Don Henry on the run at the Pat Griskus Triathlon, 7/2002

You came onboard in the 2003 season. How did you first hear about the club?
I've known Michael Kim for a long time. Then I met Rich Izzo, Robbo, Barney, Linc, some of the other people through the Stamford Masters swim workouts and then others on the Thursday evening tempo rides.

Michael Kim got you started in the sport. Tell us a bit about that.
I think it was March of '02 that Michael mentioned to me that after a while away from the sport he had decided to get back into it by racing the Greenwich Sprint Tri in July. Michael had heard that I had started working out and suggested that I give it a try. I was rather reluctant considering my only swimming experience consisted of treading water long enough to get up on a pair of water ski's. But looking at Michael's belly, I decided if this guy could do it, so could I. I also learned that looks can be deceiving because Michael raced fast even with the belly!

How did your training go?
I think it was April when I got in the pool, quickly decided that the doggy paddle was extremely inefficient, and learned the freestyle. By the time June 1st came around, we decided to do the Pawling Sprint as a warm-up for Greenwich and it snowballed from there. (Subsequently also doing as a warm-up for the Greenwich Tri – the Pat Griskus in Middlebury, the Greater Hartford Olympic, etc...).

You stepped up to the Ironman distance in 2004. Tell us about that.
Yeah, I did Ironman USA Coeur d’Alene. It was great experience and very challenging. I enjoyed it so much that I signed up for IM USA in Lake Placid in 2005. In 2006 I took the year off from the Ironman distance to focus on shorter races and running.

What sport do you find to be the most challenging?
Swimming! And with the swim first it definitely doesn’t help to get out of the water tired going into T1. One of my goals for 2007 is to become a stronger swimmer.

What races do you have planned for 2007?
The Boston Marathon in April, Eagleman Half IM in June and IM Florida in November.

And outside of triathlons, what do you do professionally?
I am a Second Vice-President / Financial Advisor at Smith Barney in the Private Wealth Management area. So, if you need advice, please give me a call, and please excuse the shameless plug.

With your career and family, how do you fit training into your schedule?
It's tough, but I have a very understanding wife (most of the time), who works with me on scheduling. We have two daughters ages 6 and 7 who also keep us busy.