Inspired in part by the returns of Gwen Jorgensen and Katie Zaferes to elite triathlon, there has been a lot of talk of combining motherhood with being competitive at the highest level of triathlon.
Both are great ambassadors for the sport and their candour and example will help further tread the path for their fellow triathletes.
With World Triathlon also innovating a maternity policy, the framework increasingly exists for motherhood and triathlon to co-exist.
Nine time WTCS medallist Jessica Learmonth is the most recent athlete to announce that she will be taking a break from the sport to have a child. As such, important conversations around motherhood and triathlon have been on the rise lately.
Not to be lost in such discussions is the perspective of combining fatherhood and triathlon. It goes without saying that the challenges posed are different to that of motherhood (to the Junior athletes reading, make sure you’ve had the “where babies come from” chat with your parents to fully understand why). Nevertheless, blending fatherhood with elite triathlon is demanding in its own right.
There are a number of fathers currently on the WTCS circuit, such as Mario Mola who recently claimed the World Duathlon title. Richard Varga and Henri Schoeman are two more fathers still racing with both evidently claiming the title of “fast swimmers” in more ways than one.
One of the most prominent examples in the sport right now, though, is Matthew Mcelroy.
After becoming a father in November, Mcelroy has shed light onto the matter and lent his perspective. In a video he posted, he noted that “the biggest thing is sleep”.
“I have really early mornings and then I have really late mornings, it just depends on how he (his son) sleeps.”
The irregularity of sleep patterns is something most, if not all, parents will recognise. For elite athletes, it is possibly the least optimal element of fatherhood given the importance of sleep.
On the flip side, Mcelroy noted that due to the irregularity of his job, he is able to spend plenty of time with his son. “Most parents are gone from their kids all day. I get to see him throughout the day which is really nice.”
Moreover his son can be brought along to some training sessions which Mcelroy noted surpasses all training partners.
With two weeks to go until WTCS Yokohama, Mcelroy is coming to the end of a big training block. In his video, he gave a glimpse into his routine with a running session.
The workout was a 30 minute warmup followed by 5 efforts of 1.5 miles with 2 minutes recovery. He then took on 4 rounds of a 300m hill with a 2 mile cool down to finish. (For metric fans out there, that’s 2.4km on the efforts and 3.2km on the cool down).
As per the gospel according to Matt, rule #1 is that “Every session is a key session”. With that in mind he duly delivered.
After opening his efforts at 5:22 per mile pace (3:21 per km), he dropped his subsequent four efforts to between 5:02 and 5:09 per mile pace (3:08 to 3:13 pace). Having targeted holding between 5:05 and 5:10 per mile, Mcelroy was right on pace.
With his son on hand to watch, he then produced a universal parenting quote when tackling his hill sprints.
“You gotta ask yourself, on the last couple, do I want to provide for my family? I have to.”
That heightened need to provide and perform is a sentiment all will be able to recognise and one keenly felt as an elite athlete. After logging strong races at the WTCS Final in November and at WTCS Abu Dhabi in March, the motivation is evidently serving him well.
When Mcelroy steps onto the pontoon in Yokohama, then, expect him deliver once more.
