Posted: March 30, 2006

Triathlon: Desiree Ficker Gets off to Fast Start for Tri-Dubai

Desiree Ficker finishing Ironman California - Photo: Michael Yux/Tri-Dubai

Second Place Finish in California Sets Her up to Make Title Run at IM Arizona

BOULDER, CO. MAR. 30, 2006 -- Looking for a breakout season among the world's top triathletes? If you're the betting type, the smart money is on Desiree Ficker. This 29-year-old dynamo from Austin, Texas, the sport's 2001 Rookie of the Year, is just hitting her stride, and her prospects for this season seem limitless.

"I had a good winter of training," says Ficker, fresh off her second-place finish in the California 70.3, just off the pace set by Michelie Jones. "I worked really hard, and put in a lot of good running miles. I had a couple of good gains on the run. I'm in great shape, especially considering how early it is in the season."

Ficker's superb form can be attributed, in part, to her recent affiliation with Team Tri-Dubai. "Since hearing that I got on the team, at the end of last fall, it's certainly helped motivate me during my winter training," says the Maryland native. "Being on a team of such prestigious athletes, I didn't want to let anybody down. Any time I didn't feel like training, I'd think of them, and that helped me get out the door and get going."

An added bonus came on race weekend at the Cali 70.3 in early March, when team member and 2005 World Triathlon Champion Normann Stadler and team liaison Tony DeBoom accompanied Ficker, discussing race strategy the night before and exhorting her during the event. "That was my first, real tangible experience with the team, and it was amazing," says Ficker. "The support was like a warm hug. Triathlon can be such an individual sport, and you can feel lonely out there. So to have Normann and Tony there, in the transition areas, yelling for me, really helped."

A relative late bloomer ("I didn't start triathlon racing until I was 22."), Ficker knows the importance of teamwork in what many believe to be the ultimate individual sport. Back home in Austin, where she's lived for the past two years, Ficker is sponsored by a local bike shop – Jack and Adam's – and has a number of cycling partners joining her in the Texas hill county. She also runs regularly with Gilbert's Gazelles – an elite club headed by Gilbert Tuhabonye of Burundi – and swims with Randy Reese and his Longhorn Aquatics program.

The city itself is a nice fit for Ficker. Being comfortable at home, she says, translates to being in a good place as an athlete. "It's a beautiful place," she says. "We have a relatively warm climate all year round. And people seem to be cheerful and chipper in general. Everyone seems to be living pretty active lifestyles, going out with friends, or jumping in a local triathlon. People are constantly moving and shaking, it's really exciting."

For her core fitness training, Ficker jogs to a nearby gym, Pure Austin. For more serious running, Ficker heads a 10-mile cinder trail that loops around the town lake less than two miles away. On the outskirts of town is a spring-fed swimming spot – Barton Springs – and plenty of rippled topography to make her quadriceps burn. "We don't have the long climbs that go on forever, like you have in Boulder, but we do have steep climbs and hilly roads, were you can go out and work for miles," she says.

Ficker also benefits from a "huge support network," which includes her folks, Annette and Robin Ficker, and her former coach, Dave Scott, as well as a legion of local work-out partners. "There's a large triathlon contingent here, so I always have people to train with." But to take her game to the next level, Ficker knew she needed extra incentive. That came in the form of Team Tri-Dubai. "It's fascinating to get to know these athletes who I've always looked up to,' she says. "Now we're integrated into one unit. You don't get to mingle and learn as much as you'd like to about the way other athletes live or where they come from and how they train. I look forward to doing that, getting to know the other athletes and learning their culture."

Though she acknowledges her role as "the rookie," Ficker adds that she relishes the challenge. "I'm one of the young guns, the up-and-comer," she says with her trademark laugh. "I've still have to prove myself in my mind, and live up to the team's reputation and expectations. I'm still learning in this long-distance racing and looking forward to improving and becoming more of the future of the sport."

That renewed commitment is fueled by a fondness for sushi and spinach ("I probably eat a big bag of spinach every two days."), and an abstinence from her favorite guilty pleasure, Amy's Ice Cream, which is homemade locally ("It's just to die for, and they have all these really groovy flavors."). Austin's hot climate, and her favorite Ethiopian coffee blend, is enough to nudge Ficker out the door for early training sessions. "I've become more of a morning through all of this," she says, giggling. "You don't really have a choice."

That's especially true if you're gunning for Ironman crowns. Ficker admits a preference for the half-Ironman distance, but says she's getting more comfortable at longer distances. "The Ironman is still slightly ominous for me. There's still something of a fear factor there, because it is so long and I haven't quite mastered all the details," she says. "But I'm really looking forward to (Ironman) Arizona." The attraction of the Ironman, she says, is that the distance plays into her strength as a cyclist and a runner.

"You've got 112 miles to do your thing on the bike. That's a long time, and that's a great freedom. So I'm getting to love the Ironman distance. You have to cultivate it. It's one of those things where you have a love-hate relationship with it."

Likewise, Ficker has learned to embrace the water and swimming, adding: "I'm finally getting to the point where I'm confident enough and I can enjoy the different aspects of all three disciplines." Which is important, given her stated goals this year to notch a high placing at the Hawaiian Ironman, and eventually winning that race.

"That's my ultimate goal," she says with the steadfast assurance of a woman's whose motto is: "If it's hurting me, it's killing them."

Demonstrating a veteran's maturity, Ficker realizes she has more than just her teammates counting on her. In an age of self-absorbed athletes, Ficker genuinely embraces the Team Tri-Dubai's charity component – she's the athlete representative for the Ulman Cancer Foundation for adolescents and young adults – and the opportunity to be an inspiration for others. Ficker sets high standards for herself, but also wants her efforts to encourage the next generation of athletes. To that end, she is sponsoring three weeklong triathlon camps near Austin for youngsters this June.

"I'm hoping to cultivate a name for myself in a way that I can be a role model for young people who are getting into the sport, and to inspire young athletes," she says. "I do think there's such a lack of positive role models out there these days. Certainly someone like Lance (Armstrong) has done amazing things, and Tiger Woods. I'd like to get to that point, where I'm not just racing and getting results, but I'm also being influential."

Clearly, Desiree Ficker is primed for greater success. You can bet on it.

About Tri-Dubai Professional Triathlon Team
The nine members of the 2006 Tri-Dubai squad including: Cameron Brown (New Zealand); Peter Reid (Canada); Tim DeBoom (USA); Chris Legh (Australia); Simon Lessing (GBR); Normann Stadler (Germany); and Joanna Lawn (New Zealand); Lisa Bentley (Canada) and Desiree Ficker (USA). The team is scheduled to compete in 32 events in 12 countries this season. In all, the team members have combined for over 30 Ironman titles and 11 World Championships including six Ironman Hawaii World Titles. In 2005 alone, the team members reached the podium in 29 of the 36 events in which they competed.

Similar to last season, for most of the major races Tri-Dubai adopts a charity to make a contribution to the charity if a Tri-Dubai athlete reaches the podium with a top-three finish. Last year more than $50,000 was awarded on behalf of Tri-Dubai athletes. Interested charities can apply to become a Tri-Dubai charitable partner by applying at www.TriDubai.com.

Tri-Dubai works to promote the city of Dubai as great sports, business and tourist destination while also supporting charities around the world. More information is available at www.TriDubai.com.

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