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COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (April 19, 2007) -- Becoming one of the world's top triathletes is not an easy goal, but leave it to Sarah Groff to set out to find a way to do it.
While attending Deerfield Academy in Massachusetts, Sarah was a standout runner and swimmer, earning High School All-New England honors in both sports. When she heard about a local triathlon, it seemed like a natural progression. She finished her first race using her brother's bike in one gear, and she was hooked.
Sarah went on to Middlebury College where she was a member of the swim team, earning All- American honors. She dabbled in triathlon during her college years, but it wasn't until graduation that she became serious in the sport. After watching Susan Williams win a medal at the Athens Olympics, Sarah, who had no big triathlon results to her name, packed up her belongings and moved cross country to train with Siri Lindley in an effort to become one of the best triathletes in the world. Sarah had to convince Siri that she was up to the challenge. And it was a good thing she did.
Currently a member of USA Triathlon's National Team, Sarah is en route towards accomplishing her triathlon dreams. She qualified for the elite Worlds team in 2006 and had an impressive five podium finishes during the year, including a top-10 at the Doha World Cup. She's currently ranked 120th in the ITU rankings and the 10th American. Given Sarah's quick rise up the ranks, she's definitely one to watch in coming years.
We had the chance to delve into Sarah's hopes, dreams and experience as an American elite triathlete.
When was your first triathlon?
I did my first triathlon in high school. I had to borrow my brother's old road bike to do the race. It was only the second time that I had ridden it. Since I didn't even know how to use the down-tube shifters, I walked up a hill until someone passing me instructed me how to shift gears!
Why did you first enter a triathlon?
I was a swimmer and runner and high school and even though I knew nothing about the sport (other than the fact that it consisted of swimming, biking and running), I knew that I wanted to try to race one. It just seemed like a natural progression for me.
When did you turn pro? Why?
I actually turned pro on a bit of a whim. In the summer of 2003, I was living in Boston and kept on hearing about the Monster Challenge pro race in September. I thought that it would be fun to do the race and applied for a pro license in order to do so.
What was the most intimidating thing about your first pro race?
In retrospect, my decision to go pro was about two years too premature. I could barely ride a bike at the time and was amazed how much improvement I had to make in that discipline.
What surprised you most about racing pro?
In the smaller races, you become accustomed to how easily success comes. There might be a few athletes that challenge you, but normally you are still able to control the outcome of your race. When you race at the World Cup level, however, there are now dozens of other athletes who can challenge you. There are so many more variables to contend with that you can only focus on having your best race, regardless of the outcome.
Anything unusual about your triathlon career?
After watching Susan Williams win bronze at the 2004 Olympics, I decided to pick up and move out to Boulder in order to train under Susan's coach, Siri Lindley. I had little training behind me and only mediocre results. Even though I probably wasn't ready for it, I took a big gamble in moving out to Boulder to train full-time under a coach that I had never met. For the first month, Siri wasn't even sure whether she wanted to coach me! Luckily for me, she was eventually convinced that I had some potential.
Do you have any triathlon superstitions?
While it is probably due more to paranoia than superstition, I won't wash my hair the day before a race. I'm afraid that my cap will fall off if my hair is too clean!
What's your triathlon goal?
While making an Olympic team is certainly one of my goals, becoming a triathlete that consistently races well is more important to me. The greatest goal that I have for myself is to develop into the best triathlete that I am capable of being.
What has your experience been like on USAT's National Team? How did this help you? How did this make things more difficult?
So far, being on the USAT National Team has been nothing but rewarding. The resources available to athletes are really incredible and I'm finding that my life has been made easier by belonging to the team. Now that I know what the team provides, my biggest difficulty lies in trying to ensure that I'm on the team for years to come!
What's your advice for amateur triathletes looking to turn pro someday?
If I were to have done things differently, I would have stayed amateur longer until I had developed into a better all-around triathlete. I would recommend racing amateur until you've consistently met success at the larger age group races such as St Anthony's, Wildflower, World Championships etc. If your goal is to race well as a pro, I think that you first need to be a dominant amateur.
What's the biggest misperception about elites?
I think that many people have this idea that the life of a professional athlete is a glamorous one. Much of our job consists of what other people might consider luxuries: travel to remote places, massage, training instead of heading to the office etc. While I can't imagine doing anything else with my life, the reality of being a professional athlete is far from the jet-setting life of excitement that others might imagine.
About USA Triathlon
USA Triathlon is the national governing body for triathlon, duathlon, aquathlon and winter triathlon in the United States. USAT sanctions 2,000 races and connects with more than 90,000 members each year, making it the largest multisport organization in the world.
Website: USATriathlon.org.
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