Child safety advocate Elizabeth Smart reflected on her recent experience competing at the National Physique Committee’s North American Championships in Pittsburgh, which ran from Sept. 2 through Sept. 5, 2026. Smart placed at the bottom of both her classes.
Smart, 38, entered two separate categories at the event: Masters 35+ and the height-based Open Class D. Despite the low placement, the activist expressed pride in her preparation and performance.
“Another show for the books! Had such a blast,” Smart wrote in an Instagram post. “I’ve always said ‘just stepping onstage is a win for me!’ And I completely stand by that.”
Smart praised her support network and highlighted the personal progress she made while training for the event under coach Robyn Maher alongside her best friend, Mackenzie Paralee Holsombake.
“Regardless of where I placed, I loved the whole experience, had an amazing coach [Robyn Maher], got to step onstage with my best friend [Mackenzie Paralee Holsombake] and had the best support squad in the audience I could ask for,” Smart wrote.
The competition served as another milestone in her expanding athletics career, coming five months after she secured first place in the Fit Model Novice category at the Wasatch Warrior competition in Salt Lake City, Utah.
“I brought a better physique and stage presence than at my previous shows, and I’m so proud of myself for the hard work, discipline and bravery it takes me to compete. So, here’s to pursuing goals and not giving up!” Smart wrote.
That Utah victory marked her fourth time competing on stage, a venture she began following years of marathon training.
“This was a big change for me,” Smart wrote in an April 21 Instagram post. “It was hard. It pushed me, challenged me not to give up. I am so proud of myself for doing this.”
Smart gained national attention in June 2002 when she was kidnapped from her Salt Lake City home at age 14. She endured nine months in captivity before being rescued by law enforcement, who captured abductors Brian David Mitchell and Wanda Barzee.
In a May interview on CBS Mornings, Smart explained that knee issues during marathon training prompted her to re-engage with a former trainer and try bodybuilding, despite feeling initial apprehension about the stage attire.
“It was terrifying,” Smart told CBS Mornings host Gayle King. “I don’t think I wore a bikini until I was on my honeymoon, so stepping up onstage [in] a bikini felt like the most vulnerable thing I could possibly do.”
Smart noted that participating in the sport became a meaningful part of her recovery journey and personal healing process.
“In my line of work, I’ve met so many victims of sexual abuse and violence who feel like their body betrayed them, and we see a lot of self-harm, eating disorders, feelings of self-loathing,” Smart said. “And for me doing this, I feel like it has been a celebration of my body, because it has carried me through every worst day, every bad experience.”
