Jeremy Tulkas, a 25-29 age-group triathlete living in Central Indiana is no stranger to Ironman Louisville and isn’t known to shy away from a challenge. He took Ironman Louisville on in 2010, in the sweltering heat. He is an accomplished swimmer and is going to use this skill to assist him when he takes on the event again in 2011.
TS: How many years have you been doing triathlon?
JT: Three, though my first year I did no training and just competed in one sprint, so two years of actual training and doing Ironman.
TS: What got you interested in triathlon?
JT: Some of my teammates on my college swim team did them and suggested I try it since I was a fast runner and swimmer. I also heard of Ironman for the first time when I was an Ocean Rescue lifeguard on the Outer Banks, NC. A friend told me about it and I thought it was stupid. However, I couldn’t help feeling that I wasn’t a true athlete until I did one.
TS: What is your best discipline (swim/bike/run)?
JT: Swim, but I hate swimming (9 years of two-a-days will do that to you). My favorite is cycling, though I am very inexperienced at it.
TS: Why do you want to do an Ironman?
JT: I am addicted!
TS: Why Ironman Louisville?
JT: It's close to home, and my wife is a teacher who only gets three personal days per year, this allows her to do the race with me.
TS: What do you expect to be greatest challenges in preparing for IMLOU?
JT: Injury prevention, and fitting my training plan into my work schedule as a full time overnight shift police officer.
TS: What would your best case scenario be on race day in general?
JT: To feel as though I reached my potential and didn’t have any heat related problems like last year.
TS: What is your most critical piece of equipment for each of the three disciplines?
JT: Swim – snorkel (I only use it for training but it provides an invaluable benefit in balancing out my stroke, I use it every practice). Bike – rear view mirror attached to my sun glasses (again, only used in training, but it allows me to safely cycle alone on the straight flat central Indiana roads with 55 mph speed limits without constantly having to slow down and look behind me). Run – Garmin watch (allows me to run wherever I want and always know my pace and distance, really makes me push myself).
TS: What triathlon professional(s), if any, inspire you, and why?
JT: Chrissie Wellington – For one, triathlon is a sport where males are supposed to have a significant advantage over females but she can beat most of the pro men on any given day. Also, she always has a smile on her face, even though I know she HAS to be in a lot of pain going that hard.
TS: Other than Ironman Hawaii, what is a major “bucket list” triathlon on your radar?
JT: St George – Have you seen the photos from that race? Absolutely beautiful! However, it will require a lot of traveling for me and I believe the climbs might be too much for someone who trains on roads where I regularly ride 100 miles without a single climb of more than 30 feet (literally).
TS: Which would be a better triathlon rig, a classic Big Wheel or strap on roller skates with wooden wheels?
JT: The big wheel, because you can sit down. That would be way too long to stand on skates.
TS: Which would be worse, losing your cycling shoes in T1 or your running shoes inT2?
JT: Cycling shoes definitely. I have tried pedaling barefoot on my pedals and I hurt…bad! Running barefoot, however, is quite enjoyable for me. True story, I actually ran my first marathon barefoot! When I was an Ocean Rescue lifeguard, me and three other guys decided to run a barefoot marathon on the beach. We decided over drinks on night and ran the marathon THE NEXT DAY and with a total of five water stops and only one Powerbar. It probably wasn’t safe, but hey, nobody died and we all finished together in great time, with a negative split!
TS: Which is more important, the finisher’s t-shirt, or finisher’s medal?
JT: The shirt, because I never wear medals out in public, and the only t-shirts I ever wear are race shirts.
TS: What song or artist would you love to hear blaring at mile 20 in the Ironman run?
JT: The Final Countdown by Europe. If that song doesn’t get you motivated then nothing will!
TS: Who will you contact first to let them know that you are an Ironman?(Given they are not in attendance).
JT: My wife wasn’t at my first race and I called her as soon as I crossed the finish line (and yes, I was crying…).
I have a feeling Jeremy has a lot of stories he could tell about his experiences. I’m sure this Ironman Louisville will allow him to generate another epic story of determination and triumph.
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