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Man of iron; Loren Nelson’s rise in professional triathlon

May 8, 2018 | 11:41 AM

MEDICINE HAT, AB — At first glance, no one would consider Loren Nelson anything more than a typical, every day Hatter.

He works bankers hours, Monday through Friday as the sales manager for the local vehicle dealership City Chrysler. It’s a family operation, with his father and brother by his side.

“I’ve been there for a couple years now,” he said.

It’s all part of the routine.

Beneath the surface, outside those work hours, is a side to the 25-year-old which may catch you by surprise.

Each of his scars are part of his story. As are the countless, tireless hours he puts in in the Family Leisure Centre swimming pool, the hundreds of kilometres on the bike, and marathon distances covered in his running shoes.

Nelson is a professional triathlete, having earned his pro card after a 1st place finish at the ITU Long-Distance World Championships in Penticton, B.C. last fall.

“I’ll get into the pool at 6:00 a.m. generally speaking most days. Then after work I’ll either hop into the pool if I didn’t in the morning, or hop on the bike or run after that as well,” said Nelson, noting a typical build week ahead of an event will see him train upwards of 20 hours in the gym/pool.

That’s on top of a three/four hour bike ride on Saturday and Sunday, covering upwards of 120 km at a time.

“You manage your time right, and I don’t know if there’s a huge difference if you’re not working full time. It just spices things up,” he smirked.

Triathlon and Iron Man racing is slowly growing in southern Alberta, but the professional ranks are nearly unheard of in Medicine Hat.

A few are housed in Calgary, Nelson said, with more residing in southern B.C. but they remain far and few between when it comes to those competing for cash prizes at each event.

Ironman 70.3 races are his specialty. The ‘70.3’ is the mileage covered in freshwater swimming, cycling, and running. A few miles come out of the water and the runners, with over 50 miles reserved for two wheels.

Nelson already has two professional events under his belt. His debut took place in Mexico two months ago — a 15th place finish at the Campeche 70.3. He followed that up by stopping the clock 22nd overall at the Oceanside 70.3 on April 7th in California.

Now he’s setting his sights on Victoria 70.3 on June 3rd, before making a trip to Quebec in late June along with a couple more events in California this summer.

“(Victoria) is a smaller race, not as competitive of a field,” he said. “Hopefully I’ll be right up there with the top guys.

“The big thing for me is getting race experience.”

Up there with the top guys is a position he’s certainly well on his way to being on a regular basis.

Nelson says his ultimate goal is to win world championships. He’s on pace to achieving that in the span of a couple years, according to some of the training data he’s collecting.

“Ideally I want to win an Ironman 70.3 race,” he continued. “It’s definitely in the foreseeable future. If I can do that, then it’s just a matter of time before I’m in world championships and different things like that.”

He speaks with assertion in his voice, a matter-of-fact type of confidence. He certainly doesn’t lack the proper attitude to achieve his goals and push himself to the ultimate limits to get there.

Much of that comes thanks to a coaching change, which he went through in the latter half of 2017.

“I was with a guy in Penticton, and the intensity was beginning to dwindle off. I didn’t feel that spark as much,” he said. “Training went from 15 hours (per week) and dwindled down to 5-10. I was balancing a full-time career as well.

“I decided to switch coaching, ignite a different approach to training with different workouts and spice things up a bit.”

Nelson hired Paul Buick of Purple Patch Fitness out of New Zealand last November. The shake up reignited his drive and desire to excel in the sport.

“Training instantly went up to 15-20 hours. It’s ‘screw what your body feels like, this is what you have to do to be a professional’,” he laughed.

Nelson says the data he’s pumping out during training sessions are comparable to the numbers generated by the world’s best. Transferring the results into an actual event is the next step, and he’s hoping with more experience this year, it’ll set up for bigger and better in the future.

“As soon as next year I’ll probably see a win under my belt. Training is going really well and the intensity is there with (Buick).”

But regardless of the results in training, and the ability to push his body to the absolute limit while juggling a full-time career, is his undying drive and desire to become one of the world’s elite.

Nelson says he never doubted his ability to become a professional athlete. It was never a question of ‘if’ he would make it, but rather ‘what sport’. He was a soccer player well before considering triathlon, and when becoming a professional on the pitch didn’t work out, he simply switched his mentality.

Now he’s using that same level of drive to conquer the next step in his career, using those who are at the top of the triathlon world as motivation to get there.

“I got driven by learning how to swim,” he said. “I got quite good and just went from there. Now I’m looking at the top guys and comparing myself to them. I can see the light a little more and that’s what motivates me.

“I guess that’s where the motivation comes. You go out there and get smoked by the top guys and Olympians, and you say ‘wow, I guess I can do that, I’m a human too’.”