Rob Kennedy IM Wisconsin 2002

So, how did you get started in triathlons?
I was swimming in a Masters swim program in Sydney Australia and some triathletes invited me to join their club- BRATS- Bondai Running And Triathlon Sports in 1991.

In Sydney? And how did did you find out about this crew here in Westchester?
President Rich Izzo invited me to join when I was a member of the Westchester Track Club in 1998 training for marathons.

Are there marathons in your upcoming race calendar?
Yes. Ridgefield 1/2 marathon in October as a warm up for the Philadelphia Marathon in November.Cape May Marathon in March, Wildflower 1/2 Tri in May, Ironman Idaho in June.

And how is your training for these upcoming races different than before?
I'm on a special nutrition program prescribed to me by Tim Bailey MBS in Nutrition, I'm following a tri coaches 3 level seasonal weight program. I'm riding more this winter 4 x a week / 2hrs plus on Saturdays as the race is in June.

And in terms of equipment, anything new or different there?
I got sized for my Lightspeed by an expert and had a new tri Profile seat post put on to place my weight more over my tri bars.

After going at it for awhile, what keeps you motivated, especially for long distances?
Westchester Tri club has a great support infrastructure for Ironman triathletes, and I think it great that the women in our club can consistently kick my butt in the IM races with only minor trash talkng afterwards from MB.

In terms of your IM races, what have your times been?
I raced 11:56 in Australia in 1993. Lake Placid was a 10:51 in 2001, and I did a 10:59 at Wisconsin 2002.

Your athletic background, other than swimming has also helped for Ironman hasn't it?
Yes. I was a marathon runner. I averaged 4 marathons a year, including Boston for 5 years. This background has made it much easier for me to deal with the marathon leg of the ironman.