Put On Your Best Boys

Figuring out what to wear in Kona was easy. It’s the same suit that I’ve raced in all season. But figuring out what color to wear in Kona was hard; my normal race suit is almost entirely black, which seemed like not the best choice for a race without any shade at all. Obviously the trend is towards lighter (or whiter) kits, and the Zoot gang did an awesome job mocking up some really great looking kits. However, they were really great looking kits for someone else. Looking at them, I just didn’t think I’d feel like myself. It was a decision that I struggled with quite a bit. So I went and sought out some advice from the guy who I really consider to be my role model as a triathlete – Peter Reid. I’m very, very lucky that Peter is nice enough to reply to my emails, and he gave me some great insight. I remember Peter always wearing dark kits, and I wanted to get his thoughts on why. His last win in 2003:

And, according to Peter, his favorite kit – from 2004 – when he finished 2nd. He said (paraphrasing slightly), “everyone was starting to go to the white kits. I didn’t like that. I liked the black. It stood out.”

While not exactly the same – different construction techniques and fabrics meant I couldn’t do a kit exactly the same way, my kit is my own personal way of saying thank you to Peter. His closing words were the best advice I could have asked for. I’ll paraphrase again very slightly to make sense in context here, “you may be a bit hotter in black, but when you start to suffer in the late stages of the run, there’s nothing more important than the confidence of being yourself.” Thank you Peter. It goes without saying that a big part of “being myself” is striving to emulate Peter’s professionalism, grit, determination, and overall excellence.

Now comes the really hard part – getting out there and racing like Peter “The Great.”