Shortly after finishing his first triathlon, senior Ryan Petry knew he was hooked.
“After the first one, I did really well but had a nine minute transition and I wanted to do redeem myself,” Petry said. “I signed up for one the next weekend and ever since then I’ve been hooked to triathlons.”
With a long successful past in running at Seaholm, Petry has always enjoyed biking, and swam frequently as cross-training for running.
“Putting all three together is a cool challenge,” Petry said. “There is a lot of strategy involved, and it’s a lot of fun to train for because you get to work on all three parts of the triathlon instead of just running.”
Petry is sponsored by Three Disciplines Racing, one of the main events sponsors in Michigan for triathlons.
Three Disciplines has a number of sponsors itself, including bicycle stores and different products that Petry is able to get discounts on.
“It’s very cool to be sponsored,” Petry said. “I get to wear their company jersey and it’s nice to have someone supporting me in my races.”
Petry has always finished in the top eight, other than on the nine minute run transition in his first race he participated in. His best finish was second overall out of the entire field, not just in his age group. He hopes that this success continues and leads to many victories in the future.
“I’ve won my age group basically every time, which is the age group of 0-19 years old,” Petry said. “I hope to get some victories this year to get that experience under my belt.”
This fall, Petry will be attending Arizona State University, where the well-developed triathlon team contains over 90 members. He has very high expectations for competing in collegiate-level triathlons.
“It’s going to be nice to train year-round,” Petry said. “There with warmer weather there. Hopefully I will quality for the collegiate championships for Arizona State.”
Petry goes to the pool two to three times a week, swimming laps and doing different workouts to help his endurance. In addition, he goes swimming in lakes once a week with senior Clay Monahan to get used to the water that he’ll be swimming in.
He also has an indoor trainer that he hooks up his bike to that he uses when the weather isn’t suitable for outdoor training.
The main workout that helps Petry prepare for triathlons are brick workouts, which include swimming, biking, and running.
“This type of transition workout is key because it’s basically a practice run of a triathlon for me,” Petry said.
Carl Rundell, a 42 year old professional runner, works with Petry on his running. He stressed that one run in particular exemplifies Petry’s character.
“Most people would not even consider biking Pontiac Lake Trails and almost none would consider running it,” Rundell said. “Ryan is the only one that would even fathom biking, running it, and then following it up with a swim in Pontiac Lake.”
Rundell thinks the key characteristic that makes Ryan so successful is his love of learning. He is not afraid to ask for advice or challenge others’ thoughts.
“During races, Ryan is trying out new methods, theories and equipment,” Rundell said. “Each time he is fine tuning his race strategy.”
Fellow tri-athlete senior Jesse Frank believes that Petry’s passion separates him from the rest of the field.
“When Ryan wants to do something he’s going to do it,” Frank said. “His drive carries him.”
Rundell thinks that this is just the beginning of success for Petry.
“Ryan surrounds himself with those that make him stronger,” Rundell said. “Most importantly, he helps others achieve their goals and in doing so achieves his own.”
