Canada
As the swim is the first discipline in the triathlon, it is also the first discipline I tried to master as a child. When my parents threw me in the water for swimming lessons, I did not want to leave the pool. I even did Level Maroon 3 times. Now that’s dedication.
Middle school is when I added the run to my tool bag. After a short affair with high jump, I decided my faith lay in running around in circles. The more circles, the better.
The few fleeting months of summer we had in Manitoba allowed us to go camping as a family. On those weekends, we bonded with the mosquitoes but also hit up some start lines (Kids of Steel - Youth triathlon races in Canada). It was fun, so we kept doing it. Eventually, Gary Pallett at the MNTC got a hold of me, and lured me with promises of trips to faraway lands and swag. My heart was won over.
I did a stint at West Virginia University where I represented the mountaineer on the track over the longer distances. However, my heart and soul belonged to triathlon. I left with a few pieces of paper for my wall, great memories and heaps of friends.
Now I have more friends, as I travel around the world in pursuit of excellence on the blue carpets.
