Andrew Martin has become the triple threat not even he could’ve imagined.
The Stonewall product was recognized as Manitoba’s top Olympic distance amateur triathlete on Oct. 17, winning the Grand Prix awarded by Triathlon Manitoba.
Martin, 27, accumulated the most points on the provincial circuit this summer, winning the Hecla Triathlon and Riding Mountain Triathlon and placing second at Peace Gardens. Last season, Martin was named Rookie of the Year.
“It definitely means a lot. It’s kind of nice to see the fruits of your labour. (You) have some days you might not want to get out there and put in the work but at the end of the day it’s worthwhile,” said Martin.
“It probably means a little more (than the Rookie of the Year award), it’s a bit of an affirmation that I’m going on the right track and things are working well, too. It was nice to have it all come together there, for sure.”
Martin’s background was as a runner and an occasional cyclist, but an Achilles injury in 2020 forced him to refamiliarize himself with the water. With his options to exercise limited on one leg and a global pandemic shuttering gyms and community centres, Martin jumped in a pool for the first time since his younger days in swimming lessons.
A bit of inspiration sprouted from those days in the water. And with some added motivation from his sister, who also decided on a whim to start training for triathlons, Martin found his new calling.
Martin said he didn’t start training for triathlons with any expectations. That changed after he won the Rookie of the Year award last summer, and his goals will only heighten after the latest addition to his trophy case.
“When I started last year, I thought, ‘Okay, we’ll see how it goes and then try it from there,’ so I didn’t really have anything specific when I started but then this year I had some target races in mind. Riding Mountain is the big one so I thought that was the target, ‘I would like to win that one,’” he said.
Martin, who recently completed a move from Winnipeg to Calgary, said a half iron-man is next on his bucket list, which he expects to complete with his girlfriend next summer in Alberta.
On the side, Martin has continued his success on the track he knows best, winning the 11th annual Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service Half Marathon held in Winnipeg on Oct. 22. He finished his 10-kilometer run in 35:58, pacing the event’s 753 participants.
“Probably a bit of an element of surprise,” Martin said of the early success he’s enjoyed.
“One thing is just realizing that you can probably do better than you maybe initially expect at the start. In the early stages, maybe you don’t really see any improvement or results as much at the start and then, I guess, it’s kinda like a hockey stick curve almost in a way. There’s minimal improvement to start and then after a while, it compounds a little bit and you see more of an improvement.
“That’s probably one thing I realized is don’t get frustrated early because it takes a bit of time.”
Tribune Photo Triathlon Manitoba
Triathlon Manitoba announced that Stonewall’s Andrew Martin is the male Grand Prix Series overall champion.
