Most of you know John LeRoy........even if you don't there's a good chance that he is involved in your triathlon career. John is the official pointkeeper of the SWCS.......painstakingly charting the points after each event in our series. Add to that the people that write their age down incorrectly, and those that "age up" during the season and John has his hands full. If would be great of him to do the job if that were his only job.........but he's also one of the best (if not the best) 65+ athletes in our region. John is always on the go.......so when we got him to sit down for a few minutes........we did our latest 10 Questions with.............."The Keeper of the Points"

   Always Smiling.......John LeRoy

TransitionTimes....Hi John, thanks for your time. Let’s get right to it…….you’re the “Keeper of the Points” in the SWCS……..does anyone try to bribe you to get an extra point or two? 

 

John LeRoy......Early on I published my rate schedule but I guess everyone, except you, thought I was too expensive.  

 

TT.....The need to finish 10 races was a big controversy this season. What’s your view on the new rule? Where do you think it will go next season? 

 

JL......To begin, I think that we as triathletes should feel very fortunate, and thankful to Flip that we have a Series. Without his coordination efforts, we probably would end up with many races on the same weekend!! Also, it’s great to know when all the races will be and who to contact to get more information.

Yes, I too have talked to many people who feel that 10 races are too many. There are many reasons why: restricts smarter training schedules, too EXPENSIVE for some, excessive travel for northern New Mexicans, no time to recuperate from injuries, young triathletes are limited due to school sports, etc.

Some think that the higher requirement encourages more participation in the races but I think the opposite is true. Look at the current tally of the points on my website. With only 3 races remaining, it is obvious that there will be only a few who will complete 10 races – some age groups will have no one. I feel that of those who will have completed more than 10 races few will do so because of the requirement. As you know, the Series rules does provide a huge incentive to do more races by giving one quarter of a point for each race over the required number and by using your best 10 scores. Those who are in close competition for a prize are doing more than 10 to increase their score.

I believe that if the requirement were lowered to say 6 or 7 races, total participation in the races would increase. For example, a person living in Albuquerque currently is discouraged from even thinking about completing the Series because the 10-race requirement means having to travel to 5 or 6 races that require an overnight stay. If the requirement was more attainable I think that more Triathletes would get excited about the Series and start doing more races.  

 

 

Do you feel that someone (like me) who places in an age group by virtue of racing a lot deserves the victory? Or do we have an attendance contest going here? Don’t worry, you won’t hurt my feelings. 

 

I think that Flip’s system of awarding points sets a good balance between “attendance” and “speed” by counting your best races and giving additional points for completing more than the required number. This added advantage for attendance exists whether the requirement is 10 or 6 races. 

 

You’re having a good season. Last year you had some health problems……..could you tell us about how you’re doing now? 

 

Late in 2000 I started noticing that I was reaching my aerobic threshold at a lower and lower heart rate and at a slower and slower pace. In early March doctors found a coronary artery that was 75% blocked. I had an angioplasty procedure and a stent “installed”. Having run poorly for the previous year or so, I had hopes that I would immediately regain some of my earlier running speed. Although I have experienced some improvement, the procedure wasn’t a panacea.  

 

I wasn’t able to jump back into racing right away because the drugs I was on after the procedure interfered with my hard training, so I missed some of the spring and early summer races in 2001.  

 

Your background is in running………..what was the draw of triathlon? 

 

I had been a serious runner for about 20 years before moving to Silver City from Maine in the fall of 1999. In running, measuring your performance is fairly precise and this is great except it also adds a lot more pressure and made running for me very intense. I was ready for a change when we moved here. Since there are not many running races close to Silver City, and I had to travel anyway, I thought I might as well do triathlons. I was a good decision, as I love the diversity of triathlon training!!  

 

Your age group (65+) is one of the most competitive in the Series. Is it truly a matter of who is having the best day that determines the winner? 

 

I have just moved into the 65+ age group this year so I still consider everyone over 60 as my competition. Many think that competition gets easier as we get older but what they forget is that most of the survivors are still racing because they are GOOD. Thus, my age group contains a lot of great athletes. Yes, if you are having a good day and the competition isn’t, it helps; but it can also be the race format. A couple of the guys are almost unbeatable if it is a duathlon, but they can’t swim. Others are great on the bike so having a long bike leg gives them an advantage. A couple are really good runners so having a long run or having the run as the last leg really gives them an advantage. For me the competition is a big attraction to doing the races in the Series. 

 

Tell us about training in Silver City (boyhood home of Billy the Kid). Are there many triathletes in your area? What is the best thing about training there? 

 

We have a few triathletes in the area. Tim Matthes is my age and introduced me to the Triathlon scene in New Mexico. The others either compete sporadically or in Arizona. If you are in need of hill training for the bike or the run, this is the place. This makes for great bike rides in the mountains but it impossible to find a flat spot for time trials or a recovery ride. I have to do my tempo runs on an old railroad bed and that even has a pretty good slope to it. If you like running on trails and dirt roads in the desert (which I do) the opportunities are unlimited. Living at altitude (6000 in Silver and higher in the mountains) makes doing races like Las Vegas easier, but I think that one of the problems with my running is that the high altitude detracts from the quality workouts.  

 

Earlier this season you had taken on an online coaching service. Initially your comments were positive but then things didn’t work out. What happened? Do you feel that online coaching is still a viable way to train? 

 

Actually, I am not sure you would call it on line coaching. I signed up with a coaching service in Tucson and we communicated everything via e-mail. Communicating this way could have caused some of the difficulty, but I am convinced the main problem with my bad experience was the individual. I think that having a local coach who comes to some of your workouts adds more to the coaching experience, but also working with a remote coach and communicating by email can work too. 

 

Of course I have to ask, you’re one of the charter members of Tri Team SW…….what’s the reason for joining a team?  

 

Right away I could see that a New Mexico edition to Transition Times was going to do much for the sport and I mainly wanted to support your efforts. Of course, since joining Tri Team SW I have reaped many other benefits. The tangible things like reduced USAT fees and free or reduced priced products are great, but being part of a group when you go to the races really adds a very nice dimension to the experience. I am looking forward to the team party. 

 

You passed on your slot at the age group nationals this season. Why? Are you planning on trying to qualify again next season?