Dave Thomas trains for the triathlon. Last October, he was awarded la Coupe du Quebec in the category men between the age of 20 and 24. Not too bad for someone who two years ago trained in his pool, rode a mountain bike, wore a helmet that was to small and ran occasionally with his father.
Thomas, who is 24, never thought that he would become so dedicated to the triathlon. “This happened by accident,” Concordia Marketing student. A friend of the family who ran triathlons, suggested that he try it too.
The St. Bruno native accepted and competed in his first triathlon in July of 1998. At that point, his only goal was to complete the race, which was a real challenge. “I was happy I finished,” he says. “It was tough.”
A triathlon, like the one hosted in Montreal, respects the Olympic standards that consists of a 1,5 km swim, a 40 km bike and a 10 km run. A sprint triathlon, like the one in Drummondville, Toronto and Peterborough, the swimming
distance remains 1,5 km, however, the biking and running distances are 20 km and 5 km.
In 1999, Thomas competed at the Olympic Stadium pool in May and in the Montreal triathlon in September. “One thing led to another,” says Thomas. The winter that followed, he had already become more serious about his training, and decided to improve his swimming skills with a coach. ” I had never had a swimming lesson before that,” he confesses.
In the summer of 2000, Thomas competed in the Drummondville, Toronto, Peterborough, Ste. Agathe, and Montreal triathlons and already, he was improving.
Over the last year and a half, Thomas has been very disciplined about the sport. Indeed, he trains six times a week and follows a strict schedule. He has eight to 14 work out sessions a week, which means he will wake up at 4 am to do either two hours on the bike or in the pool and later on the same day, he will go back for three more hours of either biking or running.
Over the winter Thomas focuses more on swimming. “I improved a lot,” admits Thomas, who is proud to say that this season, he was always one of the first four out of the water. In 1999, he completed the Montreal Triathlon in 2 hours and 38 minutes. Last Sept. he finished it in 2 hours and 2 minutes. “I still need to get better in
everything,” he says humbly.
During the summer, instead of swimming six times a week, he will do three times more conditioning on the bike or running. “I do a mix of everything. That way I don’t get bored.”
He modified his eating habits in consequence of his training. His diet consists of a lot of fruits and natural food. No meat, dairy products, sugars and processed foods.
This summer, he finished second in his age group in Jonquiere. In Drummondville, he finished first in his age group, which qualified him for the last July in World Championships in Edmonton. He also finished first in the Magog, Ste. Agathe and Montreal triathlons. Each of the four races is worth ten points. La Coupe du Quebec is awarded to the athlete who gets the most points in the Quebec races.
Edmonton was a chance for him to measure up with athletes from all around the world. He came in 103rd out of a 1,000 and 22nd out of 67 in his age group. For next season, he hopes to qualify in the elite category and compete at a higher level. Thomas says he has great fans. “My family is very supportive and they show up at my races,” he says. His dad, who works for Speedo’s VP of sales, also supplies him with clothing.
Thomas is graduating this Dec. and has no specific plans ahead. Whatever happens, he is not going to make triathlon his future career. “I do it because it’s fun,” he says.
Thomas, who is 24, never thought that he would become so dedicated to the triathlon. “This happened by accident,” Concordia Marketing student. A friend of the family who ran triathlons, suggested that he try it too.
The St. Bruno native accepted and competed in his first triathlon in July of 1998. At that point, his only goal was to complete the race, which was a real challenge. “I was happy I finished,” he says. “It was tough.”
A triathlon, like the one hosted in Montreal, respects the Olympic standards that consists of a 1,5 km swim, a 40 km bike and a 10 km run. A sprint triathlon, like the one in Drummondville, Toronto and Peterborough, the swimming
distance remains 1,5 km, however, the biking and running distances are 20 km and 5 km.
In 1999, Thomas competed at the Olympic Stadium pool in May and in the Montreal triathlon in September. “One thing led to another,” says Thomas. The winter that followed, he had already become more serious about his training, and decided to improve his swimming skills with a coach. ” I had never had a swimming lesson before that,” he confesses.
In the summer of 2000, Thomas competed in the Drummondville, Toronto, Peterborough, Ste. Agathe, and Montreal triathlons and already, he was improving.
Over the last year and a half, Thomas has been very disciplined about the sport. Indeed, he trains six times a week and follows a strict schedule. He has eight to 14 work out sessions a week, which means he will wake up at 4 am to do either two hours on the bike or in the pool and later on the same day, he will go back for three more hours of either biking or running.
Over the winter Thomas focuses more on swimming. “I improved a lot,” admits Thomas, who is proud to say that this season, he was always one of the first four out of the water. In 1999, he completed the Montreal Triathlon in 2 hours and 38 minutes. Last Sept. he finished it in 2 hours and 2 minutes. “I still need to get better in
everything,” he says humbly.
During the summer, instead of swimming six times a week, he will do three times more conditioning on the bike or running. “I do a mix of everything. That way I don’t get bored.”
He modified his eating habits in consequence of his training. His diet consists of a lot of fruits and natural food. No meat, dairy products, sugars and processed foods.
This summer, he finished second in his age group in Jonquiere. In Drummondville, he finished first in his age group, which qualified him for the last July in World Championships in Edmonton. He also finished first in the Magog, Ste. Agathe and Montreal triathlons. Each of the four races is worth ten points. La Coupe du Quebec is awarded to the athlete who gets the most points in the Quebec races.
Edmonton was a chance for him to measure up with athletes from all around the world. He came in 103rd out of a 1,000 and 22nd out of 67 in his age group. For next season, he hopes to qualify in the elite category and compete at a higher level. Thomas says he has great fans. “My family is very supportive and they show up at my races,” he says. His dad, who works for Speedo’s VP of sales, also supplies him with clothing.
Thomas is graduating this Dec. and has no specific plans ahead. Whatever happens, he is not going to make triathlon his future career. “I do it because it’s fun,” he says.
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