OHIO MOTHER OF 3, LAUREN BAY-REGULA, MAKING A RUN AT 2020 OLYMPICS IN TOKYO
Twelve years after her last Olympics and 4 years after her last international competition, Ohio mother-of-three and entrepreneur overcomes the odds to make one last historic run at the Olympic Games
AKRON, Ohio — Softball Canada released its athlete-pool for the upcoming 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan. 20 athletes were named, 15 of them head to Tokyo.
Headlining that announcement is the return of Lauren Bay-Regula of Trail, British Columbia, Canada. Bay-Regula last played in the Olympics at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, and most recently finished with a bronze medal in the 2016 World Championships in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Bay-Regula, the sister of former Major League Baseball All-Star outfielder Jason Bay, is on the brink of making history. If she makes the squad, which is officially announced in May, she would become Canada’s first, and only, 3x-Olympian in the sport of softball.
It’s been a long road for the mother-of-three, wife and business owner to get to this place. She recently just opened up publicly about her long battle with postpartum depression and a health scare that kept her from playing in 2019.
“I have been a work-in-progress, to say the least,” says Bay-Regula with a smile, acknowledging that she has finally come to a place where she physically and mentally feels she can compete again.
The left-handed pitcher began playing softball at age 11, eventually moving onto Oklahoma State University, where she set several all-time school records, leaving with career top-10 records in wins, ERA, shutouts and innings pitched. Internationally, Bay-Regula joined Team Canada in 1999, competing in the 2002, 2006 and 2016 World Championships, the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, and the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.
In between all of that, Bay-Regula got married, had three children, moved to Akron, Ohio and opened TrAk Athletics with her husband. TrAk is an online fitness business and in-person group and personal training fitness facility created to help people get fit, gain confidence and have the ability to experience life to the fullest. Part of Lauren’s “why” in playing this year is cemented in the fact that she wants to show moms and parents that anything is possible.
“There have been times where I have been so tired, I am a hollow version of myself by the end of the day. And there are other times where I am so energized by this adventure that I drive my family crazy! I guess you could say that it all evens out.” she says, laughing.
Throughout the next 8 months, she’ll be sharing her journey on a blog on the TrAk Athletics site, as well as through her Instagram account @laurenregula.
For the full impact of Lauren’s inspirational and unlikely story listen to her on Carrie Doll’s Inner Circle Podcast found HERE.
About TrAk Athletics At TrAk Athletics, we help you become the best version of yourself. We know that people can live larger and become more productive and energized in all facets of their lives. We believe that fitness, nutrition, and lifestyle form the foundation to Living BIG, and we train each member to excel in each and become the person they’ve always wanted to be. TrAk Athletics isn’t a gym, it’s a lifestyle. Visit us at trakathletics.com. You can also find us at Facebook/trakathletics or on Instagram at @trak_athletics.