Tri Sam, I am

Hello, and welcome to Tri Sam.

First of all, feel free to simply call me "Sam". Tri Sam is my persona for the purposes of this blog.

Just a little background before I get rolling here. I've been involved in triathlon since 1995. I've completed 80+ multisports events including several duathlons, one adventure race, and many triathlons. I've done triathlons ranging in distance from the sprint to the Ironman. My favorite distance is the half-ironman, but it is becoming the Ironman distance after only having done two (Wisconsin and Louisville in 2007 & 2009 respectively). I believe I perform best at the sprint distance and I enjoy the heck out of it, but I've been sucked into long distance triathlon.

I did publish a book (see above) in 2005 which is filled with information about how I got started in the sport. It contains a plethera of race accounts, event results dating back to my high school cross country days to the end of 2005, and information on triathlon gear, etc. I wrote it primarly for my children to read when they get older, but I believe it is also useful for those who are just getting into the sport, or those who are like me and just can't help themselves and want to read as much as they can about the sport. My race accounts are written in such a way as to put the reader in the race along side of me because I wanted my kids, family, and friends to know what doing a triathlon is all about. I'm not trying to sell you my book, but it is available on Amazon.com and can be accessed by clicking the cover.

My racing experience goes back as far as racing my brothers, sisters, and neighbors in the backyard, to junior high track where I thought I was Carl Lewis, but it turned out I was best suited for the mile. I later went on to run cross country at Caledonia under Coach John Soderman, then to Grand Rapids Junior College, under Coach Greg Meyer, and then to Grand Valley State University (before they were the powerhouse that they are today).

I am addicted to triathlon and love everything about it and I am looking forward to exploring the sport furhter with you...or just with me if nobody else reads this. :)