight-years-old. That day, Leandra had extra energy and was growing in boredom, so her father, Erich Zimmermann, decided to take her out on his run. This would spark a father-daughter bond that would continue to blossom throughout the years to come. 

Once back home to the city of Augsburg, Germany, Leandra continued to lace up her shoes and run with her father. Over the next few months, they would practice eight more runs together to prepare for Leandra’s first race. Now a nine-year-old, Leandra was ready to compete in her first race, a 7.5k (4.6 miles). Just as she started, Leandra and her father ran the race together. Being the only child in her age group Leandra won a big trophy, however it was more than a trophy that made an impact that day. Leandra emphasized how winning that race secured her confidence as a young runner and assisted in her belief in herself. Mr. Zimmermann observed that winning her first race gave Leandra motivation, “to keep on running.” 

The father-daughter duo continued to train together over the course of several months. Mr. Zimmermann introduced his daughter to his own running club, in hopes that running with adults would increase Leandra’s speed and further introduce her into the world of running. “For the little running she did, Leandra was impressively fast,” proudly voiced Mr. Zimmerman. It was clear young Leandra had a growing interest in running so pursuing Track & Field and Cross Country was an easy choice. However, her other interest in drawing, arts and crafts, and music only allowed Leandra one day a week to practice. As the years continued, Leandra made the decision to attend her sophomore year of high school abroad in Georgia, US. While attending high school in the States, Leandra was introduced to the high school’s Cross Country team and the after school daily practices. Through the consistent training, “she improved quickly, was by far the fastest on the team and she became increasingly motivated,” emphasized Mr. Zimmermann. 

A year passed and Leandra returned to Germany. Now a strong motivated runner, Leandra qualified to join the Bavarian State Youth Running Team where she participated in multiple German Track & Field and Cross Country Championships. With a few more years under her belt, Leandra began the college recruitment process. MIT grabbed her attention and Leandra committed to spend her undergraduate years running Track & Field and Cross Country for the University. Surprisingly, Leandra was one of the bottom recruits for the team, however she enjoyed finally being able to practice with others her age and in her speed group. “During my undergrad I was lucky to be part of the really cool, fun and supportive MIT Varsity Cross Country and Track & Field Team,” expressed Leandra. With hard work and dedication to the sport, Leandra was able to quickly climb the ladder and become one of the top runners at MIT. Mr. Zimmermann proudly explained, “she finished as an All-American twice at Cross Country Division III Nationals, placing 17th individually. Leandra was MIT’s Cross Country Most Valuable Player both her junior and senior year.” Leandra expressed excitement in becoming a German All-American runner.

Despite Leandra’s success on the MIT Track & Field team, she decided to narrow her horizons to only competing in Cross Country. “Leandra always had other interests and priorities besides athletics and didn’t like the constant pressure to perform on the varsity team. Hence, she decided to not do varsity Track & Field her junior and senior years at MIT. Instead she used those semesters for research, art, social engagement, running for fun on her own, and other sports, like sailing and kickboxing,” explained Mr. Zimmermann. 

Along with many competitive runners, racing in a marathon was a goal Leandra had for herself. Without frequent exposure to extreme long distances, Leandra trained on her own for a few months before entering into a local marathon. Leandra ran 26.2 miles with a time of 2 hours and 54 minutes, with an average pace of a 6:56 minute mile. Making her the fastest woman in the race. Becoming the fastest woman to race in the local marathon gave Leandra more confidence in her running abilities. Participating in this long distance race pushed Leandra to realize she enjoyed extreme endurance sports.

Once Leandra graduated from MIT, she decided to follow her gut feeling and attend Stanford as a Graduate student. “The urge to meet passionate and inspiring people, to grow from new challenges, to breathe the California air, and to learn how to bring my ideas out into the world,” were the reasons Leandra voiced as to why she chose Stanford. Leandra decided to study Mechanical Engineering because “Stanford got me very excited about energy and climate technology.” Reflecting on Leandra as a young student, Mr. Zimmermann shared, “Leandra has always been broadly interested and curious about everything she encountered. Additionally, she had the ambition to always try her best at school. She had many hobbies, like music (she played the flute and the piano, and was part of the orchestra), reading, art (especially drawing), and different sports (mainly soccer and running).” One of the encounters that drew Leandra in, was with the Stanford Club Triathlon team. 

The Stanford Club Triathlon team was one of the many new activities that pulled Leandra’s interest. She was mostly drawn to the sport because of her history with running competitively throughout her childhood and young adult life. “I wanted to move away from pure competitive running and the pressure to improve personal records. I love endurance sports and didn’t want to let go of running either. So, I decided to switch it up and try triathlon as a ‘new’ sport,” voiced Leandra. Excited for the new opportunity, Leandra laced up her shoes to take on a new challenge, combining three separate sports into one. Some may fear the fact that you must swim, run and bike all together but Leandra was impressed and excited about this challenge. “Joining Stanford Club Triathlon was one of the best decisions I made since coming to Stanford. The team makes me incredibly happy. Everyone is welcoming, fun, humble, kind and encouraging. Students from all majors are part of the Stanford Club Triathlon family. We grow together through the suffering of hard workouts.  

Being a club sports athlete provides me motivation to push my limits, a training plan tailored to help us improve, and scheduled practices without any pressure – a healthy balance to academic life. The triathlon team spends time together at training weekends away from campus and at a range of other fun events organized by our social chairs. Whenever I spend time with the triathlon team, there is always fun involved,” voiced Leandra. Her energy and enthusiasm didn’t go unnoticed by the team. Both her teammates and coach have emphasized how much Leandra is “always smiling.” 

Coach Eric Wilburn joined Stanford Triathlon as a graduate student at Stanford, making it his first time competing as a triathlete. After he graduated, he became an assistant coach to the Stanford Club Triathlon team. Once the previous head coach of 10 years, Gina Kehr, took the varsity coaching position for Women’s Triathlon at University of San Francisco, Eric Wilburn stepped in as Stanford’s Head Coach. While coaching Leandra, Wilburn noticed, “Leandra always brought her smile to practice and a contagious positivity that buoyed up the entire team. Most importantly, she clearly cared about the success of her teammates as much as her own and was always there to be supportive. This was huge in a sport like triathlon, where it feels individual at times, but the team support is actually vital to each individual's success.” Teammate Leo Mehr agreed with Coach Wilburn and communicated, “Leandra has such a shining personality. She's always smiling at practice, and excited to be there with the team.” 

Although Leandra put her NCAA experiences behind her, the skills she acquired while on varsity still shined through in her training with the Triathlon team. Coming from a varsity background, “Leandra brought a dedicated work ethic to triathlon. I think she enjoyed the opportunity to pick up two new sports, swimming and biking. Her commitment to learning and willingness to take some risks helped her quickly get up to speed and she ended up being one of the fastest women on our team. If nationals would have happened in the country, (she would have ended up being the fastest there as well),” Coach Wilbrun emphasized how her background and competitive nature helped Leandra flourish as a Triathlete. She is known by her teammates as being a “blazing fast runner” and Leo Mehr admitted she would usually lead the guys when they would run together. Leandra was on track to make it to Nationals before covid-19 tragically hit the world. Up until that point, she was training hard and working towards the goal of Nationals. Mr. Zimmermann expressed he always enjoyed cheering Leandra on, but kept reminding her that “the most important part is to enjoy running and to do the best for yourself - without letting your happiness depend on your final place.” Over a course of years, Mr. Zimmermann witnessed the impact pressure to perform put on young athletes, making many forget, “the goal of these races was positive and encouraging competition.” Through her experiences, Leandra was able to balance fun and competition at a healthier level, but that didn’t stop her from reaching goals. “I was the 5th woman at Tritonman Triathlon in San Diego last year, however, I still have a lot of room for improvement. Triathlon Nationals sadly got canceled last year, but the next time they take place I am sure to give my best,” Leandra vocalized.

Mr. Zimmermann conveyed how proud he was of his daughter, “finding new friends and a great team that gives her so much on a personal level as well. It makes me happy that she has started a new sport with enthusiasm and success. New goals keep her excited and she has found a good balance between academics, athletics, and other interests.” Coach Wilburn shared, triathlon and the community it brought was a reset for Leandra. “I think she did a great job of having fun and making sure that, while competing, triathlon was always a nice offset from the stressors and rigors of academic life at Stanford. I believe she did a wonderful job balancing the two.” Leo Mehr (teammate) and Sara Brochers (friend) both acknowledged that Leandra is an extremely hard worker. She is known to be extremely passionate about engineering and sustainability. “We both attended a tour of the recycling center and bonded over trash and a shared love of sustainability. She is always seeking new opportunities to learn and to maximize her positive impact on people and our planet,” shared Sara Brochers. Although being a club sport athlete invites you to have a healthy combination of exercise, competition and social life, this doesn’t come without a fair share of struggles. “The hardest thing about being a Stanford Student is to find a healthy balance of living. Stanford offers so many exciting opportunities – however, it is impossible to do everything. Learning to say no to things without the feeling of missing out, figuring out and prioritizing what makes one feel good, and finding a healthy balance is very important. Otherwise, you keep feeling overwhelmed and like you are chasing assignments and commitments.” Sometimes, it is hard to find time to participate in Club Triathlon “when academic commitments seem to flood you and you jump into survival mode. However, I learned to prioritize sleep and sport (the triathlon team) since I need them to stay sane,” Leandra admitted. For many Stanford students, finding an escape from academics provides a great release of tension and stress. Mr. Zimmermann communicated “I am most proud of Leandra engaging with the Stanford Community and campus life positively, getting settled in well and finding friends quickly. Besides the Triathlon Team, she is also engaged in the Stanford Energy Club and is the president of the Stanford German Student Association.”

Leandra will continue to lace up her shoes and take on the world around her, whether that is training for Triathlon races or finding ways to better the earth. Each individual that comes into contact with Leandra notices how kind, intentional, and passionate she is. “She cares deeply for other people and for doing what is right. She is constantly challenging herself and has such a curiosity and zest for life,” said Sara. Coach Wilbrun emphasized that Leandra could be a top competitor as a triathlete, even taking her career to the professional level if she chose that route. Coach Wilbrun said “the funny thing about Stanford, is even while we have many professional triathletes that have come out of the program, each one of them also have incredibly bright futures in other professions. Leandra, with her keen engineering acumen and optimistic entrepreneurial spirit, I have no doubt will have a very bright future.” Leandra’s family, friends and teammates completely agree. Through Leandra’s life challenges and successes, she has learned valuable life lessons. To always be “grateful for the inspiring people around you, use every chance to learn and improve, challenge yourself and your teammates and never ever forget to have fun.”