Like most kids, my dreams changed quite a bit. I think I wanted to be an astronaut first, then an electrical engineer and then a wildlife veterinarian. Sport was never this ‘ultimate goal’ for me, or my brothers. We just did sport because it’s what you did. It was just as necessary to do sport as it was to go to class. It was awesome though as you got to spend another 2 hours with your friends after school. Baseball was the best as it is the least stressful sport in the world.
I'm one of 4 brothers and we had plenty of opportunities to play different sports and find what we liked and didn't like. We wrestled for pretty much our entire youth, but baseball probably took up the most time as we played summer league as well as high school ball. When we got of-age, we started football, and I did cross-country in 7th and 11th grade - primarily to get in shape for wrestling season in the winter. I never excelled at XC as I was playing football at the same time, and I absolutely loathed running. However, I was the number two runner on the team. I think it irritated the XC coach to see my talent wasted, but I just didn’t have fun running so I chose not to do it. I was in dance class too - for 6 years I did tap, jazz and ballet. I actually hated every minute of it, but in hindsight, I wouldn't have changed that part of my life.
Ultimately, I started triathlon because my brother signed me up for a local indoor triathlon. Ironically, I had already been running to lose some weight, and he had been really into cycling, so he told me to start swimming. After a win at that small indoor tri, I was hooked from then on!
At the end of my career I would like people to reference me as being a good guy and a hard worker. I think that holds more cache than accolades. I try to be respectful and genuine and I want people to see that and know that about me. I plan to have a very successful career, but where does that get you when your 50 or 60 years old? Some people who are cruel and rude have had lucrative careers but they don’t have much when they’re retired because no one wants to have them as a representative. I think being successful with a high degree of reverence and likability is more valuable.
I plan to give back to the sport the coaching expertise and knowledge that I have acquired over the years of sport. Not just from my triathlon years, but also the sports I've competed in throughout my career. I keep thinking about how much better my wrestling career could have been had I known the nutritional knowledge that I have gained from triathlon. I would like to share this information with local wrestling clubs in hopes that they could benefit from it.
“I’m running towards being the best triathlete, towards world championships, towards wins, towards accolades. I want to be the best. I’m very fortunate, I had a very good upbringing, no tragedy, my family gets along well, I’m happily married. We worked hard to get to where we are so I’ve never really had to struggle.”
One thing that gets me through tougher times is thinking about my competitors. While I’m out training, they could be sitting at home on the couch, which is a big push for me. I know that I have that a mental toughness that some other athletes don’t. I’ve definitely done a Rocky IV before, where Rocky yells out “DRAGO!” as he’s training, I’m pretty sure I’ve yelled out “LIONEL!” before. You definitely can’t motivate yourself this way for every race, you have to pick and choose, but it does help me. Ultimately, you also have to trust your training and know that it’s going to put you in a good spot.
Tail ends of races can be tough, but I know that I’m capable of getting through all these hard spots. It’s not going to kill me. You just have to suck it up and deal with it. I grew up that way, I just had to be a man about it. I know a lot of people try to push it away, but I think you have to embrace it and work through the pain. For instance, there are times when you don’t want to train. You might be flogged from a certain block and you just have to get up and go do a certain swim, or get off the bike after a hard ride and go do a hard run when it’s not a race situation. It sucks, but you have to do it. You just have to get through it.
My tribe is very reliable. For cycling, I have three guys that have been a great push for me, as well as me for them. We are all very good friends so not only do we have the training benefit, we also have solid ride conversations. They don’t talk too much, nor are they silent; so 5-6 hrs in the saddle is never an issue. We have all been riding together for a while now, so we trust each other in a draft and know when it’s okay to stop and refuel. We can connect early in the week for a ride on Saturday and know that each will show up exactly on time without having to confirm a dozen times prior. That goes back to the reliability of them. We learn a lot from each other and also have many laughs.
I typically run alone a lot but when it comes to track sessions, my coach has a solid showing of triathletes that make it fun and motivating to work hard! We are all on very different levels but on the small location of a track, we are able to push each other through the workout. They make it fun and worth coming back week after week. For my long runs, I really enjoy running with the Boulder Track Club. They are predominantly pure runners and it allows for a good break to get away from the triathlon crowd. There are plenty of triathletes there too, but I mainly run with a strong group of runners. Those specific runs make a Sunday so much better: you get to hang out with your friends while running, and then me and my wife, whom is also running with that squad, sometimes go get some brunch afterwards. It makes for a great day!
As far as swimming goes, I have started up with a new squad and it is fantastic! Great swimmers and an amazing coach! I am a bit diversified too as I have other swimming partners for different types of sessions. For my easy swims, I have a buddy who is always down for a chill swim, so we have each other to motivate ourselves to get in the pool even when we are completely smashed. More times than not, those easy “loosener” sessions are the hardest to get motivated to do so having a friend who is willing to do those with you is a huge plus!
“Every failure and success in life has led me to where I am today. If some of the negative things in my past were to have been different, I don’t think I would have made it out to Colorado and pursued a life of triathlon and met the love of my life. Everything happened for a reason and I don’t regret a single bit of it.”
I’ve attempted meditation but I didn’t think it was right for me. I’ve found success in delving into why I’m doing this. I don’t want to be a mid-pack pro, I’m not looking to just break even on a race if I travel somewhere. I keep reminding myself of that. I’m in this 100% and I’m going to give it my all. If times do get tough and I need to just hang in there for a little while, I tell myself: you’re either quitting, or you’re giving 100%...and I’m definitely not quitting. It kind of snaps me back into place. I think life has taught me how to get through my hardships in sport. I didn’t start triathlon until I was 21 so I experienced a whole lot of life before triathlon even started. It gives you context.
The best piece of advice I have ever received is when I was told by my first coach and a second time by my brother, that “You only get one chance at being a professional triathlete. If you try to come back to it when your 40, it’s too late. Take advantage of your talent now and you can do whatever you want after you are done competing. You are living many peoples’ dreams, so enjoy it while you can.” I was in a hard part of my early career and I was considering other “non-sport” career alternatives after college. However, I was snapped out of it when I heard this advice. It’s very true too. There’s probably many other relatable career paths that this guidance would work with as well.
Outside of specific training, I love having my wife being part of my tribe. Zana currently owns her own real estate company in Boulder but she was once a professional triathlete and NCAA swimmer, so she understands what I have to do and is a huge help. If something is off with my training or racing, and it is something that can be fixed, she is there to be blunt and let me know what I am doing wrong. I’m not one to talk about my issues and she definitely needs to pry, which probably isn’t a good thing, but she’ll get an answer out of me. You can’t always surround yourself with “positive feedback” people giving you high-fives, atta-boys and back-slaps. That gets you nowhere quickly and sometimes you need someone to tell you how it really is. Don’t get me wrong, Zana is also great at positive reinforcement too! She will be the first to be excited when I nail a workout or a race. I also have my family who is very supportive of my endeavors. They are the “positive feedback” group, but that is what they are for, family always has your back through the ups and downs.
I think the general public could learn about the healthy lifestyle that triathlon offers. I’m not suggesting everyone train 30 hrs/wk of swim, bike, run, but rather to understand that sports and activities and a healthy diet will do them some good in the long run. This isn’t directed solely at body composition and heart health but also mental, family and relationship health too. People who exercise are more even keeled and there needs to be more people like that in this world. It’s free therapy and I think a lot of people should invest.
© 2026 InnerVoice
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