Why I Tri??? (The other half)

Let me introduce you to the other half of the “WhyWeTri” Blog site. My name is Evan Dietz and I have lived in Hamilton for 8 years after growing up in a small farming community just outside of Mitchell, Ontario.

All throughout elementary school and high school, I was very active in numerous sports such as hockey, soccer, baseball, volleyball, and track & field just to name a few. I had originally been introduced to the sport of triathlon in high school as a teammate and friend of mine was involved with it. It became a desire of mine to do one, however, the chance to experience an event did not happen until much later on. As I began to make the move to continue my education at university, my focus switched from sports to school, and athletics suddenly became less of an influence in my life. Living on my own away from my family allowed me to discover other experiences that life had to offer, both good and bad. Unfortunately, my fitness and overall well-being began to slip as I allowed other influences, such as alcohol, to creep into my life. I dropped out of university, and began to work at a bar to make ends meet. I was in a downward spiral. Fortunately, I made the decision to go back to college. I graduated a few years later, and began working at an engineering firm in downtown Hamilton. Although I was beginning to turn my life around, I was still neglecting my health.

It wasn’t until I saw myself in a photo taken at Wasaga Beach in the summer of 2006 that I truly realized I was overweight and I knew I must do something to change my lifestyle. Remembering how I had a desire to become a triathlete, I began to research local triathlon trainers in the Hamilton area. I got into contact with Mat Reid, a local triathlon coach and athlete, and he laid out a training program for me to do, as well as having me enter a Try-A-Tri event (375m swim, 10km bike, & 2.5km run) 2 weeks into my training to see if I would even enjoy doing a triathlon. As hard as I had found this race to be so early into my training, I loved every second of it. I was hooked!!! I also began training with a newly formed triathlon club at the Hamilton Downtown YMCA. After my first year, I had accomplished the following: lost 50 pounds and was in much better physical shape, completed both a half-marathon and a 30km running race, and competed in numerous sprint and Olympic distance triathlons including the ITU World Triathlon Championships in Hamburg, Germany. Not bad for my first year in the sport.Since then, I have raced in the World Triathlon Championships in Vancouver, completed 2 Ironman 70.3 races, and am currently training to race in the Foster Grant Ironman 70.3 World Championships in Clearwater, Florida on November 8, 2008. For the past year I have been training with the OREA Racing Team, coached by Lee Hart and Dan McKerrall, and I am now making plans with Dee to determine what our race schedule will look like next year.


WHY I TRI???

REASON #2: It is my passion!!!

Evan