How I Qualified For 70.3 Worlds: Bryan S. VanMeveren
Meet 70.3 world championship qualifier Bryan S. VanMeveren.
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Over the next couple of weeks we’ll introduce you to a mix of age-group triathletes who all punched their tickets to Vegas—some in more harrowing circumstances than others. The athletes also give training advice that helped them get to the level they are at today. The 2012 Ironman World Championship 70.3 race will take place on Sept. 9, 2012 in Henderson, Nev. Visit Triathlete.com/Vegas2012 for complete coverage from the race.
Bryan S. VanMeveren
Age: 47
Qualified: Kansas 70.3
It’s hard to believe there are enough hours in the day for VanMeveren, a Fort Collins, Colo., attorney, husband and father of six who’s also active in his community. Yet he finds the time to train and race fast enough to qualify for Vegas for the second year in a row, as well as qualify for Kona for the first time.
“I was extremely humbled by the challenge and the level of competition of the course,” VanMeveren says of the race last year. “I was kind of enamored with the whole process and didn’t have one of my better races. I want to go back and redeem myself.”
VanMeveren’s race schedule is almost as jam-packed as his personal schedule. He’ll be racing Vegas and Kona within a month of each other, and will race Boulder 70.3 leading up to Vegas. He also mixed in a couple of Xterra races this summer “to challenge myself in different ways,” he says.
As you can imagine, his training is dialed in. “I’m an old guy, so I have a pretty good understanding of what my body needs to get to where I need to be,” he says. He doesn’t taper, preferring to train straight through. And he shuns coaching. “I’ll probably offend a lot of people, but I believe coaching’s overrated … and it’s just another thing I don’t have time for.”
The takeaway: VanMeveren says his secret to maximizing his training on a busy schedule is getting up very early, and making every minute of your training count. “I just don’t have time for any junk miles,” he says, “so every workout has a purpose. But you’ve got to keep things balanced. And don’t be afraid to push the limits every week in your workouts.”