SHE CAN TRI: Founder Jackie Faye on preparing Afghan women for triathlons

The Mettleset’s bonus episodes, which complement our regular Monday interviews with athletes from the region, are out on Fridays. Our bonus episodes will bring to you a range of trending and topical discussions around sporting news, races and events, along with our co-founders Dawn and Afshan’s own training and upcoming races.Our Bonus Episode today follows our interview with Zeinab Rezaie, the first Afghan woman to race and finish the Ironman 70.3 World Championship in Utah, this week.We invited Jackie Faye, the Founder of the non-profit She Can Tri, on a virtual chat to discuss how she set up this organisation to empower women like Zeinab to take up and continue playing sports even through the challenges they face in countries where women face repression and inequality.Jackie, who also became the first woman to complete six Ironman triathlons on six different continents in 2018, tells us how she met Zeinab during her time as a journalist alongside NATO troops in Afghanistan and how they worked to get her Ironman-ready.She also shares how sports saved her while growing up in an abusive household and how sport holds the same power for women in countries like Afghanistan and other conflict zones.Our wider support team for this episode includes Editor JJ Thompson and our Artwork is by the talented Alexandra Hickey of Studio Theodore.Jackie’s vision aligns with our purpose and this chat reinforced how much more work needs to be done for women’s rights and equality in all spheres. Tune in!For more info, visit www.themettleset.com , and follow us on @themettlesetDawn & Afshan@dawnable@afshahmed