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Once, Twice, Three Times a Triathlete

Margaret Watters

Brad Culp participated in his first triathlon at age 16 as a dare.

But unlike most dares, this one stuck.

In high school, Culp was focused on swimming and participated in triathlons in the offseason just to stay in shape. Most people in his position would have been content with just going to the gym, but Culp isn't like most people.

"(Racing) is an incredible feeling," Culp, a senior at Miami University, said, "especially in the longer races when you cross the finish line. At least then, I don't have any doubts about it."

Triathlons are a relatively new sport, tracing their roots to the 1974 San Diego Track Club, where a group of athletes wanted to see how far they could push the limits.

Races often vary in distance, according to Culp.

The shortest, the sprint, requires a half mile swim, 13-mile bike ride and a 3.2-mile run. The longest, the Ironman, demands a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride and a 26.2-mile run, explained Culp.

For his age Culp has many competitions under his belt, and at 22 he has even more races and accomplishments on the horizon.

Last year, Culp competed in 15 triathlons and one Ironman. This year, Culp has 10 to 12 triathlons slated and three Ironman competitions.

"(Participating in Ironman competitions) is not an experience a lot of people my age get to feel," Culp said. "At a race in Wisconsin I was the youngest athlete there. You get a lot of attention for being so young, some good, some bad."

According to Culp, an Ironman is usually four times as long as a standard triathlon course. However, to an athlete it feels more like eight or 10 times longer. Because of this, many triathletes feel Culp should stick with shorter races until he's older. Yet Culp feels that if he has the time, he might as well.

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"I always knew participating in Ironman competitions was my goal when doing triathlons," Culp said. "Since I'm so young I have a lot of potential to improve."

Culp's first triathlon was a shortest distance course, a sprint, in Pleasant Prairie, Wis., just shy of his 17th birthday.

"It was the most awful and painful thing I'd ever done," Culp said.

Oddly enough, Culp viewed this as a good thing. He values that triathlons aren't something everyone does and is proud of his accomplishments.

Despite his strict training, things don't always go smoothly for Culp. At the beginning of this season, he broke his foot during a triathlon in Reno, Nev.

"I was bummed," Culp said. "Last season was my first serious season (and I was) looking forward to trying to qualify for (the Ford Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii)."

This year's world championship will be Oct. 21. Although it's too late to compete this year, Culp is hoping to qualify for next year's race. If he places within the top two in his age group at the Ford Ironman Florida Nov. 4, he will qualify for Kona.

After researching past years' results, Culp feels he will have to finish in less than 10 hours to qualify. According to Culp, the fastest Ironman competitions are finished in eight hours, although all participants are given 17 hours to complete.

Culp's best time is 11 hours on a difficult course and he is confident about the race.

"I think it's pretty likely that I'll break under 10 hours," Culp said. "It would be nice to get a spot but I'd be happy just to go that fast."

Culp did, however, finish the race in Reno, despite his injury and the intense pain.

Determined not to withdraw from his next Ironman in Idaho, he continued to train despite the injury. Culp not only finished the Tour d'Alene, but had his best bike time yet. Looking back, Culp admits competing might not have been the best idea given the injury and the risk he took by training on it, but backing down wasn't an option.

Culp had signed up for the race more than a year in advance and still had his ultimate goal of qualifying for Kona embedded in his brain. After all, competing in the race would be better than his other weekend plans.

"(The competition was) better than sitting on my couch watching SportsCenter all weekend," Culp said.

Culp completed his latest race, the Ford Ironman in Wisconsin Sept. 11. He achieved his best placement yet - 14th out of 100 and 10th in his age group.

Currently Culp acts as his own trainer, but he's still a strict coach.

Culp averages eight to 10 miles of swimming, 250 to 350 miles of biking, and 30 to 40 miles of running per week. He trains six days a week, averaging two to four hours during the week and six hours on Saturday.

"The best part about my training is that it's varied," Culp said. "I have lots of different sports to train for. The only time it's really draining is on the weekends with the longer bike rides."

However, he does reserve a day off.

He uses this day for yoga or just simply relaxing. Because training can last up to nine hours a day, many triathletes joke that it's equal to a day in the office.

According to Culp, the longer the distance athletes are preparing for, the more training they have to do. He tries to be conscious about what he eats as well, but doesn't believe in counting calories - he just avoids all things fried.

Culp is not completely on his own, though. He receives coaching advice from 2000 Olympic silver medal triathlete Michellie Jones and her husband and coach Peter Coulson.

Culp met the couple while interning at Triathlete Magazine last summer - and who better for Culp to work with than someone who finished in the top three of 97 percent of the races she's competed in.

"I tried to pretend like I wasn't completely starstruck (when I met Michellie); I tried to play it cool," Culp said. "For someone who follows the sport like I do, Michellie is a superstar."

Once a week, Culp gets advice about training and the courses he's about to compete at. Jones and Coulson are helpful because Jones has run through almost every major course in the country. Culp's next race in November was one of her first.

Jones has been sponsored by Zipp Speed Weaponry, the leader in lightweight wheels for triathletes for 16 years. Andy Ording, president of Zipp Speed Weaponry, understands the strain triathletes like Jones and Culp endure.

"The human body can only produce a finite amount of energy," Ording said, "about one-third to a one-half horse power, 300 to 400 watts per hour."

According to Ording, the rest of the speed is reliant on athletes' equipment. That's where Ording and his company come in.

Culp is now sponsored by Amino Vital, a recovery drink company, and Dedicated Athlete, a company specializing in vitamin supplements.

While browsing www.Active.com last year, Culp stumbled on an advertisement from Amino Vital looking for applications for sponsorships. According to Culp, the races he competes in are usually the high exposure, publicized races that sponsors look for. Culp's sponsorship yields diet supplies like energy bars and recovery drinks, as well as money.

Financial compensation is based on his exposure in newspapers and magazines. According to Culp, ideally, an athlete can earn up to $2,000 or $3,000 from Amino Vital.

Culp's friends admire his determination.

"This isn't because I'm biased, but Brad has the best work ethic of anyone I know," said Ross McConnell, a friend and Miami sophomore.

According to McConnell, Culp takes work with him on tournaments, talks to his professors about when he'll miss class, and gets work finished ahead of time.

On top of his intense training, Culp is also a freelance writer, a member of the water polo team, and president of Miami's Triathlon Team.

But don't worry: Culp isn't all work and no play.

When Culp's not training for a triathlon, he enjoys going out with friends. Yet during training, he cuts back on late nights and leads a healthier lifestyle.

"It depends on how close I am to a big race that dictates my social life," Culp said.

Yet Culp's ultimate goal is still to qualify for Kona.

According to Ironman.com, Kona's first run in 1978 was because of a dare by a group of Navy Seals.

Culp has already taken his dare and made it into something bigger - a commitment that will stay with him for a lifetime.


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