THE SWIM
DISTANCE: 62 MI
START | END: BAHAMAS | MIAMI
ROUGH DATES: MAY 1-4
Justin and his primary physician will be the first to tell you that his body was not built for swimming. “Your legs are like two bricks, all they want to do is sink” says Dr. Webster. In summary Justin is anatomically as far off from a marathon swimmer as one could be.
In this leg of the triathlon, Justin will brave the open waters crossing through the Bermuda Triangle while battling the fiercest current in the world, the Gulf Stream. With velocities peaking at 5.6mph (9kph), 300 times faster than the Amazon river it will attempt to drag him far North of his destination and out into the Atlantic Ocean. He will be facing his fears and some of the most deadly sea life the ocean has to offer in sharks, box jellyfish, Portuguese man o war and all that’s hidden in the deep.
Training for this portion started in earnest with a coach in March 2021. “When I started training, I could hardly swim 2 miles in open water gasping for air looking for anything to grab onto.” After working with a coach, I can happily cruise for 10 miles.” Justin expects to complete 15-20 miles per day during the triathlon.
THE BIKE
DISTANCE: 3000 MI
START | END: MIAMI | SAN DIEGO
ROUGH DATES: MAY 4-21
Justin’s training for the biking leg of the triathlon is a bit different than the swim. “Saddle soreness and back soreness are going to be the biggest issues. Part of my training is just getting used to that, and having a plan to switch up bikes when we can so I can sit in a more relaxed position.”
Though Justin has driven cross country before, he’s looking forward to experiencing it from the vantage point of the bike. “In this leg, I’m really looking forward to seeing the beauty of the country.” He expects to complete 200 miles per day during the triathlon.
THE RUN
DISTANCE: 600 MI
START | END: SAN DIEGO | SAN FRANCISCO
ROUGH DATES: MAY 21-31
In this last leg, Justin’s looking forward to getting deeply immersed in nature as he runs up the California coastline. “Training and preparing for the run has been really fun. I’ve been enjoying crafting the route.”
His outlook on the run says a lot about the triathlon as a whole. “Honestly, for this leg and for the whole triathlon, I’m looking forward to the pain. I’m looking forward to the community of it, the people who are going to come out along the route. I want to have to dig deep, to remind me why I'm doing this. I want to deeply, intensely feel every bit of it.”
