I took over Pro Triathlon Training out of love and passion for the sport. I recognize being someone who did not come from an endurance background and I know firsthand that the information that is available from qualified sources is very sparse. Media has changed and you’ll find very few articles that are helpful and often consist of “sport hacks” rather than valuable information to take your training to the next level. There was a level of knowledge and accessibility missing. In my history with the sport, I’ve seen numerous athletes come and go. There is a way to decrease the number of athletes that drop out of triathlon and it begins with having quality information available to everyone. Believe it or not, professional triathletes are ill supported within the triathlon community. And it doesn’t matter if you’re a professional athlete, coach or sports scientist – you are not making tons of money pursuing your passion. Here at Pro Triathlon Training, we hope to encourage the growth and knowledge within the sport, while also offering support to those pursuing their passion as their career.
My triathlon career began with some good old-fashioned peer pressure from my dad and sister. They had registered for a sprint triathlon and knowing how competitive I am, they knew I couldn’t say no.
I signed up for the sprint triathlon weighing in at 208 pounds and an extensive powerlifting background. It didn’t take more than a few months of rigorous training for me to drop 30 pounds. I toed that start line eager and a little nervous. I hammered out that bike ride on a hybrid bike and could barely manage to carry myself that 3.1 miles on the run, but eventually, I got there and that finish line transformed into the start line for me. I was hooked.
I completely stopped weightlifting and signed up for my next race. I was swimming, biking and running every single day and every chance I could get. My dad, knowing my struggle with commitment, pitched me a deal that I could not pass up. If I could stick to triathlon for one year, he would purchase my first triathlon bike, which ended up being a Cervelo P2C. Shortly after my first race, I went and joined the Central Florida Tri Club and UCF Tri Knights. With the support of these teams and athletes, my development as a triathlete really took off. So much so that I wanted to train more than I wanted to attend my college classes and those long bike rides were far more entertaining than whatever my professors were teaching.
In joining the triathlon community, I also found myself with a mentor. He taught me the ins and outs of the sport and believed in my skills and potential. With his guidance, I had an immense amount of success and elevated my race results, I was winning races and finishing top overall on a more regular basis. As with all good things, there came a time when I had to make the decision to either pursue Triathlon as my career or make the decision to do something different. Within a few weeks, I had packed up my things and headed to Boulder, Colorado – the mecca of triathlon. Luckily for me, I had been working for USA Triathlon for a few years already, which gave me a good amount of experience and resources. When I arrived in Boulder, I sought out a triathlon coach through USAT and that’s where my path in triathlon merged with Jimmy.
Over the course of my triathlon career, I’ve been fortunate enough to have Jimmy’s guidance for 7 of those years. Our values and training methodology have lined up seamlessly and we’ve even had the pleasure of working side by side in several companies. We both collaborated with Dirt Tri, which was an off-road multisport media outlet and our paths later connected again when Jimmy brought me along in an endurance tech start up. There’s never a dull moment in the sport of triathlon and I find myself now coaching a number of athletes and managing the marketing for a sports performance software, INSCYD. In my career, I’ve had the privilege of developing relationships with some of the top professional athletes, coaches and sports scientists, which is why I’m now at Pro Triathlon Training.
In my triathlon career, I’ve competed in countless races, won many, and qualified in both national and world championship races – all varying in distance. I’ve found myself traveling around the world to Australia and Puerto Rico to pursue my dreams and push my limits as an athlete. And one day, I realized that I wanted to do more – to find the edge of my abilities, which is when I found myself training for 2017 Ironman Boulder. Being as I have a competitive spirit, I just couldn’t stop at one Ironman race, I’ve competed at Whistler, Cozumel and Maryland. And I’m still here, day in and day out, training and chasing my dream of qualifying for Kona.
The DirtTRI crew at the 2015 Outdoor Retailer industry show.
